Audi A5 Avant Estate
New from £43,250 / £445 p/m
Is the Audi A5 Avant Estate a good car?
Read our expert review
Words by: Mark Nichol
"If you’re looking at this and thinking “eh, why is that Audi estate called A5? Isn’t the A5 a type of Audi Coupe?” then you know enough about Audis (and cars in general) to want an explanation. It’s because any Audi with an odd-numbered name still has a combustion engine, whereas even-numbered models are electric-only. So now you know. Anyways, here’s the car formerly known as “the estate version of the Audi A4”. For a premium of about £2,000 over the A5 Saloon, you get a much bigger and more practical boot (albeit the A5 Saloon is actually a hatchback these days), and very slightly improved rear headroom. Other than that, it’s as per the A5 Saloon, which means genuinely amazing quality, all kinds of middle England prestige, some truly impressive screen technology... but a strangely characterless aura. The BMW 3 Series Touring is more interesting to drive, and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate arguably feels a little more luxurious, meaning the new A5 doesn’t really change the orthodoxy. It was ever thus."
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Running costs for an Audi A5 Avant
The 2024 Audi A5 Avant offers decent running costs in the context of a premium estate, not least because there’s still a diesel. And diesels still offer the best real-world efficiency, especially if you’re using your load-lugger to lug a load of loads a load of miles. It’ll give you a good 60mpg, while the cheapest 2.0-litre TFSI petrol will give you closer to 40mpg. Sadly, as it stands there’s no plug-in hybrid. There will be by the end of 2025, but for the time being, if this is a company car, you are better off with a Merc or a BMW from a purely financial standpoint. There is an S5 though, with a 3.0-litre turbo engine and, almost certainly, around 20mpg in real life. Not cost effective (it’s £70K before options) but very cool.
Reliability of an Audi A5 Avant
A word springs to mind the moment you step into the cabin of the A5 Avant: “chunky.” It just feels so very, very solid, from top to bottom. Of course, there’s a difference between space-grade plastics and actual mechanical reliability, but if it’s a <i>feeling</i> of quality you’re after, nobody does it better than Audi. Mind, the plasticky door handles are a real disappointment in this context – why would you make such a common touch point feel so flimsy? You should be okay reliability-wise, albeit the sheer amount of digital real estate in the A5 (three screens) means that electrical and software gremlins are your biggest risk. All the mechanical bits are evolutions of tried-and-tested parts; the gearboxes, engines, running gear, and even the chassis itself are all basically upgrades of older Audi bits. So you should be okay. The warranty is three years and 60,000 miles, which is standard for an Audi but looks stingy compared to the warranties that brands like MG, Kia and Hyundai offer, if that’s the sort of thing that would swing you to another ‘lesser’ brand. Which it probably isn’t.
Safety for an Audi A5 Avant
No Euro NCAP rating yet but if it doesn’t score five stars when the time comes to fill it with crash test dummies and drive it into a wall, we’ll be amazed. Hmm. Standard safety kit includes autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality. Higher trims get blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts, and a 360-degree parking camera. ISOFIX points on the outer rear seats are standard, too. Top models get Audi’s traffic jam assist, which makes the commute much more relaxed by automatically starting and stopping in…well, stop-start traffic. It’s a really lovely bit of active daily convenience tech.
How comfortable is the Audi A5 Avant
If there’s another thing that Audi knows how to do, aside from making car interiors that feel more dense than Donald Trump, it’s how to make a comfy driving position for any shape of person. Audi seems to have pivoted back to a more 'sporty' suspension setup generally though, so the A5 doesn't feel quite as soft and luxurious as it might. That said, as ever, ride comfort is quite dependent on the size of wheels you choose, and whether you spec adaptive damping. And, ultimately, it's never uncomfortable. It's just a bit... lumpy, sometimes. Still, the refinement is outstanding – even the diesels are extremely quiet – and because the screens are really easy to fathom, the seats are comfy and there's lots of space, the A5 always feels nice. It's a brilliant thing to do long-distances in. Including for the poor people stuck in the back, because there's a canny amount of leg- and headspace. It's all a little dark though, so it never feels quite 'airy'.
Features of the Audi A5 Avant
Three screens probably seems a bit much, right? And the passenger side screen is useful if, say, you have a teenage child who loves to take control of the in-car entertainment. But that also makes it an annoyance, at times. Still, cool thing. More usefully for you, the driver, is the fact that Audi has basically nailed the digital cockpit thing now. The instrument display is customisable and clear, and includes blind spot monitoring, and the controls on the central screen are very easy to use. Bottom rung Sport trim comes with a load of stuff, meaning you don’t <i>have</i> to get an S-line car, if you’d prefer the more comfortable suspension of a basic A5 Avant. Every A5 gets heated seats, multi-zone climate control, keyless entry, parking sensors all round, a powered tailgate and wireless Apple CarPlay. All good. Practicality-wise, the boot is 476 litres, which is meaningless without context, so here’s some: the A5 saloon has a 445-litre boot, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class estate 490 litres, the BMW 3 Series Touring 500 litres, and a can of Red Bull is 0.25 litres. It’s a very useful space, including a parcel shelf that moves up and out of the way when you open the tailgate, a twin floor, and various bag hooks and nets and that.
