Audi A5 Mk3 (B10)

RAC's verdict on the new A5 is blunt: 'cabin quality and controls a step backwards' - bar a single volume/track-skipping knob and a couple of console buttons, physical controls are 'notable by their absence' and the steering-wheel touch pads are a struggle. Audi's own response is documented by Auto Express: a redesigned interface with a new steering wheel featuring physical controllers, launched on 2026 model-year cars available from December 2025, and explicitly not retrofittable. Used buyers of 2024/25 cars therefore inherit the interface in its least-favoured form, which is worth factoring into resale as much as into the daily drive.

The A5 replaced the A4 but, on RAC's scorecard, brings 'cabin quality and controls a step backwards' in the same car that is otherwise refined and well built, and The Car Expert's aggregate quotes reviewer 'reservations with the styling and layout of the interior' (Carwow) plus lowlights that rivals are more comfortable and practical with tighter rear headroom than tall passengers want. It is not a fault that strands you - it is the soft-cost story of a price-raised, PPC-driven generation: hard plastics in places the outgoing A4 padded, and a spec sheet where equipment that used to be standard is now options.

The B10 A5 pairs its 2.0 TFSI and 2.0 TDI engines with a 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission and Audi 48V MHEV plus powertrain generator mounted to the gearbox output shaft. While engineered to provide an 18kW electric boost and smooth stop-start, the electronic throttle-to-clutch calibration can feel hesitant and unhurried when accelerating from a rolling stop into busy UK roundabouts. Parkers observed that the transmission occasionally requires a manual paddle override to find low-end response, while Auto Express noted the petrol powertrain is less punchy off the line than expected. Transmission control module software updates help reduce the hesitation.