Audi has made some radical design changes over the years – just look at how it replaced the blocky B2 80 of the early 1980s with the curvy B3-generation model from the second half of that decade. But for the most part, its designs evolve only gently from one generation to the next. The 2025 A5 Sportback you see here is an all-new car, but the link to today’s liftback sedan is clear.
So it’s handsome but familiar. There’s no radical headlight treatment and no controversial grille update. Nothing to rock the boat. But over at Audi’s arch-rival BMW, designers are preparing a new 3-Series, and they’re not content with just adding a set of flush door handles and saying ‘job done.’ The next 3-Series, which will be available with a choice of combustion or electric power, will look very similar to last year’s Vision Neue Klasse concept, and to our eyes, that’s a far more interesting design than what we can see in these spy shots.
Should Audi’s designers have been bolder? Perhaps adopted the split-headlight treatment used on the upcoming A6? Maybe, but we can be sure that not everyone will like the way the BMW looks, and that might play into Audi’s hands. And it’s not like it’s going to be identical to the outgoing A5. Audi fans will immediately spot the slimmer grille and new-generation LED headlights. Inside, they’ll find a simplified console and the same double-hexagon steering wheel that’s fitted to other recently-introduced Audis.
Related: 2025 Audi A5 Avant Digitally Undressed For An Early Preview
But they won’t find an EV option when the configurator goes live. Audi is reserving even numbered badges for electric cars, which is why the existing combustion A4 is being canned, and the A5 will gain a wagon variant. There will be another A4, but that’ll be an EV, and the A5 will only offer buyers a choice of mild hybrid and PHEV powertrains. And based on what we know of the latest VW Passat and Tiguan, we can expect at least one of the plug-in options to be a 268 hp (272 PS) combo consisting of a 1.5-liter petrol engine, and a 19.7+ kWh battery capacity, giving an EV range of more than 60 miles (97 km).
We’ll find out the full engine lineup, and have a clearer idea of whether Audi is bringing the A5 coupe and cabrio back when the Sportback is launched later in 2024. The next 3-Series won’t be revealed for at least another year, but which car are you most looking forward to seeing?
