2008 Audi A5 and S5

2008 Audi A5 and S5 - Well, after sampling the pair for a day along the perilously twisty mountain roads of northern Italy, we’re making plans to expand the nursery, because these are the marrying types. They are not only splendid to behold but also bestowed with quite a dowry of luxury features and genuine talent on the road.

A Two-Door Coupe

Thank you, Audi, for reminding us of something that Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and certain others seem to have forgotten: coupes are cars with only two doors, period. As such, “duoportes” such as the A5 appeal only to specific types of people whose lifestyles do not include carpooling and who do not slog such things as other peoples’ kids, slobbering St. Bernards, or corn-fed colleagues. Coupes are for one person or one pair, and seldom more.

A5

Emotional creatures that they are, coupes tend to be stylish first, and the A5 is no exception. It is breathtaking in pictures, but even more so on the road. Walter de’Silva’s talented team has tastefully advanced Audi’s passenger-car design beyond the current level that most already consider as tasteful and advanced as any in the automotive world.

All that said, what is most distinctive on the new coupes is the character line that rises over the fenders to accentuate the big wheels, which measure 18 inches on the A5, 19 on the S5. The longer wheelbase and the longitudinal engine mounting allow for proportions nearly as correct as, say, those of the new Jaguar XK, only with tidy, BMW 3-series–like dimensions. And its unexpected width—something also likely to characterize the next A4—is quite evident from behind, where horizontal lamps and wide-set tailpipes accentuate the car’s girth. From every angle, it works. Very, very well.

Now, to say the A5 is stylish first and a driver’s car second is no insult. It’s hard for any engine to outshine the sheer sex appeal of that luscious bod, and we knew this would be the case since we ran our first A5 spy shots months ago. But just how close the performance of the A5 and S5 comes to matching their beauty was a real surprise, with nearly faultless road manners and strong acceleration from the A5 and its 3.2-liter FSI (direct-injection) V-6, which is tuned to produce 265 horsepower in U.S. trim.

Moreover, the standard-fare A5 surprised us with a more satisfying steering effort than provided by its more powerful brother, which is somewhat lighter than we’d like at any given speed. Brakes, as expected in any car of this caliber, are entirely competent and exhibited not a trace of fade along northern Italy’s twisty declines, where many an ancient Alfa (or lumbering livestock) might be asserting its God-given right to park itself in the middle of the road around any given bend.

Perfect Driving Position

The sport seats hold the driver firmly in place regardless of whether you are in the A5’s luxury-oriented leather chairs or the S5’s standard Recaros. Mucho aluminum trim has been smattered about, and we’re particularly fond of the A5’s take on Audi’s “teardrop” gauges. As with most of its competitors, the A5 won’t be a prom-night enabler on account of its snug (although ergonomically correct) back seat.

The first to go on sale will be the S5, which arrives this fall with a six-speed manual transmission. The S5 will get a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters in the second quarter of 2008, at which point the A5 will join in with both transmissions. Audi’s latest iteration of Quattro all-wheel drive will come standard on all with a 40/60 front-to-rear torque split.

The A5 will be priced around $45,000, plus options, when it lands next year. If you absolutely have to have one by the end of the year, prepare to shell out well over $50,000 for an S5, which, frankly, is a bargain for such a high-level combination of speed, style, luxury, and sex appeal.