► New Audi A5 Sportback
► Sits on fresh combustion engine platform
► Two petrols and a diesel engine available
Meet the all-new Audi A5 Sportback – a model with which Audi is hedging its bets for the future. Combustion engines are most likely destined for the gibbets, but since a question mark still looms over the exact date of the UK’s ICE ban, it makes sense to keep a few different ponies in the race for when the music stops. Audi has invested heavily into its electric fleet, but with the new A5, a fresh combustion engine platform has arrived for which Ingolstadt has big plans.
According to Audi’s top boss, this A5 is just the first of a new generation of models that will sit on the Audi Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) platform, and all will be powered by highly efficient, partly electrified combustion engines. The 2024 A5 range is split into Avants (estate versions) and Saloons (sportbacks), offered in a variety of diesels and petrol flavours.
A juiced up S5 has also been launched, though we’re going to review that separately, as we will for the A5 Avant. For now, though, read on for everything you need to know about the Audi A5 Sportback. If you’d like to read up on how I reached my verdict, head over to our how we test cars page.
At a glance
Pros: Huge boot space, quiet on the road, competent gearbox
Cons: Crowded interior, not very agile, strong competition
What’s new?
The 2024 Audi A5 is essentially the amalgamation of the A4 model into the A5 line, as one new car is covering two outgoing models. While Audi is calling its latest A5 a ‘Saloon’, really, with its roof-hinged tailgate, it’s a Sportback. Gone is the saloon boot opening, so yeah… Sportback.
In line with the new Audi naming system, four has become five in the same way six has become seven; from here on out, even numbers will cover Audi’s electric cars while odd numbers will cover the those with combustion engines. Might as well jot that down.
So what’s new? Well, all of it. The 2024 A5 features new looks, with a wider front grille and sleeker headlights within which owners can customise the light signatures. Around the rear, the A5 arguably promotes a bit more if a modern aesthetic with a light bar and vertical deflectors, but the entire car remains recognisably Audi sportback. The interior feels a little more out there in its redesign, but I’ll get to that. On with the review.
What are the specs?
The A5 Sportback is available with either a 2.0-litre diesel or a 2.0-litre petrol engine with one of two power outputs. The base-spec 147bhp/206ftlbs of torque TFSI petrol model can reach 0-62mph in 9.8 seconds and has a top speed of 134 mph. The 201bhp/ 250ftlbs of torque petrol version, meanwhile, can manage its 0-62mph time in 7.8 seconds, with a top speed of 154mph.
The 2.0-litre diesel engine also has 201bhp but 295ftlbs of torque. It’s available not only with Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system, but a mild hybrid EV drive train too. The latter is a 48-volt system that can supplement power at low speeds to drive the car on electricity only. The TDI Quattro can reach 62mph from zero in 6.9 seconds and has a top speed of 150mph.
As for consumption, the 147bhp TFSI Sportbacks have a combined economy of 41.5mph, according to quoted figures from WLTP, while the combined CO2 emissions figure is 155g/km (WLTP). The 201bhp model has a combined economy of between 37.7-42.2 mpg and a CO2 emission range of from 171 to 153 g/km. Finally, the TDI Quattro versions have a better fuel economy range of between 50.4 and 55.4 mpg, while their combined emissions range from 146 and 134 g/km.
How does it drive?
The Sportback that I tested was one of the more powerful petrols on offer – a 201bhp, front-wheel drive model, as opposed to the 147bhp entry-level A5 petrol. With a near 1.7-tonne unladen kerbweight, 201bhp is quite a paltry provision of stick for a car of this size. There was no getting around its lack of grunt, but 201bhp wasn’t necessarily insufficient either.
It was a useable amount of power, but you had to work with the engine unit rather than depend on it. The A5 could still get up to motorway speeds in adequate time, but it took a real boot in the accelerator pedal to get up there. It lacked the guts to pull me out of corners with any fizzing avidity; I was consistently reminded that this ain’t no sports car, Walton, so don’t drive it like one. If you really want a hot tap to turn on, you’ll have to opt for the S5, launched together but reviewed separately.
The A5’s lethargic character extends into the chassis, too. The steering has quite a pleasant weight and directness to it, but it almost writes cheques of flickability that the rest of the chassis can’t cash. I had the pleasure of testing the A5 on the Col De Vence – a winding ribbon of tarmac in the hills above Nice, full of switch backs and precariously blind mountain corners. It was a neat canvas upon which an Alpine A110-shaped sable-hair could’ve hacked out one of Monet’s Water Lillies like nothing, but the A5 felt more like a Masonry Brush.
