Audi A5 (2007-2016) Review

The Audi A5 Coupe is stylish and desirable - but neither the most high-tech or exciting car

Strengths & weaknesses

  • Handsome styling
  • Solid build quality
  • Efficient diesel engines
  • Starting to feel old
  • Uncomfortable ride on some models
  • BMW 4 Series is more fun to drive

This Audi A5 is a sporty-looking coupe that was replaced by a new version in 2016. It's still handsome, though and the fact there's a newer verion available means that there are plenty of good value used Audi A5 offers to choose from.  

It shares mechanical parts with the Audi A4 family car, but is designed to look more stylish, with only two doors. Audi has a reputation for well-designed interiors, but this A5 feels notably older than the company's current range and feels it. Its dated and cluttered dashboard looks like it comes from another era compared with the clean design and high-tech luxury of the new Audi A5 Coupe and rivals such as the BMW 4 Series and Mercedes C-Class coupe.

The A5 does have plenty of room inside for front-seat passengers but those in the rear have less headroom because of the sloping roof.

A more practical version, called the A5 Sportback, was also available, mixing the A5 Coupe’s curvy design with two additional rear doors and a hatchback bootlid. Another model in the range, the two-door Audi A5 convertible is also available for top-down driving.

On the road, the Audi A5 is relatively comfortable on poor road surfaces in entry-level SE trim (sporty S line models are more uncomfortable because they have harder suspension). It’s stable in corners, where it doesn’t lean too much or lose grip, even at high speeds. However, the A5 lacks the fun factor of the BMW 4 Series, which makes you feel more involved as a driver. The BMW darts left or right more quickly when you steer and allows you to feel the precise angle of the tyre and its remaining grip through the steering wheel.

The diesel versions feel powerful and have impressive economy figures but the smaller petrol engines seem slower in comparison and have higher running costs. More powerful petrol models - including the Audi S5 and super-fast Audi RS5 - give you sports car-style acceleration with even higher running costs.

Four-wheel drive is optional on several models, badged quattro, and is standard on the more powerful versions, and offers more control on slippery surfaces. These cars are also available with the slick 'S tronic' automatic gearbox, which is smoother and quieter than the 'multitronic' automatic gearbox on non-quattro A5 models.

The A5 hasn't been independently crash tested, but it’s based on the A4 saloon which scored a full five stars when it was assessed.

 

Key facts

Warranty 3 years, 60,000 miles
Boot size 455-litres
Width 1854mm
Length 4626mm
Height 1372mm
Road tax (min to max) £0-£870

Best Audi A5 for...

Best for Economy – Audi A5 2.0 TDI SE Ultra

The A5 2.0 TDI Ultra is the most efficient engine in the range, returning a claimed 67.3mpg and CO2 emissions of just 109g/km, meaning road tax will only cost you £20 a year after the first year.

Best for Families – Audi A5 Sportback 2.0 TDI 190 S line Nav Multitronic

The Sportback version of the A5 is easily the best option for families because it’s a five-door car (four side doors and a hatchback bootlid), plus you can opt for a five-seat version.

Best for Performance – Audi RS5 Coupe

The RS5 coupe is powered by a supersized 4.2-litre engine, producing 444hp and emitting a dramatic engine sound. It’ll go onto a limited top speed of 155mph, while quattro four-wheel drive provides plenty of grip for driving the car quickly.

One to Avoid – Audi A5 2.0 TFSI SE quattro S tronic

The A5 in this spec is quite a niche choice. SE trim doesn’t look that exciting and doesn’t show off the the car’s sleek lines very well, while the 2.0 TFSI engine only returns just over 40mpg.

History

  • March 2007 Audi A5 launched in the UK starting from £30,175
  • August 2007 3.2 FSI petrol and 2.7 TDI diesel engines join the range
  • October 2007 1.8 TFSI petrol engine added to the range in Sport trim
  • July 2008 2.0 TFSI replaces 1.8 TFSI engine
  • November 2008 New 2.0 TDI diesel added to the range with 53mpg claimed economy
  • July 2011 Audi A5 is updated with tweaked lights, bumpers and interior, as well as more efficient engines. The A5 Sportback gets the option of three rear seats.
  • February 2012 Frugal A5 TDIe version added to the range with claimed economy of up to 64.2mpg
  • March 2014 Audi A5 TDI Ultra launched
  • May 2016 Audi A5 SE discontinued

Understanding Audi A5 names

Engine 2.0 TFSI

Each model name shows the engine size in litres, followed by a series of letters that indicate whether uses petrol (TFSI) or diesel (TDI).

Trim S line

The higher the trim level, the more equipment is fitted as standard. The Audi A5 range starts at SE, moves up to S line and at the top of the range is Black Edition Plus. There’s a slight difference for the A5 Sportback where SE trim is replaced by SE Technik.

Driven wheels quattro

Four-wheel drive Audi A5s are badged 'quattro'.

Gearbox S tronic

Buyers can choose between a manual gearbox and automatic options. Quattro four-wheel drive cars have a more sophisticated gearbox called S tronic that changes gear more quickly. Other models have a 'multitronic' gearbox, which is less smooth.

