Compare the2024 Audi S5VS 2024 Ford Mustang

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

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the S5’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Mustang doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

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, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, 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 and rear cross-path warning.

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 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Mustang has not been tested, yet.

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).

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 12 places higher in reliability than Ford.

The S5’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 34 more horsepower (349 vs. 315) and 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 350) than the Mustang EcoBoost’s standard 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder.

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/29 hwy
Mustang Fastback
	Manual	GT 5.0 V8	14 city/23 hwy
		Dark Horse 5.0 V8	14 city/22 hwy
	Auto	5.0 V8	15 city/24 hwy
		Dark Horse 5.0 V8	14 city/22 hwy

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

			MPG
S5 Cabriolet
	Auto	3.0 turbo V6	20 city/27 hwy
Mustang Convertible
	Manual	GT 5.0 V8	14 city/23 hwy
		Dark Horse 5.0 V8	14 city/22 hwy
	Auto	5.0 V8	15 city/24 hwy
		Dark Horse 5.0 V8	14 city/22 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.

The S5 has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Mustang. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

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.

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 shorter than the Mustang:

	S5	Mustang
70 to 0 MPH	150 feet	153 feet	Car and Driver

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 EcoBoost’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 EcoBoost. The S5’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Mustang.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S5’s wheelbase is 1.8 inches longer than on the Mustang (108.8 inches vs. 107 inches).

The S5 is 4.5 inches shorter than the Mustang, making the S5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces. The S5 is 4.8 inches shorter than the Mustang Dark Horse.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the S5 Prestige Coupe is quieter than the Mustang GT Premium Fastback:

	S5	Mustang
At idle	39 dB	50 dB
Full-Throttle	75 dB	90 dB
70 MPH Cruising	65 dB	72 dB

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 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mustang Convertible.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Laser headlights, standard on the S5 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the Mustang’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 S5 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Mustang doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the S5 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Mustang doesn’t offer cornering lights. The S5 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

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/Convertible/Dark Horse.

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 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The S5 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 is only available on the Mustang Premium/Dark Horse.

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.

The S5 Prestige’s Park 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.

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