Audi A5 3.2 Quattro

In the old days, a coupe was considered more of a driver's car than a sedan. A two-door car provided its owner with more style and driving pleasure than a family-oriented four-door.

Times have changed, as sedans have gotten more adventurous designs and more powerful engines. The coupe has pretty much lost its place in the market, and a decreasing number of manufacturers are producing them now, since a lot less customers are buying them.

The A5 is just beautiful, as it looks like the stunning R8's little sister.

But the luxury brands haven't given up on the coupe, as they still seem to believe that they have potential, as long as they don't simply look like the 2-door variation of an existing sedan. The new A5 and S5 models in Audi's line-up are perfect examples.

Absolutely gorgeous
Now, here's a great-looking car. The A5 is just beautiful, as it looks like the stunning R8's little sister. A lot of time can be spent admiring the headlight clusters, with the LED driving lights that support the xenon headlights. When the car approaches in your rear view mirror, you'll know it's a new Audi.

The car's fluid shape races right down to the rear end, with an integrated trunklid spoiler and tasteful taillights. A character line floats over the front and rear fenders, gracing them with muscle and elegance. Top all this off with a set of magnificent-looking, optional 19-inch alloys, and you've got quite an attention-grabbing car. Audi's artistic department deserves a bonus for creating such a striking corporate design, because the A5 draws more stares than a federal minister's hot girlfriend.

Sumptuous cockpit
Inside, the car's officespace is finished with high-quality materials, including comfortable leather seats and solid-feeling switchgear. The dashboard's conception isn't as breathtaking as the car's bodywork, but you get to appreciate its elegance.

Surrounding the shift lever is an array of buttons, including those that control the MMI on-board information center. The latter is isn't all that complicated to use, maybe because I'm slowing getting used to it, but somehow it feels a little less intuitive than in the competition's similar setups.


At night, the console glows blood-red, which is a little marginal. The navigation system is reasonably easy to operate and the screen is very legible, but finding a specific location such as a restaurant is much more complex.

Rear-seat space and comfort is adequate, although getting in is obviously a little complicated. A thoughtful feature that helps entry and exit is power switches located on the top of the front seats, which moves them fore and aft without having to reach for the controls located on the side of the seat cushions. As for the power sunroof, it opens up only about an inch, so it's not very useful.

The 3.2-liter V6 that powers many Audi models is on duty in this coupe.

Smooth operator
The 354 horses of the S5'S V8 might seem alluring, but the truth is that for everyday driving, the A5 is plenty quick. The 3.2-liter V6 that powers many Audi models is on duty in the coupe, providing 0-100 km/h blasts in 6.7 seconds and quarter-mile times of 14.7 seconds at 155 km/h.

I really like this engine for its smoothness, fluid power delivery and reasonable fuel consumption; my average of 11.4 L/100 km is quite good, and at a steady 100 clicks on the highway, you'll consume less than 9 litres.

What I like less is the Tiptronic transmission; from a standstill, it always takes a half-second to react before getting the car moving forward. That may not sound like a long delay, but it's just long enough for your brain to say to your right foot: "hey, nothing's happening; you'd better press on the gas pedal even more."

By the time your foot complies and presses harder, the transmission wakes up and summons the engine. Voilà! You're now launching the car faster that you originally planned, and your passengers are now cursing at you. Dumping the gear selector in the 'S' position reduces the delay, but it's still quite irritating.

The A5's ride is pretty good; the suspension provides the car with some nice moves, and isn't too stiff for everyday use. On the highway, however, every time I'm hitting a bump, a vibration is felt from the front left wheel right up through the dashboard. But for the suspension setup alone, I'd choose the A5 over the rougher S5.

Competition The 2008 Audi A5 3.2 quattro starts out at $51,850. To obtain a car identical to this tester, add a metallic paint job ($800), the Technology Package that includes keyless entry and adaptive headlights ($1,600), the 6-speed automatic transmission ($1,500), a navigation system with backup camera ($3,500), a blind-spot monitor ($650) and the aforementioned 19-inch wheels with 255/35R19 tires ($1,200), for a total of $61,100. The Audi A5 is a great car that could very well succeed on looks alone. The A5 measures up to these rivals, if we include a similar level of equipment: Audi TT 3.2 quattro, 250 hp, $59,600 BMW 328xi with options, 230 hp, $50,700 Infiniti G37, 330 hp, $47,350 Mercedes-Benz CLK350 with options, 268 hp, $73,300 As you can see, there aren't many sport-luxury coupes on the market anymore. But in this small group, the A5/S5 is clearly the most beautiful. Only the BMW is available with all-wheel drive, and the Mercedes-Benz is really expensive. Conclusion The Audi A5 is a great car that could very well succeed on looks alone. That is, until the 2009 A4 sedan comes along which looks just like the A5 but with two extra doors. Personally, this coupe makes better sense to me than the S5, because I don't need the extra 100 horsepower and stiffer ride. I'd even skip on the options, but I would gladly pay extra for the 19-inch wheel package. However, I just wish Audi would offer the S tronic sequential transmission in this car instead of the patience-depleting Tiptronic. After all, the TT and the A3 get it with the 3.2, so why can't the A5?