s5

Road Test: 2009 Audi S5, Fusion of luxury and sport.
Is there anything more intriguing than a high performance coupe that reeks of luxury and practicality at a rational price?

Audi's 2009 S5 coupe handily fills that bill, with its lusciously drawn bodylines draped over a permanent all-wheel-drive S4 quattro-based platform, powered by a happily willing V8 engine and stirred with a 6-speed manual transmission.

At first look, the S5 is only mildly advanced from its A5 sibling, sporting winglets at the front, matte gray and a chrome grille opening, LED running lamps that complement the S5's bi-xenon headlights, subtle side sills, tipped rear deck winglet and rear diffusers.

Anyone viewing the S5 can see the chrome V8 and red S5 emblems that announce the coupe's performance capabilities. Larger P255/35ZR Dunlop tires ride on twinned 5-spoke 19-inch alloys at all four corners, and four exhaust pipes complete the visual cues.

Under the S5's hood (on a single strut) lies the motorized magic: a 354-horsepower 4.2-litre V8 engine with direct injection, that has 325 lb-ft of torque at a thoroughly usable 3,500 rpm, en route to redline of 7,000 rpm; good enough to move this as tested 3,891 pound coupe to 60 in 4.9 seconds. The speedometer clicks its way to 200 mph. The S5's soundtrack bellows through those four pipes but rarely intrudes into the cabin, adding to the civility of this machine.

Moving the six-speed manual is a two-finger exercise and gear ratios are delightful to the point where 80 mph occurs at 3,100 in sixth. No need to roam through the gears – this machine doesn't mind being flung from, say second to fourth to sixth – it will accept a bit of lugging in traffic without much complaint.

The S5 nomenclature designates a more sporting coupe and Audi does fit a stiffer, more sporting suspension setup than the A5. Nonetheless, the five-link front and trapezoidal-link rear suspensions are not bladder busters.

Rear-biased permanent quattro all-wheel-drive with a 40/60 split offers predictable handling in everyday use. Steering is nicely, not lightly weighted plus, as one would expect, without any slop. Brakes are exceptional and lack fade. Audi has made the S5 an integrated package that takes a nice squat into a corner, rotates and bounds onward to the next obstacle.

For all of its sporting tendencies, the 2009 Audi S5 is particularly sleek and sexy, as tested with an Ibis white exterior, combined with a black and white leather/alcantara cabin that gives it symmetry and extremely luxurious touches. There were occasions when a spittoon next to the S5 might have been a good idea.

Entering the S5 cabin, windows dip and return upon closure for a perfect seal. One finds heatable dual sport seats (with thigh extensions) that have extensive support for back and bum. Driver and front-seat passenger in this four-occupant coupe have equal power adjustments for their seats.

Loading folks into the rear is not a contortionist's job. There is a lever release on the outer side of the seatback (next to the airbag) together with power fore and aft buttons to ease ingress/egress to the back seats. Front seats return to the previously used positions.

Once in the rear seats, two riders will discover a pull-down armrest that also holds dual cupholders and Audi's first aid kit. There are vents in the back and the seats, even for a large pal who wanted to find out if he could survive the ride, were a fine fit. The back seats do flip down and there is a lockable trunk pass-through for longer objects that otherwise would not fit in the nicely kitted 16.1-cubic-foot trunk space.

The entry fee for Audi's 2009 S5 coupe with Quattro is $52,225 including destination. Audi charges $2,950 for its drive-select program that allows the driver to adapt the car to four different modes – comfort, auto, dynamic and individual – adjusting the steering and shock absorber (damper) responses. It's fun to play with and feel the seat-of-pant changes with different settings.

Audi's navigation system that has driver-color coded information display, music information and voice control costs $2380. The technology package of rear parking system with camera, adaptive headlights, proximity keyless remote with pushbutton start/stop and side assist goes for another $2,200.

Audi inserts the great Bang & Olufsen premium sound system for $850 and stainless steel texture inlay about the cabin rates another $750 outlay. There is the penalty of $1,300 in gas-guzzler fees, bringing the total on this vehicle to $62,665.

Yeah, the 2009 Audi S5 is a gas-guzzler, not something you want your neighbour in a Prius to know about. It is rated at 14/22 mpg from the 16.9-gallon tank and my short week netted mileage of 17 mpg, driving on the highway and around town. It is tough to stop the right foot from pummeling the accelerator in this car – it just wants, so badly, to go about its business quickly. Adopt an S5 and become the neighbourhood outlaw in a socially responsible world.

Audi's multi-media interface (MMI) takes a bit of getting used to. Located at the base of the centre stack beyond the shifter, it controls everything but heating, air conditioning and ventilation. Those controls lie at the base of the centre stack just under the 6-CD changer.

On the MMI, the component one is working with is lit when in use but there are, at minimum, four buttons on the controller and others surrounding that area that it becomes, at initial use, a trial to figure out where to look unless stopped. Audio controls for band and volume are to the lower right of the shifter and everything else surrounds the MMI. After a while, I'm sure these would be rote, but for a beginner, it was a trial.

The map system is useful but must be fiddled-with at each use, as it reverts to a 400-foot look when, on occasion, the driver needs close-ups. Every fuel station, restaurant and hospital appears to be on the map – wish I'd had time to edit the screen.

Audi fits a panorama moonroof that can be removed and stowed in its bespoke soft, fitted case or used for ventilation when mounted on the car.

Safety zealots will note the addition of head curtain restraints in the A-pillars to complement side and front airbags. There is electronic stability and traction control to aid active safety and a tire pressure monitor.

The 2009 Audi S5 is not for everyone – not even everyone with the goods to afford it. This is a sporting coupe without any sort of pretention. It just wants to please, to get up and go with the type of luxury and competence rarely found in this sort of packaging. I'd adopt one in a heartbeat.

Gallery: 2009 Audi S5 Coupe