WE might be facing a global recession but German car maker Audi has so far avoided the worst of it.

In fact it's now on course for a record year, with an anticipated 115,000 sales by the end of December giving the company a record UK market share of 5.92 per cent.

According to Audi spokesman Jon Zammett the German premium trio of car makers are the least affected by the downswing in the High Street.

"If people want them they can afford to buy them," he said.

Audi's model range has jumped from 25 to 36 in just five years and it's planned to increase that further to 42.

The newest of these models is the revised A5 range, with the S5 models the most desirable.

The S5's eight-cylinder engines have been replaced with six-cylinder units, giving the same performance but a big reduction in fuel consumption.

The Sportback, Coupé and Cabriolet now have 3.0 TFSI engine with 333 bhp and an S tronic transmission.

But even with a smaller engine the cars still give blistering performance. The coupe will go from 0-62mph in just 4.9 seconds and on to a top speed of just over 155 miles per hour.

On the road the S5 feels remarkably composed no matter how quickly you push it, thanks to its all-wheel-drive quattro system.

The seven-speed S tronic box is seamless yet superbly responsive whether in automatic mode or when changing gear manually with the paddles behind the steering wheel.

All S models now feature new lights, modified body flourishes and new crystal-effect colours.

Potential Sportback buyers looking for an even more expensive, executive version of the same body style could also be tempted by the A7 Sportback, a car which competes with BMW's 5 Series.

This stylish five-door performance coupe also comes with the rapid-shifting seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch sports transmission and quattro four-wheel-drive, now with 40:60 rear bias.

Audi is currently pushing economy on all its cars and the A7, like all A5 models now has stop/start. That means you can now average more than 53 miles per gallon from the 3.0TDI version.

The A7 bridges the gap between the spacious A6 range and the limousine-like A8. And despite the steeply angled roof there is plenty of headroom for all passengers and an abundance of legroom.

Despite almost identical exterior lines to the S5/A5 the interior is unique to the A7. I particularly liked the design of the dashboard section immediately in front of the driver, with the two main dials set separately inside a transparent binnacle.

A variety of optional extras are available with the car, one of the best of which is the head-up display, which ensures you don't have to take your eyes off the road to monitor your speed.

The S5 Sportback driven here cost £41,840, the Cabriolet £45,895 while the A7 Sportback in SE trim costs £48,010 or £49,800 for the S line model.