The Audi A5 Then and Now

The A5 has evolved significantly leading up to this third-generation version, known as the B10 by Audi aficionados. Introduced for 2008, the first A5 was a two-door counterpart to the popular four-door A4, which it shared fundamental hardware with while draped in evocative coupe styling. The A5 lineup expanded later to include a soft-top convertible, as well as a Sportback—that being not a true sedan but a sleek four-door hatchback.

For the 2025 A5, there is no two-door version, and this Sportback body is the standard offering. (Americans don’t get the sweet A5 Avant station wagon sold overseas.) That’s largely because the A5 has assumed the A4’s position in the lineup while the latter is on a production pause as Audi plots its path into electrification. The German automaker once planned to use even numbers for EVs and odd numbers for combustion-powered vehicles, but no longer, as the A6 and A6 E-Tron—completely different cars—indicate.

One more item to get up to speed—literally—with the A5 story is that a sporty S5 variant has long been part of the lineup. The S5 will be sold in the U.S., and we already drove it in European specification. A high-performance RS 5 also appears to be in the works, though when or where it will be available is unclear.

Outside and Inside

On to the 2025 Audi A5. Built on a new vehicle architecture called Premium Platform Combustion (PPC, akin to the PPE basis of Audi’s latest EVs), the A5 changes in its adaptation to the role of replacing the A4. The wheelbase increases, and the body is slightly longer, wider, and taller than before.

Notably, it appears to have a traditional trunk, but it doesn’t. Audi says this design element was added to look familiar to traditional three-box sedan buyers even though the rear decklid and glass open together to reveal a hatchback cargo area. Compared to the outgoing A5, this profile is less alluring, and the overall styling seems somewhat generic. It doesn’t look bad, but aesthetics are no longer as strong of a reason to want the A5.

In contrast, Audi made the interior more appealing. From the driver’s seat there’s newfound visual interest, seen in the shapes, textures, and trim details that the last A5’s austere cabin lacked. There are some hard plastic panels, but those are well hidden so that soft-touch surfaces are the ones you see and interact with most. Quality of materials and overall assembly is excellent.

Big screens are prominent inside the 2025 A5. All models get an 11.9-inch digital driver’s display paired with a 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen inside a single curved enclosure. The high-end Prestige trim gains a 10.9-inch touchscreen ahead of the front passenger, while the Premium and Premium Plus models below have a lame shiny black plastic panel there instead.

The new 2025 Audi Q5 offers the same screens as the A5. For the positives and negatives of that tech, check out our 2025 Audi Q5 Interior Review.

Beyond a premium feel, the new A5 provides superb practicality. There are plenty of spots to stash daily carry items around the cabin, but a key selling point for this car is how much cargo space it has. With 22.6 cubic feet of capacity behind the back seats or 36.6 cubic feet when those seats are folded, there’s considerably more volume than the typical trunk-equipped sedan and enough to reasonably rival some small SUVs. The power-operated liftgate moves quickly, and the huge aperture presented when it’s open makes loading cargo easy.