Image Text:

Car of the Week: Audi S5 3.0 TFSI quattro 354 PS tiptronic (price: £58,095)

I HAVE a confession. I did plead with my editor to give me two pages in order to review the stunning Audi S5 Coupe. I lost that particular battle but be aware that the next 400 words or so will see me unashamedly gushing about a very efficient German.

There are a host of options that boosted my evaluation vehicle to nearly £60k (I hear you wince!) but I tell you what, you certainly get value for money.

There was no need for the delivery chap to ring my door bell; I could hear the S5 (which does 0 60mph in under 5 seconds) growling from the top of the road. The S5 combines a new turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine with permanent quattro four-wheel drive and a standard eight speed automatic gearbox. Audi has downsized from a V8 engine to a supercharged V6 and now to a turbocharged V6 in the space of a decade, yet the latest S5 has more power and torque than ever before.

If the above paragraph wasn’t clear; the Audi S5 moves like a thoroughbred racehorse doing its thing at Royal Ascot.

The S5’s ride is quiet and broadly comfortable, though, and the interior is well isolated from road, wind and engine noise, making this an excellent long-distance car that’s unlikely to wear on the senses. The cabin is such that you could stay in it for hours even having reached your destination.

Where do I start with the aforementioned options? Maybe the head-up display (£900), dynamic steering (£950) or the classy Bang and Olufsen 3D sound system (£750)? I could go on but I’m running out of word count!

There was much to admire about the Audi S5 none less so than how, for a big a very rapid vehicle, it handled the capital’s roads with aplomb. The S5 exudes understated confidence, with only a few styling cues to differentiate it from lesser S Line models.

These include the S5-specific single-frame chrome grille, satin finish wing mirrors and subtly different front and rear bumpers with a matt diffuser insert.

OK, I’m an Audi disciple so I was always going to be fulsome in my praise of this week’s test drive. But I must confess that the S5 was a thing of beauty and even had the neighbours peering out from behind the curtains to get a glimpse.

As the Audi S5 Coupe was collected and being driven off, I had one last admiring glance at my car of the year to date.

Read every story in our hardcopy newspaper for free by downloading the app.