The New Audi S5 Isn’t as Fun as It Used to Be: First Drive Review

The south of France has some of the greatest driving roads on earth. Sliced from mountains and littered with incredible vistas, these are the sort of bends car people dream about. The 2025 Audi S5 should be in its element here. It’s a rocketship on paper, harnessing a turbocharged and gently hybridized V-6, all-wheel-drive grip, and equipped by Audi with a renewed focus on driving dynamics.

Yet, for some reason, I feel removed from the process of driving. The controls do everything they’re supposed to do. The S5 is pleasingly fast, and I’m not short on technology to occupy me. I should have a grin plastered over my face, but I don’t.

To knock any confusion on the head before we begin: The Audi A4 and S4 are still A Thing. It’s just that even-numbered Audis will be EVs from now on. Odd-numbered Audis remain gas-powered, which is how this S5 is basically an S4 by any other name. It’ll take a bit of recalibration to square away, but Audi’s latest shift in naming conventions will eventually become a reflex.

The new A5 family is coming to the US in Spring/Summer 2025 as a sedan/hatch combo (no wagon for the US, and no convertible or coupe for anyone). It’ll have your choice of a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine making 268 horsepower, or on the S5 model, a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 making 362 horsepower. European models—like the one tested here—are gently hybridized and come with a little more grunt (an extra 5 hp). US market cars don’t have quite the same power, but they’ll still clip 60 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds.

Based on Audi’s Premium Platform Combustion chassis, Audi’s new basis for cars with hybrid or gas motors, the S5 features a lot of fancy toys. A new series of screens in the cabin will feed information to you and your passengers with ease. The 11.9-inch Virtual Cockpit is rich with information, but you can get a little lost in its various streams. A 14.5-inch central touchscreen handles things like the infotainment, drive modes, and much more, and it’s pretty damn slick—you don’t need to wait for it to wake up when you turn the car on, and it isn’t laggy.

A final, optional 10.9-inch screen sits in front of the passenger. In theory, it’s almost useful, allowing the front passenger to tweak the navigation, music, or whatever they fancy. There’s an option to stream video content too, but don’t worry, it blanks itself out for the driver so they aren’t distracted. Will a passenger actually use this screen? Or will they simply have something in front of them taking up power and doing nothing? If they fancy, they can flip between three different clock faces on the home screen. A thrilling use of resources.

Pros: Gobs Of Power, Sharp Looks, Fun New Tech

With Bang and Olufsen sound on board, you also get a set of speakers in the headrests—which is pretty nifty. It fires music, calls, and (incredibly helpful) navigation directions directly into your ears. Keep your hands on the wheel and say, ‘Hey Audi!’ and the car will listen for instructions. With a ‘lil bit of AI help, it understands contextual commands and direct ones. It happily switched drive modes for me as I cruised around, only missing the mark once—helpfully when I was showing off how good it was to someone else.

You’ll find a “dynamic interaction light” (a big color-changing light strip) spanning the cockpit. It’s designed to let you know when things are happening—drive mode changes, indication, cars in your blind spot, etc.—but I didn’t really notice it. Perhaps it’s useful if you spend your time staring at the cabin more than the road.

Audi’s interior design is wonderful. It reminds me of the days when an Audi cabin looked and felt like it’d survive a nuclear conflict. Everything’s chunky, and the elements of the design all flow seamlessly into each other. It feels modern, but not so much so that it’ll age badly (unlike some of Mercedes’ efforts).

Outside, the S5 is far less pointy than it used to be. Audi’s exterior team has gotten over the desire to audition for Transformers and rolled things back to the softer side—a move for the better. There are still ‘S’ details that’ll make you coo with glee—like the grille and (real) quad tailpipes out back—but it’s not so in your face this time around.

Cons: Not All That Thrilling, Tight Driver’s Seat

Now, the driving bit. Audi’s ‘S’ cars aren’t quite full-fat RS models with expensive bits and enough power to start a tornado, but they have enough grunt to get you everywhere in a hurry, and in comfort. Power is fired out to all four wheels thanks to Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive setup, and around town, it’s a comfy, easy car to drive. It’s bigger than the A4 it replaces, which means I held my breath while sweeping through the various narrow French villages. In the US, though, you’ll barely notice it between the swarm of SUVs in a Whole Foods parking lot.

At low speed, its seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox neatly swishes through gears without trouble, and its steering stays nice and light. Any drive mode other than the soft, squishy “Comfort” setting would be foolish here. The ride is smooth, and the performance is relaxed but more than adequate. It goes about the business of being a commuter car very well. With the Euro car’s gentle hybrid assistance, you get some pleasing moments of quiet here and there, or a touch of extra grunt when you mash the gas. How the hybrid-free car coming to the US will match up remains to be seen, but you probably won’t miss it.

While I threaded myself through various side streets (and thanked the Gods that I skipped a second pastry at breakfast) I felt snug behind the wheel. There’s plenty of space in the S5, but Audi’s ‘human-centric’ design ethos means drivers are enveloped in a neat space meant to keep them focused on the job at hand. The car gets a shiny, info-rich head-up display that’ll flash music, nav, and speed. It’s great, if a little large, and gives a handy point of reference while on the move. If you wear polarized sunglasses you’ll have trouble seeing it.

Flipping into Dynamic mode when the roads get more exciting, the S5 should come alive. Its V-6 sounds decent, and it’s got a cracking turn of pace. Once your foot’s buried in the floor, the S5 flings you up the road with gusto. The acceleration doesn’t feel too urgent—you’re gently pressed into your chair as you fly along—but it’s enough to make you crack a grin.

Audi worked on the S5’s steering—It wants to make the S5 a keener, more-engaging car to drive. Same for the suspension. Less sog, flatter cornering, and the feeling that you’re a hero behind the wheel. The results are fine. The steering does exactly what you want it to do, it feels smooth in the bends. It isn’t exciting though. S cars should come with a hint of character, the impression that you’re working with the car to cover ground imperiously. There isn’t much of that, though.

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Audi

Audi engineers made a car that’ll do everything you’ll ask of it without issue, or drama. You can push and push and it’ll just… do it. While Dynamic mode is fun, the car’s ‘Balanced’ setup will figure out what you’re in the mood for and adjust accordingly. Efficiency mode will keep your economy up, but in an S5, that shouldn’t really be a concern.

On a highway, you’ll get up to speed comfortably and quietly, and on a backroad blast, you’ll get exactly what you ask of the car. Will it excite you? If you’re looking for an engaging driving experience, probably not. It comes with all the toys you could want, and a few more besides, and looks smart enough that your neighbors will be jealous, too. But for genuine thrills, a rear-wheel-drive spicy BMW 3 Series is worth a look.