Audi A5 - Engines, performance & drive

The brand claims to have worked on the Audi A5 to give it a more engaging driving experience compared with its sensible and borderline forgettable A4 forbear, but we’re not convinced much has changed.  

While our drive through the French mountains isn’t going to be wholly representative of a life likely to be mainly spent on British motorways, early indications are that the car will continue to tread the centre ground between its two premium German rivals, the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class.

Engine options are less numerous than previously, and, currently, the A5 is limited to two power outputs of the 2.0-litre petrol – 148bhp and 201bhp – and the 201bhp diesel, which can be had with either front-drive or quattro four-wheel drive. Next year a pair of plug-in hybrid models with over 60 miles of electric range will be added to the line-up, plus there’s the sporty S5 that launched alongside the A5, while an even sportier RS 5 is in the pipeline. 

What is the Audi A5 like to drive?

In town

The A5 isn’t perfect at ironing out bumps and ripples in the road, but if anything it’s the smaller imperfections that transmit most annoyingly into the cabin. Bigger speed bumps are dispatched with minimal fuss, but the car doesn’t always absorb the smaller stuff around town. However, that is on the larger wheels and sports suspension of the S Line and Edition 1 models; we have a suspicion that the regular Sport on 18-inch alloys will give a more comfortable ride, although that car hasn’t yet been made available to test. 

The seven-speed automatic gearbox is smooth and does its work without drawing attention to itself, and the light steering is at its best in lower-speed manoeuvres.

Rear visibility isn’t great, with the sloping hatchback window not being particularly large, and not having a rear wiper will be a handicap when the weather goes colder and wetter. At least all A5s are equipped with a 360-degree camera and rear camera, as well as Audi’s parking-assist tech.

On A- and B-roads

Despite Audi’s attempts to make the A5 more engaging, the pecking order still has the car below the BMW 3 Series for driver engagement and enjoyment. 

There’s nothing particularly wrong with how the Audi drives; it’s just a very safe and solid companion that doesn't feel like it has any sort of edge to it. Where the BMW would at least make like it’s enjoying a twisting section of road, the Audi deals with it in a slightly disengaged way. A lot of that is down to the feel and weight of the steering, which is lovely around town; but out onto faster roads, that lightness goes from a positive to a negative and a bit more weight and overall feeling of connection wouldn’t go amiss. 

If you’re not after thrills from your compact executive car, though, then the Audi is a great all-rounder that feels solid and sure-footed with plenty of traction, even if you don’t go for the quattro four-wheel drive that’s only available with the diesel engine. 

One thing to note is that, due to its hybrid system, the diesel has a less pleasant feel to the brake pedal. The petrol cars have a more progressive action, but the diesel feels like you’re almost instantly up against a resistance, so it’s harder to modulate and gradually feed in the stopping power.

On the motorway

This is the A5’s most natural environment, and the car does a good job of keeping out road and wind noise. The high-quality interior can be appreciated as you settle into a longer cruise, and the screens are nicely angled toward the driver for a cockpit-type ambience. 

The higher-powered petrol and the diesel - both with 201bhp - are better options than the 148bhp petrol for anyone regularly on longer runs. The diesel is much pricier to buy, though, so you’ll need to be doing big miles to make the extra efficiency pay back. 

Engines, 0-62mph acceleration and top speed

The fastest-accelerating engine option in the A5, at least until the plug-in hybrids come along with their extra power, is the all-wheel-drive diesel. Thanks to its extra traction, it can deploy its 201bhp more effectively and go from 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds, taking 0.8 seconds less to sprint from than the front-drive version. The 201bhp petrol engine gets the A5 from 0-62mph in 7.8 seconds, so a tenth shy of the front-wheel drive diesel, and that figure increases to 9.8 seconds for the 148hbhp petrol. 

But the 201bhp petrol regains the top spot for maximum speed, with its 154mph figure a full 4mph higher than the diesel’s, and the 148bhp petrol again languishes at the back on 134mph. 

On the road, the 201bhp petrol or diesel options both feel adequate without being too punchy. Much like the rest of the A5, they are refined and do the job with minimal fuss, but don’t stand out for responsiveness or clout.