The all-new Audi A5 represents a new chapter for the Ingolstadt-based brand. With a new platform and tech, does the B10-generation A5 sedan have what it takes to grab segment honours? We drive it in the South of France.
The 2025 Audi A5 supersedes the A4. If that sentence confuses you, it is because Audi’s (re)naming department has been hard at work. From now on, odd-numbered models (A3, A5, A7) will be powered by internal combustion engines, while even-numbered ones (A4, A6, A8) will have battery-electric powertrains. Still with me? Great.
The engine-naming convention has also changed, with the confusing 35/45/50 TFSI falling away and being replaced by what buyers want to know anyway: the power output. A model derivative, for example, will look like this: Audi A5 TFSI 110 kW, with a simple A5 badge on the rear. That’s a bit easier…
What’s changed?
The 2025 Audi A5 incorporates myriad changes, which is unsurprising given that the Ingolstadt-based brand is positioning this model more upmarket than the outgoing A4, which is a premium business-class sedan in anyone’s book! Audi has serious ambitions with its new cars and wants to pile on the luxury. Going this route has many positive benefits, the most obvious of which is a higher profit margin.
Compared with the A4, the 2025 Audi A5 is 13 mm wider, 67 mm longer, 24 mm higher and importantly, its wheelbase has been stretched by 80 mm, which significantly benefits the sedan’s interior packaging. Boot space is rated at 445 litres, which expands to all of 1 299 litres if you fold the rear seats down.
Under the 2025 Audi A5’s sheet metal is the new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture, which is a heavily revised version of the outgoing A4’s MLB. This sophisticated new platform caters for the new mild-hybrid hardware (more about that below) and the B10-gen A5 is the first vehicle to use it.
The engines have been enhanced for this new generation and nearly all feature a mild-hybrid system that can propel the vehicle at low speeds. Right now, there is a pair of 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbopetrol engines – 110 kW/280 Nm and 150 kW/340 Nm – paired with 7-speed dual-clutch transmissions (a variant with 200 kW and quattro will also come to SA), as well as a 2.0-litre turbodiesel with 150 kW and 400 Nm.
Driving enthusiasts will welcome the return of the S5, which, thanks to its 270 kW/550 Nm 3.0-litre V6 turbopetrol, will be the quickest derivative in the launch line-up. Armed with a quattro drivetrain, that quick-shifting dual-clutch auto (which is new for this model) and a variable-vane turbocharger, which should minimise lag, the 2024 Audi S5 is said to bolt from 0-100 kph in 4.5 sec.
While I didn’t get to drive it, the Italian journos began their S5 test drives with vigour and I can confirm the V6 still sounds lovely. Oh, and as for the RS5 flagship, we expect it will be revealed in 2025.
Back to the A5. Its cabin is unlike that of any Audi we’ve assessed of late and these moody photographs don’t do it justice. Naturally, Audi has stuck to its all-digital instrument cluster known as Virtual Cockpit but in this iteration, the layout and graphics have been upgraded and enhanced.
A driver-oriented curved dashboard encloses the huge (14.5-inch) infotainment screen that runs Android Automotive software. What’s more, there’s a digital assistant and ChatGPT is integrated into the vehicle.
The new head-up display is also very impressive. Audi has crammed a lot of information into it and its graphics are exceptionally crisp. Audi also offers a passenger-side (10.9-inch) screen as an option.
First Impressions
Our Glacier White front-wheel-drive A5 (fitted with prudently sized alloys) looked a little lost next to the dazzling S5 Avant units. European journos made a beeline for the thundering V6-powered variants and that was the last I saw of them! Nevertheless, the “humble” A5 was a great place to start my evaluation.
Visually, the 2025 Audi A5 appears sleek from almost every angle. As opposed to a conventional sedan, the newcomer has a Sportback-esque shape – replete with a tailgate instead of a boot lid. Think of how the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe looks compared to the standard 3 Series and you’ll get the picture.
The first time I climbed aboard the newcomer, I found its driver-centric cabin a bit intimidating. There is a LOT to process; it took me a while to familiarise myself with the layout. Instead of a chunky transmission lever, the Audi has a neat shift-by-wire drive selector, which declutters the centre console and, in an era when touchscreens are the thing, we’re grateful to be afforded a button that adjusts the audio system’s volume. Everything else is controlled via the beautiful touchscreen, which accepts voice commands.
What about cabin quality? Audi’s products have always featured plush-feeling interiors and the 2025 Audi A5 is no exception. Its cabin is a genuinely upmarket space to occupy, with good quality materials applied on the most-often-used areas such as the steering wheel and door handles. Oh, the door’s armrests now have lighting controls (near the mirror and window switches) integrated into them.
Audi is very proud of its lighting technology and rightfully so: the brand’s Matrix LED tech underpins some of the most impressive (and smartest-looking) headlamps I’ve ever experienced, but the A5’s lights are next level. Granted, some of these will be optional extras, but the ability to display 8 distinct themes, or as Audi calls them, signatures, as well as convey messages to other road users is novel.
