Models · Audi
Audi A5 8T buying guide
The first A5 arrived as a coupé in 2007, followed by the cabriolet and the five-door Sportback in 2009, with a wide range of TFSI petrol and TDI diesel engines. It was facelifted for the 2012 model year, and owners rate its build quality highly.
The versions
- Petrol: 1.8 TFSI (160 to 177PS), 2.0 TFSI (179 or 211PS), 3.2 FSI V6 (265PS, to 2011) and 3.0 TFSI supercharged V6 (272PS, from 2011)
- Diesel: 2.0 TDI (136 to 177PS), 2.7 TDI V6 (190PS, to 2011) and 3.0 TDI V6 (204 to 245PS)
- 6-speed manual, multitronic CVT, 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch and tiptronic automatics, depending on engine
- Front-wheel drive or quattro four-wheel drive
- Coupé from 2007, cabriolet and five-door Sportback from 2009
What to check on a 8T A5
3 model-specific things to look at when you view one. They're a starting point, not the full inspection.
2.0 TFSI: oil use
What to look for: Ask how much oil the car uses between services and how the seller knows. Check the level on the dipstick or the dashboard display, and look for invoices for oil top-ups or engine work.
Why it matters: Some owners of the 2.0 TFSI petrol report high oil consumption, mainly on earlier engines. Audi tackled it with a revised crankcase breather and software, and on some cars with new pistons and rings. An Audi dealer can measure whether consumption is above normal, and a car with the fix recorded is the better buy.
Front wheel bearings
What to look for: On the drive, listen for a groan or hum that gets louder when cornering one way and quieter the other, at a steady speed.
Why it matters: The front wheel bearings are a known weak spot on this A5. A noisy bearing is a straightforward replacement, but worth knowing about before you agree a price.
Windows, door locks and the fuel flap
What to look for: Run every window fully up and down, lock and unlock the car with the key and the button, and open the fuel filler flap. Test the infotainment, parking sensors and phone connection too.
Why it matters: Window regulators can break, door lock mechanisms can fail, and the fuel flap mechanism can stick; there's an override behind the boot trim. Electrical faults, including a frozen infotainment screen and central locking glitches, are the most common complaints on this car.
Also in the full guide
- Recall work
- 2.0 TDI: cambelt
- Cabriolet: roof seals
- The cold start, test drive and paperwork checks for the exact version you're viewing
The full guide to the 8T A5
The CrankSight guide walks you round the car on your phone at the viewing, with every check for the exact version you're looking at: what to look for, where to find it, and what anything you find is likely to cost. As you go it builds an assessment of that car, and if you view more than one, it lines them up side by side.
£29 for the model, used on as many cars as you like, delivered within 72 hours or your money back.
Other generations
General points for the model, last checked October 2026. Every car is different, so treat this as a guide to what to look at, not a verdict on any car. CrankSight is independent and has no connection with Audi.