SECOND OPINION

BEN BARRY

Audi is a master of the high-tech interior that’s reduced to its essence yet sparkles with premium flash. I particularly like this car’s technical fabric trim. But the BMW has usefully more space in the rear seats and its infotainment and driving modes are easier to fathom. The A5’s touchscreen is a stretch, where you can twirl, touch or gesture at things in the 420i. BMW’s drive modes could be easier to glance at (they’re next to the gearlever) but they’re more intuitive to find and operate than Audi Drive Select, which is easily hidden by a drink in the cupholder.

⊲ Why is it here?

The new 4-series is, like every BMW coupe before it, a driver-focused product that assumes balance, poise and precision are at the top of your list of priorities. But perhaps they’re not. Maybe you’d prefer a beautiful cockpit, less divisive styling and the easygoing e ciency of front-wheel drive. The A5 o ers all of the above.

⊲ Any clever stu ?

The engine is nothing more or less than a state-of-the-art petrol four-cylinder with direct injection and turbocharging, promising 187bhp and 236lb ft (the latter from a diesel-like 1450rpm). TFSI combines direct injection (fuel/ air mix into the chambers, rather than a manifold) and ultra-highpressure fuel injection to deliver a stratified charge – instead of filling the whole cylinder with a mixture rich enough to burn, the Audi motor ignites one rich pocket of fuel/air mix that in turn sends the whole lot up in a carefully choreographed and more e cient flame front.

⊲ Which version is this?

An A5 40 S-line. S-line (circa £2.5k) brings bigger wheels, matrix LED lights, a styling package and sports seats. Petrol options include the even slower Sport 35 TFSI, our 40 and the 261bhp 45, while the diesel outputs are 35 (161bhp) and 40 (201bhp). Go for the 45 petrol or the 40 diesel and you get quattro all-wheel drive.