HI, I'M JOHN DAVIS AND THIS IS MOTORWEEK !

JOIN US AS MITSUBISHI TRIES TO ECLIPSE RIVALS WITH A SPORTY NAME FROM THE PAST ON A VERY "NOW" UTE... PAT GOSS PINPOINTS SMALL REASONS FOR BIG PROBLEMS... JOE LIGO TAKES THE WHEEL OF A MUSCLE CAR THAT MAY HAVE FADED FROM MEMORY... AND A PAIR OF AUDIS FULL OF LUXURY AND POWER...

SO COME DRIVE WITH US, NEXT!

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* Announcer: MOTORWEEK , TELEVISION'S ORIGINAL AUTOMOTIVE MAGAZINE.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY... Announcer: YOU'RE SHOPPING FOR TIRES ONLINE AND YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.

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MADE IN AMERICA.

John: IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES; IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES.

BEST, WHEN WE HEARD THE RUMOR THAT MITSUBISHI WAS BRINGING BACK THE ECLIPSE; WORST, WHEN WE FOUND OUT THAT WASN'T QUITE THE CASE, AS THEY'D BE USING THAT SPORTY NAME ON YET, ANOTHER COMPACT CROSSOVER.

SO LET'S SEE IF DRIVING THE NEW ECLIPSE CROSS WILL PUT AN END TO OUR DICKENSIAN DILEMMA.

* JUST WHEN WE WEREN'T TOO SURE ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY WAS GOING ON AT MITSUBISHI, NOW THAT THEY HAVE ALIGNED THEMSELVES WITH NISSAN AND RENAULT, WE GET WORD OF THIS NEW COMPACT CROSSOVER, THE 2018 ECLIPSE CROSS.

SIZE-WISE, IT SLIDES IN BETWEEN THE OUTLANDER AND OUTLANDER SPORT IN THEIR LINEUP.

[ENGINE STARTS UP] MUCH LIKE THE HONDA CRV IT WOULD LOVE TO STEAL SOME SALES FROM, THE ECLIPSE CROSS IS TINY-TURBO-POWERED WITH A 1.5 LITER I4 RATED AT 152 HORSEPOWER, WELL SHORT OF THE CR-VS 190.

THERE'S MORE TORQUE, HOWEVER; 184 POUND-FEET, COMPARED TO HONDA'S 179.

LIKE THE CR-V, THE ECLIPSE CROSS IS CVT TRANNY ONLY, AND BASE ES TRIM IS THE ONLY ONE AVAILABLE WITH FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE.

ALL OTHER TRIMS COME WITH MITSUBISHI'S SUPER ALL-WHEEL CONTROL ALL-WHEEL DRIVE.

THOSE KIND OF POWER NUMBERS DIDN'T EXACTLY PEAK OUR ANTICIPATION FOR TEST TRACK RESULTS.

STILL, THE ECLIPSE CROSS DOESN'T FEEL UNDERPOWERED BY ANY MEANS.

IT'S A LITTLE LAZY AT LAUNCH, BUT THEN GRACEFUL AMOUNTS OF POWER BEGIN POURING ON, USHERING YOU TO 60 IN A RESPECTABLE 8.6 SECONDS.

THE CVT HAS SIMULATED SHIFTS THAT HELP THINGS SOUND A LITTLE LESS FRANTIC WORKING YOUR WAY DOWN THE TRACK.

THAT ALL COMES TO AN END IN 16.7 SECONDS AT 79 MILES PER HOUR.

MITSUBISHI HAD TO EXPECT SOME BACKLASH, CHOOSING TO RESURRECT THE ECLIPSE SPORT COUPE'S NAME ON A UTE, SO THEY MADE AN EARNEST ATTEMPT TO MAKE CORNER HANDLING WORTHY OF THE NAME.

BUT A LOT OF THE AGILITY COMES FROM THE ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM, WHICH USES SELECTIVE BRAKING TO MINIMIZE UNDERSTEER.

OTHERWISE, WE'D CALL IT FIRMLY AVERAGE; BETRAYED BY SAFE, AND SLOW STEERING, AND A FAIR AMOUNT OF BODY ROLL.

THE ECLIPSE CROSS DOES HAVE ALL OF THE FEATURES YOU EXPECT IN THE MODERN DAY COMPACT CROSSOVER.

