Audi A5 Sportback Review

Audi A5 Sportback

The Audi A5 Sportback offers a generous amount of standard kit including a first-class MMI infotainment system, a luscious interior cabin and ample engine options.

Overall Verdict

The Audi A5 Sportback is a great looking car, albeit with a somewhat divisive body-style. It looks like a coupe with a sloping rear roof - it definitely won't be to everyone's taste. The interior is as nice as you'd expect from an Audi. The MMI infotainment system is excellent, as is the Audi Virtual Cockpit option, which is particularly good when used with Audi's sat-nav. Aesthetically, the A5 is definitely up there with the likes of the Jaguar XE and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Base trims offer generous amounts of tech, and engine options are plentiful. The car drives well - it’s comfortable and plenty of fun. There's plenty of engine options available, and an option of a six-speed manual, or a seven-speed automatic gearbox. The diesel engine options steal the show, with excellent fuel economy and performance. You can opt for a front-wheel-drive option, or go for a quattro engine, which is Audi's all-wheel-drive system. This increases CO2 emissions slightly, but it's not too bad.  

It's definitely not as sporty as the likes of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, but it doesn't really try to be. The A5 Sportback is an executive car through and through, and favours comfort and smooth driving over sporty thrills.

The Sportback offers significantly more practicality than the two-door Audi A5 Coupe. There's much more space in the rear seats, and the boot space is much larger. There's plenty of headroom for tall drivers/passengers. 

It's not all impressive though. The reliability ratings are poor, and the passenger space isn’t great. The Audi A4 offers more or less everything the Audi A5 Sportback does, for a much cheaper price. 

Overall though, the A5 offers an (albeit small) step-up from the A4 for those that want that little bit extra. It makes for an excellent car, and the Sportback body-style is a great option, whether you need a company car or just something luxurious for the family. 

If you're deliberating between models, be sure to check out our Audi A4 vs A5 post for a full run down of the pros and cons of each.

Available Trims

Sport

The A5 Sport trim comes with 17-inch alloy wheels and electrically adjustable front seats with four-way lumbar adjustment. It also comes with three-zone climate control to keep everyone happy, as well as Android Auto/Apple CarPlay.

S Line

The S Line is the next step up, offering a lower sport suspension, 18-inch alloy wheels, and LED headlights. There's also a sportier interior design, such as 'S line' touches on door openings, sports seats, and the stainless steel pedals.

Black Edition

The Black Edition is similar to the S Line, with the addition of a more intimidating colour scheme. Mirrors, some bodykit, and the grille are all in timeless black. On the inside, the A5 is equipped with dark leather/alcantara interior upholstery. With 20-inch alloy wheels, full LED headlights, the Black Edition is a great trim option.

Vorsprung

The A5 Vorsprung is the ultimate spec. As well as everything included on lower trims, you get matrix LED headlights with handy auto-dimming tech, heated front-seats, and adaptive suspension to keep you comfortable while driving on pothole-ridden roads.

Why not check out our Audi A5 Sportback lease deals page to see more than 30 offers from the UK's best leasing brokers. Our deals are each and every day.

Exterior

A hatchback with coupe-esque styling, the A5 Sportback has a rather unique look. The roofline slopes towards the back of the car, adding to the useability of the cars boot. The Sportback is undoubtedly the best Audi A5 body style for those with a family.

The Sportback will undoubtedly divide drivers. The steep slope at the back of the car contrasts the coupe vibe of the rest of the body, and many people would prefer more of a strict hatchback look, rather than the Sportback sitting on the fence.

Driving Experience

The entry-level A5 Sportback option is the 35 TFSI S Tronic, in the Sport trim. This has a respectable 0-62mph of 9.1 seconds with 150 bhp. It also provides decent efficiency, netting 41.5 mpg. It's neither ultra-fast, nor particularly efficient, but for the price it's a decent compromise. 

 A popular mid-range option is the 35 TDI S Tronic, available in all trims (we’d recommend the mid-range S Line). Like the entry-level, the 35 TDI achieves 0-62mph in 9.1 seconds… However, it delivers an incredible 62.8 mpg! This 7-speed automatic diesel is an excellent option for those that want the cheapest running costs possible. 

Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system is an absolute must for maximum performance. It’s no surprise then that the cream of the crop is the 45 TFSI quattro S Tronic, which goes from 0-62mph in an incredible 6.0 seconds! With an mpg of 41.5, and a beefy BHP of 245, this car knows how to perform without costing a fortune in fuel. This comes at a cost of course, with this model being around £10k more than our entry level pick. (£45,240 to £34,525 respectively.) 

Driving Position

The A5 offers a sportier driving position than the A4, keeping you closer to the road. The driver's seat is exceptionally comfortable and has plenty of adjustability options. The steering wheel offers a nice grip, and it’s also highly customisable, so you can find the perfect driving position for your build. Both short and tall drivers will have no problem finding a great driving position in the Audi A5 Sportback. 

Handling

Audi's are always fun to drive, and the A5 Sportback is no different. It feels weighty and sticks to the road around corners. While it's undoubtedly fun to drive, it's not quite at the level of close-rivals BMW, who's 4 Series still has the edge on the A5. 

