Thirty years ago, the first PlayStation was introduced, Ace of Base dominated the airwaves, the Chunnel opened and the Audi A4 was born. This year, Audi marks the debut of its new A5, the successor to the A4, which saw immense popularity throughout Europe.
The company is calling it a “new step in the midsize segment.”
The move follows a push to make Audi’s electric vehicle strategy clear to customers. Even-numbered models will be battery-electric vehicles. Odd-numbered vehicles will have internal combustion engines.
The Audi S5 family, which includes the A5 sedan and A5 Avant wagon, and S5 sedan and S5 Avant, are the company’s first models on its new Premium Platform Combustion architecture.
The U.S. will only get the sedan models as its wagon market has waned for just about everything but the Subaru Outback so Audi only allowed testing of the S5 sedan during this first drive event. The A5 on-site was not representative of the model America is receiving.
Audi
Audi
Wrapping those underpinnings is sheetmetal with smooth lines but angular features that are courtesy of Audi’s most recent design language shift and ties together this new model with the Q6 E-Tron electric SUV and Q5 SUV.
Its flat face and elongated hood give the vehicle pleasing looks and while the tail looks short, the fastback-like hinge on the trunk (like in the Acura Integra, among others) allows for plenty of trunk space.
The use of A5 nomenclature represents a size shift from the A4. Not only is the vehicle bigger as a whole, passenger space has been improved, especially for rear seat occupants who enjoy a healthy amount of legroom.
That size is at a cost, however. Forward visibility and general overal sight lines are not great. Navigating a close quarters European style toll booth after coming at it from an angle was a test for every safety system and person steering and sight capabilities. Perhaps a slightly taller person (I’m 5’6″) would have a better time of it, but the average-sized owner is cautioned.
Where Audi best differentiates itself from the competition is in the front cabin of the A5 where the focus on user experience has led designers to use materials to guide a driver’s eye around the front half of the car, from window to dashboard to window. This is meant as a visual cue to provide visual clarity on where certain controls are.
Audi
It’s the type of UX stuff a Mercedes or BMW driver fantasizes about as those companies have become increasingly touchscreen and touchpad heavy with their design.
In the A5, buyers get a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that is paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission. Drivers have access to 268 horsepower (hp) and 400 pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque, allowing them to move from zero to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds.
Opting for the higher-powered S5 gets owners 362 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque courtesy of a turbocharged 3.0-liter engine. That extra power cuts the zero to 60 mph time down by one second over the A5.
Both engines are paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission and come with all-wheel drive.
America will not be getting the mild-hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) engine system that the European market has, which is a good thing for drivers. In testing, that system was a bit rough when engaging/disengaging.
Audi
Audi
Testing the S5 on the pushed the power- and drivetrain systems to perform. Cruising out of Nice, France in the rain and up into the mountains to Gréolières, the twisting, winding roads and altitude changes showed just how capable the car is. Its suspension kept passengers stable in comfortable surrounds while the all-wheel drive system never gave a hint of slip.
After a brief stop to admire the terrain, the rainfall worsened and debris was washing into the road from the cliffs above. Despite the added maneuvering this caused as we worked our way through the twists, the Quattro system was flawless.
The engine and transmission operations were smooth on all accounts except for the MHEV off-the line experience, yielding plenty of pleasure and just enough enthusiasm to make the experience fun.
It’s important to note that Audi doesn’t gear its S cars to be AMG or M competitors. So, the goal with them is to make them just sporty enough over the base models to give enthusiasts a nod without having to go all-in. In this, the S5 succeeds in a rather pastoral manner.
Because of the need to keep eyes on the roadway at all times, there wasn’t much fiddling with the infotianment system to be done on this first drive except for navigation. The system gave directions via audio cues that are piped into the speakers in the driver’s headrests rather than through the entire cabin, as well as displaying the map on the screen.
While the Audi directions were accurate, their timeliness, and the timeliness of the cues on the screens was not nearly as accurate as it could be, sometimes off by several hundred meters. And, “turn right” means “turn right, not left, but maybe not actually” which can lead to some backtracking if you’re simply following the GPS rather than using your best Spider-sense.
There are other technology foibles in the car that an owner may want to adjust the sensitivity of, like automatic rear braking, which can make backing up in tight quarters a never-wracking endeavor.
Pricing for the new A5 and S5 has yet to be released. The models come to market in the spring/summer of 2025 and pricing will be announced closer to their on sale date.
With the debut of the A5 and S5, Audi has once again cemented its company stance compared to its German competitors in the midsize sedan segment. In Mercedes-Benz models, you get elegance. In BMW, you get performance. In Audi, you get a blend of both, executed in an attractive package, with easy, engaging drivability.