MEANING A COLOR MULTI-INFORMATION DISPLAY, STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS, NATURALLY A BACKUP CAMERA, PLUS...AUTOMATIC CLIMATE; THEY'RE ALL STANDARD.

OUR MID-LEVEL SE WAS OUTFITTED QUITE NICELY, SIMILAR TO MANY BRAND'S TOP TRIM LEVELS; AND ADDS A HOST OF COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE FEATURES LIKE HEATED SEATS, PUSH BUTTON START, AND MITSUBISHI CONNECT.

UNEXPECTED FEATURES FOR THIS CLASS LIKE HEAD-UP DISPLAY AND MULTI-VIEW CAMERA ARE ALSO AVAILABLE.

OUR SE ALSO ADDED ADVANCED SAFETY FEATURES LIKE BLIND SPOT WARNING AND REAR CROSS TRAFFIC ALERT.

THE 7-INCH INFOTAINMENT SCREEN SHOOTS OUT OF THE DASH, AND IS CONTROLLED BY A SQUARE TOUCHPAD CONTROLLER ON THE CONSOLE.

THERE'S A DEFINITE LEARNING CURVE TO FIGURE IT OUT, AND EVEN ONCE YOU DO, IT CAN BE FRUSTRATING.

THE ECLIPSE CROSS LAUNCHES A NEW MITSUBISHI CONNECT SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE THAT, IN ADDITION TO THE USUAL SAFETY NOTIFICATIONS, GIVES YOU REMOTE ACCESS TO YOUR CAR WITH A CELL PHONE APP; ALLOWING YOU TO UNLOCK THE DOORS, CHANGE VEHICLE SETTINGS, AND EVEN SET PARENTAL CONTROLS.

SEATS ARE SUFFICIENTLY COMFORTABLE, AND THE GENERAL PLEASANTNESS OF THE INTERIOR HAS YOU WANTING TO SPEND PLENTY OF TIME IN THE CABIN.

THE EXTERIOR IS AMONG ITS BEST FEATURES; BEING RATHER DRAMATIC LOOKING FOR THIS USUALLY APPLIANCE-LIKE SEGMENT.

THE FRONT BARES A STRONG RESEMBLANCE TO THE OUTLANDER FAMILY, AND IN PROFILE THE APPEARANCE FAVORS A WEDGE, BUT YET, A BIT MORE COUPISH AND SPORTY THAN MOST COMPACT CROSSOVER RIVALS.

THE REAR IS TALL, WITH A SPLIT-GLASS HATCH THAT BRINGS TO MIND THE PONTIAC AZTEC AND THE ORIGINAL HONDA INSIGHT.

WHILE, YOU DO SEE MORE OUTSIDE, THE SPLIT IS QUITE DISTRACTING THROUGH THE REAR VIEW MIRROR.

UNDER THAT HATCH, IS A GOOD 22.6 CUBIC-FEET OF CARGO SPACE; EXPANDING TO 48.9 CUBIC-FEET WITH REAR SEATS FOLDED.

ALL-WHEEL DRIVE ECLIPSE CROSS' HAVE GOVERNMENT FUEL ECONOMY RATINGS OF 25-CITY, 26-HIGHWAY, AND 25-COMBINED, WHICH WE MATCHED ALMOST PERFECTLY WITH AN AVERAGE OF 24.9 MILES PER GALLON.

THE FRONT-DRIVE ECLIPSE CROSS STARTS AT $24,290, ALL OTHER TRIMS COME WITH ALL-WHEEL DRIVE AND TOP OUT WITH THE SEL TOURING FOR $31,390.

WHILE, THE BRAND HAS BEEN ON A ROLLER COASTER RIDE HERE IN THE U.S., BECOMING THE JUNIOR MEMBER OF THE RENAULT-NISSAN-MITSUBISHI ALLIANCE HAS ADDED TREMENDOUS STABILITY.

AND GIVEN THAT MITSUBISHI HAS A GLOBAL HISTORY OF BUILDING RUGGED, DEPENDABLE, SUVs, WE THINK, 2018 ECLIPSE CROSS HAS A REAL CHANCE TO SUCCEED.

