In keeping with Audi’s new naming system that has electric vehicles (EVs) using even numbers and the rest using odd ones, the brand’s long-standing midsize is now known as the A5.
The car has also been stretched in all directions, plus the previous notchback trunk has been ditched for a highly versatile sloping hatch. This is the sixth generation of this slice of the Audi pie, and it moves a bit upmarket, getting the brand’s all-new interior that lends a posher feel to the proceedings.
Keen readers might remember that there already was an A5 in the Audi lineup, which started as more or less the coupe version of the A4 back in 2008, with sportback and convertible variants following shortly after. But that A5 — along with the sportier S5 and RS 5 models — is dead.
In its stead comes the 2025 Audi A5 and Audi S5. The A5 is powered by an upgraded version of the Volkswagen Group’s venerable turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder, while the S5 ups the game with a twin-turbo V6. Both use a 48-volt mild hybrid system.
Sportback Styling
The 2025 A5 rides on a new platform that will underpin most of Audi’s combustion-driven vehicles moving forward. Contrary to popular fear, the internal combustion engine isn’t heading for the showers just yet.
"In addition to expanding our all-electric portfolio, we are launching a new generation of models with efficient combustion engines,” Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said during the reveal of the A5 this summer. “The Audi A5 family with its sporty design, completely new interior, and future-proof electronic architecture, will be the first.”
The 2025 Audi A5 is handsomely understated and sits on the road with poise and purpose. It’s sleeker than the outgoing model thanks to sculpted flanks, prominent wheel blisters, and fastback roofline. The hood gently curves down to create a low-profile snout sporting a wider and flatter-proportioned grille with larger honeycomb elements.
The sportier S5 gets quad tailpipes, a small spoiler, and a more aggressive fascia with signature lower side air intakes finished in brushed aluminum. There’s also a black package that does away with all the exterior brightwork.
The new platform — dubbed the Premium Platform Combustion (PPC), for those who are interested — provides for a larger footprint than before. The wheelbase is 68 mm (2.7 in) longer, while overall length has increased by about as much. The A5 is also 13 mm (0.5 in) wider and 24 mm (0.9 in) taller than the outgoing A4. Meanwhile, cargo room is 445 L and grows to 1,299 L with the rear seats folded.
Let There Be Lights
Exterior lighting has long been a calling card of Audi design, and here the brand pushes forward again. The A5’s “eyes” are high-mounted low-profile multi-element daytime running lights, while the main headlights are hidden behind black panels below. Out back the wow factor continues with a light bar that sweeps across the A5’s derriere. It contains 364 controlled elements, offering up selectable “signatures” while also being capable of displaying a hazard triangle and in some markets (not ours, unfortunately) a super cool flame-like animated signature.
All-New Interior Debut
Hop into the A5’s roomy cabin and it’s obvious Audi is back to form when it comes to its interiors. The somewhat sterile and blocky dash architecture of recent models will be replaced across the board with the new cabin that debuts in the 2025 A5. It’s a warmer and more cohesive look that’s enhanced by fine satin-finished metal work and soft-touch fabric surfaces on the dash, console, and door panels.
The centrepiece is a curved, freestanding screen that contains an 11.9-inch instrument display and 14.5-inch touchscreen. There’s also an available 10.9-inch passenger screen that cannot be seen by the driver when driving, and a clearer head-up display with 85 per cent greater field of vision. according to Audi. Thankfully, a number of physical buttons remain.
Sweeping along the base of the windshield is a thin illuminated strip. Called the “interaction light bar,” it can change colours and indicate certain functions such as turn signals and hazard warning lights.
More Driver Engagement
With rain pouring down and snaking mountain roads beckoning, I was less concerned with my digital ecosystem and more focused on the A5’s chassis, for which the engineers clearly sweated the details to give it a neutral disposition (read: less understeer). The steering feel has also been improved, while an endless series of narrow, rain soaked switchbacks with the occasional suggestion of a guard rail that might stop a speeding cat put the entire package to the test.
My first drive was in an A5 with standard suspension, and it proved to be a worthy ally in these conditions. There’s more of a sense of connection with this sixth-gen car, and the chassis is indeed much less prone to understeer. Standard brake-based torque-vectoring helps here. The A5 cuts a smooth, natural, and confidence-inspiring path with fine body control. While there weren’t any real rough roads on this designated drive route, the ride quality remained pleasantly compliant; the optional 20-inch wheels wrapped in performance tires only made themselves known over harsher impacts.
These cars were fitted with a Euro-spec 2.0L that makes 204 hp. Our 2025 A5s will launch with a 268-hp 2.0L, which means we’ll have to wait until they show up on our shores to assess that powertrain.
A More Capable S5
There’s no guessing when it comes to what the S5 will deliver. This is an entirely different animal, and it’s evident from the moment you slide into the bolstered sport seats and fire up the 362-hp 3.0L V6. With standard adaptive dampers, sport rear differential, and sport suspension that sits 20 mm (0.8 in) lower, the S5 was devastatingly quick and secure on my drive back down the mountains.
It’s also far more engaging than what we’ve come to expect from quick Audis that tend to be somewhat aloof in terms of driver communication. This one is less clinical point-and-shoot and more “Hey, let’s have some fun!”
Audi has increased the bandwidth of the Audi drive select, too; comfort mode delivers legit cushiness, while dynamic mode buttons the S5 down for max merriment in the twisties. Even in dynamic, ride quality is perfectly acceptable. The V6’s power delivery is seamless and instant thanks to the torque-fill provided by the mild-hybrid setup. Turbo lag? Non-issue. I would wish for quicker response from the shift paddles — we’ve been spoiled by Porsche’s dual-clutch transmission — but otherwise the 2025 Audi S5 is a fast, cohesive, and immensely satisfying sport sedan.
Final Thoughts
While there weren’t any North American fuel economy figures for the 2025 Audi A5 and Audi S5 as of this writing yet, Audi claims an improvement over the outgoing models. Pricing, too, will be announced closer to the vehicle’s availability in summer of 2025. Expect a bump over the current A4 and S4 sedans that start at $54,715 and $70,815, respectively.
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