Audi S5 Avant 2025: Australian first drive

Audi is in a bit of strife in Australia, with sales down 20 percent this year on an already slow 2024, yet arch rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz are growing.

Ingolstadt is in the middle of a massive product renewal, though, which began with the electric Q4 and Q6 in Australia. The new A5 and S5 are the latest ground-up petrol models based on Audi’s new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) platform and will be followed later this year by the new Q5 SUV.

You’re probably aware that the ‘B10’ A5 and S5 actually replace the A4 and S4 in Audi’s short-lived new naming convention, but we’re not going to labour the point. The S5 we spent most of our time in is a direct rival to the BMW M340i, Mercedes-AMG C43, and Genesis G70 3.3T.

Available in sedan — actually a five-door liftback — and long-roofed Avant guises, the new A5 and S5 grow in every dimension compared to the ‘B9’ A4. The wheelbase has stretched 70mm and the body is now 65mm longer and 13mm wider; the new car promises greater space and comfort.

It’s a step-change in design philosophy. The A4’s strictly business sharp lines and crisp creases have been abandoned with the S5 taking on more organic, EV-like shapes.

Perhaps a touch anonymous in pictures, in the flesh the Avant wagon’s proportions are just right, with smart detailing including customisable Matrix LED light signatures plus deep, lustrous paint giving the impression of expense.

Technology has been boosted massively, too, with onboard ChatGPT, up to three touchscreens and integrated mobile data. Sounds all grown up, then. But how does the S5 measure up in the real world?

What are the S5 Avant’s features and options for the price?

The Audi A5 range opens with a $79,900 (before on-road costs) TFSI S Line model that drives the front wheels and our tested S5 sits at the top of the tree: $114,900 for the sedan, or $117,900 for the S5 Avant, both before on-road costs

Audi is going to fill out the line-up with two mid-spec variants, the newly-named TFSI Quattro that replaces the previous best-selling 45 TFSI S Line model at $89,990 and a new e-hybrid plug-in hybrid variant.

Pictured: Audi S5 Avant (left) and A4 TFSI S Line sedan (right)

Big news for the 270kW PHEV is price parity with the petrol car, which outputs 70kW and 100Nm less without a battery. Plus, you get 87km of electric-only driving range — this ought to be a strong seller.

Audi has cut convertible and coupe, while merging sedan and Sportback body styles into one for the new A5/S5 range, yet there is a broad spread of wagons available.

Unlike the rival BMW 3 Series Touring which only comes in 330i or M3 variants, Audi will sell you any trim bar base TFSI S Line with a wagon-body for $3000 more than a sedan.

You can cut your spend by choosing the limited-run S5 Edition One, which looks like a real bargain at $99,900, before on-road costs. It gets an exterior black pack and suede-cloth upholstery but misses the passenger touchscreen, adaptive dampers, and downsizes to 19-inch alloy wheels, compared to the full-fruit S5.

The Audi S5 is equipped with the following features:

• Matrix LED headlights, rear OLED taillights
• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Adaptive dampers
• Digital key
• Head-up display (HUD)
• 11.9-inch digital driver’s display
• 14.5-inch centre touchscreen
• Front passenger display
• Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
• 16-speaker B&O 3D sound system
• Wireless charging pad
• Tri-zone climate control
• Interactive ambient lighting
• Fine Nappa leather upholstery
• Heated and ventilated front seats w/ massage function
• Heated rear outboard seats
• Heated flat top and bottom steering wheel w/ shift paddles
• Rear 100W USB-C chargers

Optional extras are fairly thin on the ground and are not cheap, like the $980 headrest speakers for the B&O sound system, $2490 exterior black pack, or $4990 panoramic sunroof with electrochromatic blind.

Customisation is strong, though, with Audi offering seven paint colours including pictured Ascari Blue ($1200) and rich Grenadine Red, plus there’s a choice of extensive Exclusive Individual options. Red leather is a no-cost option in S models.

How does the S5 Avant drive?

The Audi S5’s leaves overwhelming impressions of maturity, sophistication and warmth. It is, genuinely, a lovely car to drive, balancing stellar cross-country pace with a sense of unflappability you’d expect of a large car tuned for German Autobahns.

We’ll start with the engine. Audi’s new 48-volt MHEV+ system features in the S5, and it splits the difference between mild — as in older Audis — and strong — like a Toyota RAV4’s — hybrid system.

In car parks, the S5 will trundle around in silence, on electric power alone, at up to about 15km/h if you’re gentle on the 18kW motor. The system’s 1.7kWh battery also permits extended stop-start cycles at traffic lights, though in Comfort or Efficiency drive modes you can get caught out with a slow take-off as the S5 prioritises EV frugality over rapidity.

