Compare the2024 Audi A5 SportbackVS 2024 Volvo V60 Cross Country

The Audi A5 Sportback has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The V60 Cross Country doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Both the A5 Sportback and the V60 Cross Country have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Audi A5 Sportback is safer than the Volvo V60 Cross Country:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi A5 Sportback is safer than the Volvo V60 Cross Country:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Audi A5 Sportback’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the V60 Cross Country’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Audi vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. With 29 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Audi higher than Volvo.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Volvo With 24 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Audi higher than Volvo.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 8 places higher in reliability than Volvo.

The A5 Sportback 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 14 more horsepower (261 vs. 247) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 258) than the V60 Cross Country’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the A5 Sportback gets better mileage than the V60 Cross Country:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi A5 Sportback uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The V60 Cross Country requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The A5 Sportback offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The V60 Cross Country doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A5 Sportback’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The V60 Cross Country doesn’t offer launch control.

The A5 Sportback stops much shorter than the V60 Cross Country:

For better traction, the A5 Sportback has larger standard tires than the V60 Cross Country (245/40R18 vs. 215/55R18). The A5 Sportback’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the V60 Cross Country (255/35R19 vs. 235/45R19).

The A5 Sportback’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the V60 Cross Country’s standard 55 series tires. The A5 Sportback’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the V60 Cross Country’s optional 40 series tires.

The A5 Sportback has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The V60 Cross Country’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The front and rear suspension of the A5 Sportback uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the V60 Cross Country, which uses transverse leafs springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

The A5 Sportback offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The V60 Cross Country’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The A5 Sportback Prestige handles at .94 G’s, while the V60 Cross Country Ultimate pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Audi A5 Sportback may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 pounds less than the Volvo V60 Cross Country.

The design of the Audi A5 Sportback amounts to more than styling. The A5 Sportback has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .3 Cd. That is lower than the V60 Cross Country (.33) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the A5 Sportback get better fuel mileage.

The engine in the A5 Sportback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the V60 Cross Country. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Volvo. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 11% lower rating, Volvo is ranked 12th.

Laser headlights, standard on the A5 Sportback Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the V60 Cross Country’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the A5 Sportback has standard extendable sun visors. The V60 Cross Country doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The A5 Sportback has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the V60 Cross Country.

The A5 Sportback 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 V60 Cross Country doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Audi A5 comes in coupe, convertible and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Volvo V60 Cross Country isn’t available as a coupe, convertible or four door.

The Audi A5/S5 outsold the Volvo 60 Series by over two to one during 2022.