Audi A5   Women's view

June Neary on Audis laid back A5 coupe

Motoring journalists are in my view sometimes guilty of not comparing apples with apples. It was something that came to mind recently when examining Audis A5 coupe. This was a car that came to market hot on the heels of two highly acclaimed Audi sporting models, the new TT and the R8 supercar. On the back of these two, the motoring press were expecting a real; B-road blaster when it came to the A5 and were disappointed.

I, on the other hand, had no such expectations. Here was Audis take on a BMW 3 Series Coupe. It probably wouldnt be quite as engaging to drive. But it would be a great long distance cruiser, it would be of even higher quality than the Bavarian car and it would look great in a kind of chunky, Germanic way.

Like most potential buyers who dont want to drive like Lewis Hamilton, all of these attributes, if delivered, would make the A5 hard to resist for me.

Well, its a Coupe isnt it? How practical can it be? Surprisingly so in this case. Here at last is an Audi coupe that real people with legs and a head will be able to sit in the back of, something that could never really be said of the TT. Despite the attraction of the TTs styling, this one caveat was enough to send many potential buyers down the road, only for them to return with Mercedes CLKs or, more frequently, BMW 3 Series coupes. The A5 will seat four adults in reasonable comfort and still leave room for 455 litres of boot space.

Lumping child seats into the back was a lot easier than Ive found with other coupe models. I was also pleased to find the plastics and seat materials seemed to be hard-wearing and should stand the test of chocolate staining and grubby fingers. Some of my friends (and some of my colleagues) feel that the styling is rather bland, though I have to say that personally, it rather grew on me. I liked the shape in its flanks and the wavy beltline that runs from the headlights right back to the tail lights.

The interior is cleanly styled too, with the fascia looking a lot cleaner than some contemporary Audi models, the cowled dash now neatly incorporating the centrally mounted display screen. As with all Audi models, build quality seems peerless with beautifully damped controls and top-drawer materials used throughout.

As I said earlier, if you want a B-road blaster, buy a TT (or, if youve just won the lottery, an R8). This car is more of a GT. There are two diesel engines offered, a 190bhp 2.7 TDI teamed with a multitronic gearbox and a manual 3.

0-litre TDI that can manage 240bhp, resulting in a 0-60 time of just 5.7 seconds. Opt for petrol power and the choice is mouth-watering, the entry-level unit being a 1.8 TFSI unit with 170bhp, sitting just beneath a 3.

2-litre V6 with a hefty 262bhp and 330Nm of torque. Even this model will hit an electronically-limited 155mph top speed and jet to 60 in 5.9 seconds. Step up to the S5 with the 4.

2-litre V8 FSI and you get a 351bhp road rocket that gets to 60mph in 4.9 seconds and which churns out a monstrous 440Nm of torque at just 3,500rpm.

Surprise, surprise, prices arent too different from those being charged for BMWs 3 Series Coupe. The entry-level 1.8 TFSI model carries a list price of £26,190, the 2.7TDI model costs £31,640, the 3.

2FSI is pitched at £33,230 and the 3.0-litre TDI looks good value at £33,430. Perhaps the most eye-catching price tag comes at the top of the range. With BMWs new M3 costing well over £46,000, the S5 lands smack between that car and the 335i Coupe, pitching in at £39,825.

Anybody with a £40,000 car budget will be sorely tempted. For a budget of upwards of £26,000, I expected a decent spec list and this time, wasnt disappointed. A5 models include as standard 17-inch alloys, Milano leather upholstery, an MP3 compatible CD stereo, acoustic parking sensors, xenon lights, light and rain sensors and an automatic opening boot. Go for the S5 and it comes with 18-inch rims, S sports suspension and nappa sports seats, bigger brakes, carbon fibre interior detailing and an S body styling pack.

Options include a revised Multi Media Interface with DVD satellite navigation and a smart key that can store servicing information. Audi prices might seem to be expensive (and they are) but you have to take resale values into account. If theres one thing you can take as read with Audi coupes, its a strong residual value. The A5 will, as a genuinely new and not merely an evolutionary product from Audi, also enjoy the benefit of being perceived - rightly or wrongly - as a more modern product than its CLK or 3 Series rivals, with this perception helping to beef up used values.

Great news if youre looking to buy one or lease a car for, say, three years but possibly not what youd want to hear if you were holding out for a bargain on a low mileage example. Running costs should be affordable, particularly if, like me, you opt for one of the diesels. The 2.7 TDI I tried manages 42.

1mpg and even the steam catapult 3.0 TDI can eke 39.2 miles from a gallon of heavy oil. The 3.

2-litre FSI petrol model claims 32.7mpg although Im sceptical about how close most owners will get to that figure in real world conditions.

Laid back was the phrase that sprang to mind after a few days with this Audi. It doesnt need to prove anything to anybody (least of all a bunch of conceited motoring writers) and its likely that potential owners will be of the same mindset. I could live with that.