Audi A5 Review & Prices

The Audi A5 Saloon is a posh four-door car that’s perfect for people who spend a lot of time behind the wheel. It’s the new name for the Audi A4, which will now be an all-electric model, so it’s a bit like when Marathon changed its name to Snickers. It’s the same concept underneath, you’ll just have to remember not to call it by its old name.

While the badge on the back has changed, the A5 remains an alternative to other posh saloons such as the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series. You could also consider highly specified versions of the Alfa Romeo Giulia or excellent Skoda Superb.

Despite the new name the A5’s design hasn’t been given a massive overhaul compared with the A4 it replaces. There’s a bigger grille and chunkier headlights up front, streamlined flush door handles along the side, and a full-width light bar at the rear that’s reminiscent of the Audi Q6 e-tron electric car. The lights use OLED technology and can display detailed patterns.

There are familiarities with the Q6 inside, too. There’s a huge, sweeping twin-screen setup for the infotainment and the instrument display, and you can even option a third screen to sit ahead of the passenger. It’s a massive upgrade over the old car, but does feel a bit like overkill. The screens are really big and the steering wheel feels quite large in your hands so it’s a touch claustrophobic when you look ahead.

Fortunately it is actually pretty spacious inside, with plenty of room for arms and legs whether you’re sat up front or in the back seats – though if you’re over six-feet-tall you might find your head brushes the roof in the rear. Build quality is fantastic, too.

Boot space should be fine for most – it’s not particularly deep but has a fairly large load area that will happily carry all but the biggest of weekly shops, though at 445 litres (or 417 litres in four-wheel drive models) it’s smaller than you get in the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series. Go for the Audi A5 Avant (which means estate in Audi-speak) if you want maximum space.

Under the bonnet you have a choice of petrol and diesel engines, which feels faintly old school in this day and age. They do come with some electrical assistance, so you can drive around on silent electric power for very short distances, but the motors are mostly there to support the engine and reduce fuel consumption. The two petrol engines will suit most people, but the inclusion of a diesel is great news for those who do big motorway miles.

As is the fact that the Audi A5 Saloon is a lovely thing to cruise around in. The diesel engine is a bit noisy at lower speeds, but once you settle into a motorway run it fades into the background noise, occasionally piping up to assist with swift overtakes.

At lower speeds the sharp steering and electric assistance mean driving around town is little effort, though the sluggish gearbox and not particularly punchy engines mean the A5 Saloon is not as much fun to drive on a twisty road as the BMW 3 Series. (There’s the Audi S5 Saloon if you’d like the A5 in a sportier package, though.)

Despite the change in name it’s a case of evolution rather than revolution for this smart executive saloon, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, after all; the A5 is an easy car to spend hours behind the wheel in.

If you’re interested in one, check out the latest Audi A5 Saloon deals available on Carwow. You can also browse used A5 Saloons as well as other used Audis from our network of trusted dealers. When it’s time to sell your current car, Carwow can help with that, too.

Prices start at less than £42,000 for the Sport trim with the lower-powered petrol engine, adding just over £2,000 per trim for the higher-powered petrol, and the same again for the diesel. As a result, a diesel-powered, top-spec model with four-wheel drive comes in at just over £55,000.

Compared with other posh German saloons, that makes the Audi A5 a bit more expensive than a BMW 3 Series and a bit more affordable than a Mercedes C-Class. The stylish Alfa Romeo Giulia is a bit cheaper than the BMW again, but all that being said, you can get a Skoda Superb with all the trimmings for not much more than a basic A5.

The diesel engine is a lovely thing for motorway driving, but can be a bit unrefined at lower speeds

In town

The Audi A5 uses advanced mild-hybrid technology, which means you don’t quite get the all-electric driving capabilities of a proper hybrid, but you can pootle around at lower speeds without engaging the combustion engine. It does improve refinement in heavy traffic, but when the diesel engine in particular is called upon, it can be quite noisy.

Otherwise the A5 is an easy thing to pilot around town thanks to light and direct steering, and visibility is pretty good too. You do have to be aware that the gearbox can be caught out if you’re slowing for a roundabout and then decide to accelerate, though, which can get mildly frustrating.

You get some useful kit as standard, such as 360-degree cameras to help with parking, as well as some driver assistance tech to help avoid accidents in town.

On the motorway

The Audi A5 Saloon is at home on the motorway, particularly in diesel form where it settles into a quiet, refined and economical cruise. Wind and road noise are kept to a minimum, and you’ll barely notice bumps in the road.

You get adaptive cruise control as standard, which helps maintain your speed and your distance to the car in front, as well as a lane departure warning system. You also get a blind spot monitor on top-spec Edition 1 models.

On a twisty road

With its focus on comfort and refinement, it comes as no surprise that the Audi A5 Saloon is not the most engaging car to drive down a twisty road. The steering responds quickly to your inputs, which gives a hint of sportiness, but you don’t get much feedback from the tyres and the gearbox isn’t particularly eager to shift when left to its own devices. The suspension deals well with bumps though, and it all feels very safe and secure, just not quite as much fun as a BMW 3 Series on the same road.

The Audi A5 Saloon’s cabin is relatively roomy, but alternatives offer more space in the boot

When you sit inside the Audi A5 Saloon it’s easy to get a comfortable driving position because there’s plenty of adjustment in the driver’s seat and steering wheel. However, we found that the instrument display is set quite high, so the top of the wheel rim blocked the top of the display, which is inconvenient, though this is likely to be dependent on your driving position.

Speaking of which, the twin-screen display does rather loom over you, so you might feel you need to sit higher than you otherwise might to see clearly over them.

