The 2022 Audi A5 Sportback will come with the same trim levels as the outgoing model which are Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige. The powertrain and the transmission options will remain the same with the new and more powerful turbocharged four-pot motor combined with a mild hybrid system powering the 45 models of every trim level. The newest addition includes the all-new Black Optics package that swaps out a majority of the car’s exterior design trims with black colored panels. The base Premium trim gets a handsome list of features for the price but leaves desiring for more since it misses out on some goodies such as driver’s seat memory settings and auto-dimming ORVMs. The mentioned features are, however, available right from the Premium Plus trim but considering the premium of three grand you need to shell out makes it a pricey affair. The base trim offers impressive safety techs which include a forward collision mitigation system and lane departure warning system. In the safety aspect too, the car misses out on some advanced techs being a base trim. Apart from the Balck Optics package, there are several optional extras on offer with the outgoing model and we expect the upcoming model will also get the same options as well. The options include the S Line interior package, a Sport suspension setup, Ventilated front seats, and a Bang & Olufsen premium audio system.

We Recommend

We would recommend the Premium Plus trim over the base one since it gets most of the luxurious and convenient features you’d expect from the car. The Prestige option will pamper you with the fully automated parking system and it comes in real handy in tight parking spaces.

Release Date

There has been no official release date announced by Audi but as we have seen every year, the upcoming model would be available by fall 2021.

The 2022 Audi A5 Sportback will retain its base turbocharged powerplant that will propel the 40 models while the 45 models will get a new turbocharged motor paired with a mild hybrid system to boost the power output to a healthy 261 horsepower.

Coming to the base motor, it is a 2.0-liter EA113 TFSI I-4 unit and generates a maximum of 201 horsepower and 236lb-ft of maximum torque. The motor is mated to a 7-speed direct-shift S-Tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission that transfers the power to all four wheels via the brilliant Quattro system. The base motor feels adequately powerful for both city and highway runs but the turbo four-pot unit onboard the 45 models feel punchier and accentuate the aggressive styling of the car nicely. The base motor offers superb refinement levels and the 7-speed unit keeps the motor relaxed with precise and quick shifts. Since the powertrain will be retained in the upcoming model, the acceleration times are also expected to be the same at 6.4 seconds of 0-60mph sprint time and 14.8 seconds of quarter-mile time.

The 2022 BMW 430i Gran Coupe will make a comeback after skipping the 2021 model and will get a basic 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot motor. Even in its base form, the 430i makes 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque but doesn’t get an AWD system as standard, unlike the A5 Sportback. It is quicker off the line though as compared to the A5 with a 0-60mph time of 5.6 seconds and completes the standing quarter-mile stretch within 14 seconds. The Mercedes-Benz C Class also draws its power from a 2.0-liter turbocharged motor and has an identical power rating to the BMW 430i but has a lower torque output than the latter. It gets a 9-speed automatic transmission and is one of the best in the segment. The Volvo S60 is the cheapest offering in the segment but has impressive power and torque levels considering its price tag.

With modern techs and smaller engine capacities, luxury cars have become commendably fuel efficient while retaining their fun-to-drive nature and performance. Since the 2022 Audi A5 will retain the powertrain options, the car will have similar fuel economy figures as well. The city mileage of the A5 Sportback is rated at an impressive 25mpg while the highway mileage stands at 34mpg. The combined mileage is rated at 28mpg. The car comes with a sizable 15.3-gallon gas tank and offers some of the best driving range figures in the segment.

The 2022 BMW 430i Gran Coupe’s EPA ratings are not out yet but the 2020 model was quite fuel-efficient in the segment. The Mercedes-Benz C Class overwhelms with its 28mpg of gas mileage within the city limits and combined mileage of 30mpg. The highway mileage remains identical to the A5 at 34mpg. The Volvo S60 is the least fuel-efficient of the lot and disappoints mildly with its city and combined mileage figures as compared to the rivals here. However, its range of 391.5 miles allows it to contest closely with its competitors.

The 2022 Audi A5 Sportback interior will be similar to the outgoing model and the overall design has that elegance you’d expect from a German sedan. The design language is anything but sporty but the dashboard has a driver-oriented layout. All the controls are within the reach of the driver at all times and the switchgear feels upscale with premium quality and chrome inserts. The interior gets the wood grain treatment as standard and the base trim also gets leather upholstery. Stepping up to the Premium Plus will get you faux leather covering for the dashboard and the armrests which enhances the aesthetics of the cabin further. Interior ambient lighting is standard which is a nice touch along with a panoramic sunroof and tri-zone automatic climate control. The front seats get power adjustment and heating as standard while the optional ventilation function adds to the overall comfort levels. Owing to the sloping roofline at the back, the rear seats fail to offer adequate headroom and tall passengers will find their head brushing with the headliner quite often. The cargo space is generous at 21.8 cu-ft and accessing all that space is even easier with the hatchback-style power-operated liftgate.

