2024 Audi A5 Sportback

For 2024 the A5 Sportback's standard powertrain across all three trims (Premium, Premium Plus, Prestige) is the 40 TFSI — a 2.0L turbo four with 12V mild hybrid rated at 201 hp; the 45 TFSI S line upgrade lifts it to 261 hp. Modest output even by compact-luxury standards, where a BMW 330i makes 255 hp standard.

236 lb-ft arriving at just 1,450 rpm gives the 40 TFSI a usable low-end plateau that masks much of the horsepower deficit in everyday driving, though it trails the 45 TFSI's 273 lb-ft and six-cylinder rivals by a clear margin.

The 201-hp 40 TFSI hauls roughly 3,730 lb to 60 mph in about 6.4 seconds — brisk enough to never feel slow, but ordinary for a $46k+ luxury liftback. The 45 TFSI cuts a full second off.

The EA888 2.0T with 12V mild-hybrid assist is quiet and largely lag-free in normal driving, with the belt alternator starter smoothing restarts and coasting transitions. It gets audibly strained and a bit thrashy when worked hard in 40 TFSI tune, which is where reviewers consistently mark it down against BMW's B48.

The 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch shifts quickly and decisively once moving and responds well to the paddles, but shares the family's low-speed manners: occasional hesitation pulling away from a stop and a slightly abrupt 1-2 engagement in traffic.

Every 2024 A5 Sportback sold in the US is quattro — there is no front-drive version at any trim, which is the top of this item's band. It stops short of a maximum because the 40 TFSI uses the fuel-saving quattro ultra system (front-drive biased, rear axle engaged on demand) rather than the 45's full-time self-locking center differential, and the car has no low range or terrain modes.

Two distinct states of tune of one engine — 40 TFSI (201 hp) and 45 TFSI (261 hp), both 2.0T mild hybrids with the same 7-speed S tronic and quattro — cover the A5 Sportback itself, with the S5 Sportback (3.0T V6) and RS 5 Sportback (2.9T twin-turbo V6) sitting above it in the same body. No hybrid, plug-in, or electric option exists in the US lineup; the 12V system is a mild hybrid, not an electrified drive mode.

The volume 40 TFSI quattro is EPA-rated 30 MPG combined — genuinely good for a standard-AWD luxury liftback, helped by the 12V mild hybrid, cylinder-friendly B-cycle 2.0T and quattro ultra's ability to run front-drive. The 45 TFSI S line drops to 27 MPG.

26 MPG in town is respectable for a 3,700-lb AWD car with no full-hybrid drive, but it is where the gap to electrified hatchback rivals is widest — a mild hybrid recovers only a fraction of what a Prius or a Civic hybrid does in stop-and-go.

35 MPG highway is the A5 Sportback's strongest efficiency figure — the fastback roofline, tall 7th gear and quattro ultra's front-drive cruising all pay off at a steady speed, putting it within reach of far cheaper front-drive compacts.

A 15.3-gallon tank at 30 MPG combined works out to roughly 459 miles between fills, and better than 530 on a highway run — comfortably above average for a compact hatchback and a real touring strength for a car of this size.

EPA puts annual fuel at $2,550 — high for a hatchback despite the good MPG, because the required 91-octane premium adds roughly 40–60¢ per gallon over regular. EPA also scores it as spending $1,750 more than the average new vehicle over five years.

Premium unleaded (91 AKI) is required, not merely recommended, on both A5 Sportback engines, and there is no hybrid, plug-in, diesel or flex-fuel alternative anywhere in the lineup — every mile is bought at the most expensive pump on the island.

NHTSA rates the 2024 A5 Sportback (B9 generation, carry-over year) 5 stars overall. 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.

There is no 2024 IIHS award. The car's crash ratings are Good small-overlap and original moderate-overlap results carried over from a 2017 A4 test. It was never run through the updated moderate-overlap (rear-passenger) or updated side tests that 2024 awards require, so its performance under current protocols is unproven.

