2025 Audi A5/S5 gets a gas boost with a smarter, sharper A4 replacement

• Redesigned 2025 Audi A5/S5 sedans replace Audi A4
• The 2025 Audi A5 gets a 268-hp turbo-4 with standard all-wheel drive
• The 2025 Audi S5 features a 362-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 and all-wheel drive.

Audi is in the midst of a transformation. Not only does the redesigned 2025 Audi A5 replace the Audi A4 sedan that will be discontinued after 2025, it also heralds the brand’s new gasoline platform that will underpin about 10 new models over the next few years as part of an unprecedented product offensive featuring more than 20 new global models over the next two years.

Although the majority of these new vehicles will be fully battery-electric models, Audi will not neglect the demand for combustion engines.

“We will need these vehicles to make the transition to an all-electric future,” CEO Gernot Döllner said at a press conference outside Munich last week, where Audi presented the new A5 and S5.

The new A5, expected next spring or early summer, possibly as a 2026 model for the U.S., could revive flagging interest in sedans, but the new flexible platform, dubbed Premium Platform Combustion (PPC), offers broader applications that will be used in a range of new vehicles. That includes the brand’s best-seller, the redesigned 2025 Q5 compact crossover, expected in early summer 2025.

Combining the styling of a Sportback hatchback with more spacious proportions, the A5 gets bigger, wider, and features a software-defined electric architecture to help it adapt over the next decade before the brand goes all-electric, all the time. With available features like massaging seats and customizable headlight and taillight signatures, Audi is positioning it as a more sophisticated and luxurious version of the A4 and even the A5 coupe that preceded it.

It won’t be offered as a coupe or convertible, and the North American market won’t get Avant estate options, which will include the Allroad and RS 5 models.

Design of the Audi A5 and S5

The sloping hood is low, so you can barely see the edges from the steering wheel. The descent ends at a new front fascia with a large winged plastic honeycomb grille with a new light signature. The LED running lights can be customized in eight different patterns, but not when the engine is running. Blame the US regulators. The same goes for the rear, where wraparound LED taillights made up of 60 different bulbs highlight the integrated rear spoiler. The A5 gets two rectangular exhaust tips, while the S5 models have four tailpipes that are all functional, Audi tells us. Both the S5 and S-Line badges now feature the red diamond logo.

Full-width taillights wrap around bulging fenders and a muscular character line that runs along the body. Tall air intakes trimmed in aluminum or a black headlight package flank the lower grille, which also features openings between the dual radars and multiple sensors dotting the lower body. The long nose makes the dash-to-axle ratio appear larger, and the A5 is 2.6 inches longer than the A4, stretching to 190.1 inches overall. The space between the A- and C-pillars grows even larger, with the wheelbase expanding 3.1 inches to 114.1 inches. It’s about a half-inch taller and wider, but overall it feels sportier and more powerful than the A4. The lively sedan has a drag coefficient of 0.25.

Engine options for Audi A5 and S5

Under the domed hood will be a 268 hp engine. 2.0-liter turbo-4 in the A5 and a 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 developing 362 hp In the S5, Audi says the engines are more efficient than their predecessors, but the North American market won’t get the mild-hybrid system and its 48-volt lithium-ion phosphate battery that other markets have. U.S. customers don’t want the engine to shut off while coasting, Audi said, and the EPA gains would be negligible.

It’s a shame because this news 18 kW mild hybrid system The mild-hybrid system can propel the vehicle at low speeds and provide up to 25 kW of regenerative braking that would help power electrical systems and keep the air conditioning on during stops. Its design and connection to the transmission output would make stop-start transitions easier. Other automakers, including Mercedes-Benz and BMW, as well as Volvo, have had no qualms about deploying mild hybrids in North America.

Both models will come with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains could follow on this flexible new platform. Audi highlighted stiffer steering and suspension mounts on the front axle, and adaptive dampers will be available to complement the standard steel-spring suspension. Brake torque vectoring first introduced on the Q8 E-Tron promises to counteract understeer on the S5, which also gets a sport differential to split torque between the rear wheels. Curb weight, ground clearance, and other North American specs were not available at press time. Expect to know them later this summer or early fall.

Interior space and technology of the Audi A5 and S5

The coupe-like roofline folds into a tailgate instead of a trunk, one of the most significant design changes to the midsize car. The A4’s closed trunk held just 12 cubic feet of stuff, while the new A5’s hatch can hold up to 24.5 cubic feet of volume, nearly three cubic feet more than the outgoing A5 Sportback. It’s trunk-like shallow in the back, then expands vertically thanks to 60:40-split rear seats that fold flat to open up a crossover-like 45.9 cubic feet of space. Rear-seat headroom and legroom are good, though those 6 feet and taller may feel cramped with the available panoramic sunroof.

The interior features Audi’s new software-defined electrical architecture, which runs five computers meant to make the car and its offerings as updatable as a smartphone, while hopefully having the longevity of a car. The light show continues inside, with welcome and ambient lighting highlighting the hook-shaped wings of the dashboard and console. Soft-touch materials meet fingers and arms, and a touch surface on the doors controls the mirrors, windows, and locks; when we tested the same setup in the 2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron, we weren’t convinced by its functionality compared to buttons.

We enjoyed the same thing “Digital scene” that digitizes all vehicle information on an intuitive display panel that sits low and does not interfere with driving or require manipulation. The curved panoramic display starts with crystal clarity 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster It displays vehicle information and information picked up by exterior sensors. It contains a small message panel made up of colored dots and dashes that reflect what the voice assistant is processing. So if it’s listening, a few red dots appear in the message area. The same system in the Q6 had good fidelity and, aided by AI, can handle more than 800 vehicle commands and general interest questions, such as “What’s the weather forecast at my destination?” or “Where’s good for schnitzel?”

Voice commands reduce the need for the centerpiece of this scene, a 14.5 inch touchscreen interface that evolves Audi’s already excellent graphics. Users can easily tap and drag apps to the desired position, rearrange information hierarchies, and customize tiled displays. Next to it is a 10.9-inch passenger touchscreen; the passenger can stream or assist with navigation and override navigation settings on the central display via their screen. A cool feature available will be Bang & Olufsen headrest speakers that create two sound zones, one for the driver to listen to navigation instructions, for example, without disturbing the sound of whatever the passenger might be streaming.

Pricing information has not been announced.