2026 Audi S5 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

For this model year, Audi S5 prices start at $64,595, including a $1,295 destination charge. Our Prestige-trim test vehicle arrived with extra-cost Grenadine Red paint, the Black Optic package, and Audi Beam logo projection, bringing the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) to $75,075, including destination.

Modern Audis trade the sharp, creased, pressed, and professional appearance of their predecessors for softer organic forms and smooth, aerodynamically efficient panels. While the fender blisters that recall the original Audi quattro of the early 1980s remain, it is often hard to tell if they’re present. Hopefully, the bold styling themes of the upcoming Audi Nuvolari sports car will trickle down to the company’s volume-selling vehicles in the future.

For now, the anonymous Audi S5 relies on available digital OLED lighting with eight possible DRL signatures to express some personality. Even with that upgrade, the most compelling design elements on the test car were the intricately spoked 20-inch wheels, which are labor-intensive to clean (ask us how we know).

Open the driver’s door, lean in, and take a deep breath. The S5 smells like a proper German sports sedan, and drivers might well think they’ve stumbled into the electronics department of a big-box store. Here a screen, there a screen, everywhere a screen, screen.

Granted, Audi interiors have traditionally appeared to be more technologically sophisticated than rivals, but historically the company seamlessly integrated the tech with the surrounding design. Here, it essentially is the design, constantly gathering dust, collecting fingerprints, and exhibiting smudges. The car’s gloss black trim and touch-sensing control surfaces don’t help in that regard.

Audi is not alone here, and the S5’s tech array is more appealing than the glued-on iPad look of a Mercedes-Benz C-Class or the ginormous asymmetrical display in the redesigned BMW 3 Series. But when the S5 is fitted with the available front-passenger display, it’s overwhelming, and after a short while, kind of gross.

Normality returns when drivers turn their gaze away from the S5's dashboard. The test car’s black Fine Nappa leather seats with diamond-stitched perforated inserts, robust bolstering, and illuminated S5 emblems look terrific. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same about the quality of some of the glossy plastics covering the lower half of the cabin.

Many of the secondary controls in this car are touch-sensing. For 2026, Audi relented and put useful thumbwheels back on the steering-wheel spokes. We’d also like to see a return of traditional switchgear for the power mirror controls, as the ones in our test car were finicky.

A turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine lives under the Audi S5’s hood, making a robust 362 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. Naturally, Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive (AWD) system is standard, fed by a seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission.

To better support its mission as a sports sedan, the S5 also has a sport differential, a sport suspension, larger brakes with red calipers, and bigger wheels with available summer performance tire options. Our Prestige-trimmed test car also featured the available adaptive air suspension.

Audi claims the S5 accelerates to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, making it 1.3 seconds quicker than the Audi A5 on which it's based. As expected, the S5 is also less fuel efficient than the A5, with a rating of 23 mpg combined (vs. 26 mpg for the A5). We observed 22.5 on our fuel-economy testing route, with the car in Balanced mode and the transmission in its normal setting. On our mountainous Southern California evaluation loop, it averaged 21.6 mpg with the car’s Dynamic mode engaged for the canyon run.

The turbo V6 produces robust power, the engine and exhaust notes are satisfying, and the acceleration is rewarding. When driving in the city and in traffic, the automatic engine stop/start system is not as smooth as expected, and there is a delay in engine re-start after the driver lifts their foot off the brake pedal, but this feature can be switched off.

In urban and suburban settings, the test car’s adaptive air suspension decisively quelled body motions and felt appropriately firm. There is more road noise than expected on the highway, though, and on one portion of our evaluation loop it seemed as loud inside as a Toyota Corolla. The test car’s optional dual-pane acoustic front-window glass couldn’t do anything about that.

Fortunately, we didn't note any grabbiness from the brakes in daily driving—a common complaint with performance vehicles. However, the speed-sensing progressive steering felt a touch too light and slightly less communicative than would be preferable in a sports sedan. We didn’t find the squircle-shaped steering wheel all that great to grip, either.

Driving enthusiasts will likely forgive these flaws if they use the Audi S5 in the manner for which it's intended. After turning right onto the fabled Mulholland Highway, which ribbons its way across SoCal’s Santa Monica Mountains, we switched into Dynamic mode, turned the intrusive lane-keeping assist system off, and experienced a thoroughly enjoyable run from the summit to the beach.

Speed? The Audi S5 supplies it in spades, and the sport differential ensures rapid corner exits. Grip? The test car’s Goodyears proved relentless. Brakes? Indefatigable under repeated hard use.

But the most impressive thing about our test car was the adaptive suspension. It might feel firm in daily driving, but on a twisty and undulating road where it really matters for a car like this, the suspension filters excessive roll, dive, and squat without totally eliminating these important behavior cues.

Though it's a compact car, the Audi S5 is roomy enough for four adults. The front seats are firmly padded and well bolstered, but could feel confining to some people. We found they offered good support, but we also struggled to find a just-right seat and steering wheel setup that preserved a clear view of the digital instrumentation.

Both the seats and the steering wheel are heated as standard, and the test car had ventilation and massage. The center armrest is adjustable for height, adding to comfort levels.

