2025 Audi A5 test drive

It’s hardly a secret that sedans are a shrinking segment in an automotive market which currently dominated by SUV’s. If you have an affinity for the four door sedan, as I do, you may have shed a tear at the news that the Audi A4 was being put out to pasture. A recalibration of the naming protocol left the even numbered models reserved for EV or e-tron models. Audi’s answer was to consolidate the A4 and A5 lines. The 2025 A5 is the result of this synthesis and it is likely the ultimate midsized sedan coming out of Igolstadt.
We recently had the opportunity to drive both the A5 and performance oriented S5 sedans in the Maritime Alps around the French Riviera.
With its chopped roof, lower window profile and elongated wheelbase with short fender overhangs, the new A5 looks to have escaped from the designers’ sketch pad without any of the idealistic passion diluted. The visual sizzle is also reflected in just about every angle on the A5. A wider version of Audi’s trademark single frame grille draws your eyes out to the low profile digital matrix LED headlights, giving the car an aggressive, low hood profile. Quattro inspired fender blisters above the wheels add muscularity to the curvaceous sheetmetal. A short but pronounced trunk lid receives the sloping rear window. Audi presented the new A5 as a sedan concept as the trunk lid is actually attached to the rear window frame. The rear window lifts when the trunk is opened, the extra large opening makes the storage space far more useable.
The new A5 is the first model to be marketed using Audi’s next generation platform architecture. This move has allowed the A5 to migrate more upmarket in comfort, convenience and performance.
Step into the cabin and you are immediately struck by Audi’s new Human Centric interior design. Starting on the front doors, fabric and other materials seemingly flow uninterrupted creating a panorama across the passenger space. A new larger heads up display conveys additional information on the windshield. A seemingly continuous OLED glass panel which Audi calls its Digital Stage, starts behind the steering wheel with an 11.9 inch virtual cockpit screen blending into a more centrally located 14.5 inch MMI touchscreen, that is slightly curved back towards the driver. An optional third 10.9 inch screen mounts in-front of the passenger seat. The third screen solves one of life’s annoyances as it becomes unreadable to the driver once the vehicle is in motion. This allows passengers to adjust systems or enter GPS information while the vehicle is moving.
Rather than trying to integrate or minimize the presence of the screens, a combination of materials and accent lighting make the panels seemingly float away from the dashboard. The new EQ3 infotainment system in the A5 incorporates ChatGTP and designers have promised the system has been built with a view towards future proofing the operation.
The new vehicle platform allows for additional creature comfort with an extra 72mm of rear passenger legroom and an additional 35mm of front passenger shoulder room. The roomy interior adds to the upmarket appeal of the new A5.
In Canada, A5 models will come with an inline turbocharged four cylinder engine producing 268 HP. The S5 will feature a new turbo V6 engine with a 398HP. A quick shifting dual clutch transmission will connect to the standard Quattro all-wheel-drive system.
An afternoon spent on the serpentine roads mountain roads that hang above the Mediterranean coast, was enough to confirm that the new A5 has the handling dynamics to fulfil the promises made by its aggressive appearance. Stiffer suspension components and a more direct steering give the new sedan an incredibly precise feel which inspires confidence to drive just a bit closer to the edge. Dynamic braking of the inside wheels on cornering helps force the outside wheels around corners and bolsters the handling.
When these new sedans come to Canada early in 2025 buyers will benefit from the blending of two lineups, creating an intoxicating concentrate, the best of both models.