I’m a tad old-fashioned when it comes to art so I’m not afraid to admit that I don’t understand much modern art. I’m not talking about Picasso and similar modern artists who are undoubtedly brilliant, but more about modern art installations such as a pile of dirt in the corner of a gallery, which somehow represents the decay of civilisation. Really? Well then the massive mess of newspapers in the corner of my room must somehow represent the demise of freedom. Don’t ask. That’s not supposed to make sense.
I know I’m weird because, oddly enough, I think art should look good and you should be able to appreciate it without some condescending gallery owner telling you what it all means in the same tone you might use when talking to a two-year-old.
So I felt quite relieved during the launch of the new Audi A5 when journalists were told during the press presentation that the payoff line for the new Audi A5 was ‘some modern art still makes sense” because I obviously wasn’t the only one who felt that most modern art is pointlessly confusing.
The reason for this somewhat obscure pay-off line is simple. Design was of utmost importance in the creation of the A5 because, according to research, people forking out about half a million bucks for a two-door sports coupé think the most important feature of such a car is its appearance. Award-winning Italian car designer Walter da Silva was given the task of designing the care and says the A5 ‘is the most beautiful car I’ve ever designed”. I have to agree with him.
When Audi communications manager Greg Levine told us that one of the containers hadn’t arrived and that we would have to drive four a car — as opposed to the usual two a car — it didn’t go down very well because none of us wanted to share. Our awkward, stony-faced silence was broken only when he told us he was joking — the launch took place on April 1.
The two models on offer are the A5 3,2-litre V6 (R454 000) and the menacing yet beautiful S5 4,2-litre V8 (R549 000). Two more petrol engines and a diesel engine will be added to the range towards the end of the year.
Finishings are of the generally high standard we’ve come to expect from Audi. The only feature that proved a tad annoying was the placement of the cup-holders in the central console, which made it difficult to change gears when there were average-size water bottles in the cup-holders. But that brings up one of the nicer features — the transmission — as both engines come in either manual or tiptronic. Although the interior is roomy, I’m not so sure that the rear legroom is quite as generous as in other vehicles of this class. I’ll have to test that at a later date.
Standard across the range are Xenon lights, LED daytime running lights, the MMI control system and much more while safety features include six airbags, adjustable suspension, ABS, EBD and traction control.
Average fuel consumption on a combined cycle for both models is claimed to be about 9,7 litres/100km and we found that to be a rather optimistic expectation as we had almost finished a 63-litre tank of fuel after just 260km in the S5. But, to be honest, we weren’t driving in the most fuel-efficient manner and when you hear the angry growl of that vicious V8, you probably won’t be driving Miss Daisy either.
As expected both models were very comfortable on long stretches with the S5 exhibiting a more sporty approach to the bends thanks to its stiffer suspension. The A5 did everything you would expect and need of a vehicle in this class, but it did so with such ease that I almost got the feeling that even our wheel-spinning antics didn’t ruffle its feathers.
But the steering was a bit off. It was taut enough at high speeds, but it seemed to be overcompensating for the bumpier roads and was somewhat more shaky than I would have expected.
Previously only the Mercedes-Benz CLK and the BMW 3-Series coupé were in this segment and, of the models on offer, the BMW 335i coupé was my favourite. But after spending some quality time with the S5, I’m not so sure that I have a clear-cut favourite anymore.