Compare the2023 Audi S5VS 2022 Ford Mustang

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission and Drivetrain
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi S5 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Ford Mustang doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The S5’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Mustang doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The S5’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Mustang doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The S5 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Mustang doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The S5 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Mustang doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The S5 Premium Plus/Prestige has a standard Top View Cameras to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Mustang only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

Both the S5 and the Mustang have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Audi S5 Coupe is safer than the Mustang Fastback:

	S5	Mustang
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Restraints	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	0 cm	5 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	1.6/1.2 kN	2.8/1.4 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	0%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	MARGINAL	GOOD

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the S5 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 109 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Mustang is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick.”

Warranty

The S5 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Mustang’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The S5’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Mustang’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 8 places higher in reliability than Ford.

Engine

The S5’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 39 more horsepower (349 vs. 310) and 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 350) than the Mustang’s standard 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder. The S5’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 19 more horsepower (349 vs. 330) and 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 350) than the Mustang’s optional 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the S5 Coupe gets better mileage than the Mustang Fastback:

			MPG
S5 Coupe
	Auto	3.0 turbo V6	21 city/30 hwy
Mustang Fastback
	Manual	2.3 turbo 4-cyl. (310 HP)	21 city/29 hwy
		2.3 turbo 4-cyl. (330 HP)	20 city/27 hwy
		5.0 V8	15 city/24 hwy
		5.0 V8	14 city/22 hwy
	Auto	2.3 turbo 4-cyl. (330 HP)	20 city/27 hwy
		5.0 V8	15 city/24 hwy
		5.0 V8	15 city/23 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the S5 Cabriolet gets better mileage than the Mustang Convertible:

			MPG
S5 Cabriolet
	Auto	3.0 turbo V6	21 city/28 hwy
Mustang Convertible
	Manual	2.3 turbo 4-cyl. (310 HP)	20 city/27 hwy
		2.3 turbo 4-cyl. (330 HP)	19 city/25 hwy
		5.0 V8	15 city/24 hwy
		5.0 V8	14 city/22 hwy
	Auto	2.3 turbo 4-cyl. (310 HP)	20 city/28 hwy
		2.3 turbo 4-cyl. (330 HP)	19 city/26 hwy
		5.0 V8	15 city/23 hwy
		5.0 V8	15 city/23 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the S5’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Mustang doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the S5’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Mustang doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi S5 higher (5 out of 10) than the Ford Mustang (3 to 5). This means the S5 produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Mustang every 15,000 miles.

Transmission and Drivetrain

The Audi S5 comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Mustang.

All wheel drive, available in the S5, provides the best traction for acceleration in wet, dry, and icy conditions. In corners, all wheel drive allows both outside wheels to provide power, balancing the car. This allows for better handling. The Ford Mustang is not available with all wheel drive.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the S5’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Mustang:

	S5	Mustang
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.6 inches

The S5 stops much shorter than the Mustang:

	S5	Mustang
70 to 0 MPH	150 feet	165 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the S5 has larger standard tires than the Mustang (255/35R19 vs. 235/55R17).

The S5’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Mustang’s standard 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S5 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Mustang.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S5’s wheelbase is 1.7 inches longer than on the Mustang (108.8 inches vs. 107.1 inches).

Chassis

The S5 is 3.6 inches shorter than the Mustang, making the S5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the S5 Prestige Coupe is quieter than the Mustang Mach 1:

	S5	Mustang
At idle	39 dB	52 dB
Full-Throttle	75 dB	90 dB
70 MPH Cruising	65 dB	70 dB

Passenger Space

The S5 Coupe has 1.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Mustang Fastback (84 vs. 82.8). The S5 Cabriolet has 1.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Mustang Convertible (81 vs. 79.2).

The S5 Coupe has 1.3 inches more rear headroom and 3.7 inches more rear legroom than the Mustang Fastback.

The S5 Convertible has .7 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more rear headroom, 3.9 inches more rear legroom and 2.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mustang Convertible.

Cargo Capacity

The S5’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Mustang Convertible doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the S5’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Mustang doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

With its coupe body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the S5 offers cargo security. The Mustang’s non-lockable remote release defeats cargo security.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the S5’s available trunk can be opened just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Mustang doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

The S5 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Mustang uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Ford. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 27% lower rating, Ford is ranked 22nd.

Ergonomics

The S5 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Mustang doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The S5’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Mustang has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The S5’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Mustang’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the S5 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Mustang can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The S5 has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Mustang doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the S5 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Mustang doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The S5 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Mustang doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the S5 has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Mustang doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The S5’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford only offers heated mirrors on the Mustang Premium/Mach 1.

When the S5 is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Mustang’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The S5’s standard rear view mirror and optional side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Mustang has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The S5 has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Mustang doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The S5 has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Mustang.

The S5 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Mustang.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the S5 has standard rear a/c vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Mustang doesn’t offer rear vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Audi S5 Premium Plus/Prestige has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Mustang doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The S5 Prestige’s Park Steering Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Mustang doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The Audi S5 comes in coupe, convertible and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Ford Mustang isn’t available as a four door.

Recommendations

The Audi A5/S5/RS 5 outsold the Ford Mustang by 88% during the 2022 model year.