It was big on the road and slightly unwieldly at times. It didn’t want to shift its weight around as much as I’d initially anticipated it might’ve, but that’s perhaps a little unfair on the car, as the layout of our Cubby Broccoli-belt, wide-lens-on-the-chase-scene playground wasn’t exactly what the A5 was bred for.
It’s out on the open motorway where big German Sportbacks make their bread and butter, and I’m pleased to report that the A5 performed excellently. It was calm, comfortable, composed, and even at great speeds, though no surprise there. The S Tronic gearbox had a deft responsiveness to it when left to its own devices, and the engine is so quiet that half the time I could barely register that any pistons were moving at all.
It was largely the same story around town, though since this car at least attempts to specialise in comfort, I’d recommend opting for the 19-inch, or 18-inch wheels for maxed-out supple ride squishiness, even if they look a bit goofier than the 20s. I tested a car on the latter wheels and they’re just a tad firm. Comfort on the road outranks chic appeal in a car like this, to me at least…
What’s the interior like?
Most manufacturers seem to be cleaning up their cabins; streamlining here, centralising there, and sticking one, two, screw it… sticking every conceivable button on the infotainment display.
It’s been one of the great Tesla influences over the wider automotive world; whether for better or worse is up to you, but not Audi. Ingolstadt has flown in the teeth of Musk on the A5, with a maximalist, driver-centric layout.
When I climbed into the driver’s seat, I immediately felt cocooned by the dashboard design. The large, single instrument cluster and infotainment display screen is curved towards you as the driver, creating more of a cockpit feel than most Audis have had in the past.
This impression was augmented by the illuminated function panel on the driver’s side door handle, and the gear selector switch that was angled oh-so-subtly towards me. To entertain your front passenger, another large display screen can be optioned for the far side of the dashboard, on which they can see your driving data, map or otherwise.
So, does it all work?
Honestly, it all felt like a little too much for my tastes. While I commend Audi for keeping the layout wide and enveloping rather than putting every function on one screen – I’m not a huge fan of that either – the A5’s dash just had too much going on for me to really relax. The A5’s displays, for example, have a clunky and unnecessary excess of plastic around them which seemed to clutter the dashboard – the opposite style of BMW’s latest display screen setup which has little to no border at all.
It wasn’t without merit, though. I appreciated the ‘soft wrap’ Dinamica microfibre strip that broke up the latitudinal centre line of the dash, while the green indicator flashes of the ambient lighting were a unique touch. Build quality is also excellent in the A5, from the cockpit to the rear bench where I found plenty of shoulder room and enough legroom to get comfortable in as an adult.
I just wish the front of the cabin were a little neater. The passenger display is an option, so I’d like to jump into a version without it just to see if the whole affair feels less cluttered, but we’ll have to see.
Before you buy
The A5’s trim lineup is split into three grades: Sport, S Line and Edition 1. Starting from £41,950, Sport trim includes multiple features as stanard, including the 14.5-inch OLED touchscreen and 11.9-inch OLED instrument cluster displays with Audi virtual cockpit plus. For your money, you also get adaptive cruise control, 18-inch wheels and heated front sports seats. The three-zone automatic climate control also comes as standard.
Over the generous provision in Sport trim, S Line cars have a slightly sportier flavour, with 20mm lower suspension and 19-ich wheels from £44,100. The exterior of the car receives several darker paint touches around the bumpers, radiator grille and diffuser in this trim grade.
At the top of the list, and with prices starting from £49,100, Edition 1 cars include the 10.9-inch front passenger touch display, a black styling package, electrically adjustable front sport seats and that top-view camera, among many other extras. These cars also receive the Dinamica microfibre wrap lines.
Audi’s Sound and Vision pack is also available as a £2,495 option, and includes a Bang & Olufsen premium sound system with integrated headrest speakers that can provide navigation instructions in whispers to your ear. Not my thing but each to their own…
What about rivals?
Audi has plenty of rivals to fend off in this segment. Of course, there’s the usual German contingent of 3 Series BMWs and E Class Mercedes-Benzes, but then the recently returned Volvo V60 should also be well up there on your short list of roomy family estates with a premium feel. The Audi is a top contender amongst this crowd, there’s no doubt, but other strong options are available.
Verdict
The A5 picks up where the previous A5s and A4s left off. It’s smart, rides well and feels every bit as premium as you’d want a £42,000 five door sportback to feel. I’ve some reservations with the styling and layout of the interior, but overall it’s a car I’d still happily devour miles in.
I’ve only driven the front-wheel drive 201bhp petrol version of the sportback so fair, so I’d be interested to know how the diesel and S5 versions stack up. Stay tuned for updates when we get them both on UK roads.