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The renamed compact executive car's line-up expands with new hybrid powertrains

You can now buy a new Audi A5 Avant, and that’s neither a typo nor the promise of some sort of coupé-based shooting brake.

Audi briefly decided to shake up its model-naming structure so that all the odd-numbered cars had combustion engines while all the even-numbered cars had batteries and electric motors. But after the move proved generally confusing, it has already ditched that approach – although it won't rename models already released, so some oddities remain.

This means that, after being known as the 80 for 25 years and the A4 for 20 years, Audi’s compact executive saloon/estate now prefers to be known as the A5. As per tradition, there’s a faster Audi S5 version too, which we've reviewed separately.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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In some ways, the A5 is reassuringly familiar, because here stands a compact executive car with a choice of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrains, including a V6 in the sporty S5.

Beruhigung durch Tradition, or something. Actually, that’s not fair, because there are plenty of changes from the old A4 and S4.

Audi has finally sworn off fake exhausts. The double square tips on the diesel are real, as are the twin trapezoid ones on the petrol.

First off, this car isn’t actually all that compact any more. It has grown 67mm in length and 13mm in width, making it very similar to an early-2000s Audi A6. It remains manageable, but we can’t help wonder where the bloat will stop.

We can’t even blame an all-new platform, because while it has a new name (Premium Platform Combustion, or PPC), it’s really an evolution of what went before.

The A5 remains unusual among similarly sized Volkswagen Group cars (like the Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Passat) in carrying its engine lengthways rather than transversely. This layout enables it to have that V6, send most of its power to the rear wheels if the situation calls for it and ride on more sophisticated suspension (four-link front, five-link rear) than a car based on the MQB platform.

The most interesting development is in the powertrain. The engines are fundamentally familiar, but the 2.0-litre diesel and the 3.0-litre V6 petrol in the S5 are now hybrids.

Audi calls the new hybrid system MHEV Plus, even though it’s not actually a mild-hybrid system. As well as the usual integrated starter-generator (ISG) that handles the start/stop, there’s an electric motor acting on the output side of the gearbox that can regenerate up to 25kW of energy and contribute 25bhp, either to augment the engine or to power the car by itself and allow the engine to shut off.

There are knock-on effects too. Because the motor can fill some low-rev torque gaps and the turbo on the V6 now has variable geometry (for more low-down shove), the engine no longer needs the capacity for torque multiplication that a torque converter gives. As a result, Audi has ditched the eight-speed automatic gearbox for a seven-speed dual-clutch unit, which, it says, is more efficient.

If you want Quattro four-wheel drive, as befits an Audi, your choice is limited to the 2.0-litre diesel or the S5 with its petrol V6. All others stick with front-wheel drive. The 4WD system itself moves away from the traditional Torsen centre differential in favour of a multi-plate clutch, even for the S5.

As usual, the A5 offers a wide choice of powertrains. These used to be a confusing affair to identify, but Audi has now ditched its 30/35/40/45/etc nomenclature to indicate the general power level and instead it refers simply to the output in kW or PS, which is much more logical.

As such, in the UK there’s a 2.0-litre petrol with front-wheel drive and either 150PS (148bhp) or 204PS (201bhp), and one 2.0-litre diesel with 201bhp.

There's also a new E-hybrid PHEV, which uses a 248bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre TFSI four-cylinder engine, with an electric motor built into the seven-speed automatic gearbox delivering up to 141bhp. In the UK it will be offered in a single flavour, with a system output of 295bhp and 332lb ft, giving a 0-62mph time of 5.9sec – whether you choose the Avant estate or the saloon. Other markets will get a 362bhp version that features the sporty bodykit from the S5.

Visually, the latest A5 clearly belongs to a new generation of Audi, with softer lines and a reinterpreted ‘single-frame grille’. Audi’s long-standing design cue has got wider and is flanked by triangular inserts in either black or silver, depending on the trim level.

The saloon actually isn’t a traditional three-box one now, having traded its traditional bootlid for a big ‘liftback’ hatch, thus taking the baton from the outgoing A5 Sportback.

INTERIOR

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Inside, the A5 follows the new design philosophy introduced on the Audi Q6 E-tron and goes all in on screens, which is no improvement: rather than giving a modern, tech-forward feel, it just looks generic.

The main touchscreen works fairly well, with no usability disasters, but some actual buttons for the climate and infotainment shortcuts would have made a big difference.

One of the big headline features in the interior is the passenger touchscreen. It's effectively an extension of the main centre screen, and it allows the passenger to control the navigation and media, and download apps such as YouTube and Amazon Music. In our experience, it doesn't really do anything that an iPad can't. Trouble is that when your A5 doesn't have it (it comes only on the top trim, Edition 1), the dashboard looks the same – it just looks like the screen is permanently off.