TRUE, BY BRINGING BACK THE ECLIPSE NAME, MITSUBISHI IS CLEARLY AIMING TO CASH IN ON THE ECLIPSE COUPE'S REPUTATION AS A STYLISH, COMPACT PERFORMER THAT DELIVERS A LOT OF BANG FOR THE BUCK.

WE CAN SEE MANY OF THOSE SAME WORDS APPLYING TO THE ECLIPSE CROSS.

SO, IT MIGHT JUST BE EXACTLY WHAT MITSUBISHI NEEDS TO STAY RELEVANT, AS THEY CONTINUE TO REBUILD THE BRAND HERE AND AROUND THE WORLD.

* MODERN MUSCLE CARS MAKE A LOT OF HEADLINES THESE DAYS, BUT WE HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE CLASSICS, EVEN THE MOST UNUSUAL ONES.

AND NEITHER HAS OUR JOE LIGO, WHO SHARES SOME "MUSCLE CAR MEMORIES" ON ONE OF THE ERA'S MOST SURPRISING UNDERDOGS.

Joe Ligo: AMERICANS LOVE THE UNDERDOG.

WE CHEER FOR THE LITTLE GUY, THE LONG-SHOT, THE DARK HORSE, IT'S PART OF WHO WE ARE.

GTO, STI, CERTAIN LETTERS MEAN A LOT TO CAR ENTHUSIASTS, HERE'S ONE YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD THOUGH, AMX.

THIS 1969 AMX CAME FROM AN UNLIKELY SOURCE: ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE, AMERICAN MOTORS CORPORATION, THE LITTLE NUMBER FOUR TO DETROIT'S "BIG THREE."

DURING THE MID-SIXTIES, AMC TRIED TO SHED ITS ECONOMY CAR IMAGE BY CLAWING INTO THE LUXURY MARKET, ONLY TO GET LEFT IN THE DUST OF THE MUSCLE-CAR BOOM.

THE COMPANY NEEDED A PERFORMANCE MACHINE, AND IN A HURRY.

A 1966 CONCEPT CALLED THE "AMERICAN MOTORS EXPERIMENTAL" SERVED AS INSPIRATION FOR THE UPCOMING AMC JAVELIN, WHICH TARGETED PONY CARS LIKE THE MUSTANG.

BUT ONE AMC BOARD MEMBER KEPT PUSHING FOR SOMETHING BOTH MORE AND LESS, A TWO-SEAT VERSION, SO FIVE MONTHS AFTER THE JAVELIN DEBUTED, THE 1968 AMX ARRIVED.

ALL DESIGNERS HAD TO DO WAS SHORTEN THE WHEELBASE, REMOVE THE BACKSEAT, AND ADJUST THE REAR STYLING ACCORDINGLY.

[ENGINE STARTS UP] BASE POWER WAS A 290 CUBIC INCH V8.

THIS AMX HAS THE MIDLEVEL ENGINE WITH 343 CUBES MAKING 280 HORSEPOWER.

LARGER STILL, WERE THE OPTIONAL 360 AND 390 CUBIC INCH ENGINES WITH MAX HORSEPOWER REACHING 340, DEPENDING ON THE YEAR.

TRANSMISSIONS CHOICES WERE A 4-SPEED MANUAL OR 3-SPEED AUTO.

EVEN WITH THE AUTOMATIC, THIS AMX FEELS LIGHT AND EAGER.

0-60 FALLS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 7.0 TO 8.0 SECONDS.

NO POWER STEERING, NO POWER BRAKES, IT'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF ACCESSORIES ON THIS AMX, BUT I THINK THAT'S PART OF ITS CHARM.

WE FORGET HOW SPOILED, WE ARE BY MODERN CARS.

THERE'S NOTHING REALLY HERE TO DISTRACT YOU.

YOU GET TO REALLY FOCUS ON THE CAR BECAUSE IT'S SUCH AN INVOLVING EXPERIENCE TO DRIVE.

AFTER THE LAUNCH OF THE JAVELIN AND AMX, DEALERS SAW RECORD AMOUNTS OF TRAFFIC, ESPECIALLY, YOUNG BUYERS.

BUT FOR ALL THAT EXCITEMENT, THE TWO SEAT AMX ONLY LASTED THREE YEARS.

