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Audi A5


Ford Mustang

Summary

Audi A5

Yes, yes, beauty is in the eye of beholder. But I challenge any eye to behold the refreshed Audi A5 and find it anything but beautiful.

In a world in which car design seems to be getting fussier and busier with every new model, the A5 remains a monument to simple lines and sophisticated shapes, both inside and out.

Looks are only part of the story, of course. So the big question is, does the rest of the package stand up? Or is the beauty only skin deep here?

Let's find out, shall we?

Safety rating
Engine Type2.0L turbo
Fuel TypeHybrid with Premium Unleaded
Fuel Efficiency6.5L/100km
Seating5 seats

Ford Mustang

Sometimes I think the present is nowhere near as futuristic as I thought it would be when pondering things 20 years ago.

And then there are times when the two cars you’re comparing are an electric Mustang SUV and a 580 horsepower Kia that accelerates faster than a Ferrari Enzo. 

Yep, this comparison of the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT and Kia EV6 GT is one of those times when we’re reminded how much things have changed and how quickly we need to accept the changes electric cars introduce as the new normal.

Supercar-like acceleration, the dilemma of charging and the premium price they command are key EV attributes. But they are still cars. Still the way we get around.

If they’re SUVs like the Mach-E GT and EV6 GT we need to compare more than just their EV credentials. Practicality, driveability, value-for-money, safety and ownership costs are also hugely important.

And this is what we’ve done here, comparing them not just as electric cars but in all the ways you’ll use them, too. 

Safety rating
Engine Type
Fuel TypeElectric
Fuel Efficiency—L/100km
Seating5 seats

Verdict

Audi A57.5/10

Predictably stylish, predictably competent, predictably comfortable. In fact, that predictability is among its only downsides. In short, the updated A5 might not move the needle all that much, but it didn't need much moving in the first place. 


Ford Mustang/10

The Ford Mustang Mach-E GT wins this comparison with the Kia EV6 GT by a small margin, mainly due to its better practicality, its styling and its lower ownership costs. The Kia EV6 GT is also brilliant in its sporty handling, value-for-money and great battery tech. But if there was one that’s the best all-rounder to live with daily, it’s the Mustang Mach-E GT.

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

Price and Features

7

8

Design

9

8

Practicality

8

7

Under the bonnet

9

9

Efficiency

8

8

Driving

8

8

Safety 

9

9

Ownership

8

7

TOTAL

8.3

8

Design

Audi A58/10

It's gorgeous, the A5. There's simply no disputing it. It's elegant, sophisticated, and above all, restrained. There's no look-at-me chintz here, just clean lines, sharp creases and a shapely figure.

Like its A4 sibling, the A5 has been tickled at the front, with a new-look grille, along with a new headlight cluster with redesigned DRLs, and Matrix LED headlights. 

The four sharp bonnet creases that fan out from the grille lend the A5 a sense of speed, even when stationary, and we love the way the 19-inch alloys fill the wheel arches. It looks polished, premium and athletic. 

Inside, Audi's interior treatment is on-point, from the figure-hugging leather seats to the material choices that span the dash. The big news in the cabin is the inclusion of Audi's new 10.1-inch touchscreen perched above the dash, which isn't just easier to use (in my opinion, at least), but also removes the traditional controls from the centre console. 

It means Audi's already fuss-free cabin is even less cluttered, and it's definitely a change for the better. 


Ford Mustang

Two more different looking SUVs you could not find. Actually, the EV6 GT barely even looks like an SUV although that’s what Kia calls it and the industry classifies it as such.

Have a look at the images, or better still watch the video we made above, to take in the stark comparison between the styling of these vehicles.

The Mustang Mach-E GT looks reassuringly like a Mustang SUV with its vertical bar tail-lights, the muscular rear haunches, blade headlights, shark nose bonnet and big grille.

Well, it’s not a real grille but if you look closely you’ll see the faint outline of honeycomb mesh behind the semi-transparent plastic.

The Kia EV6 GT looks more like a bloated hatchback than an SUV, but you could argue that’s all an SUV is, anyway, I guess.

Still, it’s a stunning design with its pinched in nose, bulbous and smooth panels, looking low, wide and intimidating like a venomous insect complete with lime green brake calipers.

Despite the obvious exterior differences their dimensions aren’t wildly different as you can see in the table below, only the height sets them apart.

If all you had to go with were these figures I’m sure you’d never imagine they’d belong to two very different looking SUVs. The extra height gives the Mustang GT Mach-E a more upright and boxy design, and this affects practicality as you’ll read about further on. For now let's look at their insides on purely stylistic merits.

Of course they have completely different interiors. The Mustang Mach-E GT has a more macho, serious but sporty cabin with high quality feeling fabrics adorning the dashboard and synthetic leather seats. Only the gigantic portrait media display makes this feel like a modern Ford product.

