Audi S5 vs Lexus RX450H

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.

The RX is a little frustrating - it's going after Mercedes and BMW and Audi in a hotly-contested space and falls over in a couple of key areas. The media/sat nav system is hopelessly outdated and the drivetrain fails to deliver a significant performance or fuel benefit (although, given its 2.2 tonnes, perhaps it delivers a miracle).

It does come with a rock-solid, scandal-free reputation, a reputation for spectacular customer service, it has a lovely cabin and it's certainly an individual looker. For plenty of people, that's quite enough.

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.

There's a lot of RX and there's a lot going on in that creased, folded and teased sheetmetal. It's a unique design, with a huge 'spindle grille', big lights and the fast glass both front and rear.

It positively screeches Lexus DNA and was a polarising force on our driveway for the week. Most weren't sure, but knew for certain it was a Lexus.

Aggressively flared wheelarches like this aren't common on SUVs (although the squared-off ones are). It's right up on stilts, but the 20s you find it rolling on help to reduce its visual bulk.

That wacky rear quarter glass reminds me of the BMW i3's but it's a Lexus SUV signature. It's quite striking. Do I like it? Not really, but that's completely subjective. You can tell, though, it's built tight as a drum.

Inside is a bit calmer, beautifully laid-out and built to last. The materials are almost all top notch, with lovely switchgear and the real leather is really nice.

There is absolutely nothing avant-garde in there (apart from maybe the pinstripe effect on the centre console), it's all terribly comfortable and easy on the eye. But not exciting, though not all Lexuses are.

This particular car is very US-centric and, if I may, a particularly sunny and humid part, so it can't be too wacky.

…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.

There is plenty of room inside this big unit, which is very welcome. Front seat passengers have lots of storage, such as a deep central bin under the armrest, dual cupholders and big door pockets with bottle holders.

Step into the rear and there is a ton of leg and headroom although the transmission tunnel intrudes slightly for the middle passenger. Chuck them out, drop the armrest and you have two more cupholders and each door has pockets and bottle holders.

The boot is pretty big considering the angle of the rear glass. You start with 453 litres (but an expanse of flat floor), which rises to 924 litres with the split-fold seats down. That seems conservative given just how much space you appear to have.

The RX450h F Sport lightens your bank account of $102,460 before on-road costs, the only hybrid SUV within cooee of this price.

That nets you 20-inch alloys, a 15-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, heated and cooled electric front seats, reversing camera, that ever rare CD player, keyless entry and start, a solid safety package, reversing sensors, active cruise control, sat nav, a massive sunroof, auto LED headlights, head-up display, partial leather interior, power tailgate, auto wipers and a space-saver spare.

The Lexus media system is run from the gigantic dash-mounted screen that is shamed only by those massive Tesla units.

Sadly, the joystick-style control remains as does the very confusing software system that is less than delightful to use. It's such a shame that a tech-laden machine is let down by the world's most baffling entertainment system.

Once you get it working and understand it, it's okay, I guess, but several years into this job I still can't easily fathom how it works. And that naff analogue clock...

F Sport cars also pick up adaptive suspension and a several driving modes to liven things up.

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.

You can choose three different powertrains in the RX - a 3.5-litre V6, a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder, or this one, the 3.5-litre V6 with hybrid.

As a series hybrid it can run for short distances on electric only before firing up the V6 to supply charging and motivation.

The 3.5 produces 193kW/335Nm along with the electric motor. That torque figure seems low and it probably is, but that's a function of the weird way of measuring torque from a hybrid unit. The combined power figure, however, is 230kW.

The hybrid system is hooked up to Lexus' CVT auto and sends power to all four wheels. Lexus says the 450h will complete the sprint from 0-100km/h in 7.7 seconds, which isn't bad for a 2210kg SUV.

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.

The official combined cycle figure is listed as 5.7L/100km. And, uh, yeah, we didn't get that. I did manage 8.9L/100km over the week, which included a long motorway run from Sydney up to the Blue Mountains (a roughly 160km round trip).

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.

Right. So this is a salutary lesson about tyre pressures. The first few days the tyres were only pumped up to 200kpa (29psi). That's an easy 100kpa (14psi) short of the required 300 (43psi).

Every time I, or my wife, went around a corner, the big Dunlop Sport Maxx SPs would squeal and squirm and it was most unsatisfactory.

So check your tyres, because the extra 100kpa makes all the difference. Also, the number of service stations it took to find a working pump was unacceptable. Pull your socks up, Sydney.

Anyway.

Correct tyre pressures enacted, the big Lexus turned into a comfortable, competent cruiser. Its motorway performance is super-impressive, purring along the M4 and it's ridiculously poor surface like it was born to it. Which it sort of was.

The hybrid drivetrain allied to the CVT is mostly whisper quiet. It's not the most responsive combination, the initial step-off of the electric motor's torque soon giving way to the rubber band effect of the transmission.

It doesn't feel as swift as the claimed 7.7 seconds and it would be nice if the drive select dial made a genuine difference to the throttle and transmission's response.

In the city, it's a proper wafter, moving about the broken down city streets of Sydney without fuss and a plush ride that's a bit of a surprise given the huge wheels and substantial weight of RX.

It's all very easy and pleasant but the wild looks do not match the experience. Which is not a criticism, just an observation.

The RX ships with eight airbags (including knee airbags for both front seats), ABS, stability and traction controls, blind spot sensor, reversing camera, forward collision warning, forward AEB and reverse cross traffic alert.

There are three top tether restraints and two ISOFIX points. 

The RX scored a maximum five ANCAP stars in January 2016.

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.

Lexus offers a fence-sitting four year/100,000km warranty with roadside assist thrown into the bargain for the same period. 

Service intervals arrive at 12 month/15,000km and there is, sadly, no capped-price servicing.

Lexus will, however, promise you a car for the day or come and get your car from you and drop it back when the service is done. And it will be washed and vacuumed. The website makes a big deal about that.