SALES WERE A FRACTION OF THE COMPETITIONS.

WITH JUST 19,134 PRODUCED BEFORE IT REACHED THE END OF THE ROAD.

BUT THE AMX HAD LEFT ITS MARK ON THE MUSCLE CAR WORLD AND THE COMPANY REAPPLIED THE NAME ON THE TOP SPEC VARIANTS OF OTHER MODELS, EVEN THOUGH NONE COMPARED TO THE ORIGINAL.

ALTHOUGH UNCOMMON, THE TWO-SEAT AMX REMAINS SEMI-AFFORDABLE.

DEPENDING ON CONDITION, HAGERTY CLASSIC CAR INSURANCE VALUES THIS MODEL BETWEEN $8,800 AND $34,000.

HOWEVER, EXPECT TO PAY CONSIDERABLY MORE IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE 390 ENGINE AND A MANUAL TRANSMISSION.

NOT QUITE A PONY CAR AND NOT QUITE A SPORTS CAR, SINCE THE BEGINNING THE AMX HAS DEFIED CLASSIFICATION.

ITS APPEAL STEMS BOTH FROM ITS UNUSUAL DESIGN AND UNLIKELY ORIGINS.

THOSE THREE LETTER A-M-X STAND FOR THE LITTLE GUY.

IT'S A REMINDER THAT SOMETIMES THE UNDERDOG WINS.

John: LITTLE THINGS CAN HAVE BIG CONSEQUENCES, AND THAT'S TRUE ABOUT CARS AS WELL.

PAT GOSS TELLS US WHY, DOWN IN GOSS'S GARAGE.

Pat Goss: THIS TIME, I WANT TO EXPLAIN A COMMON PROBLEM THAT WE SEE ON A LOT OF 4-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES, AND EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, EVEN ON A PASSENGER CAR; BUT ESPECIALLY, ON JEEPS, AND THE PROBLEM IS WHAT'S CALLED "A DEATH WOBBLE."

AND WHAT THIS IS YOU'RE GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, YOU'RE DOING HIGHWAY SPEED, YOU HIT A BUMP, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING WHEEL, EVERYTHING STARTS SHAKING VIOLENTLY TO THE POINT THAT IT'S DIFFICULT TO EVEN CONTROL IT.

AND THE ONLY WAY TO GET RID OF IT IS USUALLY, TO PULL OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD STOP AND THEN RE-ACCELERATE, AND IT WILL BE FINE UNTIL YOU HIT THE NEXT BIG BUMP AT SPEED.

ALRIGHT NOW, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR WELL YOU WANT TO LOOK AT ALL OF THE DIFFERENT BUSHINGS, AND EVERYTHING UNDERNEATH; LIKE HERE, WE HAVE A WORN OUT SWAY BAR LINK BUSHING, WE HAVE A WORN OUT SWAY BAR FRAME BUSHING.

WE WANT TO LOOK AT THE BUSHINGS IN THE TRAILING ARMS IF THE CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH THAT, ANYONE OF THESE RUBBER BUSHINGS ANY PLACE IN HERE CAN ALLOW MOVEMENT, SO THAT WHEN YOU HIT A BUMP, AND YOUR WHEELS START WOBBLING BACK AND FORTH, AND THEY CAN'T BE CONTROLLED.

NOW, HERE WE HAVE A TRACK BAR THAT OF COURSE, WANTS TO BE CHECKED.

THERE IS A RUBBER BUSHING OVER THERE ON THE OTHER END, BUT THE NUMBER ONE PROBLEM, RIGHT HERE, THIS IS A STEERING DAMPER.

IT'S LIKE A SHOCK ABSORBER FOR THE STEERING SYSTEM, AND IT DAMPENS OUT THE SIDEWAYS MOVEMENTS OF THE STEERING LINKAGE, THESE THINGS GO BAD, AND WHEN THEY DO, IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE, HOW GOOD OR BAD THE REST OF THE SYSTEM IS, YOU WILL WIND UP WITH A DEATH WOBBLE.