In general, perceived quality has regressed relative to the outgoing generation. The gloss black plastic in the centre console doesn't feel very upmarket and you don't have to look very hard to find scratchy plastics. 

Space in the back is decent for the class – and the boot likewise (445 litres in the saloon and 476 litres in the estate), even if it is a bit smaller than a BMW 3 Series’.

That new hybrid system also takes up all the space under the floor, which means the 2.0-litre petrol version has a bit more practicality.

If you opt for the E-hybrid, the boot shrinks further: 361 litres for the Avant estate, and 331 litres for the saloon.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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The standard hybrid system suits the A5 quite well. An engine isn't very efficient in low-speed running and doesn’t even give you back much in sound or character. If you can shut it down and run on electricity instead, that’s a win-win.

The motor emits a gentle whine when speeding up or regenerating energy, but it gives the whole thing a bit of character, rather than impacting refinement.

When you see the entry-level petrol engine has 148bhp, you might assume it's the 1.5-litre four-cylinder found in the A3 and Golf, but it's actually the EA888 2.0-litre, because the 1.5 is currently only suitable for transverse applications.

If the engine is running, the dual-clutch automatic gearbox can be slightly clunky at low speed. The rest of the time, though, it does a good job and has lost the habit of keeping the revs excessively low.

The 2.0-litre diesel four itself is a pleasant known quantity. Although it’s clattery from cold, it quietens as it warms up and provides plenty of effortless shove.

Audi says diesel sales in the UK are likely to linger in the single-figure percentages, but it’s continuing to offer them because they’re still popular in Germany and even that quiet UK business will mean it may pick up few hundred sales from BMW, which has pulled the 320d and 330d from the market.

The vast majority of UK-bound A5s will be the 2.0 TSI, which is available with 148bhp or 201bhp. We've only driven the basic 148bhp one, but were surprised by how quiet and torquey it is. It’s not an engine you want to take to the redline any more than you have to, but that’s pretty typical of today’s mainstream four-pots. It's supposedly a whole 2sec slower to 62mph than the more powerful version, but we wouldn't be surprised if Audi is understating the performance of the 148bhp one. While a torque-converter might be smoother, the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox here gets the job done fairly unobtrusively.

Audi’s engineers told us that they decided not to put the hybrid system on the 2.0-litre petrol in order to keep costs down on what is the entry-level offering, which checks out when you look at the price premium for the diesel.

For our impressions of the 3.0-litre V6, read our separate Audi S5 review.

On the E-hybrid PHEV version, the electric motor draws power from a 20.7kWh (usable) battery, which uses a new cell-to-pack design and revamped chemistry. It offers an electric-only range of 62.1 miles for the Avant (stretching to 62.8 miles for the saloon), which is about the same as a BMW 330e. Official combined fuel economy is 108.6mpg, for what that’s worth.

A triple-clutch gearbox layout allows the engine and e-motor to be fully disengaged when the other is running, a set-up that, Audi says, means the combustion engine runs more efficiently when the battery is empty: it will still achieve 40.5mpg.

There are three levels of regenerative braking. By default the car runs in EV mode and tries to power itself by electricity for as long as possible; or if you have a destination programmed in, the sat-nav will automatically adjust for maximum efficiency. In Hybrid mode, you can specify a custom charge level for the battery to be maintained at. 

Notably, the A5 is significantly better to drive in Hybrid mode than under petrol power alone.

With a charged battery, this A5 E-hybrid feels close to an EV: there’s a hit of electric torque from pick-up, it’s pleasingly smooth and the lack of engine noise shows how much heavy lifting the electric motor is doing. 

When the engine is engaged, usually at higher speeds on the motorway or country roads to smooth out the electric power or help feed a bit of juice back into the battery, the transition is almost seamless.

RIDE & HANDLING

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Suspension on the Audi A5 is a bit of a minefield, because different trim levels come with different chassis set-ups. 

In the UK, all A5s apart from the S5 come on passive coil suspension. Rather confusingly, Sport trim gives you 'Comfort suspension' while S Line and Edition 1 have 20mm-lower 'Sport suspension'. There are also adaptive dampers, but apart from a small run of Launch Edition cars, they're not offered on regular A5s in the UK. They're standard on the S5, though. 

Audi UK's decision not to offer adaptive dampers here is no great loss, because we've tried a Launch Edition diesel on British roads and found the ride a touch too firm yet under-damped. 

We've not had the chance to try an A5 in Sport trim with the Comfort suspension. The Sport suspension on the S Line, predictably, is stiffer than it needs to be, although not to a bothersome degree. It’s nicely damped too, so some drivers will prefer its feeling of connection over something floatier, even if it doesn’t really heighten the handling.

