Audi's 2026 S5 Has A Confusing Name, But This V6 Sportback Makes Its Case On The Road

A couple of years ago, Audi gave its lineup a shake, retiring cars like the A4 — and their hotter variants — in order to allocate even-numbered names to its EVs (like the Q4 and A6 e-trons). Odd-numbered names would be dedicated to its gas-powered lineup, like the A5/S5 sedan. Or, more accurately, the Sportback: the duo (no RS 5 for now) comes with four doors and a sedan silhouette, but with a liftback rear.

Following that decision, and faced with confused dealers and customers, Audi backtracked. Suffixes — like "e-tron" — would be retained to distinguish electric from combustion; the model name would once again be a reference to the vehicle's scale in the overall lineup. The latest A6, for example, launched as both a gas-powered TFSI and a fully-electric e-tron.

It leaves the A5 and S5 an outlier — the only examples of Audi's naming detour – but that doesn't mean they should be overlooked. With summer now in full swing, Audi sent me a 2026 S5 in Grenadine Red Metallic (a $595 premium paint color) with a set of summer-rated Pirelli P-Zeroes to kick off a fresh season of reviews down in the New River Valley of Southwestern Virginia. 

For the 2026 model year, the Audi S5 can be had in three trim levels; here's what you can expect to pay on the showroom floor, before the $1,295 destination charge:

• Premium: $63,300, $75,075 total sticker as-tested
• Premium Plus: $66,200
• Prestige: $70,900

The S5 hangs out at the high end of its class, which includes quite a few heavy hitters — including some from the Audi family. The smaller S3 can be had for anywhere between $52,000 to $66,100 before options, while the hotter RS 3 starts at $66,100; neither one has the S5's liftback hatch, though, nor its second row and cargo space.

Outside the family, the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing combines a 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 with either a six-speed manual or a 10-speed auto to slam down 472 horsepower for about the same money as the S5 ($63,600 base MSRP for the manual, $66,775 for the automatic), though the Caddy is rear-drive-only. The less powerful (and less expensive) CT4-V can be had with all-wheel drive; the S5, though, doesn't have GM's Super Cruise hands-free driving assistance tech. 

Meanwhile, Audi's rivals in Munich and Stuttgart/Affalterbach bring their own guns to the fight, via BMW's M440i Gran Coupe ($65,100 base for rear-drive, $67,100 for all-wheel drive) and Mercedes-AMG's C 43 ($64,150 base MSRP). Finally, the 2026 Acura Intregra Type S ($53,400) comes with a six-speed manual and a low(er) price, but isn't up there in performance or luxury like the S5.

A couple of decades ago, 400 horsepower seemed to be the limit before entering what was then supercar territory. When the first S5 Sportback pulled out of the dealer lots in the early 2010s, it was packing a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 with 329 horsepower. Nowadays, there are just so many vehicles putting down 600, 700, 800 horsepower, if not figures entering the four-digit range — recent examples including the Corvette ZR1X (1,250 horsepower) and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric (1,139 horsepower). Even the 2026 Audi RS 6 Avant I tested earlier in 2026 had 621 horses. 

And all that is well and good if you want a huge stable of ponies to play with, but that begs the question: How often will you get to use all that power on the open road?

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The 2026 Audi S5 has a more reasonable output: 362 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. All of that comes from a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6, which is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and Audi's legendary Quattro all-wheel drive system. As for how those horses find their footing, Audi offers a choice of 19- to 20-inch wheels wrapped in either all-season or summer rubber (like the available 20-inch bi-color alloys above). 

Fuel economy amounts to 23 mpg combined (20 mpg city, 29 mpg highway). With my mainly in-town excursions over the course of nearly 140 miles, I got 19.4 mpg combined. Not too bad, but then again, if you're spending the cash on this Audi you're probably not too worried about the gas bill or the fact it only takes premium, either.

