Written by Keith Adams and Jake Groves Updated: 25 March 2025

Overview

Should you buy one?

Yes, as it’s a highly appealing estate car – for some of you. It’s much better to drive than the old A4, is sharper than the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and isn’t that off the class-leading BMW 3 Series Touring. Overall, the A5 Avant is an excellent buy, with a lot of new design elements and cutting-edge technology to keep the car competitive for those who don’t want an electric Audi.

However, it’s a more flawed package than the BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Despite that, it’s still highly desirable. As a more sporting option than what came before before, it’s also driveable enough to challenge the BMW 3 Series Touring as the company car world’s favourite estate car.

One major advantage over the BMW is that it’s still available as a diesel. For some company car drivers that will make plumping for an A5 a no-brainer. For those who want to maximise their driving range, the possibility of 600+ miles between fuelling stops makes this rakish-looking hold-all unbeatable. Of course, if you’re after a plug-in hybrid, the Audi’s a non-starter for now, and the BMW 330e remains the top of the heap.

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What’s new?

In a move that could be confusing for some, the A5 has replaced the A4, giving the old saloon-biased model range a much-needed shot of sexiness and relevance. That means the more prestigious badge we once associated with the coupe and convertible bodystyle is available as stylish lifestyle estate or sharp-looking fastback. As for the three-box saloon – it’s gone the way of the dodo.

Back to estates, then. The A5 Avant has some classic, and hugely talented, competition. The aforementioned BMW 3 Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class are the closest, but buyers can look towards the Volvo V60 and Skoda Superb as more thoughtful alternatives. Let’s not also forget that plenty of the best SUVs offer space and refinement the Audi also provides.

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What’s it like inside?

A new generation of Audi cars brings an entirely new interior design. The A5 shares the same broad interior layout as the A6 E-Tron and Q6 E-Tron, and will also share the same tech and design with the upcoming A4 E-Tron and A7, too. Overall, it feels like a technological improvement while still maintaining the broad level of quality expected of an Audi.

Many of the car’s controls have been moved to the main screen or can be accessed via very unrewarding haptic buttons found on the steering wheel. Audi has fallen victim to the same thought process as Volkswagen, intending for these buttons to offer more functionality than may initially appear but instead making some interactions difficult. It’s also quite easy while steering around sharp corners to swipe or press the buttons by accident leading to sharp changes in audio volume, unexpected song changes or the heated steering wheel activating.

Those haptic buttons also find themselves in the enormous function panel in the driver’s door, collating things like window switches, child locks and mirror adjustments all into one single space. It’s clunky and fiddly to use and, like so many of the other gloss black materials inside, quickly gets completely covered in fingerprints. Not pretty.

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Infotainment and tech

The central screen, named the Digital Stage, is a 14.9-inch display and is designed around a significantly modernised infotainment platform. There is a huge amount of capability in this system, with a small quick-access menu, crisp graphics, a fixed set of climate toggles on the bottom row and even an AI-powered voice assistant.

Despite being daunting at first, it’s one of the easier systems to get your head around as many key functions have been made quickly available with a maximum of one or two taps. Key safety aids can be turned off or on quickly, for example. Top spec models feature a passenger display that can be used as a separate screen. While an interesting addition, we feel like it’s mostly unnecessary.

But this near-100% reliance on the touchscreen is also a negative for us. Quick changes of temperature settings, or an addition to your route plan on the sat-nav, for instance, involve diving into menus, or precise and fiddly on-screen interactions. For us, Audi’s infotainment control peaked with its button-and-knob based MMI set-up used two generations ago.

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Comfort

What’s impressed us with the A5 Avant are the seats. Granted, the only version we’ve tried this far is an Edition 1, but those top-spec seats provide a generous amount of adjustment and feel supportive. Over an extended period with the car, we’ve found them excellent, despite initially feeling rather firm to sit on.

Practicality

Overall, the A5 Avant is quite a cosy space to be in – whether you’re in the front or back. In the front, the dashboard is quite high and imposing, designed to cocoon you in the space rather than feel airy and light. The downside it that it’s easy to clatter your shins on the sharp lower edge of the dash when climbing aboard. That said, the centre console isn’t too high, and storage space is far better than older Audis.

Rear space isn’t the greatest, particularly when compared to the A5 Avant’s closest competition. Adults will feel cramped in the rear seats with limited legroom, particularly behind a tall driver. While a neat optional extra, the panoramic glass roof that features clever shading built into the glass eats into the headroom, too. 

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Boot space and storage

The A5 Avant’s boot space varies with engine choice, but even at its largest it’s not quite as big as a 3 Series Touring or C-Class estate. For the petrol models, the Avant’s boot space is measured at 476 litres with the rear seats up – 24 litres fewer than the 3 Series – or 1,424 litres with the seats down. Call this an inevitable trade off for that sloping rooflne.

If you choose the TDI diesel models, that boot capacity drops to 448 litres with the seats up, or 1,396 with them down. This is due to the addition of the fuel-saving ‘MHEV Plus’ system that takes up room in the car’s structure due to the additional battery and small electric motor.

The A5 Avant measures more than 4.8m long, which will naturally mean parking won’t be the easiest thing in the world. That said, every A5 model benefits from a 360-degree parking system with sensors and cameras to take the edge off, while the Parking Assistant Plus system can automate some of your parking manoeuvres.