Storage is pretty good, with door bins that are roomy if a little awkward to get to, and a large if shallow space under the armrest. You get two deep cupholders with a wireless charging pad beneath the main screen, which angles your phone away from you to help avoid distractions. Above this sits a pair of USB-C slots and a 12V socket.

Space in the back seats

Rear seat space is generous, with lots of kneeroom and shoulder room. Headroom should be fine for most, though those over six-feet might find things a bit tight. One minor complaint is that the rails for the seat in front force you to rest your feet off to one side slightly, which could become uncomfortable on a long journey.

There’s good width for three, but the middle seat isn’t the comfiest. The cushion feels hard and you’re perched quite high, with a huge hump to straddle your feet either side of.

Fitting a child seat is a breeze because of the space on offer, and the ISOFIX mounting points are really easy to get to, with sliding (rather than removable) covers that mean you can’t lose them.

Storage isn’t quite as good as it is up front, with small door bins and nets on the back of the seats in front, while two cup holders can be found in the centre armrest.

Boot space

The Audi A5 Saloon has a 445-litre boot as standard, but this drops to 417 litres in four-wheel drive versions. The space isn’t particularly deep, but it’s quite long and wide, so you should be able to fit plenty of bags inside. Folding the rear seats creates a nice long, flat loading surface, though it’s a bit awkward having to reach in to release them.

While that all sounds well and good, the truth is that most alternatives offer more boot space. The Mercedes C-Class gives you 455 litres of capacity, while the BMW 3 Series and Alfa Romeo Giulia are bigger still at 480 litres. The Audi’s hatchback-style boot opening does make the space a bit easier to access, though.

Solid build quality and lightning fast infotainment, but the wheel-mounted controls are annoying

You can’t fault the quality inside the Audi A5 Saloon. It feels every bit the premium product you expect, with squishy plastics and solid build quality that feels like it should stand the test of time. The large section of piano black trim around the gear selector is likely to be a fingerprint magnet, though.

The design is simple yet elegant, with flowing lines and subtly different materials that make the cabin interesting without being too fussy.

However, the ultra-modern twin-screen setup rather dominates your view ahead. It’s the same setup you get in the Audi Q6 e-tron, which is a bigger car with a higher driving position. In the A5 the screens feel a bit too big and make the space feel a bit smaller than it is.

You will likely get used to this in time, to be fair, and there can be no complaints about actually using the screens. The 14.5-inch touchscreen in the centre is as fast as any tablet, so you can flick between menus quickly and easily. The graphics are a bit dark, as is the Audi way, but the display is super-sharp and easy to read.

You also get an 11.9-inch digital instrument display called ‘Virtual Cockpit’, which displays all your important driving information in an easily digestible way, and you can configure it to suit your needs, too.

On top of this, there’s a third screen ahead of the passenger on top-spec Edition 1 models. With that in place the whole dashboard is covered in screens, but it can be useful to let your passenger control some features such as the music. It’s supposed to have a privacy screen so the driver can’t see it and therefore isn’t distracted, but this didn’t appear to be at all effective in our test cars.

It’s a bit of a shame that the climate controls are all built into the touchscreen rather than physical buttons and dials, but they are permanently positioned along the bottom of the display, so at least you’re not fiddling about in menus while trying to concentrate on driving.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard-fit, and you get a wireless phone charging pad for all models too. The Sound and Vision Pack is a pricey upgrade at £2,495, but if your budget allows for it then it’s a box worth ticking, as you get a head-up display and an excellent Bang & Olufsen sound system.

If we’re being picky, the touch-sensitive steering wheel controls are really annoying. If your palm brushes them you can set things off in the car – it can be quite distracting when the volume suddenly increases in the middle of a corner, for example…

You get a choice of three engines in the Audi A5, which includes two petrol and one diesel, each with mild-hybrid assistance that helps improve fuel economy. You can run very short distances at very low speeds on electric power, but it’s not a proper hybrid setup.

If you’re looking for a petrol engine, the A5 range opens with a 150hp option with fuel economy of up to 42.2 mpg and CO2 emissions of up to 159g/km. There’s also a more powerful 204hp petrol that is likely to be a bit worse on fuel in the real world, but actually gets the same 42.2mpg figure in official tests. CO2 emissions are higher though at up to 171g/km.

The diesel option also has 204hp and will be better-suited to those who do a lot of motorway miles where it will be most economical. It sees up to 58.9mpg in official tests and CO2 emissions up to 143g/km. This engine is also available with Quattro all-wheel drive, which will help with traction in poor weather, but does have a slight impact on fuel efficiency.

Because there’s no hybrid or electric version of the Audi A5 Saloon, it’s not hugely tempting as a company car because you won’t benefit from low Benefit-in-Kind tax. The higher CO2 emissions of the petrol engines means they are quite a bit more expensive for first-year road tax than the diesel, but all versions are subject to the expensive car levy in years two to six, as this applies to cars that cost over £40,000 when new.

The Audi A5 Saloon scored the full five stars in Euro NCAP safety testing. It scored 87% and 88% in adult and child occupant protection respectively.

You get decent safety kit as standard, including parking assistance technology with a 360-degree camera. Adaptive cruise control is included on all models and includes lane departure warning and some collision avoidance tech. Top-spec Edition 1 models get extra safety features, including a system that prepares the car when it senses an imminent impact to minimise the effect on the driver.

Audi doesn’t have a fantastic reputation for reliability, and it came 27th out of 32 car manufacturers in the latest Driver Power ownership survey behind other premium brands such as Mercedes and BMW.

Every Audi gets a two-year unlimited mileage warranty with a 60,000-mile limit in the third year. That’s about the same as other premium manufacturers, but you get much longer cover with Lexus – up to 10 years with regular manufacturer servicing. You can pay extra to increase Audi’s warranty up to five years and 90,000 miles.