2018 Audi A5 Road Test and Review

2018 Audi A5 sportback hero ・ Photo by Audi

Last year, Audi completely redesigned its popular A4 sedan, which is one of our favorites in the extremely competitive entry level luxury sedan segment. This year the German automaker turned its attention to the 2018 Audi A5, which gets many of the same improvements.

Available as a coupe, a convertible and now a striking four-door hatchback, the new A5 is basically the A4’s sexier sibling — the one that likes to party. Now in its second generation, and completely redesigned this year with measurable improvements in style, luxury, performance, technology, and fuel efficiency, Audi has taken the A5 to another level of desirability. It competes head-to-head with the BMW 4 Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, but unlike the BMW and the Benz, Audi also equips every A5 model with standard all-wheel drive.

Three Sexy Bodystyles

The 2018 Audi A5 is available in three trim levels: Premium, Premium Plus and Prestige. Each is powered by a smooth 252-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a wonderful seven-speed automatic transmission. Audi does not offer a manual transmission on the A5, and there are no hybrid or diesel options. An A5 Sportback five-door starts at $43,575 including a $975 destination charge. The coupe's base Premium trim is just $200 more, while an A5 Cabriolet Premium starts at $50,575. The A5 Sportback and coupe undercut the BMW 4 Series’ base prices by about $500 — more if you consider the Audi’s standard all-wheel drive, which is a $2,000 option on the BMW. Also, the BMW 430i convertible with its folding hardtop costs about $2,000 more than the Audi droptop, which uses a traditional fabric roof.     

Standard features on our A5 Sportback Premium Plus test vehicle included a three-zone automatic climate control system, Bluetooth, leather seating surfaces, heated front seats, LED headlights, 18-inch wheels and parking sensors. Options that include navigation, 19-inch wheels with summer performance tires and a sport suspension drove our tester's price up to $52,100.

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Enthusiasts Want the S5

There’s another member of the A5 lineup: the more powerful and more expensive 2018 Audi S5. If you’re an enthusiast driver looking for more performance than the A5 offers, the new S5 is the one to get. Available in all three A5 body styles, the S5 features a 354-horsepower turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine backed by an eight-speed automatic transmission. That’s over 100 hp more than you get in the A5, and it significantly improves Audi’s 0-60 mph times. Audi says the A5 can make the acceleration run in 5.7 seconds, while the S5 only needs 4.5 seconds.

As impressive as that is, the 2018 S5 is no match for the BMW M4, which packs well over 400 hp. It is, however, real competition for the 320-hp BMW 440i and the 363-hp Mercedes C43 AMG models. S5 prices start at $55,375 for the Sportback, $55,575 for the coupe and $63,275 for the convertible.

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Sport Luxury Done Right

When it comes to German luxury sedans, Audis are rarely the fastest or the most powerful, but they often feel the best. And that’s the case with the 2018 A5. From behind the wheel, this car feels special, striking just the right balance between luxury and sport. Our A5 Sportback test car is fast, responsive and engaging to drive, but it doesn’t beat you up like some performance sedans. It’s also comfortable with a refined ride and quiet interior, but it never makes you feel like you borrowed your father’s Buick.

Audi’s legendary Quattro all-wheel drive system pioneered the all-weather technology in the luxury space decades ago, and in the A5 the system provides impressive handling, especially when combined with our test car's large 19-inch summer tires. The A5’s turbocharged 2.0-liter is incredibly smooth, even up at its 6,750-rpm redline, and its seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is tuned correctly, providing slick gear changes, quick responses and rev matching on manual downshifts.

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A Thing of Beauty

You’d expect the A5 coupe to just look like a two-door version of the A4 sedan, but it doesn’t. Audi’s design team, which has earned a well-deserved reputation for trend setting style and timeless lines, put in a little more effort than that, and the A5 looks lower, longer and wider than the A4. It’s also more shapely with a few additional curves and more intricate detailing. My neighbors were blown away by the intricate design of its large grille and its unique modernistic headlamps. The crisp, clean character line running down its flanks is forever cool and the rear view has just enough attitude with large dual exhaust pipes and a beautifully integrated rear spoiler.