Coasting happens when the engine isn’t needed and there’s also regenerative braking, which is set in auto mode as standard and uses the adaptive cruise sensors to seamlessly slow the S5 in line with traffic ahead — as long as braking isn’t too aggressive.

Speaking of, the brake pedal has a spongy layer at the top, but firms up as you get into the meat of it. And hauling up 2040kg (unladen, including driver) from 100-0km/h in 32.8 metres proves the S5’s stoppers have awesome power.

It’s a similar story with the steering, which is light and breezy in Comfort, yet provides a firm (if still electronically remote) feeling in Dynamic.

There are four drive modes, with only one offering any customisation; quite different to the systems popping up in sport-oriented BMW and Mercedes-AMG products with bewildering numbers of settings.

Individual drive mode offers a pleasing Balanced setting for the S5’s adaptive dampers, it sits between Comfort and Dynamic and is very much Goldilocks in terms of absorption and focus, judged to perfection on the motorway and country roads.

The 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 and new ‘S-Tronic’ seven-speed dual-clutch are untethered from drive modes. Instead, to ratchet up response you slide the oblong gear toggle back towards you to put the transmission in ‘S’.

The gearbox then goes from refined gear-surfer to hard-edged operator, crisply down-shifting under brakes and holding ratios just so. The plasticky wheel-mounted shift paddles were only used twice on test — a testament to the quick-witted ’box.

It’s also the secret to the S5’s new-found straight-line speed. Audi claims a 0-100km/h sprint of 4.5 seconds — four tenths faster than the old S4 Avant despite having ‘only’ 10kW and 50Nm more and weighing an extra 230kg.

Engaging launch control by selecting ESC Sport, then mashing brake and throttle, builds revs and expertly dumps the clutch, rocketing the all-wheel-drive S5 off the line. We timed the S5 Avant from 0-100km/h at 4.4 seconds.

It does lack a bit of top-end bite, with the 270kW peak found at 5500-6300 rpm, just below the fairly-low 6500 rpm red line (peak torque is 550Nm). But that’s for the coming M3- and C63-rivalling RS5 to sort out.

Audi says the S5 differentiates itself from cooking models with brake torque vectoring, progressive steering, tweaked sway bars, and unique negative camber settings.

It was the RS5’s adjustability that caught us by surprise, though. Fast Audis have been maligned in the past for being rapid and secure but without nuance — the S5 follows the RS3’s lead and cures this.

A sharp front end leads proceedings, and with some deft trail braking the S5’s bum will wiggle on the way into a corner.

Sometimes, you don’t feel that committed but still want rotation. That’s okay, because with the standard Quattro Sport electronically-controlled limited-slip differential on the rear axle, on-power adjustability is also available.

Even with fairly demure 245/35 R20 Pirelli P Zero rubber on both axles, there’s minimal understeer in the S5 though there is a sense computer systems are doing quite a lot of work in the background. We’d also love some more exhaust noise inside — though crucially, the S5 is never boring.

It doubles down with a fantastic, partially Australian-tuned (and globally exported) ride quality that is compliant without ever being squishy. And even Dynamic mode isn’t too harsh. The S5 is a truly effortless long-distance tourer with brilliant road noise insulation.

Comfortable, exceedingly refined and yet with enough mongrel to make you smile, the new S5 has more breadth than ever. Better to drive than a BMW M340i? It’d be a close battle…

What is the S5 Avant’s interior and tech like?

Building on the S5’s new-found big-car-feel is cabin design almost entirely borrowed from the Q6 E-tron — three screen set-up and all.

Where the A4/S4 that came before were built around physical controls and transitioned to touch command over time, the A5/S5 architecture is all about the finger. A large 14.5-inch touchscreen sits in the centre, angled towards the driver.

There’s an intelligent control hierarchy and Audi’s signature haptic feedback, which gives a positive sense of connection when tapping on the move. Clever touches like shortcuts to disable often-annoying driver assistance features (like lane-keep and driver monitoring) can be customised separately.

At the bottom of the screen is a persistent bar of climate control shortcuts, including temperature, three auto programs, recirculate, along with heating/ventilation control for the front seats. These remain present when wireless mirroring Apple CarPlay or Android Auto for fuss-free operation.

Standard fitment is a warm, powerful 16-speaker B&O 3D sound system, with optional headrest speakers we didn’t think were totally necessary.

It is not all upside, the new car, which loses the ability to show a full-screen navigation map, like you could in the previous-gen A4/S4.

We’d love to see greater integration of phone-derived maps instead — Audi’s proven it can place Waze and Google Maps into driver’s displays before with the ergonomic triumph that was the TT sports car.

And the touch capacitive buttons steering wheel buttons, which may be slick when stopped with a slide of the right thumb easily adjusting volume, are too easy to accidentally bump on the move. The foibles here inside are small, though.