SO YOU CHECK THAT VERY CAREFULLY BECAUSE THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE CULPRIT RIGHT THERE; OR OF COURSE YOU COULD HAVE BAD SHOCK ABSORBERS AS WELL, AND YOU COULD HAVE A SITUATION WHERE NONE OF THESE BUSHINGS ARE REALLY BADLY WORN BUT THEY... AND THEY ALL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF WEAR, AND THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF THAT IS THAT THERE IS ENOUGH FREE PLAY IN THE ENTIRE SUSPENSION TO CAUSE THE DEATH WOBBLE.

ALSO, IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT YOU MAY WANT TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

THIS IS A MASTER KIT, THIS KIT...UHH, IS A COUPLE HUNDRED BUCKS A LITTLE OVER $200 WITH NEW SHOCKS, AND EVERYTHING...

THIS IS POLY URETHANE, AND IT TIGHTENS UP THE SUSPENSION, AND THE STEERING, AND MAKES IT FEEL A LOT MORE MODERN, SO POLY-URETHANE IS A GOOD WAY TO GO.

KEEP IN MIND THOUGH, THAT PUTTING SOME OF THESE IN CAN BE A LOT OF LABOR, SO IN SOME CASES YOU MAY FIND THAT IT'S CHEAPER TO BUY NEW REPLACEMENT ARMS, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

BECAUSE THE LABOR IS SO MUCH LESS.

BUT ANY WAY, THE PROBLEM CAN BE SOLVED AND IN MOST CASES IT'S NOT A HUGE EXPENSE.

AND IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR A COMMENT, DROP ME A LINE, RIGHT HERE AT MOTORWEEK .

* John: WE'RE STILL NOT SURE WHAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE GLEANED FROM THAT ORIGINAL KIA NIRO SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL, OTHER THAN THAT TRYING TO SAVE NATURE CAN BE VERY PAINFUL.

FORTUNATELY FOR US, NOTHING ABOUT THE TIME WE'VE SPENT WITH OUR 2017 KIA NIRO HAS BEEN AGONY INDUCING; HAVING SAVED US A TRIP OR TWO TO THE GAS STATION, NOW AVERAGING A VERY FINE 42.9 MILES PER GALLON.

QUITE THE OPPOSITE ACTUALLY, WITH CONTINUING PRAISE FOR IT'S NICE HIGHWAY RIDE, PRETTY INTERIOR, AND EASY TO USE TECH FEATURES.

ROUGH ROADS WILL REVEAL A SUSPENSION SETUP THAT'S NOT QUITE AS SOPHISTICATED AS SOME, BUT IT'S FAR FROM BEING A DEAL BREAKER BY ANY MEANS.

IT CERTAINLY HASN'T STOPPED OUR STAFF, TACKING ON ANOTHER 2,000 MILES RECENTLY; BRINGING OUR NINE MONTH TOTAL TO 15,500.

WHILE, EXCITEMENT FOR THE VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE HAS WANED FROM THE MASS HYSTERIA THAT SURROUNDED THE "NEW BEETLE'S" RELAUNCH FOR 1998, IT'S STILL THE WORLD'S CUTEST CAR.

AND WE'VE BEEN PINING FOR WARMER WEATHER TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR 2018 BEETLE CONVERTIBLE AND WE'VE HAD PLENTY OF THAT LATELY!

THOUGH, WE'VE MOSTLY KEPT OUR TRIPS SHORT, AS WE'VE PUT JUST 3,000 MILES ON IT SO FAR, IN THE THREE MONTHS THAT IT'S BEEN IN OUR CARE.

ITS CONVERTIBLE TOP HAS BEEN AT THE CENTER OF THE MAJORITY OF OUR LOGBOOK COMMENTS.

BOTH FROM PEOPLE NOT USED TO THE TYPICAL CONVERTIBLE TOP BLIND SPOTS, OUR BEETLE IS ABOUT AVERAGE, AND FROM THE IMPATIENT ONES THAT DON'T LIKE WAITING FOR THE WINDOW TO DROP DOWN TO CLEAR THE TOP WHEN YOU PULL THE DOOR HANDLE, AS THE WINDOW WILL SNAG ON THE TOP IF YOU YANK OPEN THE DOOR TOO QUICKLY.

ONCE DOWN HOWEVER, IT'S ALL OPEN AIR DRIVING FUN.

