Audi has replaced its A4 midsize range with the new A5 amid a change in the brand’s naming structure that sees even numbers assigned to electric vehicles and odd numbers to combustion-engine vehicles.
The A5 debuts Audi’s Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture. PPC has no relation to the Premium Platform Electric platform that underpins full-electric models such as the Q6 E-tron and Porsche electric Macan.
The A5 will be sold in sedan and Avant wagon formats in Europe. Audi will not replace the two-door coupe and convertible that currently use the A5 name.
The sedan has a coupe-inspired shape and a rear hatchback to provide the practicality of the outgoing A5 five-door Sportback.
Despite being launched nine years ago, the current A4 is finding plenty of buyers.
It was Europe’s second best-selling midsize premium model in the first five months with a volume of 34,166, behind the BMW 3 Series, according to market researcher Dataforce.
The A5 sedan has a compact greenhouse and a short tailgate.
Entry models will use a 2.0-litre turbocharged gasoline engine making either 150 hp or 204 hp. A 204-hp 2.0-litre diesel is also available with a mild-hybrid 48-volt system.
Performance S5 models will use a 3.0-litre V-6 turbocharged engine with the same mild-hybrid setup as the diesel to make a total of 376 hp.
Audi claims the hybrid system cuts CO2 output below that of the outgoing diesel S4.
A plug-in hybrid version will launch midway through 2025 with a 100-km (62-mile) electric only range, Audi said.
Audi says the A5’s rear hatch is new to the segment. It opens with the rear window and makes access to the luggage compartment easier.
The A5 uses the new VW Group E-cubed electrical architecture that debuted on the delayed electric Porsche Macan and Audi Q6.
The architecture runs Software 1.2 supplied by VW Group’s Cariad, which Audi says improves the digital user experience.
The car can be ordered with three dashboard screens including a 10.9-inch front passenger display.
That runs alongside the 11.9-inch ‘digital cockpit’ as well as a central curved 14.5-inch screen with high resolution OLED technology.
The A5’s front end is dominated by the wide and flatter proportioned Singleframe grille with a three-dimensional honeycomb structure.
The A5 is 67 mm longer at 4829 mm, with a longer wheelbase at 2900 mm, up by 80 mm. It’s 13 mm wider at 1860 mm and 16 mm taller at 1444 mm.
The A5’s interior has been redesigned to emphasize its digital features.
The design of the car puts more emphasis on the wider, flatter grille with slimmer headlights.
As a result, the car has “a striking and focused expression” Audi said in a statement. To the rear is a three-dimensional light strip.
The A5 family is available to order in Germany this month, with the sedan’s entry price starting at €45,200.
Deliveries start in November for the majority of European markets including Germany.
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