The 2025 Audi A5/S5 makes for a smarter, sharper A4 replacement

• The redesigned 2025 Audi A5/S5 sedans replace the Audi A4
• The 2025 Audi A5 has a 268-horsepower turbo-4 with standard all-wheel drive
• The 2025 Audi S5 fits a 362-horsepower 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 with all-wheel drive

Audi is changing. Not only does the redesigned 2025 Audi A5 replace the Audi A4 sedan, which is being discontinued after 2025, it heralds the brand’s new gas platform that will underpin around 10 new models in the coming years as part of an offensive example of products with more than 20 new ones. global patterns in the next two years.

Although most of these new vehicles will be fully electric models, Audi will not ignore the demand for combustion engines.

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

The new A5, expected next spring or early next summer, possibly as a 2026 model year for the US, may revive high interest in sedans, but the new flexible platform, called Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) , carries wider applications to be used. in a range of new vehicles. This includes the brand’s bestseller in the redesigned 2025 Q5 compact crossover due in early summer 2025.

Combining Sportback hatchback styling with larger sedan dimensions, the A5 grows bigger, wider and features a software-defined electrical architecture to help it adapt over the next decade before the brand becomes all electric, all the time. With available features like massaging seats and customizable front and rear light signatures, Audi positions it as a more sophisticated and luxurious model than the A4 and even A5 coupes that preceded it.

It won’t be offered in coupe or convertible form, and the North American market won’t have Avant wagon options, which will include the Allroad and RS 5 models.

Audi A5 and S5 design

The curved hood sits low, so you can barely see the edges from behind the wheel. The dive stops at a new front fascia with a large plastic honeycomb grille, winged with a new lighting 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 is true at the rear, where wrapped LED taillights made from 60 different bulbs underline the integrated rear spoiler. The A5 features two rectangular exhaust tips, while S5 models have quad tailpipes that are all functional, Audi tells us. The S5 and S-Line badges now both have the red diamond logo.

The full-width taillight wraps around flared fenders and a muscular character line that runs through the body. Tall air intakes, trimmed in aluminum or a black optic package, flank the lower grille, which also has openings between two radars and numerous sensors located on the underside of the body. The long nose makes it look like it has a larger crankshaft ratio, and the A5 is 2.6 inches longer than the A4, stretching to 190.1 inches overall. Space between the front and rear pillars increases even more, with the wheelbase extending by 3.1 inches to 114.1 inches. It’s about half an inch longer and wider, but overall looks sportier and more powerful than the A4. The toned sedan has a drag coefficient of 0.25.

Audi A5 and S5 engine options

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

It’s too bad because this new 18 kw mild hybrid system it can move the vehicle at low speeds and provide up to 25kw of regen braking that would help feed the electrical systems and keep the air conditioning on at stops. Its design and connection to the transmission output would smooth stop/start transitions. Other automakers, including Mercedes-Benz and BMW, as well as Volvo, have had no qualms about rolling out 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 systems can follow on this new flexible platform. Audi emphasized stiffer steering and suspension mounts on the front axle, and adaptive dampers will be available to supplement the standard steel-spring suspension. Brake torque vectoring first launched in the Q8 E-Tron promises to counteract understeer in the S5, which also features a sports differential to split torque between the rear wheels. Curb weight, ground clearance and other North American specifications were not available at press time. Expect them later this summer or early fall.

The interior space and technology of the Audi A5 and S5

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

The interior showcases Audi’s new software-defined electrical architecture, with five computers aiming to keep the car and its offerings as updatable as a smartphone, though hopefully it has the lifespan of a car. The light show is carried inside, with welcome and ambient lighting highlighting the hook-like arms of the dash and console. Soft-touch materials meet fingers and arms, and a tactile surface on the doors controls the mirrors, windows and locks; in our testing of the same setup in the 2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron, we weren’t sold on its push-button functionality.

We appreciated the same “Digital Scene” that digitizes all vehicle information on an intuitive panel of screens that sit down and don’t distract from driving or require refreshing. The curved panoramic display starts with crystal clarity 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster which shows vehicle information and anything external sensors are picking up. It keeps a small message board with colored dots and dashes that reflect what the voice assistant is processing, so if you’re listening, a few red dots appear in the message area. The same system in the Q6 had good fidelity and, aided by AI, can process more than 800 vehicle commands and general interest questions, such as “What’s the weather forecast at my destination?” or “Where’s a good place to rock schnitzel?”

Voice commands reduce the need for the central part of this stage, a 14.5 inch touch screen interface that evolves Audi’s already excellent graphics. Users can easily drag and drop applications to their desired position, rearrange information hierarchies, and customize tile displays. Next to her is one 10.9-inch passenger touchscreen; the passenger can transmit or help navigate and cancel the navigation settings on the center display through his display. An interesting available feature will be Bang & Olufsen headrest speakers that create two sound zones, one for the driver to hear navigation instructions, for example, without interrupting the audio from what the passenger might be broadcasting.

Pricing information has not been released.