Every trim gets forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise, parking sensors and auto high beams. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are missing on the volume Premium trim unless you add the Convenience package; they come standard from Premium Plus up.

The standard Audi pre sense city system earned IIHS's top Superior rating in the daytime pedestrian test. It was never evaluated under the nighttime-pedestrian or updated vehicle-to-vehicle protocols, so the top-band criterion is unverified.

Audi side assist (blind-spot), rear cross-traffic assist and pre sense rear are standard on Premium Plus and Prestige, and part of the Convenience package on Premium. Where fitted, the system adds exit warning and rear braking, but it is not standard on the volume trim.

Active lane assist (lane-departure warning plus corrective steering) is standard and unobtrusive. True lane centering (adaptive cruise assist with lane guidance) comes only with upper-trim driver-assistance equipment. On the base setup the system nudges the car away from the lane markings rather than centering it.

Adaptive cruise with stop-and-go is standard on the 2024 A5 Sportback, and reviewers find its distance management smooth. The integrated lane-guidance highway assist found on newer Audis is limited to upper trims.

No 2024 A5 Sportback trim offers hands-free highway driving. Every Audi driver-assist system sold in the US requires hands on the wheel; there is no equivalent of BlueCruise or Super Cruise.

IIHS rates the LED headlights on the volume Premium and Premium Plus trims Good, and high-beam assist is standard. The other headlight variation rates only Acceptable, and the low beams produce some glare.

The low cowl gives a good view forward. The Sportback's fastback roofline, shallow rear glass and thick C-pillars create blind zones over the rear quarters. A rear camera and front/rear parking sensors are standard, and a top-view camera is available on upper trims.

IIHS rates the child-seat anchors (LATCH) Good overall: both outboard rear seats have complete LATCH hardware and the center seat has a tether anchor. The sloping rear door opening and compact rear bench make installs somewhat awkward, and three seats across is impractical.

Every 2024 A5 Sportback seats five, though the center rear seat is best treated as occasional.

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

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

The fastback roofline costs less rear headroom than it looks: 37.0 in beats the two-door A5 coupe by a wide margin. Tall adults still brush the sloping rear glass.

35.1 in of rear legroom is tight. The Sportback rides on the A4's wheelbase, so adults behind tall front occupants run short of knee room.

The liftback opening is the Sportback's chief practical advantage: 21.8 cu ft is far more than the A4 sedan's 12 cu ft trunk and competitive with compact hatchbacks.

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

The front seats are supportive, with power adjustment and 4-way lumbar standard, and reviewers praise them on long drives. The rear bench is firm, and short on thigh support and knee room for adults.

On the standard suspension, the ride is composed and compliant in Comfort mode, and reviewers call it the most comfortable A5 variant. The S line sport suspension and 19-inch wheels add firmness over broken pavement.

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

Three-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel are standard. Ventilated seats are not offered on the A5, and remote climate needs the myAudi connected services.

2024 is the seventh model year of the B9 A5 Sportback (launched for 2018, facelifted for 2020). The entry 40 TFSI Premium comes with quattro AWD as standard and starts near $47.3K, which is high for the hatchback band.

The S line 45 TFSI (261 hp) in Premium Plus trim is the typical dealer-stock configuration. Its price is the base MSRP plus CarBuzz's $7,900 gap between Premium 40 ($46,500) and Premium Plus 45 ($54,400). The 2025 model shows the same $7,900 gap ($47,595 vs $55,495).

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

The car has already lost about 28% in two years, and the used market is soft for a sedan-shaped luxury model now replaced by the new-generation A5. That points to roughly 42% retained at five years, in line with KBB's ~38% and CarEdge's ~50% projections for the 2025 model.

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 2024; 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 connected services and SiriusXM.

$55,195 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (42% retained, or about $23,182) leaves about $32,013 in depreciation. Add the projected $7,500 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $39,513 in total.

