2018 / 2019 Audi A5 Sportback Review and Comparison
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Date: 2019-05-30
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Comments and reviews: 9
phil waters
We got the Prestige version last August and are sublimely happy with the driving, cargo capacity, safety features, interior comfort and, surprise, mileage averaging 36pmg+ on Colorado highways. (We dont do much city driving) A few weeks ago our Tesla M3 Dual Motor finally arrived and I thought, oh, jeez, this thing is just so much fun to drive I may have to sell the Audi. After a long-haul road trip over Thanksgiving weekend in the Tesla, then back home and getting into the Audi for a mountain run, the answer is hell no, I aint selling. The A5 is soooo much better built, secure on snow, beefy (in a good way. On the complaint side, I do tend to hit the side of my head getting in if in a hurry and not careful. And the MMI voice-recognition for navigation, phone, anything, is nearly useless. Clearly, English is a second language to this system. I renewed the MMI subscription once for a cross-country trip but will not renew again. A waste of money.
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We got the Prestige version last August and are sublimely happy with the driving, cargo capacity, safety features, interior comfort and, surprise, mileage averaging 36pmg+ on Colorado highways. (We dont do much city driving) A few weeks ago our Tesla M3 Dual Motor finally arrived and I thought, oh, jeez, this thing is just so much fun to drive I may have to sell the Audi. After a long-haul road trip over Thanksgiving weekend in the Tesla, then back home and getting into the Audi for a mountain run, the answer is hell no, I aint selling. The A5 is soooo much better built, secure on snow, beefy (in a good way. On the complaint side, I do tend to hit the side of my head getting in if in a hurry and not careful. And the MMI voice-recognition for navigation, phone, anything, is nearly useless. Clearly, English is a second language to this system. I renewed the MMI subscription once for a cross-country trip but will not renew again. A waste of money.
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John Mobley
Heres the difference, Audi and BMW vehicles are better built, with higher-quality components that meet premium luxury car standards. Same as a really nice Times compared to even the cheapest Rolex. folks try to convince themselves something is as good as something when its just as good as but not the original. Nothing wrong with bargains Im no millionaire but I know you get what you pay for. KIA makes a good vehicle, just Audi and BMW make better vehicles. A twin turbo V6 in a premium brand is going to be a different beast from BMW or Audi, one that KIA motors wont be able to match without significant cost.
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Heres the difference, Audi and BMW vehicles are better built, with higher-quality components that meet premium luxury car standards. Same as a really nice Times compared to even the cheapest Rolex. folks try to convince themselves something is as good as something when its just as good as but not the original. Nothing wrong with bargains Im no millionaire but I know you get what you pay for. KIA makes a good vehicle, just Audi and BMW make better vehicles. A twin turbo V6 in a premium brand is going to be a different beast from BMW or Audi, one that KIA motors wont be able to match without significant cost.
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leojsayta
Alex, I think you dropped the ball by not mentioning VWs perverse promotional stunt featuring monkeys in glass bubbles being forced to inhale VWs clean diesel fumes. I think many people would like to know what they are silently supporting when they buy a VW product. It certainly would have affected my 2017 purchase of a VW group car. BMW and Mercedes were also founding members (along with VW) of the trade industry group which commissioned the stunt. However, it was a VW car that was fused to pump diesel fumes into the sealed glass containers holding the monkeys.
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Alex, I think you dropped the ball by not mentioning VWs perverse promotional stunt featuring monkeys in glass bubbles being forced to inhale VWs clean diesel fumes. I think many people would like to know what they are silently supporting when they buy a VW product. It certainly would have affected my 2017 purchase of a VW group car. BMW and Mercedes were also founding members (along with VW) of the trade industry group which commissioned the stunt. However, it was a VW car that was fused to pump diesel fumes into the sealed glass containers holding the monkeys.
