Audi reinvents its A5 as a replacement for the old A4. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Background

For the last two decades, we've known a car of this kind with an Audi badge as an 'A4' - ever since 1994 in fact, when the very first A4 replaced 25 years of Audi 80 models. The badge isn't the only thing that's changed here; there's no longer the conventional saloon body style that used to define the A4 model line, abandoned in favour of the kind of sleek five-door shape that Ingolstadt previously marketed in this segment as the 'A5 Sportback'. That old model's also gone, as have the other two body shapes that previously wore an old generation 'A5' badge, the Coupe and the Cabriolet (which disappointingly, aren't being replaced). What we do still get is an estate body style in this sector, an 'A5'-badged Avant model now selling alongside the five-door version. What this car's called though, is of course far less important than what it can deliver. And in that regard, aside from the new bodywork, much might seem very familiar here if you previously had some sort of A4 on your driveway. Even maybe the evolved look, which remains very 'Audi'. As before, this car differs from its BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class arch-rivals by using a front-driven rather than rear-driven platform, something still disguised if you pay more by the provision of quattro 4WD. At first glance, you might recognise the 2.0 TFSI petrol and 2.0 TDI diesel engine line-up too - yes, there's still a diesel option for those that want it. So what's really different here? Well quite a lot, or so Audi claims. New chassis designs for fossil-fuelled models are a rarity these days but this A5 has one, 'Premium Platform Combustion' underpinnings that support the cleverer 'MHEV plus' mild hybrid system that's been added to some of the engines. There's also now a Plug-in Hybrid powertrain - something no previous A4 or A5 ever offered. And, perhaps best of all, what's claimed to be class-leadingly sophisticated cabin design, traditionally an Ingolstadt strength in this segment. It's been some time since Audi's been a force to be reckoned with in this class. So can this new-era A5 return the brand to top-tier contention?

Driving Experience

Has the backlash against the EV revolution started? We can't remember the last time we reviewed a completely new model with significantly redeveloped fossil-fuelled engines and a completely new combustion platform. Yet that's what this new generation A5 claims to offer, which is almost revolutionary in an era where many other volume brands stopped developing combustion engineering some time ago. Audi says that the new 'Premium Platform Combustion' architecture (which replaces the 17-year-old MLB chassis of the old A4 and A5 models) really is new from the ground up. Others reckon that it's merely an evolution of what went before. What's certain is that it's made possible some significantly more electrified engines; notably the 2.0-litre TDI diesel with the brand's cleverer 'MHEV plus' upgraded mild hybrid system. And, for the first time in this class of Audi, a PHEV powertrain that Ingolstadt now designates with an 'e-hybrid' badge. Disappointingly, there's no sign of electrification with the volume engine that for the time being the majority of A5 customers are likely to actually choose, Audi's familiar 2.0 TFSI petrol unit. This props up the range in 150PS front-driven form, but is a more direct match for its rivals in 204PS guise, where it also can only be had powered from the front. Which is significant because that front-driven set-up continues to fundamentally set this Audi apart from its two key segment rivals, the Mercedes C-Class and the BMW 3 Series, which both have long been rear-driven, supposedly a more involving drive format. Audi thinks it doesn't have to be and has worked to make this new-generation A5 more driver-focused. The brand probably isn't going to sell many diesel A5 models - which is a pity as this one offers a complete enough package to make rival brand BMW's deletion of diesel in this segment look premature. A5 customers are only offered the 204PS version of the 2.0-litre four cylinder TDI unit, in which form there's a useful 60Nm more torque than you get in the equivalent TFSI variant. With the diesel, there's also the advantage of a quattro 4WD option too, if you've more money in the budget for it. The quattro 4WD system is conditional for what might arguably be a better all-round alternative to a TDI-powered A5 - namely one fitted with the petrol PHEV e-hybrid system we mentioned earlier. Audi's never previously had the Plug-in Hybrid technology to compete in this segment, but it does now, courtesy of a set-up that's very different from that used in clunky TFSI e-powered Q5s and A6s of the past. There's a bigger battery for a start, which at 25.9kWh in size offers a 67 mile EV range long enough to ensure that most commutes will be pretty much combustion-free. The combining mechanicals are still familiar - the usual 2.0-litre TFSI turbo petrol unit and its associated seven-speed s tronic dual clutch auto gearbox - but it's all now mated to a much gutsier 142PS electric motor that alone can drive the car at up to 87mph if you need it to. Total system output is 299PS with 450Nm of torque, allowing for 0-62mph in 5.9s en route to 155mph. We should briefly cover the faster A5 models, both of which we've covered separately. Starting with the sporting S5 version. This uses a potent 3.0-litre turbo petrol V6 with 367PS and 550Nm of torque, but Audi doesn't want it to drag down this model line's efficiency figures too much, so has equipped it with the 'MHEV plus' mild hybrid system we told you about earlier. There's quattro 4WD of course and the S5 also gets an electronic differential and torque vectoring, plus there's the adaptive damping system that for our market mainstream A5 models unfortunately can't have. the top RS 5 is a Plug-in Hybrid with 639PS and seemingly limitless traction.