Although it corners tidily, the front-driven A5 just doesn’t have the natural balance of the BMW 3 Series and Alfa Romeo Giulia. The variable-ratio steering is a tad nervous off-centre, but it responds naturally thereafter and even has a bit of feedback.

Any A5 is a very capable cruiser. The Volkswagen Group’s adaptive cruise control is one of the better such systems out there, and the annoying bings and bongs are easy to turn off.

Noise refinement is pretty good if not outstanding, and the sport seats are very supportive. You have to pay for the top Edition 1 trim if you want electric adjustment, but the manual version still has lumbar and cushion angle adjustment, so doesn't feel like too much of a downgrade.

With the E-hybrid, even on the 20in wheels of our top-spec test car, the ride and handling remain good – although with the caveat that our test car on the international launch had the adaptive sports suspension not destined for the UK.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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Audi expects the big seller in the UK to be the 150PS (148bhp) 2.0-litre petrol, priced from £41,950. For an extra £2340, it’s upgraded to 204PS (201bhp). The diesel represents quite a price jump, at £46,950, or £48,475 with Quattro four-wheel drive.

Want an Avant estate instead of a saloon? That will be an extra £1900, regardless of powertrain or trim.

Audi makes an A5 with a 2.0-litre petrol and four-wheel drive but doesn't offer it in the UK.

In our experience, the hybrid system makes more of difference to the fuel economy of the S5's naturally thirstier V6 petrol than to the diesel. The WLTP figure for a front-wheel-drive 201bhp A5 Avant is 53.3mpg, which is the same as for the Skoda Superb Estate with an unhybridised 148bhp version of the same engine. In other words, you get an extra 53bhp for no fuel economy penalty. In practice, our test car returned high-40s on a mixed loop and appeared capable of low-50s at a motorway cruise.

Over a week of mixed motoring, our 148bhp A5 TFSI averaged low-40s to the gallon, which is acceptable enough for a 2.0-litre petrol car that doesn’t need plugging in.

Our E-hybrid test car was an Avant in £60,520 Edition 1 trim so had all the kit. The PHEV line-up starts at £48,950 for the saloon and £50,850 for the Avant. It has an official combined fuel economy of 108.6mpg, for what that’s worth. We didn't have long enough on our first test to do a representative range economy exercise.

It's also worth noting that the electric-only range and CO2 emissions vary depending on your trim level (and corresponding tyre size), which means lower-trim models will sit in a more favourable company car tax bracket.

 

VERDICT

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The latest Audi A5 follows the Q6 E-tron as a new generation of Audi, with a fresh exterior design language and a very different approach to interior layout and technology. As with the electric SUV, we’re not sold on many of those changes, although the A5 seems to carry them off a bit more naturally.

Clearly, the pick of the A5 model range is the S5, with its petrol V6 and remarkably rear-biased Quattro system, but that’s a £70,000 car.

We like that Audi still offers a diesel engine for those high-mileage drivers, and it's the powertrain that suits the A5 the best. Realistically, though, business users will now gravitate towards the E-hybrid, which offers competitive electric range from a mostly well-resolved plug-in hybrid system. For private buyers, there is a pair of 2.0-litre petrol engines. The 148bhp version is likely to be all you need and achieves decent fuel economy.

In the cold light of day and next to its rivals, the A5 may be a tough sell, though. The basic petrol engine doesn’t feel that basic, but having to upgrade to the top trim to get features like keyless entry, adaptive headlights, electric seats and the interior that the designers clearly intended feels a bit mean, particularly when you can have a Skoda Superb with all of those things, plus a more powerful version of the same engine, for less money. Those after an everyday driver’s car will head to BMW or Alfa.

Nice car, the A5. You would probably enjoy owning one. But would you choose it in the first place?

Illya Verpraet

Illya Verpraet Road Tester Autocar
Title: Road Tester

As a road tester, Illya drives everything from superminis to supercars, and writes reviews and comparison tests, while also managing the magazine’s Drives section. Much of his time is spent wrangling the data logger and wielding the tape measure to gather the data for Autocar’s in-depth instrumented road tests.

He loves cars that are fun and usable on the road – whether piston-powered or electric – or just cars that are very fit for purpose. When not in test cars, he drives an R53-generation Mini Cooper S.

James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Associate editor

James is Autocar’s associate editor, and has more than 20 years of experience of working in automotive and motorsport journalism. He has been in his current role since September 2024, and helps lead Autocar's features and new sections, while regularly interviewing some of the biggest names in the industry. Oh, and he once helped make Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets.