Audi S5

S5 by name, S4 by nature, is Audi's new mid-size petrol-powered saloon a step in the right direction?

- ETHAN JUPP

NO COUPE IS SACRED THESE DAYS. NOT N the Capri, not the Puma... Okay maybe the Prelude is safe, but Honda's 2025 revival of that particular model is an exception to the rule. The Audi S5, however, is no longer a svelte, upwardly mobile, warm three-door coupe or five-door coupe-ish Sportback.

Fear not, though, because it has not become an electric SUV. Instead, it is an S4 replacement, with only four-door saloon and Avant bodies available. The new application of the name is part of Audi's line-up rejig that reserves even numbers for EVs and odd numbers for ICE models. An actual A4, with electric power, will arrive soon.

With an uplift in style and riding on the new Premium Platform Combustion architecture, the latest S5 should possess the requisite presence, performance and dynamic polish to aid it in facing off the Mercedes-AMG C43 and BMW M340i. At least, that's what Audi hopes. Powering the S5 in this new generation is a 362bhp turbocharged 3-litre V6. Familiar from the old S4 it may be, but it now features a revised combustion process and a variable geometry turbo, as well as Audi's new MHEV Plus 48-volt mild hybrid tech. In the S5, Audi claims this saves up to 17g/km of CO2. Conversely, performance figures remain competitive, with the 0-62mph sprint taking just 4.5sec for saloon and estate (0.2sec quicker than the old S4) on the way to a limited 155mph top speed.