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Zaven
I have the A4 and was surprised Alex didnt mention the cup holders. which require leaning forward and reaching, even for a 6 person. The in-cabin storage space is really limited in these cars; its unfortunate for the price. Ive also found the wind noise to be much worse in the A4 than the Q5. Finally, the electronic shifter is really annoying -- its never obvious when youre in R/D in parking situations, and the dual-clutch takes a good fraction of a second to get into R. Done complaining for now. :)
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I have the A4 and was surprised Alex didnt mention the cup holders. which require leaning forward and reaching, even for a 6 person. The in-cabin storage space is really limited in these cars; its unfortunate for the price. Ive also found the wind noise to be much worse in the A4 than the Q5. Finally, the electronic shifter is really annoying -- its never obvious when youre in R/D in parking situations, and the dual-clutch takes a good fraction of a second to get into R. Done complaining for now. :)
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nafreehc
I got this car as a loaner when my A4 was in for service. Being a big fan of the 5th door (hatch/wagon rear gate) for more spacious and versatile carrying capacity, I thought I would be a lot more impressed than I was. The visibility out the back was not great and the liftgate was disconcertingly large considering how often I use it. It was a luxurious ride, but I was not as comfortable as in the A4. Still, I felt it had more carrying capacity than the Q5 while being much more sporty to drive.
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I got this car as a loaner when my A4 was in for service. Being a big fan of the 5th door (hatch/wagon rear gate) for more spacious and versatile carrying capacity, I thought I would be a lot more impressed than I was. The visibility out the back was not great and the liftgate was disconcertingly large considering how often I use it. It was a luxurious ride, but I was not as comfortable as in the A4. Still, I felt it had more carrying capacity than the Q5 while being much more sporty to drive.
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Sonic Ethos
I would have to agree with many others - The intro audio clip is so obnoxiously grating that I fast forward through it as quickly as humanly possible. The intro is quite simply in stark contrast to Alexs consistently thorough and professionally produced reviews. More importantly, as a 2014 A5 owner, I am extremely fond of the new A5 Sportback and cant wait until it has been been on the market for 3-4 years before I buy one; )
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I would have to agree with many others - The intro audio clip is so obnoxiously grating that I fast forward through it as quickly as humanly possible. The intro is quite simply in stark contrast to Alexs consistently thorough and professionally produced reviews. More importantly, as a 2014 A5 owner, I am extremely fond of the new A5 Sportback and cant wait until it has been been on the market for 3-4 years before I buy one; )
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Joseph Crangle
Great review Exhaustively detailed (but not exhausting. As usual, you answer all my questions, especially about competitive products before I can think of them. Ironically, you might have sold me on the Kia Stinger. The A5, like other Audi products is a gorgeous product, but the premium to get into a German luxury brand is frightening. Theres a reason Hyundai/Kia/Genesis is doing so well.
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Great review Exhaustively detailed (but not exhausting. As usual, you answer all my questions, especially about competitive products before I can think of them. Ironically, you might have sold me on the Kia Stinger. The A5, like other Audi products is a gorgeous product, but the premium to get into a German luxury brand is frightening. Theres a reason Hyundai/Kia/Genesis is doing so well.
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HugFest
Alex, could you add Expected Reliability to the 6 categories already used in your reviews and rate it from 1 to 10. Edmunds and other do that and it is helpful. Also, it is very important to state whether an engine takes regular or premium fuel and it would be great to mention resale value as well. I am not saying you are not doing that, but it hasnt been consistent. Thanks
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Alex, could you add Expected Reliability to the 6 categories already used in your reviews and rate it from 1 to 10. Edmunds and other do that and it is helpful. Also, it is very important to state whether an engine takes regular or premium fuel and it would be great to mention resale value as well. I am not saying you are not doing that, but it hasnt been consistent. Thanks
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JDMHero47
Alex, I think it is more correct to say that this is architecturally equivalent to a subaru, and that its its own unique architecture. Saying its like a bmw or Mercedes or Lexus will just drive those other brand owners nuts, because the driving feel between them is drastically different when you start pushing corners.
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Alex, I think it is more correct to say that this is architecturally equivalent to a subaru, and that its its own unique architecture. Saying its like a bmw or Mercedes or Lexus will just drive those other brand owners nuts, because the driving feel between them is drastically different when you start pushing corners.
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