Design and Build

In both five-door 'Saloon' hatch and Avant forms, you'd know this new A5 as an Audi, but a rather more modern one. Slim LED headlights with customisable OLED technology sit above contrasting corner outer vents and flank the familiar Audi Single Frame grille. The long bonnet flows into a steeply raked windscreen with A-pillars shifted back by designer Jacob Hirzel to well behind the front wheels. The roofline dips away past the B-pillar and there's more fancy optional OLED lighting tech at the back, where the rear clusters can be made up of 364 segments offering a total of eight configurable lighting signatures. Key to the profile perspective are flared arches the designers refer to as 'Quattro muscle'. And the dimensions here are slightly bigger than before, the A5 hatch 67mm longer and 13mm wider than the old A4 saloon. Inside of course, it's the usual modern screen fest, with a higher-set curved free-standing MMI infotainment display comprised of an 11.9-inch virtual cockpit instrument cluster and a 14.5-inch central touchscreen. Options include a head-up display and a smaller 10.9-inch screen for the passenger side, which has a clever polarised filter so the driver can't be distracted by what's on it. This extra monitor could be used by the passenger to, say, set the sat nav or watch movies. There's certainly quite a feeling of luxury, embellished by a 'Softwrap' fabric panel that flows across the dashboard into the doors, both back-lit with subtle ambient lighting. The doors also get 'Smart Door Panel' controls which gives access to things like seat and mirror settings. And sustainable and vegan materials feature throughout. It'll feel roomier in the back than the old A4, thanks to 80mm of extra wheelbase length. Which now means that a couple of six-foot adults can sit on the more heavily bolstered rear seats more comfortably. Aided by a lower hip point for the seat base and a slightly raised position over the front seats that offers a better view forward. Out back, the hatch model's 445-litre boot capacity is down on the 480-litres of a rival BMW 3 Series saloon, but the space is easier to get at and rises to 476-litres in the A5 Avant. The PHEV drivetrain reduces those figures to 331-litres (Saloon) and 361-litres (Avant).

Market and Model

Let's get to the pricing, pitched at the time of our test in Summer 2026 from around £43,000 for the five-door 'Saloon', with a £1,900 premium if you want the alternative Avant estate version. The the core of the range is based around base 'Sport' or (for £2,650 more) plusher 'S line' trim. At the top of the range are 'Black Edition' and 'Vorsprung' versions. Entry-level pricing is based around a 150PS version of a 2.0-litre TSI unit - also available in 204PS form. There's a big premium over that base 2.0-litre 150PS unit (more than £4,500) if you want your A5 with the 204PS 2.0 TDI diesel engine we tried, with another £1,500 on top of that necessary to get quattro drive with your A5 diesel. Perhaps a better powertrain choice lies with the petrol-powered A5 e-hybrid, a 299PS PHEV which only comes in quattro 4WD form and costs much the same money as the TDI. As you'd expect, quattro drive is conditional with the faster petrol-powered S5 model, which as we compiled this review was priced from around £66,000. The top RS 5 is a Plug-in Hybrid with 639PS and prices start from around £90,000. If you're looking for a mainstream model, you'll want some value perspective on those prices - specifically against the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class models that offer this Audi its main competition. Those cars have entry-level petrol engines offering either 186PS (in the case of the 320i) or 206PS (with a Mercedes C 200), so we can safely ignore the base 150PS TFSI version of this A5 for comparison purposes. The A5 TFSI 204PS model has been priced directly against a comparable Mercedes C200, but costs a significant premium (more than £4,000) over the equivalent BMW 320i. If you're interested in the diesel engine, it's worth mentioning that a Mercedes C220 d undercuts an A5 TDI by over £1,000; BMW no longer offers diesel units to 3 Series customers. The A5 e-hybrid has been priced directly against its Mercedes C 300 e counterpart - a BMW 330 e would save you a couple of thousand over both models.

