The Essentials

• Price from £26,495
• What Car? says:
• Fuel economy: up to 64.2mpg
• What is it? A classy coupe - just not the best one to drive

• Drive

  Good engines but S Line suspension too firm

• Inside

  Pedals are off-set making finding a comfortable driving position difficult

• Safety

  Ticks in all the right boxes

• Reliability

  Audi reliability isn't always as good as buyers expect

• Space

  Only adult contortionists will like the back seats and even kids might find them claustrophobic

• Standard and extras

  We struggled to find anything missing

• What's it like to drive?

  There's plenty of choice when it comes to engines, from a 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol to a 3.0-litre V6 diesel. Our favourite is the 175bhp 2.0 diesel, because it offers the best combination of performance and price. Whichever engine you go for, the A5 turns into bends sharply and grips well, but most versions feel a bit floaty over dips and crests, and unsettled on bumpy roads. S line suspension cures the former problem, but it also brings an overly firm and crashy ride. All engines are smooth and civilised: the V6 diesel is so cultured it sounds more like a petrol unit. Wind noise creeps in at motorway speeds, however, and there are clunks and clatters from the suspension.

• What's it like inside?

  Audi describes the A5 as a four-seater  but that depends on who the four people are. The rear seats are too cramped for tall adults, as the roofline restricts rear headroom and there's little leg- and kneeroom. Even kids will find it rather claustrophobic in the back. However, the A5 does at least have a big boot and folding rear seats for plenty of luggage space, while the wide doors make access to the rear reasonably easy. The driver's seat is supportive and comfortable, and while the angled rear window and high sides do affect visibility, things are no worse than in many saloons. Unfortunately, the ventilation controls are fussy, the pedals are way off-centre, and because the clutch pedal drops into a recess in the floor, the only way to push it down fully is to poke it with the end of your toe. Entry-level trim is reserved for the four-cylinder engines; it's reasonably equipped, but most buyers will upgrade to SE, which is standard with the six-cylinder engines.

• How reliable is it?

  Quite possibly. The Audi A5 was rated below average for mechanical reliability in the most recent JD Power ownsership satisfaction survey, with an unusually high number of water leaks. The A5 coupe hasn't been put through its paces by Euro NCAP, but there's plenty of kit to keep you safe. From both the passive (seatbelts and airbags) and active (anti-lock brakes and stability control) points of view, the A5 has everything buyers of an expensive, quick coupe would expect, including front and rear ISOFIX child seat mounting points and an alarm.

• Should I buy one?

  Compared with its rivals, the A5 is good value to buy and run, particularly if you go for a four-cylinder diesel engine. However, a BMW 3 Series Coupe is much better to drive, and even by coupe standards the A5 is cramped in the back.