Power for an Audi A5 Avant
The 3.0-litre, 367-horsepower S5 Avant is one of those "all the car you'll ever need" things, because it's really powerful, sounds good and is, of course, very practical; car people love a fast wagon. However, in reality, cars like the A5 Avant tend to be powered by a mid-level diesel, for the efficiency, like. Ergo, Audi has supplied a lovely 2.0-litre TDI with 204-horsepower that you can have with either front-wheel drive, or a slightly heavier and less efficient quattro (four-wheel drive) setup. It's not remotely interesting to drive - get a BMW 3 Series if you appreciate a little fun behind the wheel - but it's quick enough, returns decent mpgs, and you won't be at the fuel station all the time, dying inside while you watch the numbers on the pump go up. As ever, when the plug-in hybrid arrives, that'll be the one to get for company car drivers. And if you're a private buyer, just looking for the most cost-effective A5 Avant for you and the family, the basic 2.0-litre petrol version is powerful enough (just...150-horsepower is quite mid these days), and it's quieter than the diesel. Something for almost everyone.
Lease deals
These deals are based on terms of 8,000 miles, for a 36 month lease with a 6 months initial payment.
£567.17
Monthly payment
£3,403.01
Initial payment
- 5 seats
- 5 doors
- Estate
- Petrol
- Automatic
- 2.0 litres
£639.63
Monthly payment
£3,837.78
Initial payment
- 5 seats
- 5 doors
- Estate
- Diesel
- Automatic
- 2.0 litres
£632.14
Monthly payment
£3,792.84
Initial payment
- 5 seats
- 5 doors
- Estate
- Diesel
- Automatic
- 2.0 litres
£601.17
Monthly payment
£3,607
Initial payment
- 5 seats
- 5 doors
- Estate
- Petrol
- Automatic
- 2.0 litres
Standard equipment
Expect the following equipment on your Audi A5 Avant Estate. This may vary between trim levels.
- 18in Alloy Wheels - 8.0J 5-Twin-Spoke Design
- Aluminium Roof Rails
- Aluminium Window Trims
- Anti Theft Wheel Bolts
- Body Coloured Door Mirrors
- Body-Coloured Door Handles
- Clear Glass
- Exterior Mirrors - Electrically Adjustable - Heated and Folding - Automatically Dimming on Both Sides
- Side and Rear Windows in Heat-Insulating Glass
- Sport Exterior Styling
- Tyre Repair Kit
- White Rhombus Logo Projection Light in Exterior Mirrors
- Windscreen with Acoustic Glazing
- 3-Zone Automatic Climate Control
- Accent Surfaces and Control Buttons - Matt Black
- Auto-Dimming Rear-View Mirror
- Comfort Centre Armrest - Front
- Front Door Sill Trims with Aluminium Inlays - Illuminated
- Front Seats with Manual Adjustment for Position and 4-Way Electric Lumbar Support
- Front Sport Seats with Integrated Headrests
- Front and Rear Floor Mats
- Headlining in Cloth - Rock Grey
- Heated Front Seats
- Inlays in Laser Structure - Black
- Interior Lighting in White
- Keyless Go
- Luggage Compartment Lid - Electrically Opening and Closing
- Manual Steering Column Adjustment
- Softwrap in Impressum Cloth
- Split-Folding Rear Seat Bench Can Be Split 40-20-40 with Centre Armrest and Cup Holders
- Twin-Spoke Leather Steering Wheel with Multi-Function Buttons with Touch Control - Shift Paddles - Trim in Chrome Look
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Attention and Drowsiness Detection with Driver Observation
- Audi Drive Select
- Camera Based Traffic Sign Recognition
- Lane Departure Warning
- Park Assist Plus
- Parking System Plus with 360 Degree Display
- Rear-View Camera
- Side Assist with Exit Warning - Rear Cross-Traffic Assist and Rear Turn Assist
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
- Airbags in Front - Front Passenger Airbag Can Be Manually Deactivated
- Anti-Theft Alarm
- Audi Assistant
- Convenience Key
- Digital Key
- Electric Child Safety Lock
- First Aid Kit and Warning Triangle and Safety Vests
- Front Emergency Brake Assist
- Front Side Airbags with Head Airbag System and Front Interaction Airbag
- Hill Hold Assist
- I-Size Child Seat Mounting on the Front Passenger Side and I-Size and Top Tether on the Outer Rear Seat
- Intersection Assist
- Seat Belt Monitoring with Rear Seat Occupant Reminder - Child Presence Detection
- Swerve Assist and Turn Assist
- Audi Application Store and Smartphone Interface
- Audi Connect Emergency Call and Service with Audi Connect Remote and Control
- Audi Connect Navigation and Infotainment (3 Year Subscription From New)
- Audi Sound System
- DAB Digital Radio Reception
- Increased Charging Capacity for USB Ports - 2x100 Watts in rear - 2x60 Watts in Front
- MMI Navigation Plus with High Resolution 14.5in OLED Touchscreen Colour Display and Audi Virtual Cockpit Plus with 11.9in OLED Colour Display
- Phone Compartment with Wireless Charging
- Automatic Start-Stop with Coasting Functionality and Efficiency Programme
- Comfort Suspension
- Progressive Steering with Servotronic
- Traffic-Sign-Based Speed Limiter
- High Beam Assist
- LED Headlights Plus
- LED Rear Lights Pro
Other vehicles in the A5 Avant family
RS5 Avant Estate
Related articles and reviews
Audi A5 Avant Estate (2024 - ) review
Audi's mainstay estate car has a new number in its name, but it's the same old story: really good, not very exciting
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