The new Audi A5 is now on sale in the UK from £41,950, with the option of saloon or estate bodystyles, and a choice between petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid power.
The replacement for the A4 – which is set to be relaunched as a pure EV next year – is available to order in standard and warmed-up S5 guise from today (13 August) ahead of customer deliveries beginning in November.
That means its predecessor is now off sale in the UK until its EV replacement arrives – the first time in three decades the company has not offered a model badged A4. The previous-generation A5 – a rakish-roofed coupé available with two or four doors – has also been retired.
The new A5 range opens with entry-level Sport trim, with standard equipment including 18in alloy wheels, Comfort suspension, LED lights and dynamic indicators at each end, a wireless charger, ambient lighting and a 360deg parking camera.
Mid-rung S Line trim ramps the entry price up to £44,100, and adds larger 19in wheels, Sports suspension, privacy glass, a more advanced multi-function steering wheel, aluminium interior trim and various bespoke styling cues.
Limited-run Edition 1 trim – from £49,100 – is marked out by its 20in two-tone wheels, red brake calibers, contrasting black trim, Matrix LED headlights, dark chrome exhaust tips, microfibre upholstery and front passenger touchscreen – features which are all available as options elsewhere in the A5 range.
The warmed-up S5 range-topper – with a 3.0-litre petrol V6 – is available exclusively in Edition 1 guise for now, priced from £68,700.
Those prices are all for the A5 saloon, with the Avant estate adding around £1900 to the list price across the line-up.
New Audi A5: engines, performance and specs
The A4 being renamed the A5 is part of the German firm’s new branding strategy for its next-generation models, with ICE cars taking odd numbers and EVs even numbers.
It uses Audi’s new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC), which replaces the 17-year-old MLB architecture of the current A4 and has no relation to the Premium Platform Electric that will underpin the brand’s new-wave EVs, including the Q6 E-tron.
In keeping with Audi tradition, the A5 retains a longitudinal engine layout, but it’s said to be much more accommodating of various electrified powertrains.
The A5 will initially offer a range of pure-ICE and mild-hybrid powertrains, the latter using a new MHEV Plus system developed by Audi that utilises two motor-generators for better efficiencies and regenerative braking (see below).
The range opens with two developments of the Volkswagen Group’s ubiquitous EA888 turbo petrol four, putting out either 148bhp or 201bhp. Both are mated to a dual-clutch automatic gearbox, plus Quattro four-wheel drive is an option on the more powerful variant.
