Compare the2024 Audi S5 SportbackVS 2024 Volkswagen GTI

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

Both the S5 Sportback and GTI have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S5 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 GTI’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 S5 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 GTI doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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

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

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

Both the S5 Sportback and the GTI have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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.

The Audi S5 Sportback weighs 736 to 787 pounds more than the Volkswagen GTI. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

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 front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the S5 Sportback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 135 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GTI is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

The S5 Sportback’s corrosion warranty is 5 years and unlimited miles longer than the GTI’s (12/unlimited vs. 7/100,000).

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 Volkswagen vehicles. With 28 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Audi higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 17 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The S5 Sportback’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 108 more horsepower (349 vs. 241) and 96 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 273) than the GTI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Audi S5 Sportback is faster than the Volkswagen GTI (automatics tested):

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

The S5 Sportback has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the GTI (15.3 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The S5 Sportback has a tether attaching its gas cap to prevent its loss. The GTI’s gas cap isn’t tethered, so it can be left at a gas station if the driver forgets to screw the cap back in.

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

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Audi S5 Sportback, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the GTI.

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

The S5 Sportback stops much shorter than the GTI:

For better traction, the S5 Sportback has larger standard tires than the GTI (255/35R19 vs. 225/40R18). The S5 Sportback’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GTI (265/30R20 vs. 235/35R19).

The S5 Sportback’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 GTI’s standard 40 series tires. The S5 Sportback’s optional tires have a lower 30 series profile than the GTI Autobahn/380’s 35 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S5 Sportback has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the GTI. The S5 Sportback’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the GTI Autobahn/380.

The S5 Sportback has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The GTI’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S5 Sportback’s wheelbase is 7.6 inches longer than on the GTI (111.2 inches vs. 103.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the S5 Sportback is 2 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the GTI.

The S5 Sportback’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the GTI’s (60.9% to 39.1%). This gives the S5 Sportback more stable handling and braking.

The S5 Sportback Prestige handles at .93 G’s, while the GTI Autobahn pulls only .92 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The S5 Sportback Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the GTI Autobahn (25 seconds @ .76 average G’s vs. 25.5 seconds @ .72 average G’s).

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the S5 Sportback Prestige is quieter than the GTI Autobahn:

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the S5 Sportback a Mid-size car, while the GTI is rated a Compact.

The S5 Sportback has .1 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more rear legroom and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the GTI.

The S5 Sportback has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the GTI with its rear seat up (21.8 vs. 19.9 cubic feet). The S5 Sportback has a much larger trunk with its rear seat folded than the GTI with its rear seat folded (35 vs. 34.5 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the S5 Sportback. The GTI doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the S5 Sportback has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or optionally by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The GTI doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

The S5 Sportback uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The GTI 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.

The engine in the S5 Sportback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the GTI. 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 Volkswagen. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 32% lower rating, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

The S5 Sportback has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The GTI doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

If the windows are left open on the S5 Sportback 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 GTI can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

Laser headlights, standardon the S5 Sportback Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the GTI’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The S5 Sportback’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the GTI’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

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

The S5 Sportback 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 is only available on the GTI Autobahn.

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

The Audi A5/S5/RS 5 outsold the Volkswagen Golf/GTI by over two to one during 2022.