Revamped Audi A5 puts style at top of bill

SOME cars don’t seem to make sense. Coupés, for example, offer less room and practicality than the saloons on which they are based, but still cost more. So they are all about style.

To this end, Audi has refreshed its nine-year-old A5 and quicker S5 models. The new cars are a little longer and have more headroom and bootspace than before and have also slimmed down by 60kg.

There is also a new range of petrol and diesel engines, with 190 to 286 hp (349hp for the S5) to provide more grunt and up to 22 per cent better economy. Externally, it looks a little sharper, but not vastly different from before. Inside, it is typical Audi — neat and simple, with the VW Group’s Virtual Cockpit, a 12.3-inch screen which replaces conventional dials. I’m no fan of soundtubes, which artificially alter the engine note piped into the cabin, but the petrol versions get them as standard.

The S5 feels quick with its 349hp three-litre petrol engine and shares an eight-speed tiptronic auto gearbox with the three-litre diesel A5, while other models get a seven-speed S tronic box. All versions are 4WD, except the entry-level 2.0 TDI.

Prices have not been announced, but will probably range from about £30,000 to £50,000 when the cars arrive at the end of the year, ready to take on the likes of the BMW 4 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupé.

This is a highly polished car, but even in S5 form, it lacks the excitement of, say, the Audi RS7. Its ruthless efficiency has robbed it of a little of the passion so necessary for cars like this, and it fails to provide much feeling of involvement. But with Audi’s fortunes riding high, this won’t stop it from being welcomed by coupé fans.