2025 Audi A5 Sedan First Impressions: Sleek, stylish and worrisome

After nearly what, three decades? Audi has finally bid farewell to the A4 nameplate that helped establish the brand’s foothold in South Africa. In its place stands the all-new 2025 A5 Sedan. A model that promises to carry forward that legacy while embracing a more contemporary approach to premium motoring. Its quite a strange and unique proposition even I am struggling to come to ends with. I

recently, just this morning, had the opportunity to experience the flagship 200kW TFSI Black Edition variant during a drive from Lanseria Airport to Stay by Inimitable and surrounding areas, and the initial impressions are decidedly mixed, though ultimately positive. Depends how you look at things, really.

Journey North

The route from Lanseria to the event venue provided an ideal sampling of pretty much everyday Mzansi driving conditions. Especially for the type of clientele this car catering for. You know, frequent visits to the airport, drives to exquisite venues such as Stay for a weekend or midweek culinary experience – and so forth. The route has smooth highway stretches, undulating secondary roads, and even a brief gravel detour when I needed to double back for content. It’s exactly the kind of varied terrain that reveals a car’s true character, and the A5 handled each surface with the composed confidence you’d expect from a modern Audi.

The 200kW quattro variant is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 200kW and 400Nm, paired with a seven -speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission. On paper, those figures present a meaningful step up from the outgoing A4, and on the road, the additional grunt is apparent – not immediately though as it requires commitment to the upper reaches of the rev range to truly shine.

The Design Language

The A5’s styling represents a clear evolution from Audi’s conservative past, though whether that’s entirely positive remains open to debate. Especially my Instagram comments here. The exterior design wlks a fine line between the clean, geometric forms that defined classic Audis and the more swoopy, contemporary lines we’ve come to expect from modern premium sedans. The honeycomb grille, prominent front air intakes, and muscular fender flares create a more dramatic presence than the A4 ever managed.

Yet there’s something about the overall aesthetic that feels slightly derivative. It features hints of BMW’s angular flush door handles, touches of Korean design philosophy in the flowing roofline, and an abundance of piano black trim that already shows every fingerprint. Audi really loves their piano black by the way. It’s undeniably modern, but perhaps lacks the distinctive Audi character that made earlier generations instantly recognisable.

Step Inside

Step inside, and Audi’s commitment to technological advancement becomes immediately apparent. The Black Edition spec brings a wealth of premium features, including the brand’s latest curved display setup that spans much of the dashboard. The OLED technology delivers crips, vibrant graphics with true blacks that enhance both daytime usability and nighttime ambiance.

The interface is intuitive enough once you’ve navigated past the initial learning curve, though like most modern German cars, there are still a few too many menu dives required for simple adjustments. The head-up display is generous in size and information content, though it can become cluttered during spirited driving when you’re trying to focus on the road ahead.

Driving Dynamics

Here’s where the new A5 truly impresses. The steering, which has been a weak point for Audi in recent years, represents a quantum leap forward in terms of feel and feedback. The progressive rack and electronic assistance combine to deliver genuine communication from the road surface, something that felt almost foreign in recent Audi products. It’s not quite Porsche-level perfection, but it’s close enough to make enthusiastic driving genuinely rewarding.

The quattro all-wheel-drive system keeps the A5 planted with remarkable tenacity, even when pushing through corners on the Black Edition’s sizeable wheels and 20-inch tyres. Despite tipping the scales at over 1 800 kg, the lateral grip levels are genuinely impressive, and the car feels more balanced than the typically nose-heavy Audi’s of the past.

As I’ve alluded earlier, the engine provides adequate performance, though its clearly been tuned with efficiency and emissions compliance in mind. There’s noticeable lag in the lower rev range that requires a more committed throttle application than you might expect.

The seven-speed S tronic transmission does its job competently, shifting smoothly in automatic mode and responding crisply when using the paddle shifters. However, it occasionally hunts for the optimal gear in stop-and-go traffic, and the programming seems overly eager to shift up in the name of fuel economy.

Where does it fit in?

The A5 Black Edition carries a price tag of R1.28m position it at the premium end of the exectuvie sedan segment. That’s serious money in the current economic climate, and it places the A5 in direct competition with the BMW 330i and Mercedes-Benz C-Class AMG Line variants.

What you won’t get in Mzansi is any form of hybrid derivitve – regardless whether plug-in or internal. For those hoping to read about the S5 variant, you’ll have to exercise patience as it won’t be arriving in SA immediately.

We’ll share more on the 2025 Audi A5 range as we spend extended time with it.

The new Audi A5 Sedan is available at Audi Dealerships across South Africa. Pricing is as follows:

Audi A5 Sedan TFSI 146 kW S line: R 1,123,000
Audi A5 Sedan TFSI 146 kW Black Edition: R 1,166,800
Audi A5 Sedan TFSI 200 kW quattro S line: R 1,238,000
Audi A5 Sedan TFSI 200 kW quattro Black Edition: R 1,281,800

Post Views: 0

#Audi #Audi A5 #Audi South Africa

Posted By

Papi Mabele

Papi Mabele has a marketing background, he is a digital marketing expert with extensive experience in launching and building global brands in the emerging markets. Papi is also an avid tech writer, enthusiast and all round tech junkie. As a freelance writer and analyst he has been numerously published in Popular Mechanics (SA), GQ South Africa, Premier Magazine, Driven Magazine, Bloem News, Courant, The Weekly, Enthooze Magazine and PiE magazine amongst others.