An integrated sim gives the car connectivity, and there’s the ability to set up various profiles in the car that store each driver’s preferences along with digital key functionality.

The S5’s standard passenger touchscreen allows control of navigation, has vehicle read-outs, and even allows web browsing with downloadable apps; a privacy filter blocks the driver from being distracted.

The new S5 has moved beyond the 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class for cabin technology, but it won’t be long before the others fight back.

Comfort is also impressive, with quilted Nappa leather-upholstered bucket seats set low, offering supreme electric adjustment with powered steering column and two-position memory. The seats figure hugging, yet not constrictive.

Initially, we noted the driving position and pedals were not quite centred, though this wasn’t a persistent annoyance.

Materials include soft leather door tops and extended leather that hangs down below the centre console. Yet there is some noticeable cheapness in areas, like the hard plastic below the armrest and excessive use of fingerprint-loving piano black.

Audi’s new steering wheel is fine, but not an improvement. The old S4/S5’s smaller, more circular item is preferable.

Cabin storage is fair, with two up holders in the centre, a covered cubby under the squishy, adjustable armrest, and well-placed wireless charging pad. Shame the door bins aren’t insulated with felt or rubber, because bottles rattle around.

Back seats are improved with greater headroom and a smidge more legroom plus a supportive bench that makes this car comfortable for four full-grown adults, though the Audi S5’s rear quarters still aren’t huge.

You wouldn’t want five onboard for very long, as there’s a tall transmission tunnel and raised centre cushion.

Second row amenities aren’t bad with heated outboard seats, a third climate zone, fast-charging USB-C points and good ventilation.

Audi lists the new S5 Avant’s luggage capacity at 448L, which is better than the previous S4 Avant’s listed 420L. Being a wagon, the space is square so as to easily accomodate large items, and you can load to the roof.

A roll-back cargo cover, power tailgate, boot net, single netted cubby, 12-volt socket, LED lighting and 40/20/40-split rear bench make the S5’s a practical boot. But it isn’t perfect, with no underfloor storage or spare tyre — the S5 only has a puncture repair kit.

Folding the second row flat is easy with remote tabs. The load space becomes flatter than before, too, perfect for carrying bikes.

Is the S5 Avant a safe car?

The Audi A5 and S5 received five stars in 2024 Euro NCAP safety testing. This is yet to be converted to an ANCAP rating.

Audi fits a complement of advanced driver-assistance systems which are mostly helpful, and the annoying bits (like over-speed beeping) can be easily — and permanently — disabled.

Adaptive cruise control tuning is typically instant, with natural following distances and smooth, human-like speed management. We did experience one instance of ‘phantom braking’ with the S5 deciding to hit the anchors unprompted, travelling at a constant speed with no traffic around.

Disappointingly, the S5 is not equipped with Audi’s more advanced semi-autonomous driving feature with lane tracing on the motorway, just lane-keep assist. Audi says this feature will come in a year-model update, and existing owners will be able to have the software installed by a dealer.

A full list of the Audi S5’s safety features can be found below:

• Auto emergency braking
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Driver-attention monitoring
• Safe exit warning
• Lane-departure warning
• Lane-keep assist
• Park assist
• Adaptive cruise control
• 360-degree camera
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Traffic sign recognition

What are the S5 Avant’s ownership costs?

Audi covers the S5 and all of its models with a five-year/unlimited kilometres warranty in Australia.

This is now the standard for premium carmakers, with BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus all offering similar guarantees. Mainstream brands now offer longer warranties, with seven years fast becoming the standard.

Servicing is due every 12 months or 15,000km and will cost $3540 over five years/75,000km, if you pay up front for Audi’s pre-paid package. A BMW 3 Series is a little cheaper ($2475) but a Mercedes-AMG C43 is nearly double the outlay at $6810.

The S5 requires 95RON premium unleaded petrol, and thanks to its hybrid system drinks 0.74L/100km less petrol than its predecessor in the WLTP combined cycle.

In Australian ADR combined figures, the S5 is rated at 7.2L/100km. We saw a reasonable 9.0L/100km over our test period, though that will climb to 10L/100km in town and jump higher if you’re regularly indulging in the warbly V6’s generous grunt.

The honest verdict on the S5 Avant

In the case of the A5, Audi’s decision to change the name of its mid-size car feels justified. It’s bigger in every dimension, has greater bandwidth and feels grown-up — almost like an A6, funnily enough.

With expensive options and too much piano black inside, the new Audi S5 Avant isn’t perfect but comes mighty close to the ideal daily express. It’s comfortable, bloody quick, and very sophisticated.

That it’s available in a practical wagon body style is icing on the cake.

Audi’s done a great job with the new S5 and Australian tuning has clearly helped its prowess. With such a strong handling base, we can’t wait to see how the coming RS5 shapes up.