2025 Audi A5 review: Australian first drive

The Audi A4 is dead.

Audi has put the name of what was once its top seller out to pasture, and merged its run-of-the-mill offerings in the mid-size car category – its BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class competitors – under one badge: A5.

Just two variants make up the non-high-performance A5 range: the A5 Sedan, which (confusingly) is a liftback akin to the old A5 Sportback, and the A5 Avant, a wagon to replace the outgoing A4 Avant.

That means the A5 coupe and convertible have been given the chop, alongside the regular A4 sedan and high-riding A4 Allroad.

This strategy was concocted when Audi wanted its electric cars to wear even-numbered badges, and its petrol and diesel ones to carry odd numbers. But it has since reneged on that strategy, which means the petrol A5 will soon be sold alongside a new-generation petrol A6 and an electric A6 e-tron.

Confused? We don’t blame you. Customers only just came to terms with Audi’s last naming change, swapping ‘2.0 TFSI’ and ‘3.0 TDI’ on bootlids with the likes of ‘45 TFSI’ and ‘50 TDI’ – another set of similarly confusing badges it has thrown in the bin with its new cars.

But what you need to know is this new A5 brings the (gracefully) ageing A4 and A5 into the modern era, with all-new styling, an overhauled and tech-packed cabin, updated engines, and (on some models) clever hybrid tech.

Has Audi’s first new 3 Series rival in a decade been worth the wait?

There is initially just one variant in the Audi A5 range in Australia, the ‘Audi A5 TFSI 150kW S line Sedan’, which is what it says on the box – a 150kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol sedan with the S line package, and no quattro all-wheel drive, instead sticking with front-wheel drive.

Due in the fourth quarter of 2025 (October to December) are two more engine options: a 200kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol with all-wheel drive, and a 270kW petrol-electric plug-in hybrid with all-wheel drive.

Whereas the base petrol is sedan-only, the higher-power versions will be available as Avant wagons for an extra $3000. Both body styles are also available as S5 performance versions, which you can read about in a separate review here.

Prices start from $79,900 plus on-road costs for the 150kW sedan, rising to $89,900 plus on-roads for the 200kW petrol or 270kW plug-in hybrid sedans, both offered at the same RRP. The S5 range starts from $99,900 for the Edition One, and $114,900 for the regular version, for reference.

This review will focus on the entry-level sedan, as it’s the only A5 in showrooms so far.

It’s one of the more affordable cars in the class; runout stock of the Volvo S60 starts from $69,990 plus on-roads, but a Lexus ES300h Sports Luxury starts from $80,170, an Alfa Romeo Giulia Tributo Italiano from $80,450, a Genesis G70 turbo V6 from $87,114, a Mercedes-Benz C200 from $87,800, and a BMW 330i from $92,900.

Standard features include 19-inch alloy wheels, the S line exterior pack, matrix LED headlights, a power tailgate, 11.9-inch instrument display, 14.5-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, leather-look and real leather combination upholstery, power-adjustable heated front seats, three-zone climate control, colour ambient lighting, and a 360-degree camera.

Two option packs are available on the 150kW sedan: the $3900 Style Package, with 20-inch wheels, black exterior styling, and privacy glass, and the $4900 Premium Package, with a head-up display, high-output USB ports, a Bang and Olufsen 3D surround sound system, and ‘pro’ ambient lighting with a warning strip running along the base of the dashboard.

Standalone options, such as another screen ahead of the front passenger, are also available. The vehicle we tested was fitted with about $9000 in options for a circa-$100,000 drive-away price.

If the new A5’s exterior design is an evolution of its predecessor, the interior is a revolution – for better and worse.

Audi’s mid-size car has been brought into the 2020s in terms of technology, with a giant 14.5-inch touchscreen and 11.9-inch instrument display integrated into a ‘floating’ curved panel, which can be paired with another touchscreen for the front passenger.

It looks far more high-tech than the old A4 and A5, but it has come at the cost of some of the outgoing cars’ elegance – and top-tier fit and finish.

Many key controls (including the air conditioning) have moved from dials to the central touchscreen – making them harder to use while driving – and the controls on the steering wheel are now touch-sensitive, so they are prone to accidental activations, especially the volume slider.

The mirror controls on the doors are not touch-sensitive, but they sit under a black panel that makes them look like they are, and attracts fingerprints. Drivers can no longer feel for the control they’re looking for while looking at the road.

Gloss black panels are also used extensively on the centre console – again, a fingerprint magnet – and while perceived build quality is good, and there were no rattles in the car we drove, it lacks the classy look and ‘bank vault on wheels’ feel of earlier Audi interiors.

