- Redesigned 2025 Audi A5/S5 sedans replace the Audi A4
- 2025 Audi A5 has a 268-hp turbo-4 with standard all-wheel drive
- 2025 Audi S5 fits a 362-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 with all-wheel drive
Audi is changing. Not only does the redesigned 2025 Audi A5 replace the Audi A4 sedan which gets discontinued after 2025, it heralds the brand's new gas platform that will underpin about 10 new models in the next few years as part of an unparalleled product offensive starring more than 20 new global models in the next two years.
Even though the majority of those new vehicles will be full battery electric models, Audi won't overlook combustion engine demand.
"We will need these vehicles to bridge to the all-electric future," CEO Gernot Döllner said at a press briefing outside of Munich last week, where Audi showcased the new A5 and S5.
2025 Audi A5 family
The new A5, due next spring or early next summer, possibly as 2026 models for the U.S., could resurrect flagging interest in sedans but the new flexible platform, dubbed Premium Platform Combustion (PPC), carries more wide-ranging applications that will be employed in a range of new vehicles. That includes the brand's bestseller in the redesigned 2025 Q5 compact crossover that's expected early summer of 2025.
Combining Sportback hatchback style with roomier sedan proportions, the A5 grows larger, 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 such as massaging seats and customizable headlight and taillight signatures, Audi positions it as a more sophisticated and luxurious take than the A4 and even the A5 coupe that preceded it.
It won't be offered in coupe or convertible form, and the North American market won't get Avant wagon options, which will include Allroad and RS 5 models.
2025 Audi A5 S Line
2025 Audi A5 S Line
2025 Audi A5 S Line
Audi A5 and S5 design
The flexed hood dips low so you can hardly see the edges from behind the wheel. The dip 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 into eight different patterns, but not when the engine is on. Blame U.S. regulators. The same is true at the rear, where the wraparound LED taillights made of 60 different bulbs underscore the integrated rear spoiler. The A5 features dual rectangular exhaust tips, while S5 models have quad tailpipes that are all functional, Audi tells us. The S5 and S-Line badges now both sport the red rhombus logo.
The full-width taillight wraps around into bulging fenders and a muscular character line running down the body. Tall air intakes trimmed in aluminum or a black optic package flank the lower grille, which also has openings between the two radars and multiple sensors dotting the lower body. The long nose makes it appear as if there's a larger dash-to-axle ratio, and the A5 is 2.6 inches longer than the A4, stretching to 190.1 inches overall. The space between the front and rear pillars grows even more, with the wheelbase expanding by 3.1 inches to 114.1 inches. It's about a half-inch taller and wider, but overall it looks sportier and more powerful than the A4. The toned sedan nets a coefficient of drag of 0.25.
2025 Audi S5
2025 Audi S5
2025 Audi S5
Audi A5 and S5 engine options
Under the bulged hood will be a 268-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4 in the A5 and a 362-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 in the S5. Audi says the engines are more efficient than their predecessors, but the North American market will not get the mild-hybrid system and its 48-volt lithium ion phosphate battery available in other markets. American customers don't want the engine shutting off while coasting, Audi said, and the EPA gains would be negligible.
It's too bad because this new 18-kw mild-hybrid system can propel the vehicle at low speeds and offer up to 25 kw 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 powertrains could follow in this flexible new platform. Audi highlighted the stiffer steering and suspension mounts on the front axle, and adaptive dampers will be available to complement the standard steel-spring suspension. The brake torque vectoring first launched in the Q8 E-Tron promises to counteract understeer in the S5, which also features a sport differential to split torque between the rear whees. Curb weight, ground clearance, and other North American specs were unavailable at press time. Expect them later this summer or early fall.
2025 Audi A5 S Line
2025 Audi A5 S Line
2025 Audi A5 S Line
Audi A5 and S5 interior space and tech
The coupe-like roofline tucks into a hatch instead of a trunk, which is one of the most significant design changes to the midsize car. The A4's sealed-off trunk held only 12 cubic feet of stuff, whereas the new A5's hatch holds up to 24.5 cubic feet of stuff, which is nearly three cubic feet more than the outgoing A5 Sportback. It's shallow like a trunk at the rear, 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 above might feel cramped with the available panoramic sunroof.
The interior showcases Audi's new software-defined electric architecture running five computers meant to keep the car and its offerings as updatable as a smartphone, though hopefully it has the longevity of a car. The light show carries over inside, with welcome and ambient lighting underscoring the hook-like wings of the dash and the console. Soft-touch materials meet the fingers and arms, and a touchpad 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 functionality over buttons.
2025 Audi S5
We appreciated the same "Digital Stage" that digitizes all the vehicle info across an intuitive panel of screens that sits low and doesn't distract from driving or demand futzing. The curved panoramic display starts with the crystal clear 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster that shows vehicle info and whatever the exterior sensors are picking up. It holds a small message board of colored dots and dashes that reflect what the voice assistant is processing, so if it's listening, a few red dots show in the message area. The same system in the Q6 had good fidelity and, aided by AI, it can process more than 800 vehicle commands and general interest questions, like "What's the weather forecast at my destination?" or "Where's a good place to rock some schnitzel?"
The voice commands lessen the need for the centerpiece of this stage, a 14.5-inch touchscreen interface that evolves Audi's already excellent graphics. Users can easily press and drag apps to their desired position, rearrange info hierarchies, and customize tile displays. Beside it is a 10.9-inch passenger touchscreen; the passenger can stream out or help navigate and override the nav settings in the center screen through their screen. One cool available feature will be Bang & Olufsen headrest speakers that create two sound zones, one for the driver to listen to nav directions, for instance, without disrupting the audio from what the passenger might be streaming.
Pricing information hasn't been announced.
