To those familiar with the Audi range to date, the concept of an A5 Avant might be a bit odd. After all, this is now an estate version of what was a coupe version (the A5) of a saloon (the A4) that was also available as an estate (the A4 Avant), right? Well, yes and no. Because the A5 is the replacement for the A4, it is offered as a ‘Saloon’-badged fastback and as a more practical estate.
But is the new A5 Avant as good as the A4 Avant it replaces? And can it challenge the BMW 3 Series Touring and Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate as effectively as its predecessor did? We took a 2.0-litre diesel A5 Avant for a spin at the car’s international media launch in Tenerife.
What does the new Audi A5 Avant look like?
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the A5 Avant looks much like an A5 Saloon from the front, albeit with roof rails added. But the nose design is identical, with the wide, flat new grille and the narrowed headlights, which are available with customisable light ‘signatures’. At the back, the Avant has the same wide light bar as the Saloon, but it has an elegantly integrated tailgate that looks pleasingly svelte.
A look inside the Audi A5 Avant
From the driving seat, the A5 Avant feels much the same as the Saloon, with exactly the same dashboard, seating position, steering wheel and screen layout. That’s good news, because the A5 Saloon’s interior is largely very well made. It has a few foibles, including the fiddly buttons on the steering wheel, but the materials are generally incredibly good and the way in which they fit together is exemplary.
But while the design is smart and the quality is first-rate, the Avant really exists to provide more space than the Saloon. And on paper, it does. At 476 litres, the boot is slightly larger than that of the Saloon, though the difference is less than 10 per cent. The figures only tell half the story, however, because the official boot space is only measured to the window line. The A5 Avant’s boot, therefore, is a much more useful shape than that of the Saloon, which means loading bulky items can be done without worrying about whether you’ll shatter the rear window.
However, whichever way you cut it, the A5 Avant’s boot is marginally smaller than that of the BMW 3 Series Touring and Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate. But the luggage space is only part of the advantage to choosing the A5 Avant, because the car’s higher roofline means there’s more headroom in the back too, and that will play well with those who regularly carry adults - and particularly tall ones - in the rear seats.
The Audi A5’s on-board technology
As with the A5 Saloon, there’s a big focus on technology in the A5 Avant’s cabin. The whole dashboard is dominated by a massive touchscreen and the digital instrument cluster, both of which live inside a big, curved housing that reaches around the back of the steering wheel. Unfortunately, the tech isn’t quite as impressive as we were hoping, with a digital instrument display that doesn’t have the configurability or the functionality of the old A4 Avant’s. And the touchscreen may have more toys, but it’s more confusing and less easy to use.
That said, we have to commend the touchscreen heater controls that replace the old A4 Avant’s buttons. While they’re still more distracting than ‘proper’ switchgear, the temperature controls are always on display and features such as the demister are always immediately available, which at least makes it more user-friendly than most.
The other user-friendly bit of technology is the optional passenger display, which benefits from being more pared back than the central display and is therefore more ergonomic as a result. Whether customers will want that screen or not is another question - although the main display is angled towards the driver, the passenger screen still feels a bit superfluous - but it is at least very good at what it does and neatly integrated into the dashboard and the operating system.
And the tech in the A5 Avant doesn’t just live in the car’s cabin. The lights are a big part of the technology offering, with their customisable light signatures and the adaptive beam technology, which allows the lights to dip in the direction of other vehicles to avoid dazzle, while still maintaining maximum illumination of other areas.
How efficient is the Audi A5 Avant?
Like the A5 Saloon, the A5 Avant is offered with a choice of 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines, some of which come with mild-hybrid technology for improved fuel economy. The base option, though, is a conventional 2.0-litre petrol engine with 150hp, all of which goes to the front wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox. It’s perfectly adequate.
The diesel is another 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine with a turbocharger, as well as a seven-speed automatic gearbox, and it drives the front wheels. But it produces up to 204hp, as well as the additional torque of a diesel engine, which gives it significantly superior performance compared with the basic petrol alternative.