In the 2026 Audi S5, the driver gets an 11.9-inch digital instrument display plus a 14.5-inch center touchscreen. All the usual goodies are here, like wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the Audi connect subscription service, satellite radio, and wireless device charging. If you pop for the Prestige package, though ($7,600), you'll also receive a head-up display, animated headlights, and a dedicated 10.9-inch touchscreen display for the front passenger, so they can adjust a few things like climate and audio.

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Sound is handled by a base 10-speaker system, though you can crank it up further with the available 19- or 20-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound systems, the latter available with front headrest speakers for the best music and talk experience. Meanwhile, the 2026 Audi S5 has an impressive set of standard driving-assist features, including a surround-view camera system, lane-departure warning, forward-collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, and safe-exit assist. The only available features are the aforementioned head-up display, automatic self-parking, and lane-centering assist.

The 2026 Audi S5 isn't lacking for luxury, either. There's tri-zone automatic climate control; heated front seats with power adjustments as standard, with available ventilation and massaging for the front occupants; plus heated rear seats with privacy shades on the side windows to keep away prying eyes. The seats are leather, but the available Prestige package changes it up to Nappa hide with blue diamond stitching. 

The available panoramic sunroof features electrochromic technology, which allows the roof to let in all of the light, a mix of opaque and transparent bars in two different patterns, or full opaque to help keep the heat away. The addition of the Black Optic package ($1,600) adds not only the 20-inch chrome alloys with black trim, but also a darker finish to the exterior trim pieces, mirror caps, door handles, chrome exhaust tips, and wheel center caps.

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Though the S5 looks like a sedan, it's really a liftback, allowing for greater access to the cargo space under the privacy cover. With the rear 60/40-split rear seat backs up there's 22.6 cubic-feet of room for groceries and luggage. Drop the seats down and that space increases to 37.5 cubic-feet (one more foot of space compared to the A5 due to the seats that model has), enough to fit in a bicycle albeit with the front wheel removed.

The 2026 Audi S5 is equally at home on interstates and high streets as it is on more interesting roads. On the former, the sports seats felt fine, and the ride was comfortable. Of course, I gave it plenty of opportunities to shine on the interstate over my driving loop, letting that turbocharged V6 pull us past the many big rigs clogging up I-81. The sport-tuned suspension and Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive system deftly handled the switchbacks leading down from the top of the mountain overlook of my driving loop into the town of Pulaski below.

Those riding with me weren't equally enthused. I knew my mom wouldn't be a fan of the front seat, as it didn't fit her frame very well. Getting in and out was also a challenge for her, as she's a bit older and not as spry as she used to be; you may want to consider an Audi Q/Q e-tron SUV over a car if you're in the same situation. She also didn't make use of the touchscreen in front of her, which to each their own.

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The electrochromic sunroof was pretty cool, too, though I opted to keep it opaque over the sunny summer days so I wouldn't cook while the S5 was cooking. The only real ding for me was the overly sensitive cross-traffic detection, which slowed the car down all too soon while in cruise while approaching a given intersection. Yes, it can be turned off, but if that's going to be a feature at all, it needs to be smarter about what it sees and how it reacts based on that.

While it is sad that we lost a few models to get the current Sportback-ish sedan, the 2026 Audi S5 makes up for the lack of a coupe or another sedan with a lovely mix of practicality, sportiness, and luxury. Sure, it's not a wagon or a crossover (or even a standard hatchback), but the S5 is well-balanced for what it does and what it offers. It has enough horsepower to work through the mess on the high-traffic beltways and interstates without leaving anything on the table, enough room to hold all of the bags for a week-long vacation, and enough luxury and tech to keep everyone happy no matter how far the trip takes them.

For those who miss the previous RS 5 Sportback, there is a new RS 5 coming for the 2027 model year: one that comes with an electric motor as Audi's first-ever plug-in hybrid RS model. It'll look like the A5 and S5, just with more aggression. For everyone else who wants more from a 5, but not that much more, the S5 is the way to go, especially against competition like the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing, Acura Integra Type S, or Mercedes-AMG C 43.