FOR anyone who loves driving the yearning to own a sports car never really goes away.

For various reasons, though, most of us never end up owning that dream motor.

When we're young the cost of buying and insuring any car we might actually want is way too prohibitive.

Then the arrival of a family usually dictates that our choice of wheels is determined by virtues such as space and practicality rather than speed and power.

And later, when the kids have flown the nest and we might finally have a few bob to spend on ourselves, advancing years mean it's frowned upon to be driving around in showy roadsters or gaudy hot-hatches.

Succumbing to the temptation to do so usually leads to accusations of the dreadfully embarrassing - for family and friends, at least - mid-life crisis.

What's needed then, is a sports car for grown ups, one that offers proper hair-raising performance but doesn't leave the middle-aged man exposed to scorn and ridicule just for being seen behind the wheel.

Audi has come up with just the thing in the shape of the Audi A5 Coupe - especially in this 3.0-litre TDI quattro guise with S line spec.

Typically of the German marque the look is sleek and stylish, restrained rather than showy, with clean, sharply sculpted lines.

The sports suspension, extra body kit and larger 18-inch alloys afforded by S line trim coupled with the A5 Coupe's wide, low-slung stance, vast bonnet, raking roofline and bulging haunches are reminiscent of the traditional American muscle cars.

For my money this is one of Audi's best looking models - it's not in your face but at the same time it leaves you in no doubt as to the power waiting to be unleashed.

And, in this case, that's quite considerable. The 245PS, V6 oil-burner under the bonnet delivers sparkling acceleration and effortless pace.

Paired with Audi's super-slick seven-speed automatic S tronic transmission it'll shift you from a standstill to 62mph in just 5.8 seconds and on to a flying top speed of 155mph. That sort of performance is not out of place in true sports car company.

S line models also get Audi's proven quattro all-wheel-drive system as standard so grip is assured.

In fact, the A5 Coupe handles really well on the whole. The smooth power steering is accurate and makes manoeuvring this quite long car around in town traffic relatively easy.

It does lack a little feedback on winding country roads, though, which means it's a little less engaging to drive than rival BMWs.

The sporty set-up also means the ride is quite firm although I never found it uncomfortable and it is pretty refined, with little noise of any kind making its way into the cabin. You'd certainly have no idea that you were driving a diesel.

And it's pretty economical for a car offering the sort of power and performance that it does, with a standard automatic start/stop system helping to make a return of about 50 miles per gallon on average possible, despite the extra weight of the all-wheel-drive system.

The cabin has Audi's trademark quality look and feel and is well kitted out.

There's plenty of room up front and the low driving position is suitably sporty but rear passengers aren't as comfortable as the sweeping coupe roofline restricts head room in the back and legroom is tight too.

The boot though is impressively spacious for a coupe at 455 litres and 829 with the split rear seats down.

Soft touch premium materials are prominent with leather upholstery including S line embossed front sports seats, leather multi-function steering wheel with gearshift paddles, brushed aluminium inlays and S line sill plates.

Triple zone climate control, cruise control, a ten-speaker sound system with DAB radio, Bluetooth and a colour screen all help to keep passengers comfortable and entertained while all the usual airbags, ABS brakes and stability control keep them safe.