Consumer Reports rates the 2024 A5 about average for its model year. The problems owners report are electronic (CarPlay dropouts, screen freezes, lane-sensing faults, wireless charging) rather than mechanical. RepairPal puts the A5 quattro in the bottom third of its class on repair frequency. That is a notch below the 2024 A4, which shares the same B9.5 platform and powertrain and which CR rates above average. It is still helped by 2024 being the seventh and final US model year of the second generation, so the design is well sorted.

Audi's dependability record over several years is below average: it sits near the bottom of recent J.D. Power VDS and IQS studies and has slid in Consumer Reports' brand rankings. This is the same brand baseline used for the other 2024 Audis (A4, A7).

NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for the 2024 A5 or S5. Every recall for this generation, including the rear-axle, airbag occupant-sensor and rearview-camera campaigns, stops at 2023 or earlier, and the seat-belt retractor recalls apply only to the new-generation 2025 A5. The remaining weak spot is MMI and infotainment software TSBs, which affect Audi models generally rather than the A5 in particular.

The volume 45 TFSI quattro has the fourth-generation EA888 2.0T with a 12-volt mild-hybrid system. It is regarded as one of the more durable engines in its class, and the oil-consumption and timing-chain problems of earlier generations have been fixed. The seven-speed DL382 wet-clutch S tronic is solid but can develop mechatronic faults if fluid changes are skipped, and the water-pump housing is a known wear item. This is the same drivetrain as the 2024 A4.

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

Reviewers and owners describe the build as impeccable and free of rattles, and by 2024 the Ingolstadt line had been building this body since 2017. The score is held back by Audi's poor brand-level initial-quality results and by CR owner reports of electronic glitches.

About 314 US Audi dealers give adequate coverage in metro areas, but it is the thinnest network of the three German luxury brands, and J.D. Power rates Audi's service satisfaction mid-pack among luxury brands. This is the same brand baseline used for other 2024 Audis.

Repair costs run above the class average, and the A5 quattro visits the shop nearly twice as often as the typical luxury midsize car. Parts are easy to get, though, because the car shares its MLB Evo platform with the A4, Q5 and other high-volume VW Group models, independent-specialist support is deep, and severe repairs are no more likely than the segment average.

Every trim has the same 10.1-inch MMI touchscreen. It is modest next to newer rivals' screens.

MIB3 MMI touch is fast, with sharp graphics, logical menus and natural-language voice. Audi dropped the rotary controller in the 2020 facelift, so every task runs through the screen, and reviewers mark it down for distraction while driving.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every trim, and CarPlay connects wirelessly. Android Auto support depends on the MIB3 software version, and some owners report it only works wired.

Built-in MMI navigation with natural-language voice control is standard, with Google Earth-style satellite maps and online traffic through Audi connect. The online features need a subscription after the trial.

The standard Audi sound system is adequate. The Bang & Olufsen 3D system (19 speakers) that comes with Premium Plus and Prestige is widely praised.

A digital cluster is standard. The configurable 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit plus, with a full-screen map view, is still one of the best in the class and comes on Premium Plus and up, which is the volume configuration.

The B9 platform gets over-the-air updates for its maps and some connect services, not whole-vehicle updates. Software fixes still need a dealer visit.

The myAudi app handles remote lock and unlock, vehicle status, location and trip planning. Remote climate and the other connect CARE/PRIME features are subscription-gated, and there is no phone-as-key on the A5.

It has USB-C ports front and rear. Wireless charging comes with Premium Plus and up, and there is no household AC outlet.

Push-button start is standard. Comfort key proximity entry and the hands-free power liftback come with Premium Plus, and remote functions run through myAudi. There is no digital phone key.

A rearview camera and front/rear parking sensors are standard, and Premium Plus adds the Top View 360-degree camera. Park assist automation is limited.

A color head-up display is optional on the Prestige trim, not on the volume Premium Plus trims.

Four doors, Good-rated LATCH hardware and a big liftback cargo hold make family duty workable. Tight rear legroom (35.1 in) and the sloping roof make rear-facing seats and loading toddlers awkward.

