2025 Audi A5 review: Fun but underfunded
Part of this sleek, compact executive car makes you want to take the long way home. The other part might not
LET’S begin with the good stuff. The Audi A5 is basically the new A4 in a sleeker suit, and on the road it’s a delight. The engine isn’t buttery smooth but it pulls with real purpose, and the chassis is tuned with a deft hand, leaving you with a car that’s agile but not darty, and supple without being squishy. Drive it hard and it responds like a dance partner who’s in tune with how you move.
The front seats hold you well, and the ride is a welcome change from the sport utility vehicle norm – calmer and less fidgety. Driving it made me want to take the long way home.
But Audi has been spending big on developing electric cars, and some of the money for that must have come from the A5’s interior, where things feel more French than German.
The plastics feel flimsier than before. One massive, untextured panel in front of the front passenger looks like an afterthought. The steering wheel feels like a bargain-bin item. They’ve crammed 18 virtual buttons onto a single touch-sensitive panel.
Audi once set the standard for cabin quality, but no longer does.
The screens are sharp and the cabin lighting is pure lounge bar, but the driver displays are as plain as toast without butter. Still, you can change the external light patterns, in case your priorities lie outside the car.
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Rear seat space isn’t generous, especially in the middle. If you have offspring, a Mercedes C-Class makes a stronger case as a junior executive shuttle.
Judging from the A5’s stylish silhouette, it’s meant to be the kind of car that you buy as a treat to yourself. It feels that way when you drive it and look at it, but doesn’t when you sit in it.
Audi A5 Sedan Edition 1
Engine 1,984cc, in-line 4 turbocharged Power 204 hp from 4,300 to 6,000 rpm Torque 340 Nm from 2,000 to 4,000 rpm Gearbox 7-speed dual-clutch automatic 0 to 100 kmh 7.8 seconds Top speed 248 kmh Fuel efficiency 6.9 L/100 km Agent Audi Singapore Price S$310,999 with Certificate of Entitlement Available Now
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