Suspension

The A5's base model, the Sport, has a fairly soft suspension. This works well at keeping you comfortable while driving over bumps in the road. The sportier lines, like the S Line, are quite a bit firmer. For the higher models, we recommend opting for the optional adaptive dampers, which offers a comfort mode for when you're not in a sporty mood and just want to get to work in relative peace!

Audi A5 Sportback Interior

Audi models typically have a distinctive interior style. Equal parts sporty and luxurious, the A5 Sportback is a great looking car inside. 

Styling

It’s obvious that the interior materials are of a premium quality. The soft-touch plastics feel high-class, and the leather steering wheel is particularly nice, offering a great driving grip. The dashboard is well designed, managing to look minimalist and high tech at the same time.

Tech

The tech on even the base model (Sport) is exceptional. All models get the Audi MMI colour infotainment screen (7 inch) that's slap-bang in the centre of the dashboard. It's easy to use, and is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible. The virtual cockpit makes following Sat Nav directions an absolute breeze, and it's so intuitive to use, so you’re not getting stressed out at your partner about what turn to take. This feature has likely saved many marriages.

Practicality

The A5 Sportback is fairly practical, but it's nothing special. The boot space is okay, but it’s not as good as a true hatchback. The interior space is also fairly limited, which some taller passengers won’t appreciate.

Dimensions

4,733 mm L x 1,843 mm W x 1,386 mm 

The A5 isn’t massively different size-wise than the A4. While the sportback looks good and offers a big boot, you compromise on the comfort of passengers in the rear seats.

Boot Size

Seats up - 480 litres

Seats down -  980 litres 

Side door storage is a bit disappointing, while the front and rear door-bins are rather small. Centre and back console offer plenty of space for drinks, though. With the seats down, the boot space is pretty good for it’s class and should be enough for the vast majority of people. With the seats up, there’s plenty of room for the weekly shop.

Passenger Room

Due to the sloped roofline, there's less headroom than in the Audi A4 Saloon. This is even worse in the back, and is disappointing when compared to competitors like the BMW 4 Series or the Jaguar XE.

It's much the same story with legroom, which is average at best. If you’re going to be carrying adult passengers in the rear a lot, you might get a few complaints.

Audi A5 Sportback Rear Seats

Safety Features

The Audi A5 Sportback is 5 Star Euro NCAP rated, so it’s as safe a car as you can buy right now. Audi’s safety features also make your chances of an accident even smaller, with adaptive lane-keeping assistance and automatic emergency braking as standard on all trims. 

Running Costs

Audi tends to make fairly economical engines, and the Audi A5 Sportback variants are no different. While the diesels steal the MPG limelight, the petrol engines are still fairly efficient for the power they produce.

MPG

The Audi A5 Sportback has a pretty good fuel economy, with MPGs ranging from 42 mpg for the high-performing petrol engines and up to 63 mpg for the efficient diesel engines. The seven-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox is smooth as silk, and makes sure you’re using your precious fuel as efficiently as possible. While the six-speed manual transmission also makes for seamless driving, you’re unlikely to get the same kind of fuel efficiency.

CO2 Emissions

Audi A5's CO2 emissions are lowest on the 40 Tdi Sport, at 118g/km, and highest on the 45 TFSI quattro, at 155g/km. While nothing special, these figures are decent for a traditionally fueled car of this size.

Insurance Group

Insurance premiums for the Audi A5 Sportback will be pretty high. The entry level 2.0-litre TDI options starts at group 28, with the highest performing models coming in at an insane group 41. You can expect around group 32 for a mid range A5 Sportback option.

While these groups are quite high, it’s in line with similarly equipped rivals, like the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe.

Reliability

The A5 has a fairly poor reliability index score, with average repair costs coming in at a whopping £781.83. That being said, many of Audi's reliability issues can be prevented with regular servicing, and Audi offers a reasonable warranty as well, should things go wrong.

Warranty

The standard Audi warranty lasts 3 years/60,000 miles with an option to upgrade to an Audi extended warranty when it ends. With brands like Kia offering huge 7 year warranties, this is nothing special. Audi’s fellow German rivals BMW also offer a better warranty - offering 3 years with no mileage limit. It’s better, however, than Mercedes 2 year/50,000 mile warranty.

Servicing

For those who drive short distances and in town a lot, Audi recommends a fixed service schedule - every 9,000 miles or 1 year. 

If you’re typically driving long distances on the motorway, they recommend flexible - up to 19,000 miles or every 2 years. 

For an easy life, consider the ‘Audi Complete Plan’. This is available when you buy a new car from Audi, and you can pay monthly instalments for 3 types of scheduled maintenance.

 The 3 types are: 

• Service - all services for the first 3 years.

• Service and maintenance - same as above but with engine, suspension, gearbox, and brake components cover. You also get three years breakdown cover added in!

• Service, maintenance, tyres - All of the above but covers any issues with tyres, including replacement as needed (fair wear and tear applies).