What's all this about?
You're looking at the replacement for the 30-year-old, five-generations-past Audi A4. But your eyes are not deceiving you. The boot badge does indeed read 'Audi A5' because this German company, which has already given us the baffling two-digit power outputs system that made no sense whatsoever (and which, incidentally, Audi is now quietly dropping as it realises it was a bad idea all round), has now decided that even-numbered model series in its portfolio must be electric vehicles (EVs), with odd-numbered lines reserved for the internal-combustion cars. And as this A4-replacement is only going to be sold with hybrid and plug-in hybrid drivetrains, it means it can't be the A4 any longer because it's not zero-emissions... so it becomes the A5 instead.
Right, but then does what we once knew as the A5 become the A6?
No, no, no! Come on, try to keep up! What was once known as the A6 family will become the A7, while the A6 badging will now be reserved for an A5-sized saloon and Avant estate range that will be called the A6 e-tron, like the Q6 e-tron SUV. Ultra-high-performance variants of the car in the pictures here will no longer be called the RS 4, but will instead take up the RS 5 moniker. Honestly, it's all perfectly simple.
If... you say so. Anyway, tell me all about the new Audi A4... SORRY! I mean, the A5...
Right, so the Audi A5 is bigger in all dimensions than the Mk5 (aka 'B9') A4 it replaces, stretched by 67mm nose-to-tail (with 80mm shoehorned into the wheelbase), while it is 16mm taller and 13mm wider too. It will be sold as something Audi AG calls the 'Sedan', but while it may look like a three-box saloon, it is not - instead, it has a 'hidden' fastback with a fully opening tailgate hatch. There's also an A5 Avant as well, and from launch Audi blesses the world with S5 rapid versions of both body types too.
Strangely, despite the growth in size, and more generous rear-seat accommodation for adults in terms of leg- and headroom, the boots on the new A5s are smaller than those on their preceding analogues. The saloon, or the fastback, or whatever you want to call it, boasts 445 litres minimum and then 1,299 litres with its rear seats folded away, while the A5 Avant increases those figures to 476 and 1,424 litres respectively. Mind, the old A4 saloon - despite having a much smaller boot opening than the new A5 - had 480 litres, while the previous A4 Avant managed to cram in at least 505 litres with all seats in use.
OK, what about the styling inside and out?
Well, as you can see, the A5 is a more rounded-looking thing than the old A4, with some Audi signifiers like the 'Singleframe' radiator grille, a full-width light strip at the rear, and those bulging wheel arches that hint at the company's fabled quattro all-wheel drive, which will be an option on certain models of the A5 family. As with most S-model Audis, the S5 gains further items to denote its prowess, as it has larger alloys, aggressive air intakes and bumpers, and of course the quad exhausts with silver highlights for the door mirrors.
But then there's the LED head- and OLED taillights. These have no fewer than eight configurable signatures for owners to cycle through, including one setting in which the small triangular details in the rear clusters all pulse through varying shades of orange to deep red, individually, which gives the lights the impression that they're 'twinkling'. Apparently, these are road-legal in all markets, so it gives the Audi something different from other cars on sale at the moment, we guess.
Inside is a hugely high-tech human-machine interface which takes its inspiration from Audi's e-tron models, and which will likely be seen in all forthcoming models from the manufacturer, such as that incoming A6 e-tron we mentioned earlier and probably the next-gen Q5 too. It is centred on screens; lots of 'em. As standard, there's a 11.9-inch Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster and a 14.5-inch central touchscreen for the MMI infotainment - yes, Audi has got rid of physical buttons for the climate control. Boooo. Anyway, these can be further augmented with a configurable head-up display for the driver, while a new option is the 10.9-inch Front Passenger Display, which surely takes its inspiration directly from some of the most recent models in the Porsche arm of the Volkswagen Group, where the same thing has become a desirable feature.
Right, enough of the visuals. What is powering the A5 range?
Mild hybrid drivetrains exclusively at first, with a choice of three TFSI petrols and a TDI diesel as well. For the TFSIs, choose from either 150- or 204hp options, both 2.0-litre four-cylinder units, or go for the S5, which has a 367hp 3.0-litre V6. The TDI is also a 2.0-litre and also makes 204hp, although it has more torque than the petrol model. The base TFSI is front-wheel drive only, while the S5 comes with quattro as standard, and on the other two options there's a choice of either. All models have seven-speed dual-clutch gearboxes, incidentally.
For fuel economy, the 2.0-litre TFSIs delivery between 35.8- and 42.8mpg, with CO2 of 150-179g/km, while the S5 - perhaps proving the wisdom of including the MHEV gear - isn't much worse, officially laying claim to 35.8-38.2mpg with 167-180g/km CO2 accordingly. The diesel is the eco-champ from launch, giving back 50.4-60.1mpg and 124-147g/km, but expect that to change soon down the line when a couple of plug-in hybrids (badged 'TFSI e') will come rocking in. These will have either 299- or 367hp and a claimed electric-only range of 62 miles-plus, which should lead to eye-popping on-paper economy and CO2 claims.
Finally, the front suspension mounts have been stiffed up and the steering connection is tougher in the A5, so Audi is aiming for this car to give a sharper drive than the old A4, hopefully all without sacrificing any ride comfort or refinement levels.
Cool. Any word on prices?
Not as yet, although we went for a sneak preview event that let us have a look around the A5/S5 family, and prod at various fixtures and fittings and so on. At it, we were unofficially informed that the A5 will likely start at around £42,000, for a 2.0 TFSI 150 Sport saloon (fastback), with the Avants commanding around a £2,000 premium model-for-model. Expect Sport, S line and then Edition One trims at first, with the Black Edition following on later in the life of the A5.
Matt Robinson - 16 Jul 2024