All but the tallest of passengers should find the rear seat to provide good leg support and a comfortable backrest angle. Audi equips the S5 with a three-zone automatic climate control system, and in addition to temperature adjustment, our test car had heated outboard rear seats and manual rear-window sunshades.

The panoramic glass sunroof helped the test car’s black interior seem lighter and brighter. It offers variable light control ranging from clear to opaque, but even when drivers are blocking out as much sunlight as possible, solar heating keeps the upper layer of the cabin too warm for too long on hot days.

Storage space is reasonable for a car of this size, and most surfaces include a rubber or felt liner to help silence undesirable noise, vibration, and harshness from items placed there. But where the S5 really comes into its own is storing bigger items.

A power liftgate rises high to grant access to a 22.6 cubic-foot cargo area that can hold three full-size suitcases loaded in on their sides, plus three backpacks or duffel bags. For more cargo room, the 40/20/40-split folding rear seat offers flexibility and up to 37.5 cubic feet of maximum volume. While we genuinely miss the old A4 Allroad wagon, the A5/S5 Sportback isn’t too shabby.

In standard specification, the 2026 Audi S5 pairs an 11.9-inch digital driver display with a 14.5-inch Multi Media Interface (MMI) touchscreen infotainment system. They live side-by-side under a stylishly curved panel, adhering to a modern aesthetic shared with everything from a Hyundai Kona to a BMW X7.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, along with SiriusXM satellite radio and a navigation system featuring satellite imagery that can be displayed on the center screen or the driver’s display. Three connected services plans with complimentary trial subscriptions are also available, including Care, Nav, and Plus. Drivers can also use Audi Digital Services to customize the appearance of and content available through the displays.

Updates for 2026 provide a more consistent user experience across the two standard displays and the available 10.9-inch display for the front passenger. Audi’s goal was to simplify the technology, and it succeeded in reducing the visual clutter of last year’s layout and making it more graphically pleasing and easy to use.

However, we still find Audi’s tech a little frustrating at times. For example, we had to search YouTube for instructions to reset the car’s trip computer, because the digital owner’s manual accessible through the MMI apparently doesn’t have “trip computer” as a searchable term.

The voice assistant is not easy to use, either. When we asked for the nearest Starbucks, we received a long dissertation about how to enter a destination using the MMI. Switching to a search for a Chipotle, the voice assistant found one and automatically routed us to it without providing alternatives or asking if we wanted to navigate to it. The system also pulls information from ChatGPT, which isn’t a confidence-builder in our book. It just means users need to check the S5’s homework.

The test car also had an impressive Bang & Olufsen audio system, a detailed head-up display with sophisticated graphics, and a 10.9-inch touchscreen for the front passenger. That extra screen might be a bit much, but it's intuitive. One reason for that is it’s easy for the person along for the ride to pay closer attention while using it, which is not the case for a driver interacting with the rest of the MMI screens.

The Audi S5 has a long list of standard driver-assistance features. The highlights include forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alert, an exit warning system, and lane-departure warning. The S5 also has adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, front and rear parking sensors, and a surround-view camera system.

Our S5 Prestige test car also had top-down and 3D camera views, rear automatic emergency braking, and semi-autonomous parking assist technology that can operate remotely while the driver is outside the vehicle. It also had Adaptive Cruise Assist, which adds lane-centering assist that can be used in combination with adaptive cruise control on highways.

The Prestige trim’s hands-on-detection steering wheel makes using Adaptive Cruise Assist more enjoyable, because drivers don’t need to constantly add steering inputs to prove they're paying attention. Unfortunately, when drivers do want to steer independently, it feels artificial, heavy, and wooden when using Adaptive Cruise Assist. Also, the tech seems to resist corrective inputs, and the handoff between the software and the driver is anything but smooth.

The lane-centering assist system is sharply decisive when it determines a correction is necessary. This trait serves as an appreciated safety net when appropriate (and a technological rap to the driver’s knuckles for not paying attention). However, the system was not always accurate in our experience, with a few false alarms caused by old construction-zone striping.

Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) had released safety ratings for the 2026 Audi S5 at the time of writing. However, the A5 on which the S5 is based received a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS, the highest award possible. Because of powertrain differences, that rating does not apply to the S5.

New for 2026, all Audi models include three years or 30,000 miles of complimentary scheduled maintenance. That should help reduce costs, especially for those who lease the car.

Audi’s four-year/unlimited mileage roadside assistance offering is generous, too. Add to that a complimentary 10-year subscription to Audi Connect Care (emergency calling, stolen vehicle locator), and three years of complimentary Audi Connect Nav, and there are some cost-effective perks associated with choosing the S5.

This car is not particularly fuel-efficient, though. If that’s important, consider the less powerful, less expensive Audi A5, which is essentially the same vehicle, but not quite as much to drive. Nobody buys a luxury sports sedan for fuel economy, so we’ll cut Audi some slack there.

We loved driving it hard and fast on our favorite backroads, the quality of the Fine Nappa leather is outstanding, the Sportback design is genuinely helpful, and the Bang & Olufsen audio system is an auditory treat. We found the tech disappointing because of the distraction it caused, but it's impossible to avoid technological irritations and frustrations by choosing one of Audi's rivals. Those days are long gone.