Audi A5 Engines

Petrol - 1.8 TFSI, 2.0 TFSI, 3.0 TFSI (S5) and 4.2 FSI (RS5)

Diesel - 2.0 TDI Ultra, 2.0 TDI and 3.0 TDI

The Audi A5 coupe might be an old design, but the engines were updated throughout the car’s life to improve performance and economy.

Diesel engines offer the best mix of these two elements. The least-powerful 2.0-litre TDI Ultra is economy-focused, and has an official fuel economy figure of 67mpg. Like most other cars on sale, you should expect this to be lower with real-world driving. With 163hp, it doesn’t feel slow, but a more powerful version of the engine - with 190hp - offers more power which cuts the 0-62mph acceleration time by 0.5sec to 7.5sec. It still has a claimed fuel economy of just over 60mpg and is available with four-wheel drive.

If you want a diesel engine to match the car’s sporty looks, though, the 3.0-litre TDI has 245hp and accelerates from 0-62mph in 5.7sec - considerably quicker. It’s only available as a quattro, with four-wheel drive, and cost around £4,000 more new. Official fuel economy drops to 45mpg.

The least powerful petrol engines don’t feel as strong as the diesels unless you work them hard, even though both the 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre versions have similar levels of power as their diesel equivalents. Official fuel economy figures are considerably worse, by almost 20mpg and real-world driving will lower them even further,

If you’re buying the Audi S5 with the top-of-the-range 3.0-litre, 333 horsepower engine, then fuel economy is unlikely to be top of your priority list. The 0-62mph acceleration time of 4.9sec will help distract you from the frequent fill-ups that a 36mpg car requires.

 

Fuel economy

Power

Acceleration

top speed

1.8 TFSI

48.7mpg

177hp

7.9 secs

143mph

2.0 TFSI

41.5mpg

230hp

6.4 secs

155mph

3.0 TFSI S5

35.8mpg

328hp

4.9 secs

155mph

2.0 TDI Ultra

67.3mpg

163hp

8.3 secs

140mph

2.0 TDI 190

60.1mpg

190hp

7.5 secs

149mph

3.0 TDI

45mpg

245hp

5.7 secs

155mph

Audi A5 Trims

SE, S line, Black Edition Plus

Considering that official Audi A5 prices started at almost £30,000, it’s disappointing that the car didn’t come with sat-nav as standard. But that’s the only real complaint about equipment levels on the car.

In cheapest SE specification, the A5 is fitted with 17-inch alloy wheels, leather seats, heated front seats, a 10-speaker sound system, parking sensors and three-zone climate control, which allows you to set different air temperatures for each of the front passengers and the rear occupants.

For around £2,000 more, S line trim added sat-nav, along with higher-quality leather on upgraded sports seats, which offer more side support. Headlights are brighter xenon versions, and the car looks sportier with chunky add-ons to the A5’s side and bumpers. It’s fitted with larger 18-inch alloy wheels and also has sports suspension fitted, which is meant to make the car even more stable when cornering but also makes the ride harder and less comfortable.

Black Edition Plus added around £1,500 to the cost of the Audi A5, increasing the size of the alloy wheels to 19 inches, and upgrading the stereo to a Bang & Olufsen system. There are black panels in place of aluminium ones inside the car. Outside, the mirrors, grille and other body parts are also in black.

Audi A5 Reliability and warranty

Audi might trade on its reputation for quality German engineering, but its three-year warranty isn’t particularly generous because it’s limited to 60,000 miles: if you drive further within the first three years then your cover immediately stops. You can pay to extend the warranty to five years and 90,000 miles, though.

Not enough A5 owners responded to the Auto Express Driver Power satisfaction survey for the car to be ranked. Those that did reply were generally impressed with the car’s build quality but some complained of unexplained rattles in the bodywork.

Aftermarket warranty companies, which cover cars once they are outside the manufacturer warranty period don’t rate the reliability of older A5s. Warranty Direct ranks the A5 as the least reliable coupe in a limited list of 11, below two Alfa Romeos. Warrantywise puts older Audis just below average when it comes to reliability.

Some early Audi A5s, built before 2012 and fitted with 2.0-litre petrol engines had a problem which meant that they used vast amounts of oil, which regularly needed topping up. It’s unlikely you’ll come across one of these now with this issue as they should have been repaired free of charge under a special programme launched by Audi. 

Used Audi A5

With only a limited number of people willing to sacrifice the practicality of a four-door family car for a more expensive two-door coupe, these cars can lose a lot of value and the A5 is no exception. New models typically lost more than half of their list price in the first three years. And with deep discounts on offer before the car was phased out, those used prices have dropped lower, which is good news for second-hand buyers.

S line trim suits the Audi A5 well, with high equipment levels and sportier looking additions to the outside. However, its suspension is harder, which means that the car is more uncomfortable over poor roads, so some may prefer to look for an Audi A5 SE with lots of options fitted.

If you’re buying a petrol model built before 2012, you can check with Audi to see if it was affected by the excessive oil consumption issue that cost some owners hundreds of pounds in oil top-ups, and ensure that it has been fixed. 

Other Editions

A5 (2016)

The Audi A5 is a stylish coupe that offers plenty of comfort and a high-quality feel throughout, with a broad choice of engines

A5 Cabriolet (2017)

The Audi A5 Cabriolet is a stylish convertible with a focus on comfort and interior quality

A5 Sportback (2017)

The Audi A5 Sportback is a more practical, but still stylish, model in the sporty A5 range