Audi A5 Coupe Review 2023

The Audi A5 will be right for you if you want a car that is stylish to look at, but also practical and easy to live with everyday. Some models are very quick, but the Audi is comfortable, safe and predictable to drive, if not ultimately entertaining as a BMW 4 Series or dedicated sports coupes. 

Essentially, the Audi A5 is an Audi A4 but with two less doors. Access is pretty good to the rear, but if you're using those back seats regularly it's going to become a bit of a pain - particularly if you have to lift child seats in and out. Happily, Audi offers the four-door A5 Sportback, which is essentially an A4 with a more svelte body. Confused? 

While this isn't a car for real driving enthusiasts, no version of the Audi A5 is a weak link. Those after all-weather security and strong performance will like the Audi S5, while there's an even faster Audi RS5 if that doesn't cut the mustard. Really, though, one of the middling turbo petrol and diesel models offers a good all-round package. 

The Audi A5's most obvious rivals are the sporty BMW 4 Series and luxurious Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe, but you might also consider the Lexus RC – which is available as a petrol-electric hybrid.

No other premium brands offer similar size two-door coupes, as they're not as popular as they once were. However, there is a number of more focused and exciting four-seat sports coupe rivals to choose from: cars such as the Ford Mustang and Lotus Evora. These are nowhere near as practical and cheap to run as the Audi, however.  

Even if you go for the entry level Audi A5 Sport you'll know you've purchased a quality item. Interior fit and finish is excellent, not just in the places you look, but also in the places you don't. Even at the bottom end of the range, a full leather interior comes as standard and you can choose from dark and light colour finishes.  

S line models welcome you with lit-up 'S' kickplates on the bottom of the door openings, get a mixture of leather and Alcantara upholstery and shiny metal pedals, while Edition 1 cars have electrically adjustable seats and Nappa leather. Top-of-the-range, Vorsprung models get a panoramic glass roof and multi-colour selectable mood lighting. 

It's definitely on a par with the latest BMW 4 Series quality-wise, and substantially nicer than the previous generation car. The Mercedes C-Class Coupe matches it for style but doesn't have the same consistency of fit-and-finish as the Audi. 

The Audi A5 comes fitted as standard with the company's Virtual Cockpit, a 12.3-inch digital instrument binnacle which is responsible for much of the A5's interior wow factor. Audi pioneered this technology in the 2014 TT and, although it's been copied by almost everyone since, its system is still the best – putting info like speed and fuel economy exactly where you need it. Its party piece is its ability to punch up a huge Google Maps display that makes it a pleasure – and very easy – to follow the sat-nav's directions. 

What's less of a 'win' is the new infotainment system that was brought in when the car was facelifted in 2019. At 10.1 inches in size, it's colourful and clear but the touchscreen interface isn't as easy to use as the toggle/scroll wheel that was fitted to the old Audi A5. It's also a little laggy at times, sometimes taking ages to boot up and load the navigation system. 

However, it does come with a three-year subscription to Audi's connected services so it can route around congestion and give you live fuel prices, as well as letting you connect to the car remotely via an app to do things like check its location. 

The standard stereo is also solid, an eight-speaker system it has decent power and clarity, although you can upgrade to a Bang & Olufsen 3D Sound System with 19 speakers – including a subwoofer and a centre speaker – and a thumping 755W output. It makes most sense as part of the £1395 Comfort and Sound Pack, which bundles together the fancy stereo, plus keyless entry, handsfree boot opening, a 360-degree camera and LED interior ambient lighting with selectable colours. 

The Audi A5 may officially be a coupe, but it's based on the A4 saloon so it feels – and really is – more like a two-door saloon.

That's good news for practicality because it means the A5 is not a coupe you have to crawl in and out of, like you do in some sportier options. There's no shortage of space for two bulky adults in the front.

Jump in the back and tall passengers will need concessions to be made in the front to get comfortable and, even then, they'll feel pretty hemmed in on longer journeys. A BMW 4 Series has a tad more kneeroom, but the Audi wins on headroom. It's certainly far more accommodating than more sporting rivals. 

It also has a very practical boot for a car this type. It has a 450-litre boot capacity and a square shape that makes it easy to use every every last drop, plus the rear seats also split 40:20:40 so you can carry longer loads while still having room for back seat passengers and the seats fold almost completely flat. 

Smaller storage spaces are also in abundance. The Audi's door pockets are massive and you get smaller storage cubbies in the back, a large glovebox and an array of other pockets and cup holders so everything has somewhere to live.

In terms of exterior dimensions, the Audi A5 is 4,697mm long, 1,846mm wide and 1,387mm tall. That makes it between 60-70mm shorter than the A4 on which it's based, and a fair bit shorter than the latest BMW 4 Series. 

The latest Audi A5 is available with a choice of three petrol engines and two diesels, all of which come in combination with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox that shifts smoothly but can be a little slow on the uptake when you want a sharp burst of acceleration. 

