WHERE you sit on the style versus sense curve may mean everything when summing up what must be the best looking Audi you can buy.
The A5 Coupe is a stunner in the style department; low, long and wide and packing enough curves to drive a straight edged ruler crazy. But what would you give up to have this handsome beast sitting outside the house?
That's the question owners of coupes always have to ask. Looks this striking don't come without consequences, although in the case of this particular Audi there may be ways of striking a happy compromise.
First to go with a coupe is rear seat room, and the A5 is no exception. That lovely flowing roofline cuts headroom in the back, brings small windows without much of a view and pushes an adult's knees too close to the seat in front for anything more than a lift to the pub.
Enter compromise number one; ditch the Coupe and buy an A5 Sportback instead. As well as saving a modest £250 you'll gain a couple of rear doors and some welcome extra space for rear seat passengers. You'll lose a bit in the looks department, but the Sportback is still a gorgeous hunk of metal.
The Black Edition car driven here comes with huge 19in alloy wheels as part of a package (including a black radiator frame) that make it even more of a looker, but they do nothing for a ride that's fine on perfect motorway surfaces but turns far too hard on other roads.
That's also partly down to suspension that's been lowered and stiffened for a sporty look and feel. Which might be fine in Germany, where roads resemble snooker tables in their flatness, but works not nearly so well here.
And so to compromise number two, which is actually a bit of a no-brainer. Tick the right box at ordering time and, for no extra charge, Audi will delete the stiff springs and let your A5 ride on softer settings. The car will sit a little higher and look a bit less sporty (which you won't even notice) but will treat bumps with more restraint (which you will notice, and appreciate).
Common to both Coupe and Sportback is a boot generous enough for any amount of holiday luggage and an interior that remains such an object lesson in quality and finish that you'll need Bentley money to do better.
The Black Edition package adds some black touches to the dashboard and a superb B&O sound system that made the car feel like a concert hall as it rolled along the motorway in otherwise near silence, at least while the surface stayed pristine under those big wheels.
The car you see here is the top model in the A5 Coupe range, which starts at what seems a modest (for Audi) £29,200 for a car with a petrol engine that provides decent performance and has all the looks of a car costing a whole lot more.
But for your extra cash you get permanent all-wheel drive (quattro in Audi-speak) which will be a bonus on slippery winter roads and a fine automatic gearbox, which slurs changes through seamlessly and makes trickling through town a smooth delight.
The big diesel engine sounds distantly gruff, in a good way, and provided an impressive 42mpg over more than 700 testing miles. Firmly supportive seats in smoothly applied leather made every one of those miles a lesson in comfort, except when the odd pothole intruded.