Safety

Car safety testing organisation Euro NCAP scored the A5 range the maximum five stars in 2024, rating it highly in all categories. Highest score was 88% for child occupant protection. Every Audi A5 model benefits from a large range of standard safety equipment, with many options benefiting your comfort rather than your safety.

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Engines

A 2.0-litre petrol engine is available here with two states of tune: 150hp or 204hp. These are offered in all trim variants (Sport, S Line and Edition 1) and are mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox and front-wheel drive. We haven’t had a chance to drive these yet, but Audi says they are ‘state-of-the-art’ engines that improve efficiency over the outgoing versions. Audi claims a 0-62mph time of 9.8 seconds for the 150hp model, and 7.8 seconds for the 204hp model.

Like the petrol engine, A5 TDI models use a 2.0-litre diesel that develops 204hp, and can be either a front-wheel drive car or one fitted with Quattro four-wheel drive. Audi claims a 7.7sec 0-62mph time for the front-wheel drive model, and 6.9 sec for the quattro all-wheel drive version.

This new-generation diesel engine feature’s Audi’s new MHEV Plus system. This mild hybrid electric vehicle technology incorporates a small battery pack and electric motor to help drive the car, allowing for engine-off driving when in heavy traffic, as well as a sophisticated engine-off coasting function designed to help save fuel. We’ve found it sometimes a little slow to respond at junctions and roundabouts, however, introducing a jarring lurch or slightly laggy response to openings in the traffic.

For now, this is the only engine we’ve driven in the new A5 Avant and, largely, it’s impressive. What’s most noticeable (or not) is the lack of engine noise while you’re inside the car, as the A5 TDI’s vocals are kept well supressed even when driving it hard. There’s a good amount of acceleration on offer and you can feel the MHEV Plus boost under particularly heavy acceleration, while the automatic transmission shifts gears reasonably smoothly.

There aren’t any plug-in hybrid versions currently on sale, but these will join the A5 Avant range later in 2025. Audi promises good efficiency and an impressive electric-only driving range, likely to be in excess of 50 miles.

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What’s it like to drive?

This isn’t the kind of car that will rock your socks off while out on a drive, but neither does it put a foot wrong. In a nutshell, the A5 Avant is stable and surefooted out on the road with agile handling, low levels of bodyroll – lending even the entry-level models an agreeable sporting feel. Yes, it’s not brimming with feel, but neither are any of its rivals, even the 3 Series.

The A5 comes with a suite of drive modes, but in daily use, ‘Comfort’ is the best compromise on UK roads. Steering and transmission are more than responsive enough for most occasions. Choosing ‘Dynamic’ makes things unpleasantly bouncy, and ‘Efficiency’ dulls acceleration too much for our liking.

The steering is smooth and well weighted, and prioritises comfort and ease rather than sharpness. It’s far better than the old A4 Avant, though, and we’d go as far as saying it’s really not far off the BMW 3 Series Touring, which does feel more eager to turn in, and more rewarding to steer than the more comfort-oriented Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate.

So long as you don’t go mad with the wheel sizes, the ride quality is excellent. That’s thanks to standard adaptive dampers on all A5 models, with Comfort mode rounding off enough of the roughest roads. Yes, it’s joggly on particularly trying roads, but on the motorway, it’s masterful thanks to a quiet ride, low levels of noise, and fine seat comfort. The standard-fit tyres are noisy though, and can roar their disapproval on certain road surfaces.

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Ownership costs and maintenance

For now, the diesel models with their standard MHEV Plus system models are the best in terms of claimed fuel economy. If you want the highest possible figure, you’re most likely to get it with the front-wheel drive TDI 204hp model, which reaches between 50.4-57.6mpg in WLTP testing, and in the real world, will happily top 45mpg. That said, when used properly, the upcoming plug-in hybrid models will fare better.

Audi’s servicing and warranty are broadly the industry standard. In the UK, every model comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty as standard. The brand offers a range of servicing plans for cars of all ages, including the All-In Servicing plan that covers two services, two MOTs, two years of roadside assistance and two years additional warranty.

Audi, being part of the VW Group, generally fares well when it comes to reliability. That said, the A5 Avant uses an all new chassis architecture (named Premium Platform Combustion) which is only just beginning to be rolled out. During our tests, we’ve also experienced software glitches and various random warning lights. One particular instance was the failure of the traffic sign recognition system, which was unable to read road signs properly.

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What models and trims are available?

The A5 Avant can be had with petrol and diesel engines, with plug-in hybrids to come, and is available with front- or Quattro all-wheel drive. All use an automatic gearbox. Three trims are offered, and there’s a good selection of equipment to choose from.

Like some other recent models in Audi’s refreshed range, new engine technologies like MHEV Plus are designed to eke out better fuel economy without the need of a full or plug-in hybrid. That said, Audi says it will offer PHEV versions of the A5 later in 2025.

For our full, expert verdict on the Audi A5 Avant, as well as to learn what it’s like to live with over an extended period, keep reading. Does its undeniable prestige and quality make up for some of its practicality shortcomings?  If you’d like to learn more about how we reached our decision on the car, check out our how we test cars explainer page.