2023 Audi A5 Sportback

2023 is a late-cycle carry-over year in the B9 A5 generation the registry dates from 2018 (facelifted for 2020): the turbo four, seven-speed S tronic and quattro all carry over, and the year's changes were equipment-level — standard Matrix-design LED headlights across the line, new standard 18-inch wheels on the Sportback 45, and B&O 3D audio made standard on Premium Plus. The volume US configuration is the Premium 40 TFSI quattro at $44,100, a 2.0L turbo four with a 12V mild-hybrid system rated at 201 hp. Modest for a compact luxury five-door and behind a BMW 430i Gran Coupe's base engine.

236 lb-ft (320 Nm) from the 40 TFSI's 2.0L turbo on a wide low-rpm plateau, which makes the car feel stronger in traffic than the horsepower figure suggests. Mid-pack for the compact luxury class; identical to the mechanically shared 2023 A4 40 TFSI.

6.4 seconds for the volume 40 TFSI quattro — a tenth behind the lighter A4 sedan on the same drivetrain and squarely mid-pack for the segment. The optional 45 TFSI is roughly a second quicker, which is the upgrade most reviewers push buyers toward.

The 2.0T with 12V mild hybrid is quiet and smooth in normal driving, and owners of the 2023 Sportback single out quietness and refinement; the stop-start restart is barely felt. Against that, reviewers of this drivetrain flag delayed responses off idle before boost arrives and a coarse note near the redline. Good rather than class-leading versus BMW's B48 and Mercedes' M254 fours.

The seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch — standard on every 2023 A5 Sportback — shifts quickly and cleanly once rolling, with good timing and rev-matched paddle downshifts, but low-speed manners are its weakness: delayed take-up and abrupt engagement when creeping or parking, the familiar wet-clutch DCT trait. Behind the ZF torque-converter eight-speed in a 4 Series Gran Coupe.

quattro all-wheel drive is standard on every 2023 US A5 Sportback — there is no front-drive variant — with the rear-axle-decoupling quattro ultra system on the 40 TFSI and a mechanical center differential with torque vectoring on the 45 TFSI. Sophisticated for on-road and winter use; short of the top band only for the absence of low range or terrain hardware, which nothing in this segment offers.

Two states of tune of one engine — the 2.0L turbo four as 40 TFSI (201 hp) or 45 TFSI (261 hp), both with a 12V mild hybrid, the same seven-speed DCT and standard quattro. No hybrid, plug-in or electric A5 for 2023; the S5's 3.0T V6 and RS 5 are separate nameplates, and the European TDI diesels are not sold in the US.

The volume 40 TFSI quattro rates 28 MPG combined for 2023 — respectable for a car with standard all-wheel drive, and mid-pack among gas hatchbacks even though it is carrying a luxury curb weight. The 12V mild hybrid's stop-start and coasting functions do most of the work; there is no full-hybrid option to lift it further.

24 MPG city is the weakest of the three EPA figures and the one that drags the combined rating down — acceptable for permanent quattro AWD with only a 12V mild hybrid, but well short of any full hybrid, and notably no better than the more powerful 45 TFSI.

33 MPG highway is the A5 Sportback's strongest efficiency figure: the seven-speed DCT's tall top gear, the fastback roofline's low drag and quattro ultra's ability to decouple the rear axle all pay off at a steady cruise. It is a genuinely efficient long-distance car despite the AWD.

EPA total range of 428 miles from the 15.3-gallon tank — below mid-pack, and it is the small tank rather than the engine that caps it: the same drivetrain would clear 500 miles on a segment-average fill. In practice the highway rating stretches a tank well past 480 miles.

$2,700 a year at EPA assumptions. The economy figures themselves are middling rather than bad — it is the premium grade that pushes running cost clear of a mainstream hatchback's, and EPA scores the car as spending more on fuel than the average new vehicle over five years.

Premium unleaded is specified for every 2023 A5 Sportback drivetrain, with no lower-grade, flex-fuel or plug-in alternative — a standing surcharge of roughly 60–80 cents a gallon over regular, which puts this in the item's bottom band. Standard practice for the compact luxury segment, but the item grades the requirement itself rather than the peer group; EPA's own wording is "recommended" rather than strictly required, which is the only thing keeping it off the floor.

NHTSA rates the 2023 A5 Sportback 5 stars overall. It is a carry-over year of the B9 generation, which started in 2018. The only weak spot is a 4-star frontal result for both driver and passenger; side barrier, side pole and rollover all earn 5 stars.

