New 2024 Audi A5 is an Audi A4 in all but name
The switch to odd-numbered badging for Audi’s ICE cars sees the A4 become A5, introducing a sleeker shape in the process
The Audi A4 is dead, replaced by the all-new Audi A5 in-keeping with the brand’s revised naming convention. The odd number means the A5 will be offered with a choice of combustion engines, including in a hot S5, plus a TFSI e plug-in hybrid for the first time.
Audi’s top bosses claim the A5 represents 30 years of success in the executive-car segment (the original A4 launched in 1994), and that the new car “not only changes its name, but enriches the product”. They say this new A5 is “positioned higher than A4 in [its] nomenclature” and ushers-in “equipment from the upper class, now for the mid-size class”.
While the German maker is referring to the new model as a sedan (an Avant estate is also available, of course), the design shifts from a traditional three-box shape with a saloon boot opening to a Sportback-style five-door coupe with the tailgate hinged at the roof.
Audi says this is “the perfect compromise”, offering a more dynamic design but with greater usability. Boot capacity actually drops from 480 litres in the old A4 saloon to 445 litres in the standard A5 (1,299 litres with the rear seats folded), and 476 litres (1,424 litres, seats down) in the Avant. The increased overall length (+67mm) and longer wheelbase (+80mm) over the outgoing A4 means there is more space in the cabin.
New Audi A5 design and advanced lighting tech
From the front, the new A5 develops an evolutionary look in line with the brand’s recent product launches. Audi claims the design is a blend of “modern sportiness meets premium proportions”; the two cars we were presented with were both decked out in popular S line specification, with lowered (-20mm) suspension, darkened details and 20-inch wheels. The S5’s makeover is subtle, leaving room for a more aggressive RS model in due course.
New slim headlights with optional, customisable OLED technology flank Audi’s single-frame honeycomb grille, defining the face of the new A5. Contrasting outer vents sit alongside all the radars and sensors, for the various driver assistance systems, in the lower bumper.
The long bonnet shifts the A-pillar to well behind the front wheels, with a steeply-raked windscreen meeting a roofline that dips away past the B-pillar. Jacob Hirzel, exterior designer, told us the “strong equator” lowers the car’s visual centre of gravity, further emphasising that sporty, premium look. All cars now get real exhaust tips, too, following extensive feedback from customers.
At the back, the clever lighting tech continues; Audi has someone specifically responsible for lighting design on each of its model lines, and Lukas Rittwage tells us Audi now views itself as a “lighting brand, not just an auto brand”. He claims that “in complete darkness, the A5 can be recognised as such” – further separating it from the old A4.
When equipped with the fanciest OLED tech, the new A5’s rear clusters comprise 364 segments and offer (along with the fronts) a total of eight configurable lighting signatures, accessed via the central infotainment screen. It can change it appearance depending on the situation, too; push the hazard lights and the layout changes to incorporate red triangles in order to warn approaching traffic. The car also has a proximity sensor that can detect nearby objects, with the lights manifesting their design accordingly.
Interior and equipment
Moving inside, every Audi A5 version gets the curved free-standing MMI infotainment display with an 11.9-inch Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster and 14.5-inch central touchscreen. As seen in the larger Q6 e-tron, customers can specify a configurable head-up display, plus a smaller screen on the passenger side, giving those riding shotgun an opportunity to control their own media settings, vital information or navigation instructions. The A5 also inherits the Q6’s ‘Smart Door Panel’, which gives access to things like seat and mirror settings.
Elsewhere, the new A5 follows a “human-centric” approach according to the car’s engineers. Those aforementioned screens, for example, are placed high on the dashboard and closer to the eye level of those up front. This, Audi says, makes for simpler interaction with the car’s key functions.
Having sat in a variety of new A5 models, it certainly feels as though quality takes a leap over the previous-generation A4. The new A5 features what Audi calls ‘Softwrap’ – a fabric panel that runs across the face of the dashboard and into the doors. There are sustainable and vegan-friendly materials for the cabin, and ambient lighting features throughout.
Engines and performance
The new Audi A5 is the first Audi to sit on the brand’s Premium Platform Combustion (PPC), which will later also underpin cars like the new Q5 SUV. This architecture will therefore support a variety of petrol and diesel engines, with a plug-in hybrid due in the next 12 months. The entry engine will be a 2.0-litre TFSI with 148bhp and front-wheel drive, while a more powerful 201bhp motor will be offered with a choice of front or quattro all-wheel drive.
Alongside this sits a mild-hybrid 201bhp 2.0-litre TDI diesel, again offered with either front or all-wheel drive. Audi claims the MHEV system can add up to 24bhp for short periods, and can recuperate up to 25kW when the car is slowing down. This, it says, means “purely electric manoeuvering and parking are possible”.
At the top of the range, for now, sits the S5 quattro. Featuring a mild-hybrid 3.0-litre V6 TFSI petrol engine producing 362bhp, plus an electronic differential and torque vectoring. No performance figures have been revealed as yet.
The usual Audi Drive Select mode controller will allegedly offer “a wider spread between comfort and sport”, while myriad changes such as stiffer suspension mounts, an optimised and more rigid front axle and “connected, progressive steering” should give the new A5 a broader range of abilities than its predecessor, making it better equipped at taking the fight to key rivals such as the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class.
Prices and trim levels
Audi is gearing up for a market launch of the new A5 in November, with a predicted starting price of around £42,000 (+£2k for the Avant). Specs will be determined in due course, but we expect the usual line-up of Sport, S line and Edition 1 – at least to begin with.
Tech, Tech Plus and Tech Pro option packs will bundle together desirable kit, with only top-of-the-line cars getting things like the digital OLED lights and adaptive damping. Individual options include a panoramic roof with Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystals, which can go from translucent to opaque at the touch of a button.
A pair of PHEVs (295bhp and 362bhp) will then arrive in 2025, both with quattro all-wheel drive and “more than” 62 miles of EV range.
Click here for our list of the best executive cars on sale...