AND IT'S HARD TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR GOOD 29.9 MILE PER GALLON AVERAGE FROM THE LIVELY 2.0 LITER, OR THE SMILES-PER-MILE WE'RE GETTING IN THIS BEETLE CONVERTIBLE.

WE'LL BRING YOU UP TO SPEED ON THE SUBARU CROSSTREK AND HONDA ODYSSEY, ON OUR NEXT MOTORWEEK LONG-TERM ROAD TEST UPDATE!

John: DESIGN AND ENGINEERING USUALLY STEAL THE SPOTLIGHT IN THE AUTO INDUSTRY, BUT THERE'S MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT.

SO HERE'S YOLANDA VASQUEZ WITH THIS WEEK'S MOTORNEWS.

Yolanda Vazquez: IT'S FAIR TO SAY, THAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD LOVE TO OWN A NEW CAR.

AND AS IT TURNS OUT, NEWER IS ALSO SAFER.

THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION HAS RELEASED DATA SHOWING NEWER VEHICLES ARE THE SAFEST ON U.S.

ROADS.

THEY LOOKED AT FATAL CRASHES INVOLVING CARS, SUVs AND PICK UP TRUCKS BETWEEN 2012 AND 2016.

IT TURNS OUT THAT 55% OF DEATHS OCCURRED IN VEHICLES 1984 AND OLDER, WHILE 26% OF FATALITIES INVOLVED MODEL YEARS 2013-2017.

NHTSA EXPECTS THIS TREND TO CONTINUE AS SAFETY TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES AND BECOMES COMMON IN MORE VEHICLES.

SUBARU OWNERS WILL SOON BE ABLE TO PLUG IN THEIR ALL-WHEEL DRIVING DEMANDS.

THE COMPANY HAS ANNOUNCED THAT THEIR FIRST PLUG-IN HYBRID WILL BE THE 2019 CROSSTREK HYBRID.

IT WILL COMBINE A 4-CYLINDER DIRECT INJECTION SUBARU BOXTER ENGINE WITH A TOYOTA HYBIRD SYSTEM.

THE CROSSTEK IS THE BRANDS THIRD BEST SELLING MODEL IN AMERICA.

THE NEW CROSSTREK USES SUBARU'S GLOBAL PLATFORM WHICH IS DESIGNED FOR A VARIETY OF POWERTRAINS INCLUDING HYBRID AND ELECTRIC.

NO WORD JUST YET, ON THE ELECTRIC ONLY RANGE.

AND THAT WRAPS IT UP FOR THIS WEEKS MOTORNEWS.

John: WITH SO MANY VEHICLES THESE DAYS, CHOOSING WINNERS FOR OUR ANNUAL DRIVERS' CHOICE AWARDS, USUALLY IS PRETTY DIFFICULT.

BUT ONE OF THE EASIEST WE'VE MADE IN RECENT YEARS IS OUR PICK FOR 2017s BEST SPORT SEDAN, THE AUDI A4.

IT HAS THE PERFECT PLAY OF LUXURY, TECHNOLOGY, AND OF COURSE, PERFORMANCE.

WELL NOW, IT'S TIME TO SEE IF AUDI KNOWS HOW TO SHARE THE WEALTH.

* John: THE A4s CHASSIS IS NOT ONLY CAPABLE, IT'S FLEXIBLE, WITH MORE THAN ENOUGH BEEF TO HANDLE WHATEVER AUDI ENGINEERS FEEL LIKE THROWING INTO IT.

IT WAS A GIVEN THAT AUDI WOULD FOLLOW UP THEIR LATEST A4 SEDAN WITH A COUPE, AND INDEED THEY HAVE, THE 2018 AUDI A5.

BUT, WHAT ABOUT AN EVEN MORE PRACTICAL SIDE OF THE CAR EQUATION?

WELL, THEY'VE ALSO ADDED A FRESH 5-DOOR HATCHBACK WITH MORE CARGO FLEXIBILITY.

AND ALSO, OFFERED IT IN A HIGHER PERFORMANCE VARIETY WITH TRUE GRAND TOURING FLAIR.

THAT WOULD BE THE 2018 AUDI S5 SPORTBACK.

SO, LET'S START THERE.

WE KNOW THAT AUDI'S S-LINE HAS ALWAYS WELL-STRADDLED THAT MIDDLE GROUND BETWEEN THE STANDARD A CARS AND THE ULTRA-HIGH PERFORMANCE RS'.

