Forward of the B-pillars, the A5’s interior essentially replicates that of the Audi A4.
That, broadly speaking, is a good thing, because no rival is better put together or even an equal in the deployment of tactile trim material.
The S5 enhances this impression still further by gaining as standard the nappa leather upholstery, contrast stitching, black headlining and ‘Super Sports’, logo-embossed seats that neatly distinguish it from its lowly range mates.
In its segment, and at the asking price, it’s hard to recall a coupé that indulges the fingertips or the undersides of your thighs quite as consistently as does Ingolstadt’s latest entrant.
Only those looking for the elbow-nudging allure of a certain kind of high-grade sportiness might greet the model’s well-ordered architecture with an indifferent shrug, but that sort of caddishness is arguably better suited to loud-trouser options such as the Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupé. If the S5 seems buttoned down, it’s intended that way.
Aft of the B-pillars, the coupé has made some useful gains on its predecessor. It’s markedly lighter and modestly larger thanks to the platform change – albeit still not by quite enough on the second of those considerations to make it a properly comfortable four-seat, two-door continent-crosser.
Adults certainly fit in the back of the S5 slightly more agreeably than before, but they are likely to want out before you cross a far-flung border. That, however, is acceptable, given the segment’s wider practicality standards.
The S5 makes no mistake when it comes to fulfilling the other basic requirement of a modern coupé, the boot being brilliantly capacious at 465 litres (10 litres bigger than before and a full 65 litres larger than the equivalent Mercedes-Benz C-Class).
Throw in Audi’s admirable 8.3in, high-resolution infotainment display and excellent associated controller and the S5 has practicality, usability and classiness pretty nicely sewn up.
It’s hard to believe anyone spending £47k on an S5 won’t find a bit extra for its excellent Virtual Cockpit digital dashboard (£250 by itself, or as part of the £750 Light and Vision Pack, together with those Matrix LED headlights).
If you have it, there isn’t another sports coupé on the market better provided with gratifying infotainment sophistication.
Unlike the Audi TT, the S5 clearly wasn’t designed with Virtual Cockpit from the outset, because the car’s 8.3in central display is fixed in place and, unlike in the cheaper A3, won’t retract into the fascia. It’s a shame, because when you’re used to the way the Virtual Cockpit works, the central display really does become vestigial.
The 12.3in display is big enough, with dials minimised, to show nav mapping in excellent detail. The car’s voice recognition system usually recognises your input first time — once you’re used to the order in which it best accepts destination details (town, road, house number).
Audi’s £750 Bang & Olufsen premium audio system is excellent for both its audio clarity and power.
