Latest in A4 and A5

About A4 and A5

For three decades the A4 was the Audi most people pictured: a crisp, compact sedan or Avant wagon with an impeccable cabin, available quattro all-wheel drive and a reputation as the thinking person's alternative to the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class. It arrived in 1994 as the successor to the Audi 80 and went through several generations, each a little bigger, a little more refined and a little more digital than the last.

The A5 began as the A4's stylish sibling, a coupe and cabriolet that later added the five-door Sportback, a liftback that looks like a sedan and hauls like a hatchback. Then Audi shuffled the deck. Under a naming plan unveiled in 2024, the new generation of the A4 sedan and Avant became the A5, leaving the A4 name retired for now and the A5 badge covering the brand's mainstream midsize cars. The move confused buyers and journalists alike, and Audi has since softened its naming rules elsewhere.

The current A5 family sits on a new combustion platform with mild-hybrid assistance, while the S5 and a new RS5 serve drivers who want more speed and pick fights with the BMW M3. Reviewers like the comfort, quality and quattro composure; critics find the driving experience more competent than thrilling. This page follows the A5 range, the legacy A4, the performance models, recalls and comparisons with rivals from Munich, Stuttgart and Japan.