Compare the2024 Audi A5 SportbackVS 2023 Mercedes E-Class Sedan

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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Both the A5 Sportback and E-Class Sedan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A5 Sportback has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The E-Class Sedan’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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 E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A5 Sportback. But it costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the A5 Sportback’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The A5 Sportback’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

Both the A5 Sportback and the E-Class Sedan 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, 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 Mercedes E-Class Sedan:

	A5 Sportback	E-Class Sedan
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	164	190
Neck Injury Risk	26%	30%
Leg Forces (l/r)	431/395 lbs.	387/481 lbs.

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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi A5 Sportback is safer than the Mercedes E-Class Sedan:

	A5 Sportback	E-Class Sedan
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	1.1 inches	1.1 inches
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	666 lbs.	836 lbs.

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

Warranty

The A5 Sportback’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the E-Class Sedan’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

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

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 18 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

Engine

The A5 Sportback 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 6 more horsepower (261 vs. 255) than the E 350 Sedan’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the A5 Sportback gets better mileage than the E-Class Sedan:

			MPG
A5 Sportback
	AWD	40 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/35 hwy
		45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/32 hwy
E-Class Sedan
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
	AWD	3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/31 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/30 hwy

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

Transmission

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 E-Class Sedan 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 E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

The A5 Sportback stops much shorter than the E-Class Sedan:

	A5 Sportback	E-Class Sedan
70 to 0 MPH	159 feet	195 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the A5 Sportback’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the E-Class Sedan (255/35R19 vs. 245/45R18).

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 E-Class Sedan’s standard 45 series tires. The A5 Sportback’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the E 350 Sedan’s optional 40 series tires.

The A5 Sportback has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the E-Class Sedan; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The A5 Sportback Prestige handles at .94 G’s, while the E 450 4MATIC Sedan pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Chassis

The A5 Sportback is 7.1 inches shorter than the E-Class Sedan, making the A5 Sportback easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Mercedes. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 16% lower rating, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

Ergonomics

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 E-Class Sedan’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A5 Sportback has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer headlight washers.

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 E-Class Sedan.

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