Driving it

Effortlessness essentially characterises the A5 driving experience. You can cover a great deal of ground very quickly and in very relaxed and comfortable fashion, which if you think suggests that it’s all a bit clinical, you’d be right.

The steering is accurate and quick if not exactly communicative, and it’s the same with the rest of the car. The overwhelming focus is on efficiency or economy of effort from the driver.

Tight corners and long stretches of autostrada are all dealt with in spectacularly unruffled fashion, but the trouble is that sometimes you actually do want to step out of a car a bit ruffled.

Audi doesn’t offer its excellent electromagnetic damper option on the A5, apparently reserving it for properly sporty models like the TT and R8. The S5 doesn’t have this option either by the way, so Audi’s intentions with the A5 range’s positioning seem quite clear.

This insulating aspect does however make the A5 an awesome grand tourer. The ride is supple and body control stays well resolved over all manner of road surfaces. Refinement is top notch too. You step out of the thing after a long stint feeling really very fresh.

The 3.2-litre V6 is a great engine, very smooth and torquey, and surprisingly willing to rev. It also makes a nice-sounding growl. If you opt not to shift gears yourself, Audi’s revised Continuously Variable Transmission with eight virtual gear ratios is an excellent choice.

Thus equipped, the A5 dispatches the 0 to 100km/h sprint in just 6.6 seconds, and won’t stop till it head butts the speed limiter at 250km/h.

Verdict:
A genuinely relaxed and very, very quick grand tourer

(+) Impressive refinement, effortless to drive quickly, punchy engine
(-) A bit clinical, innocuous looks, nose aside

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