As the cheapest coupe Audi sells, the A5->ke1188 is designed to bring a seductive two-door into an affordable price bracket. Now Audi looks to add even more value to that bargain basement price with its new “ultra” line of TDI equipped cars.

The Volkswagen->ke94 family of turbocharged diesel engines are already some of the best when it comes to balancing fuel economy and performance, so it makes sense to see that expertise leveraged. The new ultra models are equipped with a new 2.0-liter TDI engine that is available in three levels of power output: 136 horsepower, 163 horsepower and 190 horsepower. If those numbers seem low, don’t worry. These engines pack tons of torque, so at lower speeds they still have plenty of thrust.

The A5 Ultra comes powered exclusively by the 163-horsepower version of this new engine. This engine configuration lays out an absurd 295 pound-feet of twist, and it is sold with a special six-speed manual transmission with taller final gears for improved economy. Audi is claiming a fuel economy rating 56 mpg combined on the EU scale, and top speed sits at 140 mph.

As you can probably guess from the manual-only designation, this car is not currently slated for a U.S. release. We reached out to Audi->ke14 on the possibility of bringing the “ultra” models to U.S. shores, and John Shilling, Manager of Product Communications at Audi, said there are "No plans in the U.S. for that version at this time."

Click past the jump to read about the standard Audi A5.

2014 Audi A5 TDI Ultra

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2014 Audi A5 TDI Ultra
  • Engine/Motor: inline-4
  • Horsepower: 163
  • Torque: 295 @ 1750
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

2014 Audi A5

The Audi A5 family of cars is Audi’s entry level coupe. With engine options ranging from a 2.0-liter turbo with 220 horsepower in the base A5 all the way to a 450 horsepower V-8 in the sportier RS5->ke2628 variant, Audi provides a solid assortment of choices. Like most Audis, quattro AWD is standard on all trims.

On sale since 2007, and updated for the 2013 model year, the A5 is one of the newest product lines in the Audi lineup.

The A5 is also the base platform for Audi’s Cabriolet lineup. With prices starting at $39,000 the A5 is the fourth cheapest Audi you can buy after the A3, A4 and Q5.