2025 Audi S5 Sedan First Drive: The A4 Is Dead, Long Live The S5

Next year marks the start of a major shift at Audi. At the start of the year, the current A5 will continue officially as a model year 2025, but sometime in spring or summer, an all-new 2025 model will then land at dealer showrooms. So, as usual, a bedraggled band of automotive journalists therefore shipped out to Europe in advance to test drive what's promised, so that potential customers can start building up anticipation—after all, shipping humans halfway across the planet costs a lot less than shipping cars.

But before hopping into the driver's seat, I needed a quick primer on Audi's new plan for nomenclature across the lineup. Namely, that in due time, all the even-numbered models will go electric while the odd numbers stay internal-combustion. So here in the US, the A4, A6, and A8 will transition to EVs—but also the Q4 and Q6 and Q8, as well as their higher-performance S and RS variants. Meanwhile, the A3, Q3, A5, Q5, A7, and Q7 (and their S and RS variants) will remain powered by dinosaur guts.

That's not to mention smaller models available abroad only, nor the fact that many of the internal-combustion cars will also feature mild hybrid-electric assist depending on market, too. The full story will unfold, no doubt, but first on the list for this alphanumeric revamp comes the A5 which, technically speaking, replaces the A4. Adding to a bit of the confusion, Audi allowed American journalists on the press program outside of Nice, France, to drive the forthcoming S5 in sedan form only.

The confusion grows further, sadly. My fellow European journalists present drove two lower-spec A5 models powered by low-displacement gas and mild-hybrid turbodiesel engines that Audi will not ship to the USA. Plus, the S5 sedan and, of course, the S5 Avant that will likely never make it to America either. But in Europe, the S5 powertrain also includes a mild-hybrid system also currently not intended to cross the pond (because Audi deems it too herky-jerky, where Americans harbor smooth and luxurious expectations).

The U.S. model will be gas-only, with a revised start-stop system rather than being able to sail with engine off, activate a low-speed full EV mode, use regenerative braking, or add subtle ICE engine boost as the Euro 48-volt setup can do. All of which, I can admit because that's the drivetrain I experienced in France, can get a bit disconcerting. So, I need to couch almost every statement reviewing the new S5 sedan with the fact that so much will change for the American market—even at this point, we still only know the Euro mild-hybrid's power figures, at 362 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque.

However, thanks to some intense bout of investigative journalism (read: quizzing engineers incessantly over wine at dinner), I can also point out some of the differences that Audi made for the fully internal-combustion A5. And truly, if it drives anywhere near as well as the Euro S5, très fab.

Even before leaving Nice for the stunning surrounding hills, the turbocharged V6 provided gobs of torque for comfortable cruising at lower RPMs. The gentlest nudge into throttle then builds boost quite linearly, providing that crucial impression of more power lurking below the surface, available at a moment's notice. Then up toward the 6,300-RPM-or-so redline, the mill produces some pleasing warble and further swelling sensation of forced induction.

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Hints of fake engine noises do creep into the cockpit, though, and especially outside the car at low speeds; the American version, I have been promised, will feature no such fake soundtrack. Instead, the fully gasoline-powered S5 will feature a different variable-vane turbo, revised designs for the cylinder head and intake manifold, and different compression ratios. All in the hopes of making similar power figures, while compensating for the lack of low-end assist that the mild hybrid system provides.

All the similarities and differences started piling on rapidly, so I tried to focus through the jet lag on the Venn diagram of details that will hold true across both the European and American S5 sedans. Hustling up damp roads that starred in the iconic chase scene at the beginning of Goldeneye, the seven-speed S-tronic transmission smoothly sashays from gear to gear. The box still lacks some of the pop and response of a dual-clutch, though, and even with Sport shifting will not stay fully in manual mode—two details indicative that the A4 (err, sorry, S5...) this time around aims to slot in as more of a grand tourer than a sport sedan.

Fittingly, the suspension and ride quality stand out as typical of Audi over the past couple of decades: serene, silent, with stellar compliance to keep body impacts to a minimum despite 20-inch wheels on relatively low-profile tires. Yet in Dynamic mode, the S5 stiffens up enough for enjoyable canyon carving, the Quattro all-wheel-drive system rendering rain on even the windiest of Goldeneye roads almost an utter afterthought.

Ripping along, hauling through corners with impeccable balance, understeer transitioning to mild hints of oversteer quite predictably, the GT saunters into sport sedan territory once more. Praises for modern electronically adaptive shock dampers and throttle response and steering assist and... well, just about everything. And yet, most importantly, this S5 sedan delivers far and away, without a doubt, unarguably and inescapably, the finest steering on a modern Audi—perhaps any Audi, ever.

As usual, I must here take a break to admit that I once owned a 2001 TT and a 2016 A3, both with Haldex-based Quattro all-wheel drive. The TT's hydraulic power steering got the job done, requiring a bit of muscle but with the right level of feedback created by the sheer weight and tire contact patch pressure of a nose-heavy and front-wheel-biased hatchback. The decade-and-a-half newer A3, on the other hand, graduated into the current era of extremely light, yet also quite dull, electronic power assisted steering. Having driven many other modern Audi—and plenty of high-performance all-wheel-drive cars, trucks, and SUVs over the years, too—I do believe that light steering isn't necessarily a bad thing.

