Audi just dropped a new wagon – the A5 Avant. While forbidden fruit for the US market, the longroof has close competition elsewhere. It contends with the new BMW 3 Series Touring, which received moderate updates alongside the rest of the model’s body styles for the 2023 model year. Since the Audi A5 is also officially replacing the A4, it’s going to have to be good – let’s see how the Avant stacks up against BMW’s workhorse 3 Series Touring.
Exterior Design
Both the new 3 Series and new A5 Avant offer handsome front fascia designs. The Audi A5 Avant changes things up from last year’s model by wearing narrower headlights, larger air ducts, and much more pronounced hood lines. It’s overall a much more aggressive look than the outgoing A4 Avant. The grille is tweaked, too, with a slightly busier design. The 3 Series Touring wears a front end that is quintessentially BMW. Traditionally styled kidney grilles join the brand’s newest lighting signature for a great mix of new-meets-old styling.
Both wagons look good from the side and rear, too. The 3 Series Touring seems to stretch a bit longer – thanks in part to the iconic Hofmeister Kink – while the A5 Touring comes to a sharper point. Both tout handsome alloy wheels in their press photos, lending to an athletic look. In the back, the Audi gets some devilishly cool LED lighting signatures that, truthfully, put the 3 Series to shame. Both have (thankfully) dual exhaust cutouts – hopefully, the A5’s are real.
The A5 Touring looks a lot angrier and more modern than its predecessor. And the back of the car looks fantastic. But the 3 Series Touring is genuinely some of the very best of current BMW design. So a tough choice here…a tie for us.
Interior Design
Generally, the new Audi A5 Avant follows newer BMW and Audi designs. A nearly-invisible shifter, huge dashboard-mounted screen, and redesigned steering wheel modernize the Audi’s interior. Funny enough, BMW made pretty much the same changes to the 3 Series Touring during the model’s refresh.
When it comes to cargo space, the two are close – the 3er offers up to 1,510 liters of storage, while the A5 Avant boasts 1,424 liters. Overall, the two are more similar than different. So, we’re gonna call this one a tie.
Performance
Both the 3 Series Touring and the A5 Avant come with higher-performance models—the M340i and S5 Avant, respectively. The M340i makes a little bit more power from the vaunted B58 engine under the hood. Plus, both the A5 Avant and 3 Series Touring have a generous array of gasoline and diesel engine choices.
Though the 3 Series is generally the better performer, the A5 Avant comes with one small advantage. Quattro all-wheel drive is standard on the new Audi wagon. Of course, some may view that as a downgrade from the rear-wheel drive that each 3 Series Touring comes with. We’re gonna with a tie again since we have not driven the new S5 Avant yet.
Technology
Audi ditches its old tiny screens for something that looks awfully similar to what we see in new BMW models. The display comprises an 11.9-inch virtual cockpit (gauge cluster) and a 14.5-inch touchscreen centered in the cockpit. It offers familiar amenities, too—navigation, wireless phone connectivity, etc. The A5 Avant does offer something BMW doesn’t yet: a passenger-side screen.
Both cars get similar driver aids, like frontal collision warning and blind spot warning. It’s pretty close here; iDrive has a beautiful and intuitive layout. But, the new Audi MMI seems straightforward and looks pretty, too. Dealer’s choice on this one – we like the familiarity of iDrive but can see why shoppers prioritizing the latest and greatest tech might swing the other way.
What do you think about the new Audi A5 Avant?