“Messages, you say!?” Yes, for example, if you press the hazard lights, the OLED lenses create a hazard triangle pattern. If the car that’s following your vehicle gets too close in traffic at night and triggers the rear parking sensors, the 2025 Audi A5’s various rear lighting elements will shine a warning light. The default tail-lamp setting is a favourite, with a gentle swirling pattern that creates the impression that “the car is alive”. How long before someone activates KITT mode? And with that, I’ve given away my age.
What is the Audi A5 like to drive?
Audi offered the media contingent 4 enticing test-drive routes to choose from, and I was keen to explore the beautiful roads of the south of France – a region renowned for being the playground of the rich and famous. Monaco, by the way, was just 20 km away. However, particularly nasty storms had rolled in, which caused some of the roads to be closed due to flooding and rock falls, while the scenic routes were obscured by thick mist. My initial short drive consisted of an urban drive at 50 kph through some French villages, incredibly picturesque yes, but hardly the appropriate environment to trial an all-new model.
By a stroke of good fortune, the clouds lifted and we could drive out to a designated photo spot, which, as a matter of fact, was the location where these press-pack images were shot! The D2 road heading out of Greolieres is one of the most incredible stretches of tarmac I’ve ever driven on… It combines postcard-perfect views with winding bends that would expose the A5’s dynamic flaws – if it had any.
There’s no shortage of oomph from the 2.0-litre turbopetrol engine; it delivers all of its 150 kW smoothly. Yes, there are gearshift paddles on the multifunction steering wheel for that extra level of engagement, but I found the 7-speed dual-clutch auto ‘box shifted so efficiently that I never felt the need to use them on the regular. Engage a sportier drive mode and there’s a faint engine note, which we suspect is piped into the cabin. As for performance, Audi claims a 0-100 kph time of just under 8 seconds, which felt about right.
Every 2025 Audi A5 variant features the Ingolstadt-based brand’s enhanced progressive steering setup and it’s direct and accurate, with just enough feedback to make things interesting. Just to remind you, I was at the wheel of the base A5, after all. In the tight alleys of French villages, I appreciated how easy it was to place the lanky sedan. Audi has introduced brake-torque vectoring to help the A5 counteract understeer and enhance its agility, although I’ll admit I wasn’t going nearly fast enough to try it out.
A business-class sedan is expected to offer superb on-road refinement (including a whisper-quiet cabin at freeway speeds) and, given Audi’s ambitions of progressing from “premium” to “luxury”, it would not be unreasonable to expect that the all-new A5 would prioritise comfort and refinement over dynamism.
Still, Audi seems to have found a good compromise between an insulated driving experience and a sufficient level of wieldiness. The quietness on the open road was impressive, BUT the roads we drove on were near-perfectly smooth, so we’ll revisit this assessment when we drive the sedan on our roads!
I need to mention the new MHEV system, which is one of the best mild-hybrid setups I’ve experienced. The hardware offers an extra 18 kW/230 Nm over the drivetrain’s ICE component and, apart from offering notable assistance when pulling away or accelerating, the system is said to be capable of propelling the A5 at crawling speeds. Does it work? Yes, smoothly and uninterruptedly! The petrol engine was NOT utilised to perform low-speed manoeuvres, such as trundling along – or parking on – tight streets.
When is the 2025 Audi A5 arriving in South Africa?
Audi South Africa says the all-new Audi A5 will touch down in Mzansi in May 2025. The derivative rollout will be a staggered affair with not every variant available right away (such as the 200 kW quattro). From what we understand, the launch line-up will include the brace of 4-cylinder petrol variants and the S5.
As it stands, no Avant (station wagon) variants will be offered in our market; there simply isn’t enough demand to warrant a full product introduction. Pity, as this generation A5 Avant (when fitted with generously sized wheels and clad in a handsome paint finish) is a sensational-looking vehicle.
Summary
Having driven the 2025 Audi A5, the biggest question on my mind was: “Is it as good dynamically as the BMW 3 Series, and as luxurious/refined as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class?” While we just had a few hours behind the model’s tiller, the signs are that this is an accomplished product – progress has been made.
However, we suspect that given the lengths Audi has gone to to produce a class-leading car, the German marque will have little choice but to offer the all-new A5 at a hefty premium over the outgoing A4.
A LOT of work has gone into this new-generation vehicle. Was it worth it? Well, when I compare my experience of the all-new A5 with those of the long-serving A4, the newcomer feels lightyears ahead in the ways that matter most: premium feel, a more engaging driving experience and tech galore.
The jury’s still out on the future of the venerable 4-door. Globally, sedan sales figures are flagging as more (no, most) buyers rush to buy high-riding SUVs. But even if the all-new A5 doesn’t sell as strongly as Audi hopes, at least its new-look cabin, hybrid tech and more will make their way into other vehicles.