The EV6 GT’s cabin feels dark, like a cave but one filled with expansive screens and tech. There are intriguing patterns etched into the dashboard and deep seats that wrap around their occupants.

Its innards are as alien as its exterior and I’m here for it. And so are many people. Probably not those who like the Mustang Mach-E GT’s cabin, though.

I think the Mustang Mach-E GT pulls off a better look, especially considering the pressure it’s designers would have been under to create an SUV version of one of the most iconic cars on Earth.  

Dimensions

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

Length

4743mm

4695mm

Height

1623mm

1545mm

Width

1881mm

1890mm

Wheelbase

2984mm

2900mm

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

9

8

Practicality

Audi A57/10

It very much depends on the model you've opted for, with the Coupe compromising backseat space for exterior style. 

The Sportback is easily the most practical of the trio, what with its four doors, comfortable backseat and dimensions that stretch 4757mm in length, 1843mm in width and 1386mm in height, and its 480 litres of boot space.

The Coupe, then, is a two-door design, stretching 4697mm x 1846mm x 1371mm, with 450 litres of luggage space at the rear. It's long, the Coupe, but most of that space is absorbed by the front half of the cabin, wth the backseat reserved for kids. 

Finally, the Cabriolet (which we're yet to test) stretches 4697mm x 1846mm x 1384mm, and will deliver the lowest luggage capacity of the lot, at 375 litres.

Elsewhere, though, the A5 range delivers two cupholders up front, with another two in the centre armrest that can deploy to divide the rear seat. Rear-seat riders also get air vents with their own temp controls, USB charge points (joining the two up front) and bottle holders in the doors. 

For parents, you'll find a pair of ISOFIX attachment points in the backseat, too. 


Ford Mustang

Electric vehicles have changed practicality for the better. Not being constrained by big engines, transmissions and driveshafts means the packaging can be designed for good storage and people room.

Flat floors open up space, front boots are handy and even the ability to use their colossal battery to power campsites or other appliances is a big plus.

Below is a table comparing boot sizes and power outlets. On the face of it the EV6 GT appears to have the bigger rear boot but the stacking height is lower than the Mustang Mach-E GT’s taller space.

The EV6 GT also has next to no front boot, while the Mustang Mach-E GT has a large storage space under the bonnet.

As for rear legroom, the EV6 GT and Mustang Mach E GT have plenty of space for me at 189cm to sit behind my driving position and headroom is excellent in both.

Entering and exiting the Mustang Mach-E GT is easier due it’s more traditional SUV shape with tall doors and elevated ride height. The EV6 GT is almost 10cm lower overall and I hit my head swinging into the back seat while doing my legroom test.

Both cars have directional air vents in the second row, cupholders, door pockets and USB ports.

Talking of power outlets, only the EV6 GT has a vehicle-to-load (V2L) power outlet which will take a regular household appliance plug.

It’s a tough call as to which is more practical, and while the Kia has the versatile V2L and plenty of space, the Mustang's front boot and ease of entry and exit makes it the winner here.   

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

Seats

5

5

Boot capacity (five seats up)

402L

480L

Frunk capacity

134L

20L

Wireless phone charging

Yes

Yes

USB Ports

4

5

V2L socket

0

1

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

8

7

Price and features

Audi A58/10

The cheapest way into an A5 remains the Sportback or Coupe body styles, which will set you back $71,900 with the 40 TFSI engine choice. You can upgrade to the 45 TFSI quattro engine, but doing so will also up the entry point to $79,900. The Audi A5 Cabriolet sits atop the pile, costing $85,400 for the 40 TFSI, and $93,400 for the 45 TFSI quattro.

Happily, all A5s get the S line style treatment, gifting each a sportier look, with a new-look grille and venting adding to the performance-spec style up front. 

You also get 19-inch alloys, Audi drive select with five drive modes, three-zone climate (and neck-level heating in the Cabriolet), leather trim, matrix LED headlights, as well as tech-heavy interior highlighted by a new 10.1-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dash that controls the cars key audio, navigation and driving settings. 

Speaking of the Cabriolet, the three-layer acoustic roof opens in just 15 seconds at speeds of up to 50km/h, with a wind deflector also deployed to help with cabin ambience.

Audi's very cool Virtual Cockpit (a 12.3-inch digital display that replaces the traditional driver's binnacle) is also standard, as is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Audi says the new model offers 10x the computing power of the outgoing model, owing mostly to connected car features including live traffic, weather reports and fuel pricing, as well as the ability to remote unlock or lock you car from your phone, or pre-plan destinations and send them to the vehicle's nav.


