2017 Audi A5 vs 2020

What's the difference?

The A5 Cabriolet is quite the boulevardier. It's been quite a while since I've driven such a calm car and its effect on me - apart from the sunburn - was marked. It's not a car you feel the need to rush in, and with the top down on a nice drive it's almost unbeatable, partly because you can take tolerant people with you.

The A5 Sportback 45 TFSI quattro S tronic S line might have an overly fussy name, but this car is almost completely fuss-free to live with, from its comfortable ride and handling to its quality feeling interior and good value for money. There is one area that could be a bit fussier – that three-year warranty. We’d like to see it increased to five years and the introduction of capped-price servicing, too, would add up to an even better value equation and assurance for buyers.

The new A5 is a more shapely machine than the design classic it replaces, with Audi's new-found fondness for the clamshell-style bonnet and what the company calls the 'Tornado line' along its flanks. It's still sharp and stands apart from the less well-resolved German competition.

Curiously, this isn't as good looking as any of the current A5s or even the Cabriolet it replaces. The higher rear end which has to accommodate the roof gear throws the visual balance out of the profile. Even with 18-inch wheels, it looks a little top-heavy (19s would go a way towards fixing that). If you walk around, though, and really get down low and in front, it does look pretty good, and it's even not bad with the roof up. 

Inside is virtually identical to the Coupe's cabin, which is to say very good indeed. Audi continues to lead the way with classy interiors, with judicious use of finishes and horizontal lines to produce a calm, measured passengers space. Materials are excellent - if it looks like metal, it is - with lovely soft leather and only one or two plastic panels that feel scratchy (but we had to go looking for them).

The ‘Sportback’ part of the A5 Sportback 45 TFSI name refers to the sedan-with-a-rear-hatch body style. A fastback, if you will.

Now that’s established, I can tell you the A5 Sportback is the second-best-looking Audi in the world. That’s according to me. The only one that looks better is the A5 Coupe, which has a tougher, more muscular and stockier profile than the elegant and elongated Sportback. The difference in looks is down to the wheelbase of the Sportback, which is 60mm longer than the Coupe’s. The Sportback is also 15mm taller, which means more headroom in the back seats.

What about the rest of the dimensions? The A5 Sportback 45 TFSI is 4733mm end-to-end and 2029mm wide (including wing mirrors).

The A5 Sportback 45 TFSI comes with the S line exterior package, which adds sporty bumpers and the mat- grey trim to the diffuser (see the images) – and this is where the S line part of the name comes from.

Anybody who says Audi cabins are all the same, regardless of the model, hasn’t stared at the interior images for the A5, Q5, A3 and Q3 like I just have for the past five minutes. What I found was that while they appear to be identical, and do share many parts, there are pleasing, subtle differences to the button shapes and layouts, which make the cockpits unique to their models.

The A5 Sportback 45 TFSI’s cabin gets its expansive look from the horizontal elements, such as the aluminum strip that borders the dash and the air vents above it.

The 12.3-inch virtual instrument cluster is as good to use as it looks, but that 8.3-inch screen is starting to look small compared to what we’re seeing coming out in newer cars.

The Rock Grey-coloured upholstery doesn’t set my world on fire, but it’s less risky than white as far as grime and stains are concerned.

I found the A5 Sportback 45 TFSI’s interior a little too conservative, but as with all Audi cabins the fit and finish are exceptional and there’s a quality feel to the switch gear, which can’t be said for all of its rivals.

Being a convertible, sacrifices must be made, and not the Humphrey Appleby type. While Audi will tell you that it's a four-seater, it's really a 2+2. Which is, you know, okay, and means that the +2s will be fine for short journeys if they have a bit of limb flexibility.

Front-seat occupants enjoy a pair of cupholders and deep door pockets that will take bottles at a pinch. Those front seats are very comfortable and for an "entry" level, very comfortable and much better-looking than the basic seats in an A4. The seatbelt presenters, which proffer your safety strap when you get in the front seats, are a nice touch, too - so nice a touch, the lady of the house felt compelled to thank them every time.

Rear-seat passengers, while missing out on head and leg room (well, headroom with the top up, at least) have their own temperature controls and air vents, two cupholders and a slot under the armrest where a phone can go.

The boot is a surprising 380 litres and you can thank the choice of soft-top rather than a hard lid for that.

The Sportback is the practical alternative to the Coupe. Not only does it have an extra two doors, which open wide for good entry and exit, but the back row has more head and legroom, too. I’m 191cm tall and can sit behind my driving position without my knees hitting the seatback, or my head bashing the ceiling.

The cargo capacity of the Sportback’s boot is 15 litres more than the Coupe’s at 480 litres.

There are four cup holders on board, but apart from that cabin storage isn’t great, with only a small centre-console bin, map pockets in the seat backs and small-ish door pockets. The lack of storage seems to be an Audi trait, and even the brand’s SUVs lack adequate places to stow items.

The 2019 update brought two charge-only USB ports in the second row and there’s also a 12V outlet and climate control with directional vents back there. There are another two USBs and a 12V outlet up front, along with a wireless phone charger.

If Audi’s model line-up was a mountain and the little A1 was base camp, then the A5 is a bit beyond halfway up and the 45 TFSI Sportback we tested is about midway through its own range, too, with its list price of $78,900.

