Audi A5 - Boot space, comfort & practicality

As mentioned previously, in calling the Audi A5 a saloon, Audi is being slightly disingenuous to the hatchback design of the car. The hatch is actually more practical than a saloon’s letter-box style opening when it comes to fitting big loads in. It is a shame that no rear windscreen wiper is fitted to the A5 (you’ll have to go for the A5 Avant for that), because you’ll either have to break out the bucket and sponge more often in winter in order to be able to see what’s behind you, or rely on the standard front and rear parking sensors and reversing camera.

All A5 Saloons are five-seaters, while there is also the Avant estate model, but Audi no longer sells an A5 Sportback, Coupe or Cabriolet. 

Dimensions and size

The A5 is notably larger than the A4 saloon it replaces, and that extra 70+mm of length is mainly between the wheels, making for a more spacious cabin area. 

The increase in size also puts the A5’s footprint well clear of the BMW 3 Series or BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, and the Mercedes C-Class, and the Audi is also taller than any of its rivals, although you feel like you’re sitting low-slung when you drop into the driving seat. 

How practical is the Audi A5?

Seats & space in the front

Though the front of the car feels wide and spacious for passengers, there’s not a great amount of stowage. Under the movable armrest there’s a fairly shallow space, and you get a pair of cup-holders and a wireless charging pad in the centre, as well as two USB-C chargers. But that’s about it. The door bins are lined and have a reasonable depth, but it’s not a car where you’re going to forget where you’ve stashed your sweets. 

It is comfortable though. The front seats are big and welcoming, if lacking a tiny bit in lateral support, and it’s not a problem to spend hours in them on a long run. 

Seats & space in the back

Back-seat passengers used to compact executive models sacrificing rear passenger comfort will be delighted to learn that it’s they who most benefit from the A5’s increased size over its predecessor. Legroom is really good compared with the old A4  – or any of the other premium German competitors – and rear passengers get their own ventilation control, as well as a pair of USB-C chargers and a fold-down armrest. 

But the news isn’t all good if you carry taller passengers, because the sloping roofline has a predictable impact on rear headroom. And although the width has increased over the A4, three passengers in the rear will have to be good friends. 

The rear door pockets aren’t lined as they are in the front, which smacks a little of cost-cutting to us. Two ISOFIX points are provided on the outer positions of the rear seat, and are accessed by removing a couple of conveniently located plastic tabs.

Boot space

Unlike the rear-seat space and despite the A5’s growing dimensions, its boot capacity hasn’t grown over previous Audi compact execs; in fact it’s smaller, at 445 litres, dropping to 417 in diesel A5s. The A4 saloon was 15 litres better than the front-drive A5, while the BMW 3 Series can offer 500 litres and the Mercedes C Class up to 480. 

It is more practical in some ways, though. The small decrease in overall volume is countered by the hatchback opening, which offers better access than a saloon, especially for bulkier or heavier loads. There is a small lip to lift things over, and the boot is quite long and wide, but shallow rather than being particularly deep. 

There’s also nothing particularly clever about the load area. It’s got a couple of plastic hooks, a 12V socket and a luggage net, but no underfloor stowage or neat compartments. 

All versions of the A5 come with a handy 40:20:40 split folding rear seat. In the regular A5, dropping the rear seats has to be done from the back door rather than the boot, whereas the Avant estate model has a handier lever at the rear of the car. The seats at least go pretty much completely flat, which helps when sliding in longer items. Folding the seats opens up 1,299 litres of space, an exact match for the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe or 1,271 on quattro models.