The Audi A5 is a range of compact executive and grand touring cars that Audi has built since June 2007. It began as a coupé derived from the A4 and later added a cabriolet and a five-door Sportback; the third generation of 2024 is a saloon and an Avant that replaced the A4 as well.
Audi A5 at a glance
| Sold since | June 2007 |
|---|---|
| Generations | 8T from 2007, F5 from 2016, B10 from 2024 |
| Body styles | coupé, cabriolet and five-door Sportback |
| Platform | MLB for the 8T and F5, PPC for the B10 |
| Launch | Geneva Motor Show, March 2007 |
| Launch engines | 3.2 FSI V6 with 265 PS and 3.0 TDI quattro |
| Cabriolet | 2009, fabric roof, replacing the A4 Cabriolet |
| Sportback | on sale September 2009, four frameless doors |
| S5 | 4.2 FSI V8 with 349 hp in the 2010 to 2012 coupé |
| Second generation | F5, coupé June 2016, Sportback October 2016 |
| B10 | July 2024, saloon and Avant, no coupé or cabriolet |
History of the Audi A5
8T (2007)
The A5 was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2007 and marked Audi’s return to the compact executive coupé market, which the marque had left when the Audi 80-based Coupé went out of production in 1996. It was the first car of the B8 family and the first on the modular longitudinal platform, which later underpinned the A4 and the Q5, and its design took elements from the Nuvolari quattro concept. Orders opened on 6 March 2007 and the first cars were delivered in June, with the 3.2 FSI V6 and the 3.0 TDI quattro. The cabriolet followed in 2009 with a fabric roof and replaced the A4 Cabriolet, and the five-door Sportback went on sale in September 2009.
F5 (2016)
The second generation moved to the MLBevo platform. The coupé was presented in June 2016, the Sportback in October and the cabriolet in November, and the range was built until July 2024. The S5 used a supercharged 3.0 V6 in the Cabriolet and Sportback, while the RS5 Coupé arrived in 2017 and the RS5 Sportback in 2019.
B10 (2024)
In July 2024 Audi presented the A5 B10 as a liftback saloon and an Avant on the new Premium Platform Combustion. It replaced both the A4 B9 and the A5 Sportback and introduced the new naming rule in which even numbers are for electric cars and odd numbers for combustion-engined models. The coupé and cabriolet have no successor.
Design and features
- Design: the A5 and S5 took their lines from the Nuvolari quattro concept car.
- Fabric roof: the A5 Cabriolet used a soft top, unlike the retractable hardtop of the Volkswagen Eos.
- Sportback: four frameless doors and a fastback roofline on the wheelbase of the A4 saloon.
- S5 engines: the 2010 to 2012 coupé had a 4.2 FSI V8, while the Cabriolet and Sportback used a supercharged 3.0 V6.
- Production: in the first generation the coupé and Sportback were built in Ingolstadt and all cabriolets in Neckarsulm.
Audi A5 versions
- A5 3.2 FSI: the launch V6 with 265 PS.
- A5 3.0 TDI quattro: the launch diesel with a six-speed gearbox.
- S5 4.2 FSI: V8 with 349 hp in the coupé of 2010 to 2012.
- S5 3.0 TFSI: supercharged V6 in the Cabriolet and Sportback.
- RS5: Coupé from 2010 and Cabriolet from 2012.
- Sportback petrol and diesel: 2.0 TFSI quattro with 211 PS and 2.0 TDI with 170 PS.
The A5 is based on the Audi A4 and became Audi’s main coupé after the Audi TT; more models are in our Audi collection.
Video: Audi A5 vs. BMW 428i vs. Mercedes E 250 Coupé
Video by AUTO BILD on YouTube.
Sources
- Audi A5, English Wikipedia: 8T launch, cabriolet, Sportback, S5
- Audi A5, German Wikipedia: generation dates, production sites, B10
- Audi A5, Italian Wikipedia: platforms, F5 and B10
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