Audi A5 Sportback hatchback - Engines, drive & performance (2017-2024)

There’s lots to like about the way the Audi A5 Sportback drives. The steering feels somewhat artificial, but other than that Audi has built a car that’s fast, quiet and enjoyable to hustle down country lanes. When we first drove the Sportback on smooth German roads, it was never anything other than comfortable; even on the largest wheels, its suspension provided a good amount of insulation when driving over drain covers and potholes. Happily, the same is the case on the UK’s more weathered roads, although poor surfaces do feel a bit more pronounced.

The Audi A5 Sportback is impressively composed in fast corners, gripping the road tenaciously and not leaning too much. The steering is nicely weighted, but not particularly communicative. Front-wheel-drive variants don’t feel notably different to the four-wheel-drive quattro models.

The seven-speed automatic gearbox is excellent, though. Left to its own devices it can occasionally hesitate if you accelerate sharply after slowing down for traffic, but manual gearchanges – via the steering-wheel-mounted paddles – are almost instantaneous.

Audi A5 Sportback diesel engines

27

Most UK buyers are expected to choose the 201bhp 2.0-litre 40 TDI diesel and this is an engine we’re familiar with from the rest of Audi’s range. Its reasonable running costs and purchase price make it an appealing choice and it gives the A5 Sportback more than enough shove along with Audi's legendary quattro four-wheel drive system. Going from 0-62mph takes just 7 seconds and there’s loads of pulling power to make overtaking worry-free. There's a lesser 35 TDI as well, which produces 161bhp taking 8.4 seconds to go from 0-62mph but economy is similar in both diesels.

The S5 Sportback was discontinued in 2023 but had a powerful 336bhp 3.0-litre diesel engine that made it fast yet still reasonably economical. It's a great engine for long trips as it has effortless performance, though it's not very exciting for a sporty model.

Petrol engines

Although few buyers will choose it, the 201bhp 2.0-litre '40 TFSI' petrol engine is another Audi staple, and it’s an engine we like. While it’ll be more expensive to buy and run than the 201bhp 2.0-litre diesel, our experience has shown it to be smoother and faster – although this will be of little consequence if fuel economy is your priority; the diesels simply make more sense from the point of view of running costs. In performance terms, there is little to split the two cars, with the 40 TFSI capable of 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds and the 40 TDI managing it in 7 seconds dead. 

At the top of the standard A5 Sportback petrol engine range, the 45 TFSI uses the same turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine, but with an increased power output of 261bhp. This makes it the fastest of the standard models, managing 0-62mph in only 5.6 seconds. 

Audi’s quattro four-wheel-drive system is standard with the 40 TDI diesel, 45 TFSI petrol and the fast S5 Sportback models. The extra grip it brings is reassuring but going for a quattro model costs more and tends to dent economy and increase emissions.