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.
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.
Read Article