2025 Audi A5 First Look: Don't Call It a Sportback

MotorTrend

With gorgeous proportions and a positively practical hatchback cargo area

Transcript

00:00This is the new Audi A5.

00:08Now, Audi is combining the A4 and A5 model lines into one great-looking car.

00:14Sedans are getting less popular, and SUVs are on the rise, but models with a liftback,

00:19like this, are becoming increasingly popular.

00:21Now, you might be asking, oh, where's the A5 Sportback going?

00:24Audi is just simplifying the name of this car because we're only getting one body style,

00:28and they're making sure that they're going to capture buyers from the A4 and A5 product

00:32lines, and hopefully that all those buyers are going to go to this car.

00:35Now, what makes this car so special, and how does it combine those design accents from

00:40the prior two models?

00:41Well, let's start with the grille.

00:44Like other Audi models, this A5 has Audi's single-frame grille and its new interpretation

00:49of the four-ring logo.

00:51It also has these really cool pass-throughs that give some real credence to its aerodynamic,

00:56sporty-looking profile.

00:57Now, the hood is also really notable for these deep creases that give it a powerful bulge

01:03over the top, and this big surface really emphasizes the car's sleekness and luxuriousness.

01:10Coming around to the side, we have these beautiful quattro muscle bulges, is what Audi calls

01:15them, and these gorgeous wheel designs that are fresh for the new model.

01:19It also has flush door handles that you just reach your hand in, and it'll open the door

01:23with the push of a button.

01:24So, this car really is trying to look more aerodynamic and slimmed down from prior versions

01:30of the A4 and A5.

01:31Now, like the other Audi models that are coming out, and are going to continue to come out

01:35over the next few years, this A5 has a wraparound rear lighting accent that bulges out from

01:41the rear of the car.

01:43That allows Audi to do a flush decklid down here with no recess for the license plate,

01:48which I think helps make the car look a lot more sophisticated and elevates it above the

01:52more mainstream models.

01:54Now, this car has an S-line badge because it uses the S-line trim, which gives it sportier-looking

01:59accents, and if we click the automatic trunk latch, the trunk opens on its own, and you

02:05can see that you have a lot of cargo volume for bikes, luggage, moving, you name it.

02:10Like, this car will pretty much swallow most of the stuff that you ever need to carry.

02:14So once you get settled inside the A5's interior, you'll notice the cockpit feels very open

02:19and spacious, and that's because Audi has this wraparound design that extends from one

02:24door to the other by way of the dashboard with this really nice soft material.

02:27Now, other accents that have changed since the prior versions of the A4 and the A5 are

02:32this new steering wheel.

02:33The entry-level car will have a four-spoke style, whereas this one has a sportier-looking

02:38three-spoke style.

02:39There's also two large displays under one piece of curved glass, and that uses a silhouette

02:45of Audi's single-frame grille, and then there's an available display for passengers that they

02:49can use the infotainment system from where they're sitting.

02:52Your passenger can operate as your co-pilot, too, with a map, and your passenger can add

02:56directions and make changes that you then confirm as a driver.

03:00So Audi's making all of these really cool design choices in the interior that are combining

03:04the physical shapes of everything inside the car with what's on the screens, making it

03:08a much more interactive in-cabin experience.

03:11There's also a lot of customization that you can do inside the A5.

03:14For example, you can change the lighting accents with a touch of a button, so there's lots

03:17of different ways to use lighting to customize how your A5 looks.

03:21Now, you may notice that there's a bar running across the dashboard right under the glass.

03:26That bar is used both for style, but it's also used to communicate things.

03:30For example, if you hit the hazards button, that turns on hazard lights on the dashboard.

03:35If you turn on your turn signal, that shows a light on the dashboard, too.

03:39So this car has a lot of thoughtful touches that make it feel special and differentiated

03:43from its competitors within the compact luxury car segment.

03:47Audi offers its new A5 body style with a choice of two engines.

03:50The first engine is a 2.0-liter turbo that makes 268 horsepower.

03:54That's sent to the wheels by way of a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

03:58And all A5 models make use of Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system.

04:03Those that want more power should choose the S-Pipe, which makes 362 horsepower with a

04:073.0-liter turbocharged V6 engine.

04:10Like the 2.0-liter model, it uses a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and quattro

04:15all-wheel drive.

04:16This car gets key upgrades, though, like sport suspension, better brakes, and a cooler-looking

04:21exterior design.

04:22I think Audi's done a great job combining the A4 and A5 lineup with this exterior design

04:27and its powertrain offerings.

04:29I'm Billy Raybach, and this is Motor Trend.

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