The petrol models are all 2.0-litre four-cylinders with 150PS (35 TFSI), 204PS (40 TFSI) and 265PS (45 TFSI). The 150PS model gets from 0-62mph in under nine seconds, it feels fine in normal driving but quickly runs out of puff if you put the hammer down on a country road. With 0-62mph taking just 5.5 seconds, the 265PS version has no such issues. The best all rounder is the 204PS model, which does 0-62mph in 7.1 seconds and feels perfectly pacy without breaking the bank. 

Like the petrols, the 163PS (35 TDI) and 204PS (40 TDI) diesels both have 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines and their meaty mid-range means they feel more powerful than the petrols when, say, you go for a motorway overtake. That's despite them being slower on paper – the 35 gets from 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds while the 40 does it in 6.9 seconds.

Prior to the Audi A5's late 2019 facelift, there were some different engine options. The range of four-cylinder petrols and diesels remained similar, but lesser versions had the option of a six-speed manual gearbox. There were also some super-smooth six-cylinder diesels, which offered effortless overtaking pace and decent economy. 

Crowning the range is the Audi S5. Interestingly, when the A5 range was facelifted Audi switched out the 354PS twin-turbo V6 petrol engine in favour of a 347PS mild-hybrid diesel. It was an unusual decision, making the S5 even less exciting to drive than it already was. Both offer excellent performance and four-wheel drive security but neither are particularly engaging. 

When the Audi A5 went on sale in 2016 Audi said it was just as quiet as the flagship A8. That A8 has since been replaced with a newer model, but the A5 is still very quiet on the motorway thanks to its standard acoustic windscreen which cuts out wind whistle. 

For the ultimate quiet cabin, look out for cars with the optional acoustic side windows fitted. If anything, road noise will be slightly worse than before because all models now come with wheels at least 18-inches in diameter, which generate a little bit more road noise than the A5 models fitted with 17-inch wheels when the car was launched. 

The Audi A5 has never been tested for safety but Euro NCAP gave it a five-star rating based on the fact that it is mechanically identical to the A4 saloon that has been tested. 

Standard equipment levels are decent and include six airbags, automatic emergency brakes, a bonnet that pops up to protect pedestrians in an impact and a system that'll call the emergency services if the car is involved in an accident. Lane assist is also commonly fitted, and unlike other VW Group brands Audi has kept a handy switch on the side of the indicator stalk to turn it off when it starts to irritate. 

Vorsprung models come as standard with the Driver Assistance Tour Pack (a £2700 option on the rest of the range) which means the car can accelerate, brake and steer itself on the free-flowing motorway or in heavy traffic. It's a worthwhile option if you do lots of long, boring drives. 

As Audi is part of the enormous VW Group, a number of its mechanical and electrical components are shared among multiple other models. However, Audi itself is one of the lowest performing brands in the group according to the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, coming in 21st out of 30 manufacturers. The only lower ranked VW Group brand is SEAT. 

Despite this, the Audi A5, like the A4 on which it's based, has been around since 2016 with only minor updates, meaning its mechanicals are well proven. We have seen no serious issues reported in that time, while Audi's latest infotainment technology seems to be less glitch-prone than VW's. 

The Audi A5's insurance ranges from Group 26 (for a 190PS diesel in SE trim) to Group 40 for the powerful S5 model. Those figures are about par for the course for a car of this size, price and performance. 

It's worth bearing in mind, however, that fast Audi models are very popular with thieves. Although unlikely, having yours nicked would have a serious impact on your insurance premium. 

The Audi A5 models to choose if you want to avoid a hefty tax bill are the 35 diesel or 40 petrol models in Sport trim. The former pays a hefty £540 first-year payment while the latter will cost you £215 in year one, with them both dropping to £150 a year for the next five years after that. 

The rest of the range bursts through the £40,000 premium car threshold, so you'll be paying £475 every year for five years after the initial payment of between £215 and £540. This doesn't apply to cars made before April 2018, however. 

The Audi A5 is available in four trim levels – Sport, S line, Edition 1 or Vorsprung. Earlier models could also be had in SE trim, which is largely similar to Sport but with a more subtle exterior look. 

Sport models get 18-inch alloy wheels as well as matt aluminium highlights on the outside, while inside they get heated front seats with lumbar adjustment, LED cabin lighting, keyless go and cruise control.  

S line cars get sporty looks courtesy of their 18-inch wheels, body kit and matrix LED headlights which can match their beam to the shape of the road, while inside they get a leather and Alcantara interior. 

Edition 1 models look even sportier thanks to their huge 20-inch steamroller alloy wheels, they also come with laser matrix LED headlights which are more powerful than the versions fitted to S line models. Inside, they get electrically adjustable Nappa leather seats and piano black interior inlays.

Vorsprung models get lots of kit fitted as standard. They look identical to Edition 1 models, aside from their star-design wheels, but inside they get kit like a full length glass roof, Bang & Olufsen stereo and ambient lighting.