Audi A5 vs Ford Ranger

What's the difference?

The Audi A5 remains a convincing option in the premium mid-size sedan category, even with the near-$10K price increase over its equivalent grade A4 predecessor.

Even in its base spec, it’s a lovely thing to drive and adds enough new kit to be a reasonable option when it comes to value. In terms of tech usability, it stands out from rivals. Practicality is still king for Audi.

But for the heart-over-head types, the S5 is fast and fun while remaining a comfortable cruiser and the price is decent. On a personal note, a six-cylinder wagon? That's a big yes from me.

For the time it’s available, it’s hard to go past the value on offer in the S5 Edition One. Getting an AWD V6 with that kind of capability for under $100K is something that's sure to tempt buyers. If it doesn’t, we need to take a good look at ourselves.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

I can definitely see the pitch for the Ranger Super Duty. For fleets, having a vehicle with more modern safety, comfort, and thoughtful technologies is compelling when the alternative is an old Toyota 70 Series or a hardly-suitable-for-Aussie-roads full-size American pick-up.

It is beefed up for whatever the trails can throw at it, and more than work-ready without the need for months of conversion work, but for private buyers, do you really need this? For some niche towing and off-road applications it’s an unbeatable factory offering, but I’d argue it’s expensive overkill for most.

Still, Ford’s customer-centric approach is commendable. It will be interesting to see if it can simply create a 4.5T GVM sub-segment for the dual-cab market in the same way Raptor did for performance variants.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The A5 incorporates Audi’s new design language in a way that makes the 2026 model stand out from Audi’s older offerings, but we won’t know how well it works in the family until more new-gen Audi cars arrive.

For now, the A5 is a generally handsome car. It very much looks like an Audi from the front, even a recent A4 if you only very quickly glanced.

The aforementioned S line styling does plenty in making even the base Audi A5 look like a properly luxe thing. There were a few double-checks at the launch to make sure drivers were getting into the right cars.

Fortunately the new car’s designers refrained from busying up the car with trim, the only big features being the side vents at the front.

But even in Avant form the S5 looks athletic, quad-exhausts in the lower bar and the angular rear bodywork moving away from the previously softer, more rounded look Audi had gone with before.

Inside, the changes are arguably more obvious. The A5 is now much more ‘screeny’ than before, especially if optioned with the passenger-side touchscreen.

It’s still decidedly Audi in its layout and design, with geometric shapes on the steering wheel, screen housing, door cards and even on the gear shifter, which is no longer the more traditional handle-type.

The Super Duty dwarfs a standard Ranger on the road. The track is as wide as a Raptor, while the height has increased significantly. It looks almost as though someone dropped a Ranger in Photoshop and told it to increase everything by 15 per cent.

The chunky grille, re-designed blocky fenders to accommodate the extra width, intentionally squared-off wheel arches, and beefed-up ride height with correspondingly larger wheels make the Super Duty imposing on the road.

Like its relatives overseas, the Super Duty logo is three-dimensionally imprinted on the bonnet, and the factory tray being available in a range of finishes (steel, matt black, or colour matching) either adds to the ruggedness or street appeal depending on what the buyer is after.

All of this is not just to make the car look tough, but also to accommodate the depth of changes underneath, because the Super Duty is so fundamentally different from a standard Ranger it’s almost an entirely new vehicle.

Even things as core as the chassis rails have been up-gauged significantly to handle this car’s additional capabilities. Ford has even delved into its Detroit parts catalogue to upgrade almost everything else underneath. It features a front differential from the Bronco Raptor, eight-stud wheel hubs from the F-250, and an upgraded version of the rear axle assembly from a Transit van, although with a unique and up-sized rear differential.

There is also a new transfer case, 130-litre fuel tank, and steel underbody protection which can pivot the entire weight of the vehicle.

Inside looks and feels like a regular Ranger. As mentioned, it comes with all the multimedia amenities and some of the luxuries like soft-touch finishes for anywhere your elbows are going to rest, although the abundance of hard plastics are notable.

…and that gear selector is a bit indicative of the new A5’s interior. It’s now more of a switch that requires a little more attention than the traditional shifter, just like the way the more screen-focused interior requires a little more of your eyeball time than physical buttons.

Don’t get me wrong, as far as screens in modern cars go, Audi seems to have made it as easy as possible to use the new-gen software in the A5. The menus are clear, there are good shortcuts and there’s no lag… but buttons are always better when your focus needs to be on the road.

Fortunately the driver display is nice and clear, it’s a good update on Audi’s ‘Virtual Cockpit’ and you can set it to display important information without looking too busy.

Ergonomically, the way the central screen is angled towards the driver, the centre console layout and the small control panel on the door for lights, mirrors and the like all seem to be well considered and mean you don’t have to awkwardly reach for anything.

