Looking for input and opinions on purchasing a recent (2022 - 2024) A4 or A5. Cleary they have some differences in appearance, and the A5 having a hatch. Would I be sacrificing comfort if I went with an A5 over an A4 of similar trim?
29 comments · 50% upvoted · other discussions
They’re basically the same car comfort wise. I believe the a5 sits a little lower but nothing crazy.
I do like the look of the A5 better, for sure. Hatches are always nice. Used to have a GTI.
I prefer the sportback body style as well. It looks a bit more unique and is super practical. I wanted a GTI as a kid lol.
Dude, same! Loved em. Mine was 2017 six speed with the plaid seats. Loved that car. Honestly, I got sick of driving a manual after four years. Owning a car with a manual transmission has always been a bucket list thing for me.
The plaid seats were so cool. I love my S5, but every now and again I look at Golf R listings lol.
The nice thing about gti's is that they're a huge enthusiast car. You can always find tons of info on DIY items for them because of this.
There’s a surprising amount of power to be had modding them too!
A5 has a slightly longer wheelbase.
Yes it does. Very marginally so.
I’ve got a ‘24 A5 and love it. Hatchback for the win!
The A4 and A5 Sportback are identical.
One has a trunk (A4) one has a hatchback (A5SB).
Me? I’d go for the A5SB because of the added practicality and better looks. I had a VW Arteon prior (similar to an A5SB) and loved how practical it was with the ginormous trunk.
Nice. Yeah I like this idea, as well.
A 2022-23 Volkswagen Arteon SEL Premium is a great cross-shop competitor to a 2022-24 A5 Sportback 45 Premium Plus/Prestige in my opinion.
I looked at both of these myself and ended up with the VW at the time. It had more “luxury”/“comfort” features than the Audi did for less - heated/ventilated nappa leather front seats with driver massage and rear heated seats, ambient lighting, self-parking, adaptive suspension, etc.
Also more power/performance with a 300hp 2.0T and 7DSG from the Mk8 Golf R versus the 261hp 2.0T and 7STronic in the A5 SB; similar AWD systems (Haldex v quattro ultra) albeit one is front bias (Arteon) versus rear bias (A5).
The Arteon is a larger car though at ~192” versus ~187” for the A5SB. It’s closer in size to an A6/A7 than an A4/A5.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with the A5SB. If you like it more than the A4, go for it. You won’t regret it.
Hey man, really appreciate the input. Thank you
We made the same decision and went the A4 route, you'll pay more on average for any used A5s out there. There's also way more A4s for sale too.
Other feedback was A5s you'll hear anything in the trunk rattle, sound doesn't resonate as good from the B&O and everyone that kept saying they were more practical just seemed to mean they can't load crap into a regular trunk 🤷
We preferred the look of the A5, just didn't want to own one
Gotcha. Wouldn't SUVs all have the same issue with things in the trunk, though? Everyone and their sister has an SUV in the States lol
I looked at an A5 cabriolet at a dealer recently and the interior looked exactly the same as my A4. The exterior does look better though.
I've owned both, and I think the A5 wins due to the cargo capacity and looks (at least for my taste). The A4 trunk is quite small at 12 cu ft.
Rear headroom is very slightly reduced in the A5, and it sits a bit lower. The A4 is somewhat easier to get out of because of its higher seating position.
Both are great cars.
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A sportback A4 is an A5 lol.
This guy knows.
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Lmao chill man, you’re coming off pretty strong for no reason whatsoever.
A5 is more practical
The A5 has less headroom in the rear seat than the A4. And the A5 has slightly more wind noise because of the frameless windows, but probably not noticeable unless you drive them back to back.
Otherwise they are pretty much the same comfort wise if you are comparing like-for-like trims.
JIF1955 2 points · Apr 2025
Absolutely correct. Nice summation.
Frostedflakes41 2 points · Apr 2025 · :Audi_Rings:'21 A4 Prem+ 45 S-line
This.
Can be broken down to:
Looks better and more trunk space = A5
More passenger comfort/less noise but slightly smaller/shorter = A4
One minor gripe I have with my A4 is that the driver seat is almost directly behind the B pillar. Bit weird imo and it makes getting in and out not as enjoyable if you’re 6ft or taller. Not sure if that’s the same with the A5 if someone on here wants to clarify that but I have to imagine that’s not as drastic with the A5 sportback shape
[deleted] 3 points · Apr 2025
Good point. I wonder if having the drivers seat (and therefore your torso) behind the B pillar like that could help protect you in a side impact. The B pillar is much stronger than the door.
Frostedflakes41 1 points · Apr 2025 · :Audi_Rings:'21 A4 Prem+ 45 S-line
Im sure it’s done for some safety aspect like that not to mention the A5 doors are slightly longer, could be why that is. Just a pain in the ass to have to hoist myself out of my car every single time lol
Another minor thing I’ve noticed is the A4 steering wheel feels comically large compared to the A5s, would think it’d be the other way around. Kind of screws with the view of my tach and feels like an omission that it’s not electronically adjustable
TheSprinkler0 1 points · Jul 2025 · :Audi_Rings: 25 a5 sportback 45 tfsi
Th a4 is longer slightly