Audi has finally expanded its G-Tron family with the
introduction of the A4 Avant and A5 Sportback. Previewed during the 2017 Geneva
Motor Show, both cars can run on either gasoline, compressed natural gas (CNG),
or the brand's "climate friendly fuel", the e-gas.
Powering them is a 2.0-liter TFSI engine, which
builds upon the regular petrol burner, and delivers 170 PS and 270 Nm of torque. When married to a six-speed manual gearbox, the A4 and A5
G-Tron need 8.5 sec to sprint from 0-100 km/h; top speed is 226 km/h in the former, and 223 km/h in the latter.
The Ingolstadt automaker says that both versions of
the Audi A4 Avant and A5 Sportback have a total driving range of up to 950 km, out of which 500 km can be covered exclusively in the
CNG mode.
Moreover, once the pressure in the tank falls below
10 bar, the engine management system automatically switches to gasoline
operation. The tanks, which are made from CFRP and GFRP, are located beneath
the rearward structure, and they can store 19 kg of gas at a pressure
of 200 bar.
The luggage capacity has dropped in both models, but
still sits at a respectable 415 liters in the A4 Avant G-Tron, and
390 liters in the A5 Sportback G-Tron. Audi has already opened the order books for
the two cars, asking at least € 40,300 (US$ 47,289) for the A4, and € 40,800
(US$ 47,876) for the A5, in Germany, with other markets to follow.
The brand's G-Tron technology will be presented at
the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, next month.