There are a few quirks specific to the A5 and S5, one being that if you opt for the panoramic sunroof, it comes with a transparency switch rather than a physical cover, so it doesn’t do much to keep the light out.

It’s also good to note that the passenger screen - again, if optioned - turns to privacy mode when playing media so as to not distract the driver. Pretty handy!

Behind the front row, a regular-sized adult should have enough room to sit comfortably for a decent amount of time without feeling cramped. The light through the sunroof comes in handy here.

Behind that is a 445L boot in Sedan form, or 1299L with the rear seats folded down. As an Avant, the space increases to 448L and 1396L respectively.

Practicality is what the Super Duty is all about, and it starts with the capacities. As already mentioned, this means a 4500kg GVM, which allows a payload of up to 1982kg (for the lightest single-cab variant), and up to 4500kg of towing capacity, and a total GCM of up to 8000kg.

The factory Cab Chassis tray was also part of the design from the beginning, and has dimensions to make the most of the footprint, measuring in at 2580mm x 1950mm for the Single Cab, 2130mm x 1950mm for the Super Cab, and 1830mm x 1950mm for the double cab.

The off-road dimensions are also strong, with an approach angle of 36.3 degrees, a departure angle of 29.3 degrees, and a breakover angle of 26.9 degrees (for the most capable Single Cab variant). Even the ground clearance is increased to between 295 and 299mm - larger in every direction over the standard model.

Wading depth is 850mm and a fully sealed Safari Snorkel comes standard on every body style. Plus, there are heavy-duty recovery hooks wherever you need them if you do end up getting stuck. The stock tyre is an all-terrain General Grabber, so most buyers won’t have to drive straight to a tyre shop either.

The choice of three body styles is excellent from the factory. One suited to every niche, while there are other commendable additions like the pre-drilled hard points in the dash for the fitment of equipment with a factory finish, as well as modern amenities like a full-size power outlet on the back of the centre console in every body style.

Plus, Ford has already reached out to the aftermarket so a range of accessories for both recreational buyers and its target fleet audience are already catered for at launch.

Perhaps the only detractor from what is otherwise a car that seems to cater to every need is the lack of a de-specified interior. With such tough intentions, I can see scenarios where the 12-inch touchscreen could be a liability, and cloth seats could easily get destroyed where a hard wearing vinyl trim isn’t an option.

The Super Duty name might be new to Australia, but it’s only worn by the most capable and work-ready Ford products overseas.

It doesn’t just mean off-road capability either, as is the case for the Raptor, it means something deeper, requiring significant upgrades under the skin to bring the Ranger’s GVM (gross vehicle mass) up to a whopping four-and-a-half tonnes, and the GCM (gross combination mass) climbing to a stratospheric eight tonnes.

This means the Super Duty is stepping into capability territory usually only occupied by right-hand drive converted American ‘full-size’ pick-ups, such as the Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ford’s own F-150, or even the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series.

The good news is the Super Duty doesn’t cost near as much as the American full-sizers, which start at around $135,000. Instead, the new Ford starts from $82,990 before on-road costs for a Single Cab Chassis, with the Super Cab-Chassis stepping up to $86,490, and the Double Cab-Chassis topping out the range for now at $89,990.

All are diesel V6 powered 4x4s with independently locking front and rear differentials. More on those details later.

It’s worth noting those are before on-roads prices, but the options list is long and can get very expensive. See our story on accessory pricing for the Super Duty range here but even basic additions like the factory steel tray costs between roughly $6000-$10,000, depending on the finish selected.

The official ARB bull bar is also another six grand, although items which are expected to be commonly selected together are conveniently packaged up in the Adventure, Work, and Farm packs. Costs for these vary between nearly $8000 to $22,000, so the Super Duty can get super expensive super quickly.

Even with those options, the Super Duty isn’t a luxurious offering, with cloth seat trim, hard plastic dash and door finishes and vinyl flooring, although many conveniences from the rest of the Ranger line-up remain, like the 8.0-inch digital dash and 12-inch portrait multimedia display. 

Ford argues the seats and refinement levels are an improvement over what most of its intended fleet audience are currently working with, in a thinly-veiled swipe at the comparatively ancient 70 Series.

For private buyers hoping for something a little more plush, an XLT grade both as a cab chassis and with a factory tub is also on the way later in 2026, featuring things like leather-trimmed seats and alloy wheels.

Also helping set the Super Duty apart is an array of clever conveniences for the intended purpose. For example, there’s built-in scales for measuring how close you are to this car’s enormous GVM, a smart hitch feature, which does the same thing but for optimised towing, pre-wired switches for auxiliary electronics in the roof console, and 18-inch truck-style steel wheels which are expressly designed to be bashed back into shape if they’re beaten up on the trails.

