The unsteady convection-diffusion equation is converted to a linear diffusion equation by the exponential transformation.Then a Padé approximation compact finite volume scheme is proposed by the 4th-order Padé compact finite volume scheme for spatial derivatives and a Padé[2/2] approximation method for time variable.The new scheme has the fifth order accuracy in time and the fourth order accuracy in space,and is proved to be unconditionally stable.The compact high-order finite volume scheme posses inherent conservation of the equation and high order accuracy within small stencils.Finally,some numerical examples are presented to verify the validity of the new scheme,as well as the advantages of high accuracy and high resolution in dealing with the boundary layer problems or locally large gradient problems.