Audi has hit the spot in terms of ergonomics and comfort. There’s lots of adjustment in the steering column and front seats, the latter blending comfort and support on long journeys well. Tall drivers don’t feel cramped, either.

There’s a reasonable amount of storage – a centre console box, bottle holders in the doors, two roomy cupholders, and a broad wireless phone charging bay – though there’s not quite as much room for small items as Audi’s latest EVs.

Amenities are also well catered for, with heated seats, tri-zone climate control, keyless entry, and ambient lighting that can be upgraded to include a strip stretching across the dashboard that displays the indicators and safety warnings.

The new A5 is bigger than the car it replaces – 65mm longer (4835mm), 77mm longer in wheelbase (2902mm), and 43mm taller (1461mm) – which should translate to more room.

There is enough space in the back for my 186cm (6ft 1in) tall frame to fit behind my driving position, but only just. In the sedan – the only A5 available so far – I found my hair to touch the headlining, only a couple of centimetres of knee room and compromised toe room.

The door openings are large enough not to be cumbersome, but climbing into the middle seat is a challenge thanks to a broad tunnel on the floor, tight outboard footwells, a low roof line, and a flat seat base. The width of the cabin cements the centre position as strictly for kids.

Rear passengers are given access to dual map pockets, two USB-C ports, air vents – with a panel to control the rear temperature and fan speed – a fold-down armrest with cupholders, and plastic-lined door pockets.

Boot space is quoted at 445 litres in the sedan, which translates to a deep cargo area that’s easy to access with a high tailgate opening height, and only a small load lip to lift heavy items over. It’s not cavernous, though nets on the floor and left side, bag hooks, and a 40:20:40 split-folding rear seat aid practicality.

Buyers only get a tyre repair kit, rather than a spare wheel.

Standard in every A5 is a 14.5-inch touchscreen and 11.9-inch instrument display integrated into a curved panel that stretches across much of the dashboard.

The former runs Audi’s latest software, with snappy responses to even light touch inputs – there’s no need to push firmly to activate functions – and contemporary graphics that fill out the screen well.

Key functions – such as often-used climate controls, and a customisable bank of eight shortcuts for different apps – are pinned to the edges of the screen, but need something beyond those, and it’s a case of multiple taps into sub-menus that may take some more less tech-savvy buyers time to learn.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are offered, and the former worked seamlessly on this media preview drive.

However, in a Q6 e-tron we recently tested with the same software, we had CarPlay disconnect randomly on one drive, and unable to reconnect until the car was parked overnight and restarted the next morning, no matter how many times we disconnected and reconnected our phone. We'll be able to test the A5's integration more thoroughly when we get the car through for a week-long review soon.

Digital radio is available, along with embedded satellite navigation, which uses Google data.

The instrument cluster is contemporary and clear in its graphics, and its menus are reasonably easy to switch between after a little while behind the wheel, though the touch buttons make it fiddlier than it ought to be to navigate.

Buyers can option a 10.9-inch touchscreen ahead of the front passenger, which allows for video streaming, audio controls, and the presentation of key driving data.

It’s a cool feature in the showroom, and the display’s design prevents the driver from seeing it while the vehicle is moving, but it strikes us as a gimmick rather than a practical feature.

Also optional is a head-up display, and an excellent 16-speaker Bang and Olufsen 3D premium sound system, both of which were fitted to the vehicle we drove.

Audi offers customers three years of free access to its Connect Plus suite of features, such as vehicle tracking, remote locking, and the ability to preload routes into the navigation system from a smartphone.

The Audi A5 range is covered by a five-star safety rating from ANCAP, based on testing conducted by its European counterpart Euro NCAP last year when the car went on sale.

It earned category scores of 87 per cent for adult occupant protection, 87 per cent for child occupant protection, 78 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and 79 per cent for safety assist technology.

It initially applies only to the 150kW A5 sedan, and S5 sedan and wagon.

A broad suite of safety features is fitted to the entry-level Audi A5, with nothing left on the table as exclusive to higher-grade models.

But there is one key omission from all variants: lane-centring assist.

The A5 can apply steering assistance to prevent itself leaving the lane unintentionally (known as lane-keep assist), and can maintain a safe distance to the car in front on the motorway (adaptive cruise control), but it cannot actively steer to follow the path of the road and hold the centre of the lane.

This technology is fitted to its rivals, plus cars as cheap as $30,000 Kia hatchbacks, so it’s disappointing to see it missing from the A5, as well as other new Audis in Australia with the brand’s latest-generation electronics suite (such as the Q6 e-tron).