In some ways then, value is a buyer beware story. The Super Duty packs a range of awesome work-ready kit, and with option packs that are ready-to-go straight out of the box. However, it’s also expensive when everything is added up, so if you’re a private buyer, it’s worth asking if you really need the capability this thing offers.

The Audi A5 is powered by a four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine which powers the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It makes 150kW of power and 340Nm of torque, and should, Audi says, propel the A5 to 100km/h in 7.8 seconds before (eventually) reaching a top speed of 248km/h.

The S5, in all its variants, is powered by a 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 which is assisted by a mild hybrid system. It produces 270kW and 550Nm, sending that to all four wheels via a similar seven-speed dual-clutch.

The S5 is much quicker as a result - 100km/h comes along in just 4.5 seconds according to Audi, before reaching a 250km/h top speed.

Again, things don’t look too different from a regular Ranger under the bonnet, with the Super Duty maintaining the same 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine and 10-speed automatic transmission, but with some tweaks.

It has less power, producing 154kW (30kW less than the standard V6 Ranger), but maintaining the same 600Nm of torque, and it also has upgraded cooling to support load-lugging, with the front fan upgraded from 800W to 1000W.

The inverter is also 400W to support additional electrics, and mechanically there is a new transfer case, new front and rear differentials, upgraded CV shafts and main drive shaft, as well as an 18-inch brake package.

For emissions compliance, the Super Duty is equipped with both a DPF (diesel particulate filter) and AdBlue. But being conscious of the needs of many heavy-duty users, the brand has added a manual override for the DPF cycle so it doesn’t slow the vehicle down when full power is needed.

The same 4x4 auto system is employed, allowing automatic all-wheel drive to be applied in the standard driving mode. The differentials can be independently locked via the off-road menu in the touchscreen.

The tuning of this engine does make a tangible difference to the drive experience on the road, and while four cylinders are more prolific in the dual-cab space, the 3.0-litre V6 does what it can to bridge the gap between the more standard crop of turbo diesels and bigger V8s in American full-sizers.

Audi claims the A5 uses 6.9 litres of fuel per 100km, which should theoretically deplete the 56-litre fuel tank after 811km of driving. We couldn’t test this on the launch, but reaching claimed fuel efficiency figures remains an elusive challenge.

The S5, according to Audi, comes with an impressive 7.1L/100km figure in Sedan form, or 7.2L/100km as an Avant. That’s 788km and 777km of theoretical driving range if you’re up for a challenge.

As a vehicle that slips into the category above the standard crop of dual-cabs, the Super Duty doesn’t wear an official fuel consumption number.

The story won’t be great. Anecdotally, as we were hopping in and out of several vehicles on this launch test, the computers were all showing over 12L/100km.

To be fair, we spent hours off-roading, towing, and driving in mixed countryside conditions, so hardly merciful, but we were also mostly unladen for the majority of the driving.

With a 130L fuel tank though, the Super Duty should still have plenty of driving range.

One of the first press cars I ever drove as an even younger lad than I am now was the circa-2017 Audi S4.

Without the perspective of all the many, many cars I've since driven, that S4 blew my mind a little bit with its combination of capability and refinement.

Now, with the context of most of the cars available to the Australian buyer in mind, it’s reassuring to get into this new generation and find that the mid-size Audi torch has been gracefully passed on.

Audi says the new generation, sitting on its new platform, has more focus on balanced driving dynamics, steering precision and steering feel. Without sacrificing comfort, Audi wants the A5 to be a sharper driver’s car.

It might not gel with the Euro tradition of a rear-drive executive sedan given the base A5 is front-wheel drive - the brand of course focusing on its quattro all-wheel drive system - but the A5 is decidedly agile for its size. 

Compared to the S5 especially, as the A5’S 1770kg plays the S5’s 2025kg in Sedan form (2040kg as an Avant). It’s a noticeable weight difference, and it makes the A5 more playful without getting properly ragged.

It also rides on smaller 19-inch wheels and would overall probably make for the better daily driver. Even without the all-wheel-drive traction and extra power the S5 offers, the A5 makes a good case for properly plush commuting. Its 150kW isn’t lacking by any means, and that 340Nm does plenty to help when overtaking.

Its suspension feels well damped, keeping the road’s imperfections out of the cabin without numbing the ride and leaving you without feedback. The steering is similarly direct without being too heavy, making the A5 feel athletic for its size.

But for all the A5’s strengths, there is something undeniable about a six-cylinder European sedan (or wagon). The S5 is heavier, sure, and therefore not as naturally nimble, but it makes up for it. And it’s not just the extra power and mild-hybrid assistance.

