Audi A5 review

The new Audi A5 has quite a lot on its plate. Not only does it replace the old A5, but it also replaces the old A4, marrying the aspects of a four-door executive saloon and a cool five-door fastback, while also providing the platform for a five-door estate variant called the A5 Avant. That’s a big ask, especially when all that puts the new A5 up against two of the biggest names in the executive car market: the BMW 3 Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Audi is promising a host of mechanical and technological upgrades to ensure the new model can cope, but will it have enough to topple the German giants?

Cool cabin

The new A5 is taking its newfound responsibilities seriously, with a cool, modern look that manages to be classy, sporty and futuristic all at once. Audi is clearly proud of its new headlights, which customers can personalise with different light signatures, but it should be prouder of its design department, which has managed to imbue the A5 with some of the e-tron GT’s styling, particularly at the rear. The result is familiar, but good-looking, nonetheless.

And the cabin is even more modern, with big screens, including the option of a screen specifically for the passenger, and an angular design that shuns the trend for minimalist interiors. It’s quite a pleasant place to sit, and the quality of the construction is exceptional, with everything fitting together nicely. The materials used are mostly first-rate, too, although there are a few cheaper plastics lurking if you look closely.

The bigger problem is an ergonomic one, with fiddly steering wheel controls and some confusing touchscreen menus, as well as an insistence on using touch-sensitive climate controls. On the other hand, the screens are sharp, the optional head-up display is very useful, and the passenger display is intuitive to use, so the only real catch is that the ‘Virtual Cockpit’, once the great selling point of Audi’s new cars, has been neutered to become less configurable and less easy on the eye.

Space race

The slight quirk of the new A5 ‘Saloon’ is that it isn’t actually a saloon at all. In reality, it’s a straight replacement for the old A5 Sportback five-door hatchback, complete with liftgate at the rear. That means the boot opening is more useful than that of the old A4, although boot space has not increased, leaving the Audi slightly behind rivals from BMW and Mercedes on that front. That said, the Audi’s compatriots are both ‘proper’ saloons, so it’s tit for tat in the practicality stakes.

And while boot space isn’t especially impressive on paper, interior space is much more remarkable. There’s plenty of room for two adults to sit in the back in perfect comfort, and while tall adults will cope with the headroom in the so-called ‘Saloon’, the space in the A5 Avant estate is even more generous. Both cars, though, offer ample legroom.

Halfway hybrid

Although A5 customers will have to wait a little while for the plug-in hybrid variants coming in 2025, the engine range at launch still offers some electrification. The basic 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine (offered with 150hp as standard) does without any hybrid assistance, but the 2.0-litre diesel gets mild-hybrid technology, and the 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine in the sportier S5 Saloon and Avant models also gets electrical help.

The result is engines that are fractionally more fuel-efficient than those of the BMW 3 Series, but the difference is minimal. And, frankly, most customers will find the 2.0-litre engines more than adequate. Even the basic, 150hp petrol has enough punch to pull the A5 along, driving the front wheels through a seven-speed automatic gearbox. But until the hybrids arrive, we’d probably go for the 2.0-litre diesel, which also comes with an automatic gearbox as standard and offers a little more power and better economy.

Those with performance on their minds, however, will be more interested in the S5 models, with their 3.0-litre, six-cylinder engines. They too get hybrid assistance, but more apparent and more important is the output of 367hp and Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system. That means the S models offer greater traction and performance, allowing them to get from 0-100km/h in four-and-a-half seconds. That’s sportscar pace.

Sharper than ever

To match the performance, Audi has really upped the ante when it comes to the A5 driving experience. Audis have never normally been as engaging or as agile as their BMW-badged rivals, but Audi has fought back with the new A5, fine-tuning the steering and suspension to make the cars sportier and more entertaining. The result is a car that’s much sharper than before – whether you choose an S5 or an A5 – but still isn’t especially exciting to drive. It feels safe, but it’s less engaging than a BMW 3 Series, albeit a closer match than ever before.

The Audi is more comfortable, though, and with prices starting at just under €56,000, it’s also fractionally cheaper than the equivalent BMW. Yet the basic SE model still comes with a digital instrument display, a big touchscreen and climate control, as well as 17-inch alloy wheels. All of which means the Audi A5 goes straight into the mix as one of the best executive cars out there. Choosing between this, the C-Class and the 3 Series has never been so difficult.

What next for Audi?

The Audi range is huge, and it has a number of notable new models on the way very soon. The Q6 e-tron is already making its mark in the electric SUV market, while there’s also a new Q5 mid-sized SUV on its way. The A3 hatchback was recently updated, too, and the A6 e-tron executive model is also making its way to Ireland shortly. It’s been a busy year already for the German manufacturer, and it’s heading for more of the same next year, when the all-new A4 e-tron electric car comes to market.