2025 Audi S5 and A5 first drive: Five-door is the new four-door

Audi provided flights from Washignton, DC, to Denver and accommodation so Ars could drive the A5 and S5, as well as the Q5 and SQ5. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

ASPEN, Colo.-The SUV might be the dominant design in the American automobile market, but it hasn't completely taken over. At Audi, there is still life in the sedan. The old A4 four-door is no more-at least for a while or until Audi redoes its nomenclature yet again. If you want a small Audi four-door, you need to step down to the A3. Five doors is where it's at, with the 2025 A5.

Like the new Q5 SUV, which you may have read about last week, the new A5 uses an all-new vehicle architecture from Audi called PPC (for premium platform combustion). PPC will give rise to a wide range of new vehicles from Audi, Porsche, and the other premium VW Group stablemates, and it takes a meaningful step into the future with advanced new electronics, making this a true software-defined vehicle.

Under the hood

There will be two versions at launch. The regular A5 features a 2.0 L four-cylinder turbocharged, direct-injection engine driving all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and generates 268 hp (200 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm). That's a pretty large power and torque bump compared to the outgoing A5 Sportback, in part thanks to a new variable geometry turbocharger that replaces the old twin-scroll blower.

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