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.
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.
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.
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| 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.
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| For the suspension setup alone, I'd choose the A5 over the rougher S5. |