Audi has released pictures and details about the forthcoming A5, which - rather confusingly - won’t be replacing the current Audi A5 Coupe. Instead, what you're looking at here is really a replacement for the current Audi A4. Confused? This guide reveals all.
Update: Since this article was first published, we've now driven the Audi A5. Read our full review of the new Audi A5 here.
2024 Audi A5: Price, specs and release date:
- Audi's new EV naming strategy
- 2024 Audi A5: styling and dimensions
- 2024 Audi A5: interior design and practicality
- 2024 Audi A5: engines and dynamics
- 2024 Audi A5: price and release date
Audi's new EV naming strategy
Audi recently took the decision to alter the naming structure of its models going forward, so that all-electric cars are denoted by an even number (for example, we already have the Q4 E-Tron and and the Q6 E-Tron, and we already know that the next Audi A6 with also be an electric E-Tron model), while combustion-engined (that's petrol or diesel) cars are denoted by an odd number. Given the A4's replacements is powered by a range of petrol and diesel engines, some with advanced mild-hybrid technology, it couldn't therefore keep its name.
Where the confusion really kicks in is that previously the A5 badge has been worn by glamorous coupe, cabriolet and ‘Sportback’ hatchback models, whereas the latest one will also be offered in saloon and ‘Avant’ estate forms. Which is why, effectively, the new A5 is actually the replacement for the huge-selling and monumentally successful Audi A4, thirty years after the first A4 was launched. That’s a big call from Audi, and one which shows its commitment to the new naming strategy.
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All is not as revolutionary and as newfangled as Audi would have you believe, though. You see, the A5 Saloon, as Audi calls it, is’t actually a saloon at all. It’s actually a hatchback, where the rear window raises up with the rest of the tailgate, rather than there being separation between the window and the bootlid as is traditional with the saloon bodystyle.
Audi goes further, claiming in its press material that this ‘results in a completely new Saloon concept’, and that the hatchback approach is ‘new in this vehicle segment’. We take issue with that, however. Whether Audi calls it a Saloon or a Hatchback, the concept is virtually the same as the one used for years by the outgoing A5 Sportback, and the new A5 even looks quite a lot like its forebear. It’s also a concept currently used by the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, so the prestige hatchback isn’t exactly as groundbreaking an idea as Audi would have you believe.
Nevertheless, this is a very important car for Audi, and one that will pique the interest of a vast number of new car buyers. It’ll also be up against a host of excellent four-door rivals such as the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class.
2024 Audi A5: styling and dimensions
Regardless of whether you’re talking about the Saloon or Avant versions of the new A5, there’s very little to differentiate them at the front. On both, you’ll find Audi’s trademark Singleframe grille yawning across most of the width of the front end, and it’s filled in with a sporty-looking honeycomb structure.
The Matrix LED headlights above it are of a shape not unlike those of the E-Tron GT performance car, while below those sit large air intakes on the front corners of the car. The bonnet, meanwhile, has deep louvres on either side, presumably to create the impression of a ‘power bulge’ for a more muscular look.
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Down the sides of the Saloon, the steeply angled windscreen flows into a roofline that slopes downwards more gently at the rear, creating the coupe-like effect that’s so fashionable these days, while at the very back of the car, this line kicks up from the lip spoiler on top of the short rear end. Just below that sit tail lights that are connected by an LED light strip, while below that, rectangular twin exhausts sit either side of a rear diffuser.
With the Avant, most of the design features on the rear end are the same, but the roofline is extended further at its highest point and drops away more abruptly to enable greater interior space.
Whatever bodystyle you call these cars, and whatever Audi tries to convince you they are, it has to be said that they’re both handsome and cohesive-looking.
2024 Audi A5: interior design and practicality
As you’d predict with the interior of an all-new Audi model, it’s all about the screens. In fact, there’s very little of the A5’s dashboard that isn’t fashioned by a screen of some sort. There’s a ‘Virtual Cockpit’ digital instrument panel behind the steering wheel, in this case measuring 11.9 inches, combined with a huge 14.5-inch central MMI touchscreen infotainment display, and as has rapidly become the fashion these days, both are housed together in a single unit that curves around the driver. There’s also a head-up display available as an option (standard on the S5) to give you even more to look at. The front passenger need not feel left out, either, because on Edition 1-spec cars, they get their own 10.9-inch screen set into the dashboard in front of them.