The A5 Sportback is simply a thing of beauty, handsome from every angle with a desirable combination of modern geometric shapes and sports car proportions. The result is a sporty four-door with an air of elegance that never seems like it’s trying too hard. It packs all the style, sophistication and drama of Audi's larger A7, but costs almost $25,000 less.

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Opulent Interior

Audi’s designers sweat the details, and the interior of the 2018 Audi A5 is loaded with small artistic touches that keep it from feeling generic or built without care. Open the door, and you’re met with beautiful materials, dynamic design and near-perfect build quality. This is a luxurious car, but there’s nothing stale or stuffy about it.

The driver’s seat is very comfortable and has just enough bolstering to hold you in place during spirited driving. Forward visibility is excellent; even the A-pillars have been meticulously shaped to maximize your lines of sight. Unfortunately, the A5’s in-car storage for smaller items is compromised. The center console bin is small, as are the door pockets, and the two front seat cupholders are just too close to many of the controls on Audi’s center stack. Tall drinks will interfere with the switchgear, and getting the beverage in and out of the holder means tilting it unnervingly — and probably spilling it all over the console.

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Technology Abounds

Even in its base trim, the 2018 Audi A5 is equipped with a large 7-inch infotainment screen that looks wonderfully like an iPad. But it’s not a touchscreen; its functions are controlled by voice commands or well-placed buttons and a well-sized knob on the console just ahead of the shifter. Bluetooth, HD Radio, and Apple CarPlay are standard. It’s all very intuitive to use. Also standard is Audi Drive Select, which allows you to tune the sedan’s driving characteristics to your liking, among Comfort, Auto and Dynamic settings. There’s also an Individual mode that allows you to customize your favorite setting for the steering, powertrain and engine sound.

The Prestige model is packed with even more features, including a larger 8.3-inch screen; Audi’s clever virtual cockpit digital instrumentation, which offers two display options for the instrument cluster; and a full-color head up display that projects navigation and other information on the windshield ahead of the driver.

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Family-Friendly Hatchback

The new 2018 A5 Sportback seats five and has two more inches of rear seat legroom than the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe. Three pre teens will fit in Audi’s back seat comfortably, and the A4’s onboard Wi-Fi will keep them happily distracted. Audi’s A5 Sportback also has 21.8 cubic feet of cargo space, which is significantly more than the 4 Series Gran Coupe. All Sportbacks have a rear seat that can fold in a 40/20/40 split. The sections easily fold down to expand that space to 35 cubic feet, though that’s less than the BMW’s max volume of 45.9 cubic feet.

Crash testing of the A5 is incomplete, but the similar A4 received a Top Safety Pick+ designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and we expect the A5 to mimic that performance. Fuel economy is also very good for this class with EPA ratings of 24 mpg in the city and 34 mpg highway. I averaged 25.8 mpg after a week of mixed spirited driving.

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Many Advanced Safety Systems

Advanced technology is also found in the new A5’s many active safety systems. Audi "pre-sense basic" is standard on every A5. If this system determines an impending collision, it prepares the car for impact by closing the windows and sunroof to protect the car's occupants better. It also cinches the front seat belts and prepares the brake system for quicker response. Audi’s pre-sense city system is also standard, detecting obstacles ahead, including pedestrians, at speeds up to 52 mph. When it detects a potential collision, it can initiate full braking.

Meanwhile, Audi pre-sense rear, which is standard on Premium Plus and Prestige models, monitors the traffic following the vehicle and takes similar actions if a rear-end collision is imminent. It also includes rear cross traffic alert, which informs the driver of a car approaching from the side when backing out of a parking space.

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Luxurious and Fun to Drive

Although the base Premium model is extremely well equipped, you should step up to the Premium Plus for the additional $3,000 if you can. It’s a good value, and the navigation package with its larger screen is also worth the extra cost. Also, if the smoothest ride is important to you, stick with the standard 18-inch wheels and tires. 

Just as Audi’s A4 sedan checks all the boxes, the sexier A5 delivers extremely high levels of style, features, and technology. It’s luxurious, fun to drive and one of the best-looking cars on the road today. Overall, the second-generation Audi A5 is a very desirable stand out in the very competitive compact luxury segment. 

Photo by Audi