The 2023 model has no IIHS award. Its Good small-overlap (driver and passenger) and original moderate-overlap ratings come from a 2017 A4 test. It was never run through the updated side test or the nighttime-pedestrian test that 2023 awards required, so it can't be judged under current protocols.

Every 2023 trim gets forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection (pre sense city) and lane-departure warning with lane-keeping help. On the base Premium trim, adaptive cruise, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert cost extra (the $1,800 Convenience package). They are standard on Premium Plus and Prestige.

Both the standard pre sense city system and the optional pre sense front system rate Superior in IIHS's original vehicle-to-vehicle test, and the pedestrian (day) test is also Superior. The system has never been rated at night or under the updated vehicle-to-vehicle protocol.

Audi side assist (blind-spot monitoring) and rear cross-traffic assist are standard on Premium Plus and Prestige, and part of the Convenience package on Premium. Where fitted, exit warning is included. The features are not standard across the range.

Active lane assist is standard and unobtrusive: a lane-departure warning plus corrective steering that nudges the car back from the markings. True lane centering (adaptive cruise assist with lane guidance) comes only with the Prestige-level driver-assistance equipment.

Stop-and-go adaptive cruise is standard on Premium Plus and Prestige but costs extra on the base Premium. Reviewers describe its distance management as smooth. Integrated lane-guidance highway assist is limited to the top trim.

No 2023 A5 Sportback trim offers hands-free highway driving. Audi had no hands-off Level 2 system in the US for this model year.

IIHS rates the LED projector headlights on the volume Premium and Premium Plus trims Good, with high-beam assist standard. The other headlight variation rates only Acceptable.

The low cowl gives a good view forward, but the fastback roofline, shallow rear glass and thick C-pillars create rear-quarter blind zones. A rear camera is standard, and a top-view camera is available on upper trims.

IIHS rates LATCH ease of use Good, with two outboard positions fully equipped and a tether anchor for the center seat. The sloping rear door opening and compact rear bench make installing seats somewhat awkward, and three seats across isn't practical.

Every 2023 A5 Sportback seats five, though the center rear position is best for occasional use.

The standard panoramic roof trims front headroom to 37.7 in, which is adequate but on the tight side of the hatchback band.

41.3 in of front legroom is typical of the compact luxury class and fine for most adults.

The fastback roof costs less rear headroom than it looks, with 37.0 in, though tall adults brush the sloping glass.

35.1 in of rear legroom is tight. Adults behind tall front occupants run short of knee room on the A4-derived wheelbase.

The liftback is the Sportback's chief practical advantage. At 21.8 cu ft it has far more room than the A4 sedan's trunk and competes with compact hatchbacks.

It has a wide power liftback and 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats. The door pockets and center console are ordinary, and nothing about the storage stands out.

The power front seats are supportive with standard 4-way lumbar and get praise on long drives. The rear bench is firm and short on knee room for adults.

On the standard suspension and 18-inch wheels of the volume Premium 40 TFSI, the ride is composed and compliant. S line sport suspension and 19s add firmness.

It is hushed at highway speed for the class, with low wind noise from the frameless doors. Tire roar on coarse surfaces and a coarse 2.0T under load keep it off the top tier.

Three-zone automatic climate and heated front seats are standard on the Premium. The heated steering wheel is optional, heated rear seats come only on the Prestige, and ventilated seats aren't offered.

2023 is the sixth model year of the B9 A5 Sportback (launched for 2018, facelifted for 2020), a carry-over year with light equipment changes. The entry 40 TFSI Premium comes with quattro AWD as standard and starts around $45.6K with destination, which is high for the hatchback band.

The S line 45 TFSI (261 hp) in Premium Plus trim is the typical dealer-stock configuration, and for 2023 it gained standard B&O 3D audio, adaptive cruise and a surround-view camera. Its price is CarBuzz's $51,800 base price plus Audi's 2023 destination charge of about $1,095.

A turbocharged German compact luxury car with no included scheduled maintenance for 2023, so a buyer pays for every service. The mechanicals are the same as the 2024–2025 car, so KBB's class estimate for those years is carried back and adjusted slightly.

KBB shows the car has lost 36% in three years (64% retained). Extending that curve through the soft used market for a superseded sedan-shaped luxury model gives roughly 45% retained at five years, bracketed by CarEdge's 50% projection.

Audi's standard New Vehicle Limited Warranty is typical luxury-class coverage, one year longer than mainstream brands.