It also offers far better economy than the petrol engine, thanks in part to the mild-hybrid system. It isn’t as obvious at work as the hybrid system in, say, a Toyota Yaris (it’s more of a glorified stop-start system), but it does help keep fuel consumption to a minimum. On the official economy test, the diesel sips about five litres of diesel every 100km, which is going to make it really appealing for those regularly covering long distances, especially as that kind of economy is actually achievable on a motorway run.
But it also appeals because it’s such a great engine for long drives. Not only is it powerful and efficient, but it’s also really smooth. The days of rough and gruff diesel engines are thankfully gone, and though the diesel isn’t quite as quiet as the petrol engines, it only really grumbles when you poke it. If you’re at a cruise, you’ll barely hear it at all.
Driving the Audi A5 Avant
Sometimes, estate cars can behave slightly differently to their saloon-bodied siblings, but the A5 Avant feels pretty similar to the Saloon. Audi has done excellent work making the A5 - in both forms - better to drive than the A4 it replaces, but it still isn’t as agile as the equivalent BMW 3 Series.
Thankfully, the larger rear end does no damage to the car’s ride or handling. You don’t feel much difference in the corners, and the extra weight does nothing to the comfort either. The result is a car that’s just as stable and secure as the Saloon, but neither is it more engaging
The steering is still inert and lifeless, but it is at least quite precise, so the A5 Avant is predictable and safe. Body control is rather good, too, even with the extra weight positioned high up above the rear end. And though the ride isn’t perfect, it’s still fairly supple, even with the bigger alloy wheels fitted to more upmarket models. It’s at its most comfortable on the motorway, but it’s still reasonably compliant around town, albeit with a few thumps as the big wheels traverse potholes.
Refinement is a strong suit, too. Not only is the diesel engine fairly quiet, but the gearbox is so smooth you barely notice it at work, and there isn’t much in the way of wind and road noise on the move.
How safe is the Audi A5 Avant?
The new A5 has still not yet been assessed, although we’re expecting a score from Euro NCAP, the European independent safety body, to come through in the coming months. When it does, we assume it will be a pretty impressive score, given Audi’s track record on that front. The old A4 and A5 models got a five-star rating, and so too have some of Audi’s latest models.
And the A5 Avant comes with bags of safety equipment, including autonomous emergency braking that can stop the car if the driver fails to react to a hazard, and lane departure warning to help prevent drivers from drifting out of their lane. There are other features, as well, including parking sensors to help prevent low-speed bumps, and you get all the usual stuff, including anti-lock brakes and an electronic stability program.
How many child seats can you fit in an Audi A5 Avant?
Just like the A5 Saloon, the A5 Avant comes with two ISOFIX child seat mounting points in the back, and a third ISOFIX point on the front passenger seat, providing that bit more flexibility for those with young kids. And because the Avant models have a higher roofline, it should be that bit easier to slot a child seat into the car. Parents will welcome the larger boot of the Avant as well of course.
How much does the Audi A5 Avant cost in Ireland?
A5 Avant prices start at €59,600, making the estate around €4,000 more expensive than the Saloon. That’s a lot of money when you don’t get vast amounts of extra space in return, but at least you don’t lose anything in terms of specification. The SE comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, the two-screen dashboard and dual-zone climate control, as well as parking sensors and cruise control. And you can upgrade to the S line, with its sportier look, bigger wheels and leather seats.
The reasons you’d buy an Audi A5 Avant
With more rear space and a bigger boot, the A5 Avant has obvious appeal over the Saloon. And in this 2.0-litre diesel form, the promise of long-distance efficiency and ample performance will be of great interest to many. In fact, we’d suggest it’s arguably the most compelling of all the A5 models we’ve driven thus far.
Ask us anything about the Audi A5 Avant
If there’s anything else you’d like to know about the Audi A5 Avant, or indeed any other car on sale in Ireland, just head to our Ask Us Anything page. There, you can pose your questions for our team of experts, who will answer your queries completely free of charge.
