Audi likes to keep us on the ball with its periodic badge mix-ups. Some of us are still trying to remember what 35 and 50 TFSI means since the automaker junked its traditional 2.0 and 3.0 identifiers, and now we’re about to be introduced to a new A4 sedan that’s actually an A5 Sportback.
It’s part of Audi’s new strategy of handing out even numbers to EVs and odd numbers to combustion cars which means the old A4 will become the A5, and its high-performance S4 brother will turn into the S5 you see in these pictures. Audi’s used the S5 badge for years, but only on the coupe, convertible, and fastback versions of the old S4, and going forward the fastback will be the only option for would-be S4 sedan buyers because the old three-box sedan body is being dropped entirely.
We’ve already seen the upcoming four-door A5 in fastback and wagon guise and the hot S5 in Avant form. But this is our first sighting of the S5 in its more stylish configuration. Compared with the plain A5 the S5 features a different design of bumper with a wider lower grille opening and more prominent vertical intakes at each corner.
Related: 2024 Audi S5 Avant Spied Virtually Undisguised
The ride height is also notably lower and there’s no missing the S5’s trademark quad exhaust setup at the back. We’re curious to know what alternative tricks Audi’s designers will lean on to mark out S and RS models from the back when the brand goes electric in 2033. You won’t find an electric powertrain under the hood of the S5 though. The current S5 relies on V6 petrol or diesel engines depending on the market and some sources have suggested that the all-new car will carry over at least the gasoline V6 rather than downsize to a high-output four-cylinder motor.
One detail that unfortunately looks like it won’t be carried over from the old S5 is the frameless door glass. The frameless glass was a key contributor to the old S5’s coupe identity, and the new S5 is going to feel very much like an ordinary sedan without them, no matter how slopey that roofline. But that won’t bother anyone trading in an old A4 sedan, provided they can learn to live without a traditional trunk.
Audi hasn’t confirmed a launch date for the new S5 sedan and wagon but it’s possible they will make an appearance during the second half of 2023, potentially a month or two after the regular A5.