It has a 5-star NHTSA rating plus standard AEB with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise and lane-keeping. Blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warnings cost extra on Premium, and there is no current IIHS award.

It has comfortable front seats, three-zone climate and room for real luggage. The rear is cramped for teens and adults on long trips, and rear amenities are limited to vents and USB-C.

A smooth dual-clutch transmission, 236 lb-ft from 1,450 rpm, a composed ride and standard stop-and-go adaptive cruise make it an easy commuter. The touch-only controls and some low-speed dual-clutch hesitation are small annoyances.

30 MPG combined is decent for an AWD luxury car, but it requires premium fuel, so EPA puts running costs at about $2,550/yr. Consumables are priced like a luxury car.

A compact 188-inch footprint, a 38.4-ft turning circle, standard parking sensors and the available 360-degree camera make city parking easy. The fastback's rear visibility is the weak spot.

Audi USA publishes no tow rating for the A5 Sportback. The liftback swallows boxes, but this is not a work vehicle.

It is a luxury-oriented cabin and turbocharged German powertrain with no fleet or work-duty track record. It is not suited to hard use.

It has cargo tie-down hooks and a pass-through, and nothing else in the way of work provisions: no onboard power, no upfit ecosystem, no washable surfaces.

It is a quiet, composed highway car with supportive front seats and standard adaptive cruise, and range is about 459 miles combined (536 on the highway). The rear seat is too tight for long hauls with adults, and there is no hands-free assist.

Standard quattro AWD handles snow and gravel roads with confidence. Low ground clearance, no published tow rating and no factory roof rails leave it largely pavement-bound.

A large liftback opening, 40/20/40 folding rear seats (skis fit through the middle) and 35 cu ft with the seats folded beat any sedan. The sloping roof limits tall items, and there are no roof rails or factory hitch.

It feels secure and grippy, with standard quattro and tidy body control. The handling errs on the soft, understeer-safe side rather than feeling truly engaging, and the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is sharper.

The electric steering is precise and well weighted in Dynamic mode but largely devoid of feedback, which is typical of Audi's B9 platform.

The pedal is firm and progressive with good stopping power, and Car and Driver has measured stops from 70 mph in the mid-160-ft range for the related B9 A4/A5 models.

The 2.0T mild hybrid is smooth, and stop-start restarts are seamless thanks to the belt starter-generator. The S tronic dual-clutch shifts quickly but can hesitate when pulling away from a stop.

It is quiet at cruise, but the four-cylinder turns coarse and thrashy 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 excellent driving position gets praise. Touch-only climate and infotainment controls and a thick rear pillar cost points.

It is pleasant and polished, with quattro traction and a sleek body, but the 40 TFSI is more cruiser than driver's car. Enthusiasts point to the S5 Sportback instead.

For 2024 Audi USA made adaptive cruise control, active lane-keep assist and Parking System Plus standard on every trim. They join standard quattro AWD, the 7-speed S tronic, LED headlights, a 10.1-in MMI touchscreen and wireless smartphone integration. The virtual cockpit, surround-view camera and B&O audio remain Premium Plus items.

About $47.3K for a 201-hp AWD liftback with a stronger standard driver-assist suite is fair against compact luxury rivals, and the hatch adds practicality. The typical 45 TFSI Premium Plus at around $55K is still expensive next to hatchback peers, and the tech is aging.

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. The Sportback is the family's best seller, but it trails the 3 Series and C-Class well behind, and in 2024 it was a late-cycle model with its replacement already announced.

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

Factory customer bonuses of $1,500–$4,000 were widely available on the 2024 A5/S5 Sportback, alongside special APR and lease programs. KBB fair purchase prices also run well below sticker.

This is the seventh model year of a generation launched for 2018 and facelifted for 2020. The replacement A5 (which also supersedes the A4) was revealed in mid-2024, so buyers faced an aging platform with its successor imminent.

Reviewers consistently praise the styling, the refined 2.0T, the composed AWD handling and the hatch practicality. It rarely wins comparisons against the 3 Series or the newer C-Class, and its tech now reads as dated.