Ford Mustang

Electric cars are more expensive than their petrol counterparts and generally will be until the cost of EV batteries comes down. This is what drives the manufacturing price up with the extra cost passed onto the consumer. But the good news is the price is coming down. 

That news doesn’t really help you much here because the Kia EV6 GT has come down in price and lists for $99,590, before on-road costs. Still, that’s less than the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT which lists for $104,990.

The EV6 GT and Mustang Mach-E GT sit at the top of their respective ranges and have large batteries. That’s the reason for the $100K MSRP. They both come with a lot of equipment and you can see a side-by-side comparison of their standard features in the table below.

What stands out is the lack of powered front seats in the EV6 GT, and also the absence of leather upholstery in both cars.

Both still come with heated seats, excellent sound systems and sunroofs - although the Mustang Mach-E’s is a large panoramic glass version, while the Kia’s is smaller and opens.

The EV6 GT’s head-up display is brilliant, while the Mustang Mach-E doesn’t have one.

The Mustang comes with 20-inch alloys which offer a better ride than the EV6 GT’s 21-inch alloys - but more on that in the driving section further down.    

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

MSRP

$104,990

$99,590

Media Display

15.2-inch

12.3-inch 

Instrument cluster

10.2-inch

12.3-inch

Head-up display

No

Yes

Climate control

Dual-zone

dual-zone

Auto parking

Yes - in-car

Yes - remote

Keyless entry/push start

Yes

Yes

Sound system

B&O 10 speakers

Meridian - 14 speakers

Sat nav

Yes

Yes

Sunroof

Panoramic

Slide opening

Privacy glass

Rear side

Rear side

Upholstery

Artificial leather

Artificial leather

Seats

Front: Powered/heated

Front: heated; Rear: heated

Wheel size

20-inch alloys

21-inch

LED Headlights

Yes

Yes

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

7

8

Under the bonnet

Audi A58/10

Two choices here, the slightly tongue-twisting 40 TFSI and  and 45 TFSI quattro, both of which make use of a 2.0-litre turbo engine tuned for different outputs. 

The 40 will serve up 140kW and 320Nm, and pairs with a seven-speed S tronic automatic that shuffles that power to the front wheels. Audi reckons you'll see 100km/h in as little as 7.3 seconds.

The 45, on the other hand, will give you 183kW and 370Nm, pairing with the same auto gearbox, but this time sending power to all four wheels thanks to the quattro system. The 100km/h sprint drops to 5.8 seconds at its fastest.


Ford Mustang

Electric motors make massive amounts of power and torque but the outputs of the Mustang Mach E GT and EV6 GT are beyond 'normal' EVs.

The EV6 GT has a motor driving the rear wheels and another driving the front ones. Together they have a combined output of 430kW and 740Nm with 0-100km/h coming in a brutal 3.5 seconds. That is seriously quick and unnecessary and I love it.

The Mustang Mach E GT also has all-wheel drive thanks to a motor at the front and at the rear but together they make a whopping 358kW and 860Nm, although at 100kg heavier it’s a tad slower to 100km/h with a time of 3.7 seconds. Still these times are quicker than almost any production car from the early 1990s.

Who wins here? I’m calling it evenly matched.

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

Combined motor output

358kW/860Nm

430kW/740Nm

Drive wheels

AWD

AWD

0-100km/h 

3.7 seconds

3.5 seconds

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

9

9

Efficiency

Audi A57/10

Audi reckons the 40 TFSI engine will return 6.5L/100km on the combined cycle, and emit 148g/km of C02. The bigger engine increases fuel use to 7.1L/100km, but lowers the C02 output to 163g/km. Both those fuel numbers are taken from the Sportback.

Both engines also get a new 12V mild-hybrid system said to drop fuel use by up to 0.3L/100km.

Fun tank capacity is either 54 litres or 58 litres, depending on the model.


Ford Mustang

There’s so much to tell you here and the table below will help with understanding the capacities, ranges and consumption of the EV6 GT and Mustang Mach-E GT.

The Mustang Mach-E GT has the larger battery and the longer range, but the EV6 GT’s battery has a much faster DC charging rate.

The Kia can make full use of a 350kW fast charger while the Mach-E can’t accept more than 150kW.  You can see the charging times in the table.

Energy efficiency is crucial to an EV’s range and in our test we filled the batteries of the Mustang Mach-E GT and EV6 GT to 100 per cent and drove a 180km route made up of CBD traffic, motorways, suburban streets and country roads.  

At the end of the trip we found both used almost exactly the same amount of electricity at nearly the same rate. The difference being the Mustang had more projected range left because its battery is larger.  

Who wins? Well, this is really about energy efficiency and we found that both were a good match for electricity consumption. So, let’s call it a tie. You could argue the Mustang Mach-E GT has more range, but the rebuttal would be the EV6 GT’s super-fast charging time. 

