Audi A5 replaces A4: So, what's changed?
Until now, the A4 was a rather upright, solid, sensible sedan, while the A5 was its sleeker, sportier, sexier sibling. Going forward, Audi is signifying powertrains by model numbers. So, odd-numbered vehicles are powered by petroleum, while even-numbered models get their juice from electrons. So, the future A4 will be battery-powered. If you want a new petrol-powered A4, it's now called the A5 and comes solely as a slick four-door hatchback, or Sportback in Audi marketing nomenclature.
That said, Audi is calling it a sedan. Notably, the fun A5s offered last year, namely the coupe and cabriolet, are dead.
The 2025 Audi A5 is the first to use Audi's new Premium Platform Combustion architecture, one designed for internal-combustion models. As a result, the 2025 A5 is now 2.6 inches longer, and marginally wider and taller than last year thanks to its 3.1-inch longer wheelbase, which allows for a far more graceful proportion than the old A4. But being that the 2025 A5 replaces the A4, its sloping backlight isn't as radical as last year's Sportback. Practical considerations, such as rear seat headroom, take more precedent over style. Otherwise, the overall design looks much as it did before, buffed to a sleeker appearance.
The front end has been revised, including a redesigned grille. The lighting looks much as it did before, and is composed of OLEDs with Daytime Running Lights being configurable in a choice of patterns. You'll find OLEDs in the taillamps as well, although they're not configurable.
If any critique can be made, it's the lack of change in most Audi design, even when a design is all-new. Certainly, the changes are subtle, which plays well to its existing clientele, but one supposes that does little to draw in new customers.
The biggest change inside the cabin is the massive curved piece of glass that Audi calls the Digital Stage. It houses three screens: an 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14.5-inch infotainment/climate control splay and a 10.9-inch display for the front-seat passenger. It's a far cry from the humble, if adequate, 10.1-inch touchscreen in the 2024 A4.
Otherwise, the interior finishes will feel and look familiar. And while the seating has the luxury cliché of diamond stitching, there's more rear seat room than in the A4, thanks to the A5's longer wheelbase. Cargo room is generous, at 26 cubic feet.
Given the shrinking demand for sedans overall, Audi was smart to combine the A4 sedan and A5 Sportback into a single model. Certainly, the loss of the A5's coupe and cabriolet models will be mourned, but the A5 looks to be a far better design than the outgoing A4, the A5 having retained some of the sleek genetics it was previously endowed with.
While the fresh design is welcome, there's little that's new or dramatically different from what has come before. Although it's a beautiful car, designers did little to stretch the envelope stylistically, reflecting Audi's conservative, sleek approach.
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Motor 1
8 hours ago
- Motor 1
Every Hot Hatchback You Can Buy In 2025
Hot hatchbacks don't have the same stranglehold over the affordable performance segment that they once did. At least, not in the US. As recently as the mid-2010s, we were spoiled for choice with options like the Fiat 500 Abarth, the Ford Focus and Fiesta STs, the Mazdaspeed 3—and so many more. These days, the market has dwindled to just a handful of options. Icons like the Honda Civic Type R and Volkswagen GTI live on. Beyond that, we've been forced to stretch the definition of a "hot hatchback" by including luxury liftbacks from Audi and Porsche, as well as electric options from BMW and Hyundai. Sadly, hot hatchbacks just aren't as desirable in the US as they once were. But, there are still some excellent options if you know where to look. Acura Integra Type S Photo by: Acura Price: $54,095 320 Horsepower The Integra may look like a sedan, but it is in fact a hatchback. And with the Type S badge, it's a pretty hot one at that. 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Volkswagen GTI Photo by: Volkswagen Price: $33,670 241 Horsepower The Volkswagen Golf GTI might not be the dominant figure it used to be, but if you're shopping for a car that checks all the boxes, it's hard to ignore. Volkswagen's punchy five-door looks great, drives well, and delivers enough comfort to be used every day. Under the hood is a 241-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four spinning the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. You can pick one up for as little as $33,670, making it a relative bargain in a world of ever-ballooning new car prices. Volkswagen Golf R Photo by: Volkswagen Price: $48,325 328 Horsepower If the GTI is for the everyman, the Golf R is for the purists. Save for some minor changes to the bumpers and trim, it looks the same as its less extreme sibling. But it's hiding a more powerful turbocharged four-cylinder, delivering 328 horses to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. 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Motor Trend