It’s a great highway cruiser for a start, but it also adds the confidence of all-wheel drive to a trip, which proved extremely useful on the very rainy winter day we tested it. It holds up well on rough surfaces despite the bigger wheels and extra heft, plus it doesn’t feel out of hand when cornering fast, rolling into a predictable understeer rather than quickly losing traction.

But if you’re in any way conscious of your budget, consider the Edition One. It doesn’t lack any of the key things that make the S5 great, and you get to pocket enough money to buy a second used car.

A lot of the experience of driving the Super Duty is familiar to the rest of the Ranger line-up. It feels comfortable and refined from behind the wheel, but certainly a size-up from its siblings.

For those who have driven any recent Ranger, this will be very good news. There’s not much about this vehicle that feels properly clattery like some light truck alternatives, and if you’ve driven a Raptor before, the pumped-up width and height will be familiar.

The brand has even managed to maintain an excellent steering tune which balances weight and feel, despite the differences to the hardware underneath. Even the ride quality, something Ranger is so well known for, has carried across to this model, despite significantly beefed-up components.

There is a degree of ladder-chassis jiggle to it, and if you throw some really rough terrain at it, the Super Duty will have the odd harsh moment, but on the whole it’s impressive what Ford has managed to do with such a significantly altered ute.

Over a long day of driving in harsh conditions, the seat quality proved to be comfortable, while ergonomics in the cabin are fairly robust, with a good driving position, physical dials for the climate unit, and easy manual adjustability.

The tweaked V6 engine is an interesting story. Unladen, off-the-road, and at commuter speeds it feels similar to the standard version, but things change when you throw different stress factors at it.

Stomping on the accelerator, for example, elicits a dulled response compared to the relatively athletic performance of the standard engine, with the 0-100km/h sprint (for all the good that will do the commercial audience) significantly impacted. We recorded a (not very scientific) 14.1 seconds.

When a lot is asked of it, either for overtaking scenarios or when laden, the engine creates a fair bit of noise and doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to go anywhere (even chugging up a hill at 60km/h with six tonnes combined across tray and trailer). But it’s the consistency and the throughput of the torque that's been focused on for this re-tune, which Ford says should keep the engine capable of doing these sorts of tasks all day.

The transmission isn't too busy or annoying, smoothly shifting through gears.

The Super Duty made light work of the off-road component of our test drive, making the real-world conditions feel easy, and the way it handled the more theoretically challenging staged tests was impressive, too. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such articulation ability from a leaf-sprung rear suspension set-up, while the clearance angles also remained impressive.

Levels of grip on offer are also impressive from the stock tyre, which importantly also offers a hefty amount of sidewall for the more hairy stuff, and the traction systems doesn't seem to miss a beat.

Safety systems are tame on the country roads we took it on, barely skipping a beat, and are thankfully not at all annoying.

It is big though, so I can imagine parking in a city might not be easy (it’s already hard enough in a Raptor), so again, it’s worth asking if you need this kind of capability before you pull the trigger as a private buyer.

The Super Duty will size-out of ANCAP’s gaze (for now), but it maintains the standard truck’s kit, which maintains its five-star rating awarded in 2022.

Standard features include auto emergency braking (AEB), lane support systems, blind spot monitoring, driver attention alert, and adaptive cruise, but there are also commercial vehicle rarities like front and rear parking sensors and a surround camera suite. There's even an array of nine airbags.

Again, there’s some thoughtfulness here. Ford has put extra time into making the 'Driver Assist Technology Bar' in the rear bumper both protected from off-road hits and designed to be as compatible as possible with the kinds of accessories which will be fitted, so its functions can be maintained. Even things like the 360-degree parking camera, which a 70 Series definitely doesn’t get.

And the mirrors are enormous, which helps with both the tray width and towing.

Audi’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty is starting to fall behind the industry standard, though is about normal for a premium brand. On top of this, customers can opt to purchase extra years of warranty up to a maximum nine years which costs $3590.

Audi does also offer 12 years of bodywork manufacturing warranty against corrosion or perforation. There’s also five years of Audi roadside assistance.

Servicing intervals for the A5 come in at every 15,000km or 12 months, with customers able to purchase fixed-price servicing plans at a discount compared to paying per service.

A five-year servicing pack for the A5 Sedan is $3360, and for the S5 it’s priced at $3540.

Ford offers the same five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty as the rest of its range, and servicing, which is required once every 12 months or 15,000km, is capped price.

It costs $469 per visit for the first five years, which is more expensive than the standard Ranger ($379 per visit for four years, then $430 for the fifth), but it’s still not outrageously expensive (and not priced much differently from a HiLux when you consider that model's six-monthly service visits).