Audi A5 Review

The Audi A5 will be right for you if you want a car that is stylish to look at, but also practical and easy to live with everyday. Some models are very quick, but the Audi is comfortable, safe and predictable to drive where a BMW 4 Series is fun.

Choose your Audi A5 in S line trim and you get sportier looks than in a basic model without having to fork out serious dollar on one of the the top-of-the-range models. Similarly, the 204PS petrol engine is plenty quick but is one of the cheaper models to buy and run.

The Audi A5's most obvious rivals are the sporty BMW 4 Series and luxurious Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe, but you might also consider the Lexus RC – which is available and a petrol-electric hybrid – or more focussed coupes like the Lotus Evora. If you're looking at performance version, you could also consider the Ford Mustang as a rival. 

Even if you go for the entry level Audi A5 Sport you'll know you've purchased a quality item. Interior quality is excellent, not just in the places you look, but also in the places you don't and even at the bottom end of the range, a full leather interior comes as standard and you can choose from dark and light colour finishes.  

S line models welcome you with lit-up 'S' kickplates on the bottom of the door openings, get a mixture of leather and Alcantara upholstery and shiny metal pedals, while Edition 1 cars have electrically adjustable seats and Nappa leather. Top-of-the-range, Vorsprung models get a panoramic glass roof and multi-colour selectable mood lighting. 

The Audi A5 comes fitted as standard with the company's Virtual Cockpit, a 12.3-inch digital instrument binnacle which is responsible for much of the A5's interior wow factor. Audi pioneered this technology in the 2014 TT and, although it's been copied by almost everyone since, its system is still the best – putting info like speed and fuel economy exactly where you need it. Its party piece is its ability to punch up a huge Google Maps display that makes it a pleasure – and very easy – to follow the sat-nav's directions. 

What's less of a 'win' is the new infotainment system that was brought in when the car was facelifted in 2019. At 10.1 inches in size, it's colourful and clear but the touchscreen interface isn't as easy to use as the toggle/scroll wheel that was fitted to the old A5. However, it does come with a three-year subscription to Audi's connected services so it can route around congestion and give you live fuel prices, as well as letting you connect to the car remotely via an app to do things like check its location. 

The standard stereo is also solid, an eight-speaker system it has decent power and clarity, although you can upgrade to a Bang & Olufsen 3D Sound System with 19 speakers – including a subwoofer and a centre speaker – and a thumping 755W output. It makes most sense as part of the £1395 Comfort and Sound Pack, which bundles together the fancy stereo, plus keyless entry, handsfree boot opening, a 360-degree camera and LED interior ambient lighting with selectable colours. 

The Audi A5 may officially be a coupe, but it's based on the A4 saloon so it feels – and really is – more like a two-door saloon.

That's good news for practicality because it means the A5 is not a coupe you have to crawl in and out of like you do in some sportier options and there's not shortage of space for two bulky adults in the front.

Jump in the back and tall passengers will need concessions to be made in the front to get comfortable and, even then, they'll feel pretty hemmed in on longer journeys. A BMW 4 Series has a tad more kneeroom, but the Audi wins on headroom. 

It also has a very practical boot for a car this type. It has a 450-litre capacity and a square shape that makes it easy to use every every last drop, plus the rear seats also split 40:20:40 so you can carry longer loads while still having room for back seat passengers and the seats fold almost completely flat. 

Smaller storage spaces are also in abundance. The Audi's door pockets are massive and you get smaller storage cubbies in the back, a large glovebox and an array of other dookets and cup holders so everything has somewhere to live.

The Audi A5 is available with a choice of three petrol engines and two diesels, all of which come in combination with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox that shifts smoothly but can be a little slow on the uptake when you want a sharp burst of acceleration. 

The petrol models are all 2.0-litre four-cylinders with 150PS (35 TFSI), 204PS (40 TFSI) and 265PS (45 TFSI). The 150PS model gets from 0-62mph in under nine seconds, it feels fine in normal driving but quickly runs out of puff if you put the hammer down on a country road. With 0-62mph taking just 5.5 seconds, the 265PS version has no such issues. The best all rounder is the 204PS model which does 0-62mph in 7.1 seconds and feels perfectly pacy. 

Like the petrols, the 163PS (35 TDI) and 204PS (40 TDI) diesels both have 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines and their meaty mid-range means they feel more powerful than the petrols when, say, you go for a motorway overtake. That's despite them being slower on paper – the 35 gets from 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds while the 40 does it in 6.9 seconds.

When the Audi A5 went on sale in 2016 Audi said it was just as quiet as the flagship A8. That A8 has since been replaced with a newer model, but the A5 is still very quiet on the motorway thanks to its standard acoustic windscreen which cuts out wind whistle. For the ultimate quiet cabin, look out for cars with the optional acoustic side windows fitted. If anything, road noise will be slightly worse than before because all models now come with wheels at least 18-inches in diameter, which generate a little bit more road noise than the A5 models fitted with 17-inch wheels when the car was launched. 

The Audi A5 has never been tested for safety but Euro NCAP gave it a five-star rating based on the fact that it is mechanically identical to the A4 saloon that has been tested. 

Standard equipment levels are decent and include six airbags, automatic emergency brakes, a bonnet that pops up to protect pedestrians in an impact and a system that'll call the emergency services if the car is involved in an accident.

Vorsprung models come as standard with the Driver Assistance Tour Pack (a £2700 option on the rest of the range) which means the car can accelerate, brake and steer itself on the free-flowing motorway or in heavy traffic. It's a worthwhile option if you do lots of long, boring drives. 

The Audi A5's insurance ranges from Group 26 (for a 190PS diesel in SE trim) to Group 40 for the powerful S5 model. In real terms that means a 40-year-old adult will pay a premium of around £700-900 depending on model, while a 30-year-old can expect to pay more than £1000. 

The Audi A5 models to choose if you want to avoid a hefty tax bill are the 35 diesel or 40 petrol models in Sport trim. The former pays a hefty £540 first-year payment while the latter will cost you £215 in year one, with them both dropping to £150 a year for the next five years after that. The rest of the range bursts through the £40,000 premium car threshold so you'll be paying £475 every year for five years after the initial payment of between £215 and £540.

The Audi A5 is available in four trim levels – Sport, S line, Edition 1 or Vorsprung.

Sport models get 18-inch alloy wheels as well as matt aluminium highlights on the outside, while inside they get heated front seats with lumbar adjustment, LED cabin lighting, keyless go and cruise control.  

S line cars get sporty looks courtesy of their 18-inch wheels, body kit and matrix LED headlights which can match their beam to the shape of the road, while inside they get a leather and Alcantara interior. 

Edition 1 models look even sportier thanks to their huge 20-inch steamroller alloy wheels, they also come with laser matrix LED headlights which are more powerful than the versions fitted to S line models. Inside, they get electrically adjustable Nappa leather seats and piano black interior inlays.

Vorsprung models get lots of kit fitted as standard. They look identical to Edition 1 models, aside from their star-design wheels, but inside they get kit like a full length glass roof, Bang & Olufsen stereo and ambient lighting.