12 hours ago
- Motor Trend
2025 Audi SQ6 E-Tron First Test: Incredibly Quick, But Otherwise … ?
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In any drive mode, slam that accelerator pedal to the floor, and as the nose of the SUV lifts, you're off. The near-instant rush of acceleration people associate with electric cars is easier to feel here than in the Polestar 3, another similarly priced electric luxury SUV with sporty intentions, and especially compared to the regular Q6 E-Tron. And that electric Polestar is about as quick as the Audi, with a MotorTrend -tested 0–60-mph time of 3.8 to 4.1 seconds depending on model. If your driving thrills mostly happen in a straight line, the SQ6 is a great option. It's when the road starts to curve that we start daydreaming about the Polestar 3. On the figure-eight course, our racetrack-in-a-bottle test, the Audi turned in a respectable performance of 24.7 seconds at 0.80 g (average), to the Polestar 3 AWD's 24.4–24.6 seconds at 0.81–0.82 g (average, from two 3s). But setting the objective numbers aside, the Polestar simply feels more fun and lighter on its feet, which is interesting because it's about 250 pounds heavier than the Audi. As our test crew noted, the SQ6's chassis is composed if you take it down a few notches. But drive it at a faster pace, and the SUV just doesn't feel as fun—it's competent, not captivating. On the road, the SQ6's adaptive air suspension strikes a good balance between comfort and a sporty feel. Just like the SUV's styling itself, ride quality is good enough that you could live with it for years to come. That's true up to the moment you hear the hollow thrumming sound coming from the tires on the highway. There's a partial fix for that, though: Turn up the volume on the Bang & Olufsen sound system, which has a 3D sound feature and headrest speakers. The acoustic front door glass on the top SQ6 trim pairs well with the excellent sound system and adaptive cruise control to make stop-and-go traffic more tolerable. Range and Charge Testing: Hey, Not Bad We know the SQ6 isn't the sportiest or most spacious electric SUV around, and, well, it's also lacking any claims to class-leading range. A 275-mile EPA-rated range is fine, however, and in our Road-Trip Range test—which simulates how you might drive on the highway—the Audi managed 266 miles, nearly matching its claim. Getting that close to the EPA figure is impressive, as is what happens when the Audi is fast-charged. The 2025 SQ6 added back 160 miles of range after 15 minutes in our testing, which will make public charging stops quicker and more convenient. Few vehicles we've run through these tests have added that many miles in 15 minutes. As a bonus, the SUV is capable of 400 kW of recuperative braking—meaning it can pile electrons back into the battery quite rapidly when using the motors to slow itself down, stretching your around-town range. What About Tesla? What about Tesla? With the spacious Model Y SUV, Tesla has produced one of the most popular vehicles on the planet. And the newest model's updates promise improvements at a lower price than the Audi, Polestar, or BMW. What Tesla can no longer provide is a positive status boost you can count on, like most other luxury brands. We're not just talking about the CEO's unpredictable antics but also the sales troubles faced by one of its halo vehicles, the Cybertruck. So if any of the above—or the Model Y's ubiquity— bothers you, it's time to consider other brands. It's Fine. But Is It Fiiine ? We like the 2025 Audi SQ6 a lot; we just don't have much love for it. The design is conventionally handsome but may look too much like the smaller Q4 at a glance. The range is decent in the real world, but that's also true of the competition. We like the real, pull-out door handles and the cargo area's convenient netted cubbies, but what are we talking about here, a RAV4 or a luxury SUV? The SQ6 delivers fantastic acceleration for quick thrills pretty much anywhere. We understand why Audi buyers will be drawn to it, as it's very, very Audi-like, but the BMW's interior feels richer, and the Polestar is more fun to drive. That leaves the Audi right down the middle. We understand the SQ6's appeal, and it is quicker than a run-of-the-mill Q6, but that model more or less delivers the same verve—even without an S badge.
Miami Herald
12 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Nissan Is Working On A Cheap Sedan For The Masses
Embattled automotive giant Nissan is facing a tough time. The company has been forced to lay off thousands of workers and cancel plans for increased battery production. Things are going so badly that some question how long Nissan can survive. But with new CEO Ivan Espinosa at the helm and promising new vehicles, hope endures, and one of those new vehicles has just been unofficially revealed through patent images discovered by Top Gear Philippines. The images were filed in China in September last year and officially registered exactly one month ago, suggesting that the sedan they depict will make production. The boomerang-shaped headlights remind us of some Hyundai and Kia designs, while the lightbar at the rear calls to mind the Dodge Charger and Durango. And while we can't see much detail in these images, the fastback shape indicates that this vehicle may play loose with the term "sedan," likely appearing with a liftback tailgate like the latest Audi A5. This gives the vehicle the style and grace of a sedan with the cargo-carrying and loading abilities of a hatchback. More than that, we cannot be sure of yet, but this design conforms to the new language heralded by last year's Beijing Auto Show concepts, which included a sedan with similar looks to this. That Nissan Evo concept was announced as a plug-in hybrid, and it's likely that this new sedan would also avoid going all-electric. Since we don't know exactly what car this previews, it's difficult to estimate the price. Its size is unclear from this filing, and both the Altima and the Sentra could do with a makeover. A new Maxima could also make a certain amount of sense, especially with the upcoming Leaf crossover filling the needs of those who need a taller vehicle. Until we hear something directly from Nissan, though, it's too soon to get excited. The fact that the patent images were filed in China could mean that the car will never reach America, especially if it ends up being produced there, but it also means this shouldn't carry an exorbitant price, and the U.S. market is in dire need of more affordable cars. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
