2025 Audi A5 Sportback

The 2025 Audi A5 Sportback is sleek and practical, offering a different choice from the usual compact luxury car sedans. Pricing starts at $47,595.

The 2025 Audi A5 Sportback is a compact luxury car with a hatchback instead of a trunk. Which is a bit like saying Steven Spielberg is a film director. It’s all true, but not even close to painting a complete picture. The A5 Sportback is extremely accomplished and stylish, with plenty of appeal across a broad swath of the population (or are we still discussing Spielberg?). So many of our owner reviews praise the A5 for its looks and smooth driving experience. In other words, its Audi-ness.

This generation of A5 debuted for 2018, which isn’t especially old, but Audi has still decided to supersede it with an all-new model that also takes the place of the outgoing A4 sedan (which shares a platform with this A5). It’s expected at some point in 2025.

The punchier S5 and even more aggressive RS 5 have separate reviews.

We’ve logged hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of compact luxury cars, including the Audi A5.

The HomeLink remote garage door button is now integrated into the rearview mirror, the Convenience package gains rear USB ports, and the Audi MMI Navigation Plus becomes standard at the Premium Plus level. An S line Plus package is now available for A5 models with the 45 TFSI drivetrain that adds black exterior elements, red-painted brake calipers, leather/simulated suede upholstery, and stainless steel pedal caps. The Convenience Plus package (offered with 45 versions in Premium trim) includes the Audi Advanced Key, 8-way power-adjustable front seats with driver’s-side memory, self-dimming side mirror, Virtual Cockpit Plus, and blind-spot monitoring.

The 2-door A5 Coupe and A5 Cabriolet have been discontinued, leaving the Sportback as the last configuration for the current 2025 A5.

Our preference would be the 45 TFSI version in Premium Plus, which is also the most popular choice by quite some margin.

The closest rival would be the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, which starts a little higher than the A5 Sportback and is in the same region as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan. The Genesis G70 sedan is much more affordable.

Before buying a new A5 Sportback compact luxury car, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should be paying. Resale values are a fraction below average. Recouping more money when selling a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on the next one.

If finances allow, we suggest looking at the 261-horsepower 45 TFSI drivetrain. At least drivers will then have the kind of thrust appropriate for a luxury car, able to hit 60 mph in a respectable five seconds or so.

Compared with the base engines of other compact luxury cars, the 201 hp in the 2025 A5 Sportback 40 TFSI is modest. It will run from a standstill to 60 mph in about 7.2 seconds, just the wrong side of entertaining. We also found that it became particularly gripe-worthy when we took the first corner and realized the chassis could cope with more muscle.

Regardless of engine, the A5’s suspension has a flow to it, an effortlessness that’s only possible because engineers put in a lot of effort to make it that way. We’re impressed by the balance of comfort and control.

Fuel Economy

The 45 TFSI configuration achieves 26 mpg in combined city/highway driving; the 40 TSFI setup manages 29 mpg combined. For comparison, the 386-hp BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe returns 27 mpg combined, while the 255-hp 430i xDrive makes 29 mpg combined.

Audi vehicles, like the 2025 A5 Sportback, are invariably prime examples of automotive interior design. Just as the exterior gives the impression that every line, shape, and proportion has been studied and honed by talented, hard-working designers with good taste, so do the door panels, dashboard, controls, and center console — with the added awareness of textures. Quality pervades this cabin like heat in a sauna. Clutter is absent.

A 10.1-inch touchscreen is standard throughout, controlling a highly user-friendly infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay smartphone integration (dig out the cable for Android Auto). Leather seating surfaces are also standard.

Limousine drivers aren’t going to buy a new A5 Sportback, so the amount of rear passenger space is perfectly acceptable for a compact luxury car — enough for a couple of average-sized adults, as long as there’s no one taller in front. The added practicality of the Sportback involves a powered tailgate, 40/20/40-split folding rear seats, and cargo space that goes from 21 to 35 cubic feet.

If the A5 Sportback had come out this year, we would still say it looked fresh. Audi has given the A5 a few subtle distinctions over its close relative, the A4 sedan. Each model has its own design of hood, front air intakes and grille treatments, for example. The A5 Sportback also has a sloping roof and a hatchback instead of a conventional trunk.

Sportback
We like how Audi has given the A5 a good amount of practicality yet kept the exterior design super-sleek.

Audi Advanced Key
The A5 senses the presence of the Advanced Key, allowing drivers to open the door (or tailgate) without having to get the fob out of a pocket or purse. This function might seem small, but we’ve often found that little details make life easier.

Audi Phone Box
This feature provides wireless charging and a phone signal booster. It becomes standard at the Premium Plus level, which we say is a good trim to aim for in general because of its extra equipment.

Virtual Cockpit
Sure, it’s been around for some time, and other car makers are in on the act, but this 12.3-inch configurable digital driver information display still looks cool and remains easy to operate. Like many good things, it becomes standard in Premium Plus versions.

Bang & Olufsen audio
This 20-speaker/755-watt surround-sound system, standard from the Premium Plus trim level of the 2025 A5 Sportback lineup, puts the art into Mozart and the rave into Ravel.

Park Assist
Once an A5 Sportback driver has found a parking space, either perpendicular or parallel, this feature will apply the right degree and direction of steering. The driver just handles the gears, brakes, and throttle. It’s part of the Prestige trim.

The least powerful setup in the 2025 A5 Sportback is known as the 40 TFSI drivetrain, consisting of a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine making 201 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque and connected to a 7-speed automated transmission. All-wheel drive (AWD) is standard.

It’s the same engine and transmission in the more recommendable 45 TFSI configuration, but the output is boosted to a now-you’re-talking 261 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque.

4-Year/50,000-Mile Warranty

Audi’s new-vehicle and powertrain warranties last four years or 50,000 miles, whichever happens first. This coverage is typical among European luxury car makers. Audi also throws in four years of roadside assistance.

Safety Ratings

Earlier model years of the A5 have been named a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Last year’s version had top scores of Good in the three crash tests carried out by the institute. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has given the A5 Sportback a maximum overall score of five stars.