During the Los Angeles Auto Show this November, Audi revealed a new Audi A9 concept car: the Audi Prologue. Being an Audi concept car, it defies the Audi brand’s rigid naming scheme – and the name ‘Prologue’ is surely an indication of what’s to come from the future of this German giant. So what innovations does this Audi concept reveal? Find out in today’s Audi Prologue review.
The Audi Prologue
Design
Looking at it from the side, the Prologue will look very familiar to owners of an Audi A5. But that’s where the similarities end and this Audi concept starts changing the game – first of all, by making the grille less upright, the front looks much wider than what we are used to seeing in Audi cars. At the other end of the car, we find a single bar of taillights that is more reminiscent of Saab’s design than any Audi concept cars. Add to that the 22-inch alloy wheels in wheel arches that look like they belong on a rally car, and you’ve got yourself an Audi A9 concept car guaranteed to turn some heads.
Performance
Audi described the Prologue as ‘the sportiest car in the luxury segment’ – and they weren’t kidding. Under the hood, we find a 4-litre petrol V8 that feeds into a Quattro all-wheel-drive system. It provides you with a massive 597bhp – that’s right, this Audi concept goes from 0-62 in a heart-stopping 3.7 seconds. Another interesting feature that might shock is the Prologue’s four-wheel steering system – yep, it manoeuvres with all four wheels. The front wheels move as usual, but the back wheels can now also turn up to five degrees, which helps manoeuvring at low speeds and keeps the car more stable at high speeds.
Features
And, like any concept car, the new Audi Prologue boasts a host of technological innovations – including one that we had accurately predicted: the car recognises people by their phones. Once it detects a smartphone, it will automatically put the seat in that driver or passenger’s preferred setting. Neat. Another interesting feature is that there are three screens on the dashboard to display information. That might sound like overkill, but it’s clearly a step most cars will take when autonomous driving takes off and distractions in the car become less bothersome.
Although no price has been given for the car, we’ve got some economy figures right here. Audi estimates the Prologue will return 32.8 miles to the gallon and put out 199g/km – and the fact that these figures are available for this Audi concept seems like a positive indicator that we could be seeing this bad boy on the UK’s roads before too long.
If we’ve whet your appetite for a new Audi, head on over to our dedicated Audi finance page to find the car you want at a rate you can afford – and check out our car loan calculator today for an instant quote.
