Compare the2026 Audi A5VS 2026 Toyota Crown

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The A5’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Crown doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the A5 and Crown have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A5 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 Crown’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 A5 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Crown doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Audi A5 achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Toyota Crown has not been tested.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The A5 has Car-to-X Services, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Crown doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the A5 has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Assist with Automatic Brake Activation, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Only the Crown Limited/Platinum/Nightshade offers Parking Support Brake.

Both the A5 and the Crown have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Audi A5 is safer than the Crown:

	A5	Crown
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Compression	-201 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.54 in
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	870 lbs.	1071 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Neck Compression	-22 lbs.	89 lbs.
Shoulder Deflection	.75 in	1.02 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.46 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	736 lbs.	759 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Audi A5 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Crown has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

Warranty

The A5 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Crown’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The A5’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Crown’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Audi pays for scheduled maintenance on the A5 for 1 year and 5000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Crown (3/30,000 vs. 2/25000).

Reliability

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

Engine

The A5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 32 more horsepower (268 vs. 236) than the Crown’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi A5 is faster than the Crown Platinum 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid:

	A5	Crown
Zero to 60 MPH	5.6 sec	5.7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.1 sec	14.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	98.3 MPH	96.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

Both the A5 and Crown have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The A5 has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

Transmission

A seven-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Audi A5, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Crown.

The A5 offers an available 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 Crown doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A5’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 Crown doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the A5’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Crown:

	A5	Crown
Front Rotors	13.3 inches	12.9 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.5 inches

The A5’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Crown are solid, not vented.

The A5 stops shorter than the Crown:

	A5	Crown
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the A5 has larger standard tires than the Crown (235/45R18 vs. 225/55R19). The A5’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Crown (245/40R19 vs. 225/55R19).

The A5’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Crown XLE/Limited’s standard 55 series tires. The A5’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Crown’s optional 45 series tires.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the A5 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Crown doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A5’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Crown (113.8 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

The A5 handles at .84 G’s, while the Crown Platinum pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The A5 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Crown Platinum (26.4 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

Chassis

The A5 is 6 inches shorter than the Crown, making the A5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The A5 has 1.8 inches more front headroom and .2 inches more front shoulder room than the Crown.

Cargo Capacity

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the A5’s hatch uses gas strut supported hinges that don’t intrude into the cargo area. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Crown’s useful trunk space.

Servicing Ease

The A5 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Crown 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 A5 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Crown. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The A5’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. An easy entry system costs extra on the Crown.

The A5’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Crown’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A5 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Crown doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the A5 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Crown doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the A5 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Crown doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The A5’s standard rear and 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 Crown has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Recommendations

The Audi A5/S5/RS 5 outsold the Toyota Crown by 37% during 2025.

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