► New Audi S5 driven in the UK
► Sits on new combustion platform
► Avant and Sportback options
This is it – the all-new 2024 Audi S5. Ingolstadt’s recent lineup rejig has involved the merger of some product lines into others, as a revised brand naming system now deems all electric vehicles should end in an even number while all combustion-powered cars end in an odd number. That applies to S and RS models, too.
Built on an entirely new platform, the Audi S5 embodies a declaration of intent from the brand to pursue the development of engines just a little while longer. A ban on fossil fuel power may loom in the UK, but the new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) platform on which this 2024 S5 sits will serve as the basis for several more upcoming models, according to Audi, all of which will include efficient and partly electrified engines.
At a glance
Pros: Potent and sounds good, balanced handling, well built
Cons: Busy interior doesn’t have much visual difference to a normal A5, tight rear space, noisy tyres
What’s new?
The new S5 is essentially a slightly hotter version of the old Audi A4, albeit on a new platform. Of course, a few styling tweaks were in order: the front end now features a wider and flatter grille, while the rear light signatures have been revised to involve a light bar, comprised of cutting-edge OLED panels, among other updates. The new S5 is a low-slung beast, with short overhangs and an RS-style mesh grille. I’ve got time for the cosmetic tucks, but I’ll leave that verdict up to you.
The 2024 S4 has a new interior as well as a revised power unit: a 3.0-litre petrol engine, fitted with a 48-volt mild hybrid electric motor. The MHEV Plus system also seen on the regular A5 has been implemented to alleviate some of the S5’s environmental impact, all while supplementing the engine with a helping hand during acceleration, or while cruising on open roads.
What are the specs?
The Audi S5 is powered by a turbocharged V6 petrol engine that produces 362bhp and 405ft lbs of torque. With its Quattro all-wheel drive system, the S5 can reach 62mph from zero in 4.5 seconds, before going on to a top speed of 155mph. The car is only available with a seven-speed S tronic automatic gearbox. You can choose from a ‘Saloon’ (which is actually a hatchback now), or an Avant estate – just like the regular A5. The same will apply for the upcoming A4 e-Tron range due within the next year or so.
As for fuel efficiency in the new S5, Audi quotes a best combined economy range of between 35.3 and 35.8 mpg from WLTP, along with an emissions range of between 181 and 178 g/km. The S5 is 4835mm long, 1444mm tall and 1860mm wide in Avant form (15mm shorter in Sportback guise), and weighs 2,040 kg. The boot in the S5 Avant can carry up to 448 litres with the seats up and 1,396 litres with them folded down. The Sportback version can carry 417 litres or 1,271 litres, so opt for the Avant if you need the extra luggage room.
What is it like to drive?
The S5 benefits from adaptive dampers as standard which, in conjunction with a few other tweaks the car can perform on itself, allowed some on-the-fly handling tweaks – and they really work.
In Comfort or Balanced mode, the S5 simply relaxes. It’s relatively grounded, insulating you from significant judder and absorbing some of the larger undulations well. Even with larger wheels than any other A5 version, the S5’s dampers also try their best to round off some of the sharper, shorter jolts – an improvement over previous S4s in our book. Road noise takes the edge off, mind, with high-speed motorway runs on UK’s rubbish tarmac causing some roar. That said, the engine is calm and quiet, and shifts easily.
But even in its restrained settings, the 3.0-litre TFSI unit still had a decent level of punch to it. Get out into the countryside and Audi’s traditional traits of offering a confident and assured cross-country machine are still present. It’s happy to work out of corners, no doubt owing to its all-wheel drive Quattro system, pulling with more of an effervescence than its siblings in the A5 range. You can feel the e-boost from the MHEV Plus system, too.
Dynamic mode adds some noticeable sharpness, but not too much. The suspension tightens, the power delivery sharpens and the exhaust opens up to let all six of those cylinders sing a little clearer. But it’s not overly in-your-face; there’s a sweet tune that crescendos with your progress. Still, the amount of extra power and the sweet noise makes the S5 feel like a caffienated A5 rather than a different animal entirely – confirmed by the balanced and weighty (not sharp and darty) controls that imply the S5 doesn’t really want to be flicked around like a go kart.
What’s it like inside?
New platform, new MHEV power, new interior to match. Being a top-of-the-range model, there’s quite a lot to unpack.
The dashboard comprises of three displays: an 11.9-inch instrument cluster with Audi’s virtual cockpit system, a 14.5-inch touchscreen infotainment display and then a 10.9-inch passenger display on the far side. Each is encircled by a wealth of piano black plastic, the collective sum of which ends up covering half your field of vision and gets covered in fingerprints quickly. The system feels reasonably slick, and Audi has made an effort to reduce unnecessary taps and swipes, but the passenger display feels unnecessary.
But the interior isn’t without merit. Since the first two aforementioned OLED displays are angled towards you as the driver, along with the centre console’s drive selector switch and an illuminated instrument switch panel on the driver’s side door, the S5’s hot seat has a real cockpit feel. The S-spec seats themselves are incredibly comfortable, with plenty of adjustability.
Build quality in the S5 is excellent, too. The whole cabin has a beautifully premium touch to it, awash with quality materials including a strip of Dinamica microfibre along the latitudinal centre line of the dash that nicely breaks up the arrangement of surfaces. It’s spacious too, with plenty of headroom from front to rear, and sufficient legroom in the back for two adults to get comfortable.
Audi will throw a few unique tech features in as part of its Sound and Vision package – standard on all S5s. They include a heads-up display, an advanced ambient lighting system and a set of speakers in the headrests that will relay navigation instructions to you as though Siri’s sultry little voicer were right in your ear. The advanced ambient lighting even flashes green in the corners of the dashboard to highlight the indicators being on, too.
A lot of this can be had on a normal A5, mind. Yes, an Audi Sport S model is meant to be a gradual step beyond the regular one, but I’d like a little more performance-y vibe in the interior.
Before you buy
The S5 is available in only one trim for now – top-spec Edition 1 grade. So you get everything, but Audi has bumped its Edition 1 grade for the S5 up a little compared to what you get in the same grade on the A5, just for a little extra sparkle. A B&O sound system comes as standard, as does a panoramic sunroof with its changeable transparency settings and the ambient lighting pro package.
A lower suspension setup and some adaptive dampers also come as standard, along with that Pearl Nappa leather trim and pneumatically adjustable lumbar support. It’s healthy provision, but then the car does cost £68,700 in Sportback form, or £70,600 for the Avant.
As for rivals, the S5 has a few. There’s the competent BMW M340i xDrive and Mercedes-AMG C 43 4MATIC out of the other big German stables, while the coveted Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio starts from just nine grand more than the S5 Avant. Yes, yes, I know it’s far more powerful and really in a different class, but if you’re willing to spend around £70,000 on a hot family saloon, why not give it some thought? Decisions, decisions.
Verdict: Audi S5
The S5 is potent, premium and still flies under the radar as it always has done badged as an S4 previously. It has the ability to relax into a smooth and considerate cruise around town or on the motorway, happy for the MHEV system to carry out most of the drive work in silence, but it can also turn on when you want it to. It feels less rabid than a Mercedes-AMG C43, for example, which really appeals.
The interior is a bit busy, and could do with a little more ‘S’ sparkle given how much extra this costs over a regular A5, mind.