Cost of Ownership

Let's get to the figures. Both the 2.0 TFSI petrol models manage up to 42.2mpg on the combined cycle and up to 154g/km of CO2. That matches the class standard. A BMW 320i manages 43.5mpg and 147g/km, while a Mercedes C 200 manages 45.6mpg and 142g/km. we'd hoped that the 2.0 TDI diesel variant we tried might have done a bit more than merely match the class standard. After all, this engine now features Ingolstadt's much-trumpeted 'MHEV plus' mild hybrid system which adds a clever powertrain generator (the 'PTG') which can feed up to 24PS of electric power to the output of the combustion engine. When decelerating, the PTG feeds energy back into the battery at up to 25kW. As a result, purely electric manoeuvring and parking are possible to a limited extent. As usual with these things, it all sounds very good but when you drill right down to the figures, it turns out that all the 'MHEV plus' system has done is not-quite bring the readings of this VW Group 2.0 TDI engine up to match the class standard. This front-driven A5 TDI manages up to 58.9mpg on the combined cycle and up to 126g/km; for comparison, a rival Mercedes C 220 d with its more straightforward mild hybrid tech manages up to 62.8mpg and up to 123g/km. For reference, an A5 TDI quattro is rated at up to 55.4mpg and up to 134g/km of CO2. For some reason, Audi's decided that the petrol S5 should also have the 'MHEV plus' mild hybrid system and, so-equipped, this faster model manages up to 36.2mpg on the combined cycle and up to 176g/km of CO2. For a really efficient A5, you've to look to the petrol PHEV e-hybrid version. Here, the efficiency figures here aren't as outlandish as they usually are with Plug-in Hybrids, but they're probably a great deal closer to stats you might get somewhere near in day-to-day motoring when fully charged; 134.5mpg on the combined cycle and a 47g/km of CO2. The e-hybrid's charging power is much better than the old TFSI Plug-in Hybrid system could provide, increased from two-phase 7.4kW to three-phase 11kW (if you can use that). With a three-phase supply, you could completely re-charge this A5 e-hybrid model's battery in 2.5 hours.

Summary

Audi has spent over a quarter of a century perfecting this kind of car - and that really shows with this new generation A5. It's a spacious, classy car that's fully conversant with the kind of hi-tech design and faultless cabin quality that its target middle-management executive market likes to expect. So it stacks up in the showroom just as well as it does on the balance sheet, with the 'MHEV plus' TDI diesel and e-hybrid PHEV models offering running cost returns that should please your company accountant. Audi knows this car's front wheel drive or quattro 4WD drivetrain formats aren't going to make it the segment choice for handling response, but compensations come with refinement and ride quality. If these are your priorities too and you can afford the premium asking prices, you'll find much to like here. This A5 aims to be the class benchmark for build quality and quality cabin design and you could certainly argue that no other brand does a better digital dash. Plus the infotainment screen upgrade brings media connectivity up to the standard of rival BMW and Mercedes systems. That stiffening competition has forced Audi to up its game in terms of standard equipment lower down the range - which is welcome. Plus the styling changes have given this car a little more pavement personality. Though at the price of a reduction in boot space. And in summary? Well, even more than its A4 predecessor, this A5 feels like a car that's been lovingly and very carefully considered. The depth of engineering and the thought that's gone into the tiniest details combine to further enhance the warm fuzzy feeling that's charmed Audi customers for years. If you're one of those people, then you'll like this car very much. And even if you're not, you'll find it hard not to be impressed by way it systematically ticks almost every box on the mid-sized executive market wish list. It's very thorough. And very Audi.