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

Battery capacity 

91kWh

77.4kWh

Estimated range

490km

424km

Max DC charging speed

150kW

350kW

DC 10-80 percent charge time

45 minutes

18 minutes

Max AC charging speed

10.5kW

10.5kW

Official combined consumption

21.2kWh/100km

20.6kWh/100km

Distance (energy test))

176.5km

178.0km

Electricity used

32.6kWh

32.18

As tested combined consumption

18.5kWh/100km

18.1kWh/100km

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

8

8

Driving

Audi A58/10

You'd describe the A5's drive experience as evolved, rather than revolutionary, but to be honest, in a vehicle this competent, that's no small thing. 

The hybrid tech is unnoticeable, and so the A5 delivers an on-the-road feel that isn't far away at all from the car it replaces. None are truly fire-breathing, but it feels comfortable and sophisticated, the outside world largely banished from the interior (though the firm-ish ride can send road imperfections into the cabin).

Audi has done a stellar job of making the A5 feel connected to the road below it, and the world around it, without dialling down the comfort factor. The steering, light in its normal setting but firming up as you cycle through the drive modes, is direct, but not twitchy, the ride is firm, but not uncomfortable, the engine (at least, the 45 TFSI we drove on launch) is capable without being ridiculous. 

The end result is a predictably competent drive experience, with the A5 delivering in the areas it should, largely before you even notice. 

The only downside to all of that, though, is that the experience is so predictable, that there are few surprises, positive or negative, thrown in. It can leave you feeling slightly disconnected from the experience, rather than truly engaged.

Now, a disclaimer, we spent limited time in the A5 on launch, so we'll wait until we get it in the CarsGuide garage before making a final verdict. But I'd be surprised if we liked it any less over a longer period.


Ford Mustang

The way these SUVs feel to drive is as different as their looks. The Mustang Mach-E GT feels more suited to daily driving while the EV6 GT is our pick for the race circuit or sporty blasts on nice country roads with plenty of twists and turns.

Both have drive modes ranging from the hardcore 'Untame' in the Mach-E and 'Sport+' in the EV6 GT to the calmer 'Whisper' and 'Normal' modes in Ford and Kia, respectively. 

Adjustable suspension in both firms up the ride for better handling and softens it for a more comfortable setting.

The Mustang Mach-E has the more comfortable ride overall compared to the EV6 GT which is very firm in its Sport+ drive mode but still overly hard in the Normal setting thanks to the big wheels and low-profile tyres. That said, the Mach-E GT is prone to jiggling too much over minor bumps.

The EV6 GT and Mustang Mach E GT can accelerate incredibly fast and while it's fun, the ability to move quickly is useful in overtaking and at intersections without traffic lights. 

Neither the EV6 GT not Mach-E GT offer exceptional ride comfort but the Mustang delivers a better all around driving experience with good visibility, a more elevated driving height and supportive seats.

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

8

8

Safety

Audi A57/10

Standard safety kit includes eight airbags, parking sensors front and rear, a 360-degree parking camera, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, rear cross-traffic alert, exit warning, and lane keep assist and lane change assist, along with a bevy of airbags, with the A5 range still wearing a five-star ANCAP safety rating.


Ford Mustang

The Mustang Mach-E GT and the EV6 GT have been awarded the maximum five star ANCAP rating but the Kia was tested more recently under 2022 criteria.

Both cars have ISOFIX points for child seats in the outside rear seats, while there are three top tether anchor mounts in the second row, too. The table below compares their advanced safety tech. 

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

ANCAP rating

5 (2021)

5 (2022)

AEB

Pedestrian, vehicle, cyclist

Pedestrian, vehicle, cyclist

Lane Keeping Assist

Yes

Yes

Blind Spot Warning

Yes

Yes

Rear Cross Traffic Alert

Yes with braking

Yes with braking

Airbags

7 (no centre airbag)

6 (no centre airbag)

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

9

9

Ownership

Audi A57/10

All Audi's are covered by a three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, with servicing required every 12 months or 15,000km.

You can pre-pay your service costs for three or five years, which will set you back $1800 for three years or $2820 for five years.


Ford Mustang

The final piece of this comparison puzzle is the ownership costs. The table below highlights the difference in what you’ll pay to service with the Mustang Mach-E GT proving to be the more affordable. 

The Kia comes with a longer warranty, although Ford’s battery coverage duration is better.

The Mustang Mach-E GT wins here for its more affordable capped price servicing.

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

Warranty

Five-year/unlimited km

Seven-year/unlimited km

Servicing cost total over five years

$780

$1561

Service interval

12 months/15,000km

12 months/15,000km

High-voltage battery warranty

Eight-years/160,000km

Seven-years/150,000km

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Kia EV6 GT

8

7