2008 Audi A5 Test Drive

High Five

After more than fifteen years of conspicuous absence from the luxury sport coupe segment, Audi makes a grand re-entrance.

Audi abandoned the luxury sport coupe market more than fifteen years ago, but now aims to shake it up again with its new A5. In 1991, when the company discontinued its Quattro Coupe, a ground-breaking car that was among the first high-performance vehicles to include all-wheel-drive, other automakers happily and capably filled the void. The new A5 enters a much more competitive landscape than the one it left more than a decade back; it’s now filled with appealing entrants such as the BMW 3 Series Coupe, Infiniti G37 and Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class.

The A5 is one of the latest vehicles in Audi’s product offensive designed to woo buyers and stoke loyalty with a variety of niche products. Even if the new A5 can’t erase the memory of more than ten years of abandonment, its good looks and reasonable price make it worth cross-shopping against more long-running competitors.

Like the BMW 3 Series Coupe is to the 3 Series Sedan, the Audi A5 is positioned above the A4 in Audi’s growing lineup. At 182.3 inches long, the A5 is slightly longer than the 181.1-inch-long 3 Series Coupe and about an inch shorter than the Mercedes CLK. The A5 is powered by a 265-hp 3.2-liter V6 engine, while the more performance-oriented S5 receives a 350-hp 4.2-liter V8. Both engines are used in other Audi models.

The higher-performance S5 reaches dealers first, coming this fall at around $52,000. The A5 won’t hit the market until the first quarter of 2008, most likely in March. Its base price of around $40,000 could be worth holding out for, but those who yearn for ultimate performance and handling will prefer the S5.