The BMW 430i Gran Coupe has almost similar interior dimensions to the A5 Sportback barring the marginally extra headroom at the front. The interior design and layout of the car are simple yet elegant and the dashboard gets a driver-focused approach with a less cluttered center stack. The comfort levels are impressive but the rear seats suffer the same fate as the A5 Sportback’s rear seats owing to the fastback-style sloping roof. It also offers a decent cargo capacity of 17 cu-ft as well. The 2022 Mercedes-Benz C Class will arrive with an all-new interior design and will get a majority of styling cues directly from the S Class. As for the 2021 model, the interior is already blessed with a rich and elegant design that oozes opulence and the feature list along with the comfort levels are impressive too. It falls short seriously in terms of cargo space by offering a modest 12.6 cu-ft of space. The Volvo S60 has one of the simplest and straightforward interior designs in the segment but boasts a superior overall fit and finish levels, a typical trait you’d find inside every Volvo vehicle. While the interior dimensions are almost identical to the A5 and the 430i, it feels airier owing to the less complex design theme.

Some interior features are:

• Panoramic sunroof
• Tri-zone automatic climate control
• Full leather upholstery
• Heated and power-adjustable front seats
• Interior ambient lighting
• 40/20/40 split rear seat

How intuitive is the infotainment system?

The infotainment system will also be retained and every A5 comes with a standard 10.1-inch touchscreen display powered by Audi’s MMI system. The overall layout is user-friendly and the display produces crisp images and the interface is fluid. Some of the standard features include Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and two USB ports.

The Premium Plus trim offers a wireless chagrin pad combined with a signal booster that works flawlessly. The Prestige trim comes with a premium Bang & Olufsen audio system with 19 speakers to offer an immersive listening experience.

Some standout infotainment features of the infotainment system are:

• 10.1" MMI touchscreen infotainment system
• 10-speaker audio system
• 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system(Prestige)
• Navigation support(optional)
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
• Satellite radio

The exterior design is the most interesting aspect of the Audi A5 Sportback as compared to its interior. With the facelift in 2020, the overall design became more aggressive with a new front grille design and a new design for the headlamp units as well. The side profile looks sporty too with a sculpted line running all the way to the rear fenders and the sloping roofline at the back. The rear end looks appealing too with the new LED taillamp units and rectangular-shaped dual exhaust tips.

The Prestige model gets the latest Matrix Laser lighting system for the headlamp units and it enhances the overall visibility to a great extent at night.

The 2022 BMW 430i will get the brand’s latest front grille design, the huge and extended kidney grilles, that looks quite polarizing as compared to the rivals here. Apart from that, the overall design is quite appealing and the fastback roofline further enhances the sporty appeal of the car. Its exterior dimensions are not known yet but from the official images, its dimensions are expected to be somewhere near to the A5’s dimensions. The Mercedes-Benz C Class wears an aggressive look too with a frowning front grille design nicely accentuated by the LED headlamp units. The side profile of the sedan looks neat with chrome inserts around the windows. The Volvo S60 sports one of the best exterior designs in the segment. The front end is dominated by a pronounced and traditional Volvo grille flanked by LED headlamps with Thor’s Hammer LED DRL design that looks spectacular to look at. The sharp styling of the font bumpers with big air dams and the unique rear-end design will woo just the right set of buyers in the segment.

Some exterior features are:

• Heated and power-operated ORVMs with auto-dimming function
• Automatic Matrix LED headlights with LED DRLs(Prestige)
• Rain-sensing wipers
• All-LED taillights
• Panoramic sunroof
• Power-operated tailgate

German vehicles usually come with an excellent safety aspect and the Audi A5 Sportback is no exception. The 2021 model scored exceptionally well in the crash tests and secured a 5-star rating from the NHTSA along with an overall “Good” rating from the IIHS as well. In the base model apart from the basic safety techs, the car offers only Forward collision mitigation and Lane departure warning as advanced safety measures. Stepping up to the Premium Plus gets a slew of features such as a surround-view camera system, adaptive cruise control, and rear cross-traffic alert among other features. 

Some of the standout safety features include:

• ABS with EBD
• Airbags
• Lane-keep assist
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane departure warning
• Forward-collision warning
• Blind-spot monitoring system
• Rear cross-traffic alert

Audi A5 Sportback vs BMW 430i Gran Coupe

The BMW 430i Gran Coupe is all set to make a comeback for the 2022 model year and will give the A5 Sportback a run for its money with its impressive performance. Apart from the performance aspect, the A5 is expected to be better or similar to the upcoming Beemer in terms of design, practicality, and interior space.

Audi A5 Sportback vs Mercedes-Benz C Class

The Mercedes-Benz C Class is a better alternative to the A5 Sportback when it comes to interior space and a classy interior design. The A5 Sportback falls short in terms of rear-seat comfort as well as the performance aspect in its base 40 models. However, the A5 offers excellent cargo space along with a hatch-style and power-operated liftgate for superior convenience as compared to the C Class.

Audi A5 Sportback vs Volvo S60

The Volvo S60 has an overall better offering than the A5 and at a cheaper price tag as well. The S60 gets a straightforward and practical cabin with superb comfort levels and convenience. The A5 Sportback triumphs over the S60 in terms of fuel economy but the latter has an overall better performance on tap as compared to the former.

The outgoing Audi A5 Sportback is already an exciting and appealing car in the segment and gives its rivals a tough competition. The car offers a decent performance right from the base trim along with a handsomely equipped cabin. The car might fall short in terms of rear-seat comfort but makes up for it with its hatch-style liftgate and a generous cargo capacity for enhanced practicality. The car also has enough traits and an impressive fuel economy to qualify as a friendly daily driver too. Overall, if you’re looking for a sporty-looking Sportback with aggressive styling, impressive safety techs, and decent performance, the 2022 Audi A5 Sportback is worth the wait.