ProsConsWhat’s new? The 2023 Audi A5 lineup covers coupes, cabriolets, and Sportback models — all with that distinctive Audi style inside and out. Some are just nice compact luxury cars, others are fearsomely fast. Prices start at $44,100.
Based on the excellent Audi A4 luxury compact sedan, the A5 comes as a coupe, soft-top , and a fastback 4-door version with an under-the-radar element of practicality. To complete the picture, Audi offers spicy performance variants known as S5 models and the crazy expensive — but wonderfully powerful — RS 5 variants.
Trim levels for the A5/S5 variants are Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige. The RS 5 models are set apart from this formula. Hit the options list with gusto, and an RS 5 Sportback could easily creep toward $95K. If finances allow, we suggest looking at something with the 261-horsepower drivetrain. At least. Then drivers will have the kind of thrust that’s appropriate for a luxury car. The A5 has a flow to it, the kind of ease that’s only possible because engineers worked hard to make it that way.
Limousine drivers aren’t going to buy a new A5, so the amount of rear passenger space in the Coupe and Sportback models is perfectly acceptable for a compact luxury car — enough for a couple of average-sized adults, as long as there’s no one taller in front.