AND, THE S5 QUATTRO POWERTRAIN FOLLOWS THAT CREED TO THE LETTER.

ITS RESPONSE IS FANTASTIC.

FLOG IT, IT GOES; PROVIDING SEAMLESS POWER FOR SEEMINGLY DAYS.

[ENGINE STARTS UP] THE 3.0 LITER TURBO V6 THAT MAKES IT HAPPEN IS NOT NEW OF COURSE, BUT HAS BEEN REVISED FOR '18.

HORSEPOWER IS UP 21 TO 354; TORQUE CLIMBS 44 POUND-FEET TO 369.

WITH THE 5TH DOOR HATCH, THERE'S WIDE OPEN ACCESS TO THE SPORTBACK'S 21.8 CUBIC-FEET OF LUGGAGE SPACE.

THAT'S 8.8 CUBIC-FEET MORE THAN THE SEDAN, AND THE SPACE EXPANDS TO 35.0 CUBIC-FEET WITH THE SEATBACKS FOLDED.

COUPE-LIKE STYLING IN HATCHBACK FORM IS NOTHING NEW TO AUDI, OR ANY OTHER EUROPEAN BRAND FOR THAT MATTER, AS ALMOST EVERYTHING INCLUDING SUVs, SEEMS TO BOAST A COUPE-LIKE PROFILE THESE DAYS.

AND WHEN WE DID UNLEASHED IT AT OUR TEST TRACK; IT REACTED WITH SUCH RESPONSIVENESS THROUGH THE TURNS, IT SEEMED TO BE BEGGING US FOR MORE.

THERE'S STILL A MILD UNDERSTEER TENDENCY, AS WE'VE FOUND TYPICAL IN QUATTRO'S, STANDARD ON ALL SPORTBACK'S, BUT VERY LITTLE BODY ROLL.

THE S' NEW SPORT DIFFERENTIAL TRANSFERS POWER SIDE TO SIDE QUICKER THAN BEFORE.

IT'S HARD TO SAY, WE COULD TRULY FEEL A DIFFERENCE, BUT NOTHING ABOUT THIS CAR IS SLUGGISH.

AND CERTAINLY, THAT CAN BE SAID OF STRAIGHT-LINE PERFORMANCE AS WELL.

THE TURBO V6 PAYS OUT A WEALTH OF TORQUE RIGHT FROM THE GET GO, AND QUATTRO INVESTS IT WISELY WITH A TREASURE TROVE OF TRACTION FOR GETTING OFF THE LINE IN A HURRY.

WE HIT 60 IN 4.6 SECONDS.

AUDI'S 8-SPEED TIPTRONIC AUTOMATIC HANDLES GEARING.

AUDI CLAIMS THERE'S NOT ENOUGH DEMAND FOR A MANUAL, AND IT'S GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO ARGUE WITH THAT.

THIS AUTO FIRES HARD AND FAST, TAKING US TO THE END OF THE QUARTER IN 13.1 SECONDS AT 107 MILES PER HOUR.

WELL DONE!

BUT, WHAT ABOUT THAT TRUE A5 TWO-DOOR COUPE WE MENTIONED EARLIER?

NOW, IT MAY NOT HAVE THE PRACTICALITY OF THE SPORTBACK, OR OUR TEST CAR'S S PERFORMANCE TREATMENT, BUT IT STILL TAKES THE A4 DESIGN THEME IN A TRADITIONALLY, SPORTY DIRECTION.

THE A5 COUPE'S LONG WHEELBASE, EXAGGERATED WHEEL ARCHES, AND POWER DOME HOOD SET THE TONE; WHILE THE TALL AND WIDE AUDI SINGLE FRAME GRILLE, SLENDER HEADLIGHTS, AND LED TAIL LIGHTS KEEP THE FAMILY RESEMBLANCE STRONG.

THIS A5 COUPE, LIKE THE BASE SPORTBACK, HAS A FAMILIAR 2.0 LITER I4 TURBO AS STANDARD.

ALONG WITH 252 HORSEPOWER COMES 273 POUND-FEET OF TORQUE.