And that’s not all in terms of touch-sensitive interaction. There are a bunch more touch-sensitive icons on the steering wheel, plus a panel on the driver’s door featuring a bunch more. Ironically, the only place where you don’t find many such controls is on the central partition between the front seats, which traditionally, is precisely where you would’ve expected to find them.
With such an enormous screen area, the digitisation of the cabin is utterly dominating. With so many menus, icons and widgets to look at everywhere you turn, and with so much functionality on offer, it all has the potential to be rather bamboozling. However, we’ll have to reserve judgement on how user-friendly it is until we’ve got up-close-and-personal with the car.
In terms of practicality, Audi hasn't published dimensions - either external or internal - for the new car yet, although it has stated that the new car will be growing in length and width. It’s not clear whether that’s in relation to the previous A4 Saloon or A5 Sportback, but either way, there’s not a vast amount to separate those two cars on size.
We do know that the car is based on an all-new architecture - known as Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) - but since that’s yet to be used on any other Audi (or Volkswagen-Group car, for that matter), that doesn’t provide any massive clues to its size. We’d predict enough space in the rear for a couple of tall adults, plus plenty of luggage space, but going any further than that on the specifics would be pure guesswork.
2024 Audi A5: engines and dynamics
At launch, the car will be offered with a variety of turbocharged combustion engines. The entry-level choice is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder TFSI petrol with 148bhp, while further up the range there’s another version of the same engine with 201bhp. Both have a dual-clutch gearbox and front-wheel drive. The former will cover the 0-62mph dash in 9.8 seconds, while the latter trims this to 7.8 seconds.
The diesel choice is a 2.0 TDI with 201bhp, again with a dual-clutch S tronic gearbox, but this time with a choice of front- or quattro all-wheel drive. Expect a 0-62mph time of 7.7 seconds from the front-driver, and 6.9 seconds from the four-wheel-drive car.
The diesel also has an advanced MHEV mild hybrid system that Audi calls MHEV plus, which maximises engine-off time during the car’s normal operation, and electric-only parking and manoeuvring are possible to a limited extent. Audi claims that when compared to a regular MHEV system, MHEV plus is good for an improvement of around 10g/km in CO2 emissions. As emissions and fuel economy are inextricably linked, it should have a proportional effect on MPG.
The MHEV plus tech is also fitted to the S5 high-performance version, where Audi says the equivalent improvement stands at 17g/km. This version uses a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 petrol engine with 362 brake horsepower, making the S5 capable of covering 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds.
We don’t know a whole lot about the new car’s suspension, either, other than the fact that the Sport-trimmed car will have a 'Comfort' suspension, the S line and Edition 1 versions will have a 'Sports' suspension (which probably means it's lowered and/or stiffened), while the high-performance S5 version will have adaptive dampers as standard. We suspect this will also be available as an optional extra further down the range.
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Tthe A5’s driving experience will be augmented by a vast array of the latest driver assistance systems. Adaptive cruise control is provided across the board, as is lane departure warning, a driver attention monitor, and camera-based traffic sign recognition.
2024 Audi A5: price and release date
The Audi A5 is available to order now. Prices start at £41,950 for the Saloon with the entry-level petrol engine in Sport trim, while the equivalent version of the Avant costs £43,850. If you're after a diesel A5, prices start at £46,950 for the Saloon and £48,850 for the Avant, while if you want the full-fat S5, then you'll be spending £68,700 on the Saloon and £70,600 on the Avant.
Sport trim provides standard equipment including 18-inch alloy wheels, LED exterior lighting, automatic high-beam assist, electrically adjustable door mirrors, a powered tailgate, three-zone climate control, heated front seats, leather upholstery, LED interior ambient lighting, a reversing camera and all-round parking sensors.
S line trim adds sports suspension, bigger 19-inch alloys and a variety of exterior and interior styling embellishments, while Edition 1 cars adds 20-inch rims, more styling enhancements, electrically adjusting front seats, more elaborate interior trim, the extra screen for the front passenger, a 360-degree camera, and a handful of additional driver assistance functions. The S5, meanwhile, also gains adaptive suspension, a panoramic sunroof, a Bang & Olufsen stereo upgrade, a head-up display, massaging front seats, heating for the front and outer-rear seats, and a steering wheel that's heated and electrically adjustable.