Audi A5

The Audi A5 is a great car. Slightly divisive looks, but a great drive and superb engines make for a fantastic cruiser. Almost too quiet for some.

• Comfort

  Feels like a big GT and that's no bad thing. Little noise, suitably relaxed damping and a general air of grown-upness make for a satisfying cruiser. You'll like this car after a few hundred kilometresat the wheel.

  

• Performance

  Two petrols to choose from here. A 3.2 V6 and the 4.2 V8 in the S5 (see separate listing). Both are quick, and impressive through the gears. But the 4.2 is the meaner of the two, spitting 260kW and dragging the A5 to 100km/h in 5.1 seconds.

  

• Cool

  Sharp suit cool rather than flash cool. But still cool.

  

• Quality

  When it comes to making a car feel expensive and well built, Audi has a solid grasp on the concept. The A5 feels like it'll last until the universe implodes.

  

• Handling

  The A5 is one of a new breed of Audis that can ride and handle at the same time. There's decent feedback from the wheel - unusual for a mass-market Audi - and for what looks like quite a big car, exceptional body control.

  

• Practicality

  It's a coupe and not a particularly spacious one. Rumours of an A5 convertible might go some way to explain why the rear bench is tight and rear legroom pretty sparse. But the boot really is quite big and you don't like having passengers anyway.

  

• Running costs

  Not great. The 4.2 will return 12.4L/100km, but only if your right foot weighs less than a rice cracker.