Audi executives say features such as these will roll out “progressively”, and lane centring may be added in a future model-year update, alongside a smarter adaptive cruise-control system – but timing for its addition has not been confirmed.

The other safety systems on offer in the A5 at launch work well, generally speaking.

Lane-keep assist is a bit too intrusive on tight country roads for our tastes, but it’s easy as pie to disable – just press and hold the button at the end of the indicator stalk.

The A5 has a driver attention monitoring system, but it operates by monitoring touchscreen inputs, and how the steering wheel is moving, rather than through a camera pointed at the driver – so it does not beep when you glance away from the road for more than a moment, as many new cars with attention cameras do.

The traffic sign recognition system works well – and alerts the driver that they may be speeding through a visual cue only rather than a beep – while adaptive cruise control is also well tuned.

It must be said that, should you not like these systems, the likes of the driver monitor and traffic sign recognition are not as easy to turn off as lane-keep assist, and require a few taps into touchscreen menus.

Audi claims fuel consumption of 6.9 litres per 100 kilometres for the new 150kW A5 Sedan, across a quoted 9.4L/100km in urban driving, and 5.4L/100km in extra-urban and highway conditions.

Over a country drive loop – which comprised a mix of higher-speed conditions, from winding roads to a brief highway cruise – the A5’s trip computer displayed 7.7L/100km, which is higher than the claim, but not too bad given we weren’t trying to hypermile it.

Stop-start engine tech is on hand to save fuel when stopped at the traffic lights, but a lack of hybrid tech hurts consumption.

Hit Audi’s claimed motorway fuel-use claim, and the 56-litre fuel tank could theoretically get you 1037km in optimal conditions. Even if it doesn’t, 95- or 98-octane premium petrol is required, as with most European cars sold in Australia.

There’s nothing groundbreaking about how the sole Audi A5 variant in showrooms is powered.

The 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol offers more than enough performance for this type of vehicle. There isn’t too much turbo lag, so it’s perky at suburban speeds, and it accelerates with confidence up to highway speeds.

Buyers craving more performance can look to more expensive versions – up to the V6-powered S5 – but we can’t see many customers accusing the base model of feeling underpowered for day-to-day duties.

It is matched with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which shifts quickly and smoothly on the move, though there is some hesitation at low speeds – and from a standstill – as is common for these types of gearboxes.

There is no fuel-saving hybrid assistance – or even a mild-hybrid system to let the engine switch off, and the car coast, at cruising speeds – so the engine and gearbox interact in a generally intuitive manner.

Audi has achieved a good balance between comfort and control in the tuning of the suspension, which is ‘passive’ – meaning drivers cannot adjust its firmness, as in the S5.

On the smaller 19-inch wheels fitted as standard, there is a taut edge to the ride that is expected of a European car, but it is never harsh enough to see occupants wince as they approach potholes, and the body remains settled and sure-footed over crests and undulations.

A longer test of the A5 on city streets will be necessary to better understand what it’s like in the daily grind, but our first impressions are positive.

As expected of an Audi, the A5 inspires confidence on a winding road, with a handling balance that is safe and secure, rather than ‘fun’ like a BMW or Alfa Romeo might be.

The steering is direct and precise, with a choice of weighting – from nicely light in Comfort mode to heavy enough for fast driving in Dynamic – while the brake pedal is firm, easy to modulate, and slightly more natural in its feel than the heavier, mild-hybrid S5.

The base A5 is only front-wheel drive, but it puts its power down well. There is some wheel slip and torque steer – where the steering wheel tugs at your hands – under hard acceleration, but driven sensibly, it isn’t crying out for all-wheel drive, even on a wet road.

Quality Bridgestone tyres assist in that area, without inviting too much road noise into the cabin – though there is some present that can be drowned out with the stereo.

Visibility is good for a car of this size and shape, though it’s naturally not as easy to see out of as a bigger car or SUV.

The new Audi A5 is a well-rounded luxury car that proves there’s space for evolution over revolution.

It is not the cheapest, roomiest, most high-tech, most frugal or sharpest-to-drive car in its category, but it delivers a pleasant blend of comfort, technology, performance and value that serves as something of a sweet spot among its peers.

Its biggest weaknesses are arguably the finer points of its interior, which has upsized its screens to keep pace in the 2020s at the cost of some of the quality, elegance and ease of use that defined earlier Audis.

Once you get your head around the technology, however, the A5 is a refined and polished offering that ticks the boxes a luxury car should, and therefore deserves a place high on buyers' consideration lists.

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner

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