Audi cut the A5 45 TFSI’s price by almost $2K in August 2019 and, according to the brand, $9000 worth of extra equipment was added. Stuff like as an S Line exterior package, 19-inch alloy wheels, wireless charging, heated front seats and dual USB ports for the rear passengers. More safety equipment was also added and I’ll tell you all about that in the section below.

Already coming standard on the car were three-zone climate control, an 8.3-inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat nav, a 10-speaker stereo, digital radio, powered front seats, leather upholstery, a power tailgate and LED headlights.

The car I tested was optioned with  $1990 premium paint (Navarra Blue); $1450 19-inch alloys; the $4750 Technik package,  which adds a head-up display, Bang & Olufsen stereo and Matrix LED headlights; and adaptive suspension for $2210.

Is it good value? It is now, with the price cut and the extra features. What about a model comparison? The BMW 430i Gran Coupe is $81,000, while the Mercedes-Benz C300e is $79,200 and the Lexus GS300 F Sport is $83,362. Can I also suggest the Volkswagen Arteon? The V-Dub sits on the same platform as the A5, but it’s bigger and (in some ways) better, with a list price of only $67,490.

The 2.0 TFSI sees the computer turn up the volume to 185kW and 370Nm. These figures find the road via Audi's version of the Volkswagen seven-speed twin-clutch transmission, and all four wheels.

A 0-100km/h run will pass in a claimed 6.3 seconds. 

The 45 in A5 Sportback 45 TFSI refers to the engine’s power output, which is 185kW and 370Nm. Why 45? That’s the Audi designation for engines with an output of between 169kW and 185kW. Sitting below the 45 is an A5 Sportback 40 TFSI, which makes 140kW.

TFSI refers to the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and, along with the higher output, the A5 Sportback 45 TFSI is all-wheel drive (that’s the quattro part) while a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic (that’s the S tronic part) shifts gears fairly seamlessly, and super quickly.

Audi's claimed figure for the quattro is 6.7L/100km and 154g/km for the CO2 output. I didn't quite manage that - I got 9.1L/100km in a mix of city and highway driving, a fairly solid miss.

As with most cars fitted with this engine, the stop-start cuts in and you coast from 6km/h down to zero without engine assistance. 

Audi says the A5 Sportback 45 TFSI should use 6.5L/100km after a combination of open and urban roads. I put 202km on the clock of my test car and the trip computer was telling me I’d been using premium unleaded at an average of 9.5L/100km.

Helping save fuel is Audi’s stop-start system, which, as much as I’m not a fan of the way it cuts in, I kept activated the entire time.

If it's serene progress you're after, the A5 Cabriolet is the car for you. This is possibly the smoothest, quietest four-seat (ahem) convertible on the planet until you're spending really big money.

Everything about it is quiet - on a top-down evening cruise at about 70km/h and the wind deflector in place (thereby ensuring an empty rear seat), the lady of the house and I were able to conduct a whispered conversation as though the back seat was occupied and we didn't want the occupant to hear. It was quite startling when we remembered the roof was off.

Roof up it's almost as quiet as the coupe and feels almost as stiff, too. There's no rubbing or sqeaking where the roof meets the header rail and it seals shut nice and tight. Wind noise is lower than plenty of fixed head cars we drive on a regular basis.

Over the shoulder vision isn't too flash, however, with a wide, dark C-pillar when the roof is up. Roof down, though, the world is all there for you to see.

Despite having a decent amount of power, this isn't meant as a car to get you excited. The suspension is fairly easygoing, the steering light and easy, and the ride plush. It will move when you ask it - and it will move quickly - so in that way it's an all-rounder, it just won't tear up the tarmac. Which is fine, that's not what it's for.

The A5 Sportback 45 TFSI is comfortable, quick and effortless to pilot. Steering is light and accurate, the ride is composed and, while it’s not super-fast (0-100km/h in six seconds) there’s enough shove from that 2.0-litre engine that I could move quickly when needed, whether it was threading my way in city traffic or overtaking on the motorway.

Not sporty enough for you? Well the upside of Audi’s line-up having so many different variants is that you can step up to something more hardcore, like the S5 or the RS5. Still the A5 Sportback 45 TFSI is impressively dynamic, with great grip and unfaltering traction from its quattro all-wheel-drive system.

The 2019 update added extra safety equipment to the A5 Sportback 45 TFSI, such as active lane assist, auto high beam headlights, adaptive cruise control with traffic-jam assist, plus auto parking and a 360-degree camera.

That’s in addition to eight airbags and AEB with pedestrian detection.

For child seats you’ll find two ISOFIX points and three top-tether mounts across the second row.

The Audi A5 scored the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2017.

A space-saver spare wheel can be found under the boot floor.

Audi offers a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with roadside assist. Servicing is every 12 months or 15,000km. You can purchase a three-year/45,000km service plan for $1670, which works out at $556 per year.

The A5 Sportback 45 TFSI is covered by Audi’s three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended at 15,000km/12-month intervals. A three-year plan is available for $1800 in total, while a five-year plan can be bought for $2810.

Audi, along with its BMW and Benz rivals, continues to offer less warranty coverage than the mainstream brands and the low score here reflects this duration, and the lack of individual capped-price servicing.