All that said, Audis always also leaned toward the dullness and lack of feedback side of the equation. Not anymore. Audi clearly listened—to customers, or perhaps even the constant complaints from my automotive journalist compatriots. On the S5, the thin steering wheel rim itself now pairs with an entirely overhauled front end, as well as some significant rear suspension revisions, to completely change the game. Now, please prepare to nerd out.

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Specifically, the S5 features a progressive rate steering box with progressive electronic assist that takes into consideration steering angle, lateral acceleration, and centering force. Mechanically, the rack now bolts directly onto the subframe without bushings, and the rest of the front suspension bushings stiffen up, as well. Audi increased the front camber, tightened up suspension links, and tuned the shock dampers to take steering inputs into consideration for the adaptive valve programming, too. The thicker rear sway bar then helps to keep the tail more tidy through corners, allowing the torque vectoring and differential to now work more effectively, as well.

Now, in normal drive mode, the system still feels extremely light and also displays the slightest latency in almost a similar fashion as the Tesla Cybertruck. To counter the millisecond worth of delay between when I turned my hands and the S5 actually turned, I immediately switched into Dynamic mode. Here, the new setup absolutely shines—though in full accuracy, I used the Individual mode to put the steering and driver assist systems into Dynamic, with the suspension control in Balanced.

The resulting road feel blew my mind, for an Audi anyway. The slightest twist of the steering wheel left any hint of hesitation behind as the tires now sent enough information through the whole system to communicate exactly when the front started scrabbling for grip at the edge of initial, quintessential Quattro understeer.

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That understeer still exists because nothing can hide the fact that the A5/S5 has grown into quite a large sedan. We still don't know a specific weight, nor specific dimensions other than that it has a stretched wheelbase that measures just over three inches longer even than the outgoing A5/S5—so theoretically, that's a fraction of an inch longer than the current internal-combustion A4 that shares the same platform. At least the sedans in France sported slicktops, but are we truly talking about an A4 replacement here, Audi?

Though pictures speak a thousand words, the new exterior design remains recognizably Audi, while creeping nearer to the smoothed-out styling of broader market trends (from companies not called Hyundai and Tesla, anyhow). From certain angles, the rounded edges might slightly resemble a third-generation BMW 6 Series, and the door handles do look very 7 Series, while the rear hints at perhaps the slightest of a Bangle Butt.

The Avant wagon solves at least a couple of those minor comparisons, but on the so-called sedan, that tail flows downward in the sleek Sportback configuration and the hatchback decklid allows for plenty of storage in the trunk, especially with the rear seats folded down. Working forward, the rear seats actually seemed a bit cramped, a surprise at my middling 6'1" height given the longer wheelbase. 

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The front seats served as another highlight of the whole day, though, providing a cozy cocoon perfect for either coaxing out every last ounce of the S5's performance or loafing through life with the massaging, heating, and ventilation all running simultaneously.

The dash and center console similarly scream Audi, with a cutting-edge design and premium materials—for the most part, and mostly in the critical tactile elements including a stretch of upholstery that runs entirely across the dash all the way from one front door handle, beneath the three screens (including the optional passenger screen), to the other door.

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Unlike for the steering, though, Audi apparently misheard every single person on the entire planet and decided to go dive headlong further overboard into the murky waters of piano black plastic. Both on the center console and on the exterior, the crummy stuff already looked dirty and scuffed on a brand-new, recently detailed press car. Now imagine dog hairs and the dirt of months, if not years, of use.

Carbon fiber trim or some kind of film might hide the piano black—okay, now we're adding options and accessories. At least we lost the stubby shifter somewhere along the way... Of course, such trivialities probably figure into the equation less for the final verdict of an otherwise solid sports sedan than all the caveats and questions remaining from my time with the S5.

The car that Americans receive in the United States will be quite different. Does the gasoline engine, even with similar output, produce the same pleasing power delivery (and sound!)? Do the suspension and steering still work as well, or possibly even better, without the additional weight of the mild hybrid components? One of those talkative engineers at dinner told me they thought the hybrid system adds about 50 kilograms, or about 110 pounds, and that removing the batteries allows for some additional storage beneath the trunk floor. I always prefer less complexity, so cutting poundage and adding storage in the name of American luxury might make a worthy trade-off for the US-spec car.

I can confirm the bummer I felt that Audi's stalwart A4, arguably the brand's spiritual standard, looks likely to wind up as an early sacrifice at the altar of electrification. And the idea of replacing the A4 with an A5 that's not smaller, but instead larger than the outgoing model seems all the more baffling. Chalk the growth up to inflation, perhaps, but maybe the A3 will truly step into those slightly expanding shoes?

Speculation aside, after the tease of seeing but not driving the S5 Avant, which in pure stylistic terms can cope with the added overall size most attractively, I sure hope that Audi reverses the unfortunate decision to skip shipping a smaller RS 6 sibling to the United States and instead trusts American buyers to determine the new nomenclature and overall market strategy. Come on, y'all, let's make station wagons great again. Otherwise, the A4 as we once knew it might well go the same way as those very dinosaurs that contributed their remains to our erstwhile internal-combustion era.