Audi A5 2024: Prices, specs and release date

• New Audi A5 saloon and Avant are replacements for Audi A4 range
• Remain powered solely by combustion engines
• Based on a brand new platform
• UK ordering opens 13 August 2024 with first deliveries from November

The new Audi A5 saloon and Audi A5 Avant estate have been revealed ahead of going on sale later this summer to replace today’s Audi A4 range.

The name change represents a new strategy for Audi – combustion-engined cars such as the new Audi A5 will have ‘odd’ model numbers, with pure electric cars having ‘even’ numbers.

The launch of the new Audi A5 comes 30 years after the roll-out of the original Audi A4, which replaced the 1980s Audi 80.

Based on an all-new platform, the new Audi A5 will go head-to-head with the best-selling BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, along with other executive cars such as the Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Passat.

2024 Audi A5 prices and release date

New Audi A5 prices have not yet been announced. They will be confirmed in August. Naturally, new Audi A5 prices are expected to closely mirror rivals such as the BMW 3 Series, meaning a starting price from just under £40,000 is likely.

The new Audi A5 will open for ordering in the UK on 13 August 2024. First deliveries are expected to begin towards the end of the year.

2024 Audi A5 styling, interior and technology

The new Audi A5 has a much sportier and more curvaceous design than the somewhat staid Audi A4 it replaces. Both saloon and Avant estate are more athletic, blending the current Audi A5’s coupe profile with the space-efficient interior buyers in this sector demand.

The new Audi A5 has fundamentally different proportions to the Audi A4, with a long wheelbase, large wheels and lower, sportier profile. Instead of a ‘three-box’ profile, the new Audi A5 saloon has a coupe-like roofline that flows into a shallow rear, with the visually short bootlid boasting a bold spoiler lip.

The new Audi A5 saloon has a surprise, too – a rear hatchback. Yes, although it’s officially called ‘saloon’, it follows the layout of the outgoing Audi A5 Sportback, in contrast to the more traditional BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class saloons. Audi says it is a “completely new saloon concept for Audi,” although we wonder why it didn’t just continue with the ‘Audi A5 Sportback’ name…

The new Audi A5 Avant has a more dynamic roofline too, that blends into an integrated roof spoiler, further enhancing the steeply-raked rear pillars. This gives it a rakish look that references the side profile of the 1980s Audi 100 Avant.

Both new Audi A5 also have curvaceous wheelarch bulges, plus a wide and flat ‘Singleframe’ grille that has a ‘soft nose’ integrated into the front bumper, so the bonnet sits flush with the front end.

All new Audi A5 models have digital daytime running lights and second-generation digital OLED rear lights.

Inside, the new Audi A5 has a dramatic digital-first cabin. The centrepiece is a freestanding Audi MMI panoramic display, which combines an 11.9-inch driver display with a 14.5-inch MMI touchscreen. For even more digitisation, an optional 10.9-inch MMI front passenger screen is also available – as is a head-up display that, for the first time, allows drivers to control infotainment and vehicle functions.

The new Audi ‘Premium Platform Combustion’ (PPC) architecture is said to deliver plenty of space. Audi promises a ‘material-driven design’ will enhance the feeling of quality and luxury.

2024 Audi A5 engines, performance and fuel economy

The new Audi A5 will only be available with petrol and diesel engines. At launch, there will be a 2.0-litre TFSI four-cylinder petrol producing either 150PS or 204PS. A dual-clutch automatic will be standard, as will front-wheel drive.

The new Audi A5 will also be available with a 2.0-litre TDI, producing 204PS. It has standard MHEV mild hybrid tech, plus a DCT gearbox and offers a choice of front-wheel drive or quattro all-wheel drive.

The new Audi S5 has a 367PS 3.0-litre TFSI V6 petrol engine, again with MHEV mild hybrid tech, and standard quattro. Audi hasn’t released performance or economy figures yet, but says the new Audi S5 will combine sporty acceleration with lower CO2 emissions.

More tech details about the new Audi A5 will follow in the build-up to the opening of UK ordering.

The new Audi A5 will offer “precise, effortless and largely neutral handling,” and the steering has “become considerably more precise”.

Although it is described as a saloon, the new Audi A5 is actually a hatchback.