Audi USA offers no longer powertrain term. The drivetrain is covered only by the 4-year/50k-mile limited warranty, well short of the 5–10 year terms some rivals offer.

No scheduled maintenance was included for 2023; Audi Care was a prepaid extra. Complimentary maintenance (Audi Signature Care) arrived only with the 2026 model year. The perks are 4-year roadside assistance plus trial periods for Audi connect and SiriusXM.

$52,895 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (45% retained, or about $23,803) leaves about $29,092 in depreciation. Add the projected $7,400 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $36,492 in total.

Consumer Reports rates the 2023 A5 about average for its model year, and owners mostly report electronic problems such as infotainment and driver-assist glitches rather than mechanical ones. RepairPal puts the A5 quattro in the bottom third of its class on how often it needs repairs. The J.D. Power 2026 VDS, which measures 2023 models after three years of ownership, puts Audi near the bottom. That is a notch below the 2023 A4 on the same B9.5 platform, which CR rates well above average. 2023 is the sixth US model year of a well-sorted generation.

Over several years Audi's dependability has been below average. It sits in the bottom five of recent J.D. Power VDS studies, finished last in the 2025 IQS, and has slipped in Consumer Reports' brand rankings. This uses the same brand baseline as the other Audis of this era (2023 A4, 2024 A5).

One 2023 recall touches the Sportback body: a 91-vehicle campaign for a loose front-passenger occupant-detection connector. NHTSA's filing names only the S5 and RS5 Sportback, not the A5 volume trim. The rear-axle, rearview-camera and seat-belt campaigns for this generation stop at 2022 or earlier. The one remaining weak spot is MMI software TSBs, which affect Audi models generally.

The volume 40 TFSI quattro has the fourth-generation EA888 2.0T with a 12-volt mild-hybrid system, which is regarded as durable now that earlier generations' oil-consumption and timing-chain problems have been fixed. The seven-speed DL382 wet-clutch S tronic is solid but can develop mechatronic faults if fluid service is skipped. The water-pump housing is a known wear item. The 2023 A4 uses the same drivetrain.

The cabin is among the better ones in the compact luxury class. The dash and doors are soft-touch, the switchgear feels solid and the trim is leather and aluminum or wood. It loses a few points for small cost cuts at this price, such as a manual steering-column adjuster and thin armrest padding.

Reviewers and owners describe tight, rattle-free assembly on a body Ingolstadt had been building since 2017. The score is held back by Audi's weak brand-level initial-quality results and by owner reports of electronic glitches.

About 314 US Audi dealers give adequate metro coverage, but it is the thinnest network of the three German luxury brands. J.D. Power put Audi's 2023 service satisfaction below the premium average. This uses the same brand baseline as the 2023 A4.

Repair costs are above the class average and the car visits the shop about twice as often as the segment norm. Parts are easy to get, though, because the car shares the MLB Evo platform with the A4, Q5 and other high-volume VW Group models and independent-specialist support is deep. Severe repairs are no more likely than the segment average.

Every trim uses the same 10.1-inch MMI touchscreen, which is modest next to newer rivals.

The MIB3 MMI is quick and crisp with logical menus. The 2020 facelift removed the rotary controller, so everything runs through the screen, and reviewers mark it down for distraction.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every trim. Android Auto has historically been less dependable wirelessly than CarPlay.

The volume Premium trim has no built-in navigation and relies on phone projection. MMI navigation plus with natural-language voice and Audi connect comes higher in the range.

The Premium trim's standard Audi sound system is adequate. The praised Bang & Olufsen 3D system became standard on Premium Plus for 2023.

The Premium gets analog gauges with a 7-inch driver display. The class-leading 12.3-inch virtual cockpit plus needs Premium Plus or the Convenience package.

MIB3 gets over-the-air map and some connect-service updates, but not whole-vehicle software updates. Fixes still need a dealer visit.

The myAudi app covers remote lock/unlock, vehicle status and location. Remote start/climate and other connect features are subscription-gated, and there is no phone-as-key.

USB-C ports serve both rows. Wireless charging requires Premium Plus or a package, and there is no household outlet.

Push-button start is standard. Audi advanced key proximity entry and hands-free liftback come in the Convenience package or on Premium Plus, and remote functions run through myAudi.

The Premium has only a rearview camera. Front/rear parking sensors and the top-view camera come on Premium Plus, and active park assist on Prestige.

A head-up display is available only on the top Prestige trim, not on the volume Premium or Premium Plus.

Four doors, Good-rated LATCH hardware and a big liftback hold make family duty workable. The 35.1-in rear legroom and sloping roof make rear-facing seats awkward.

