Category: Compact Executive 
Price Range: £24,660 to £39,825
Quality and solidity, sumptuous cabin, big boot, gutsy 3.0 TDI engine, effective Multitronic transmission.
Feels nose heavy despite new chassis design, unresolved styling, poor rear-seat room.
Lacks a clear personality. Competent in many ways but could have been so much better. The 3.0 TDI Quattro is the best version.
If we're talking perceived quality, Audis are among the best cars made. Everything fits together beautifully, the materials and finishes are top-notch and you sense it will last forever. The A5 is true to type, and Audi lovers will feel right at home. The only glitch we found concerned the new 'key' unit, which lacks a blade but plugs electrically into the dashboard against a spring. On some cars its socket fitted poorly against the dashboard, and on one it was hard to extricate the key. These snags are likely to be fixed before customers get their cars.
As for reliability, there's much complexity here but Audi's record has been mainly good. The A5 is likely to do well here.