ALSO, AS IN ALL SPORTBACK'S, QUATTRO ALL-WHEEL DRIVE IS STANDARD, BUT HERE, A 6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION IS AVAILABLE, AS IS A 7-SPEED DCT; SAME PRICE FOR EITHER.

THE COUPE MAY BE LESS PRACTICAL INSIDE, BUT CERTAINLY NO LESS COMFORTABLE OR LUXURIOUS.

WITH ALL OF THE HIGH PERFORMANCE AUDI'S WE'VE DRIVEN LATELY, IT WAS REFRESHING TO SPEND SOME TIME IN A VOLUME MODEL; AND FIND THE SAME LIGHT BUT CONFIDENT STEERING, AND POTENT TURBO LINKED TO AN EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE TRANSMISSION.

GOVERNMENT FUEL ECONOMY RATINGS FOR THE A5 COUPE AUTOMATIC ARE 24-CITY, 34-HIGHWAY, AND 27-COMBINED.

OUR AVERAGE, A GOOD 29.1 MILES PER GALLON.

THE S5 SPORTBACK'S RATINGS ARE 21-CITY, 30-HIGHWAY, AND 24-COMBINED; WITH OUR AVERAGE AN ACCEPTABLE 22.3 MILES PER GALLON.

A5 COUPE PRICING STARTS AT $43,775 FOR PREMIUM TRIM, $6,800 OVER AN A4 SEDAN.

SPORTBACK PRICING STARTS AT $43,575; $55,375 FOR AN S5.

IT'S HARD TO THINK YOU CAN MAKE A WRONG CHOICE FOR A EUROPEAN SPORTS COUPE OR SEDAN, REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF DOORS, BUT IN AUDI'S CASE AGAIN IT'S EASY.

WHETHER, YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SPORTY LUXURY FOR TWO FROM THE 2018 A5 COUPE, OR MORE PRACTICALITY AND PERFORMANCE FROM THE 2018 S5 SPORTBACK, THEY MAKE WITHOUT A DOUBT, ALONG WITH THE A4, AN UNBEATABLE HAND, AND WE'RE ALL IN.

WELL, THAT'S OUR SHOW, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT.

NOW, FOR MORE MOTORWEEK ; INCLUDING DAILY NEWS UPDATES, PODCASTS, AND EVEN COMPLETE EPISODES, CRUISE ON OVER TO PBS.ORG/MOTORWEEK.

AND I HOPE YOU'LL JOIN US NEXT TIME... WE'LL SAMPLE SMALL UTE'S LADEN WITH LUXURY, AND THE ALL-NEW RUGGED, AND READY SUBARU CROSSTREK.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, I'M JOHN DAVIS, WE'LL SEE YOU RIGHT HERE ON MOTORWEEK .

Announcer: TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MOTORWEEK , TELEVISION'S ORIGINAL AUTOMOTIVE MAGAZINE, VISIT MOTORWEEK HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY... Announcer: YOU'RE SHOPPING FOR TIRES ONLINE AND YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.

Man 1: I DO.

Announcer: WE'RE TIRERACK.COM, AND WE HAVE ANSWERS AND TOOLS TO HELP.

Man 2: LIKE OUR TIRE DECISION GUIDE.

IT'S A...TAKE A LOOK.

Man 1: OH.

Announcer: TIRERACK.COM.

FIND...DELIVER...INSTALL...

WEATHERTECH DIGITAL FIT FLOOR LINERS AND CARGO LINERS OFFER LASER MEASURED, DIGITAL FIT PROTECTION FOR YOUR VEHICLE'S FLOORS.

WEATHERTECH.

MADE IN AMERICA.

HUM IS THE CONNECTED CAR SYSTEM THAT ASSISTS AND EMPOWERS DRIVERS TO HELP THEM BE PREPARED FOR THE ROAD AHEAD, SO THEY CAN GET WHERE THEY'RE GOING.

ROCKAUTO HAS AUTO PARTS FROM HUNDREDS OF MANUFACTURERS, OFFERING A VARIETY OF BRANDS, PRICES AND SPECIFICATIONS.

ROCKAUTO.COM, ALL THE PARTS YOUR CAR WILL EVER NEED.

STATE FARM IS PROUD TO SUPPORT MOTORWEEK .

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[SOUND OF CAR ENGINE REVVING] *