It has a 5-star NHTSA overall rating and standard pre sense city AEB. Adaptive cruise, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic alerts are extras on the volume Premium via the $1,800 Convenience package.

It has comfortable front seats, three-zone climate with rear vents and real luggage room. The rear is cramped for teens and adults on long trips.

A smooth dual-clutch transmission, 236 lb-ft from low rpm and a composed ride make it an easy commuter. Low-speed DCT hesitation and touch-only controls are small annoyances, and adaptive cruise costs extra on the Premium.

28 MPG combined is decent for an AWD luxury car, but it uses premium fuel and EPA puts fuel cost at $2,700/yr, with luxury-priced consumables on top.

Its compact 188-in footprint suits the city, but the 38.4-ft turning circle is wide. The volume Premium lacks parking sensors, and the fastback's rear visibility is weak.

Audi USA publishes no tow rating for the A5 Sportback. The liftback swallows boxes, but it isn't a work vehicle.

It has a luxury cabin and a turbocharged German powertrain, with no fleet or work-duty track record.

Beyond tie-down hooks and a pass-through there are no work provisions: no onboard power, no upfit ecosystem.

It is a quiet, composed highway car with supportive front seats and about 428 miles of combined range. The tight rear seat and optional adaptive cruise on the Premium hold it back.

Standard quattro AWD handles snow and gravel roads with confidence. Low ground clearance, no tow rating and no factory roof rails keep it on pavement.

A large liftback opening, 40/20/40 folding rear seats with a ski pass-through and 35 cu ft folded beat any sedan. The sloping roof limits tall items.

It feels secure and grippy with standard quattro and tidy body control, but it errs toward safe understeer rather than real engagement. The 4 Series Gran Coupe is sharper.

The electric steering is precise and well weighted in Dynamic mode but short on feedback, which is typical of the B9 platform.

A firm, progressive pedal and solid stopping power. Instrumented 70–0 stops for the related B9 A4/A5 fall in the 160–170 ft range.

The 2.0T mild hybrid is smooth, and belt-starter restarts are seamless. The S tronic shifts quickly but can hesitate pulling away.

It is quiet at cruise, but the four-cylinder turns coarse near redline, especially in the 201-hp 40 TFSI tune.

A 38.4-ft turning diameter is on the wide side of the hatchback band, as expected from the A4-based longitudinal quattro layout.

The seat sits low with wide adjustment and a telescoping wheel, and the driving position is excellent. Touch-only controls and thick rear pillars cost points.

It is polished and pleasant with quattro traction, but the 201-hp 40 TFSI is more cruiser than driver's car. Enthusiasts point to the 45 TFSI or S5.

For 2023, Matrix-design LED headlights and revised 18-in wheels became standard on every A5. They join standard quattro AWD, the 7-speed S tronic, a 10.1-in MMI touchscreen and wireless smartphone integration. Unlike 2024, adaptive cruise was not standard on the base Premium (it came in the Convenience package); the virtual cockpit, adaptive cruise, surround-view camera and B&O 3D audio are Premium Plus items.

About $45.6K for a 201-hp AWD liftback with Matrix LED lights is fair against compact luxury rivals, and the hatch adds practicality. The typical 45 TFSI Premium Plus at around $53K is still expensive next to hatchback peers, and the base car makes you pay extra for driver assists.

Two engines (40 TFSI at 201 hp, S line 45 TFSI at 261 hp), each offered in Premium, Premium Plus and Prestige, with the S5 and RS 5 Sportback above them. The spacing is good, but every version is AWD with the same transmission.

US sales of the A5 family have fallen along with the whole compact-luxury car segment, which buyers have been leaving for crossovers. The Sportback is the family's best seller, but it trails the 3 Series and C-Class well behind.

Audi is an aspirational luxury brand with strong design and interior credibility, just behind BMW and Mercedes in US prestige.

2023 came right after the chip shortage, when inventory was tight and luxury discounts were thin early in the year. Audi customer bonuses and special APR on A5 models returned during the year, but they were more modest than the widespread $1,500–$4,000 bonuses on the late-cycle 2024 car.

This is the sixth model year of a generation launched for 2018 and facelifted for 2020, and 2023 brought only equipment updates. The platform and MMI tech were aging, and a replacement was on the way (revealed in mid-2024 for the 2025 model year).

Reviewers consistently praise the styling, the refined 2.0T, the composed AWD handling and the hatch practicality. It rarely wins comparisons against the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe or the new-for-2022 C-Class.