$35,997

Dealer Description

The interior is sleek and stylish, if not a bit spartan. And while definitely upscale, it doesn’t seem to me to have quite the same luxurious feel of its Japanese or domestic rivals. Just the same, it’s easy to find a comfortable driving position and the leather seats are pleasantly supportive, if not a bit on the firm side. The moonroof has a mesh screen closure that lets filtered sunlight through, which on occasion can be both annoying and a bit uncomfortable when the sun is hovering directly overhead in the summer. Personally, I would have preferred something completely opaque. Now for the positives. I absolutely love driving it! For a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder turbo, it has plenty of pep yet gets commendable gas mileage for a car in this class. It grips the road exceptionally well, moves smoothly and effortlessly through traffic and is supremely confident in its handling. Aesthetically, this is a sublimely beautiful car, especially in the Brilliant Black exterior finish I opted for, which has subtle metallic overtones. In my opinion, the hatchback version of the A5 is one of the sharpest looking vehicles in Audi’s current “accessibly priced” lineup, save perhaps for the A7, which was unfortunately out of my personal price range. Admittedly, a lot of my interior quibbles would likely have been addressed in the A7, but that would have set me back another $25-30k! As for rear storage, this hatchback is amazing! The rear seats lay nearly complely flat (no large transitional hump, as with most other sedans) and the rear opening is cavernous, making our frequent trips to Sam’s Club, and the attendant need to stuff various jumbo-sized items in the back, a real breeze. Rear storage in the hatchback version of the A5 is truly amazing for a car this size and really helped to bridge my craving for the svelte aesthetics of a sports sedan while appeasing my desire for the practicality of an SUV. One small quibble here is that you can’t close the rear hatch from inside the cabin. A peculiar oversight to be sure, especially since such functionality is commonplace in virtually all SUVs outfitted with a power lift gate. As for the optional Bang and Olufsen sound system, I have just two words to say to you fellow audiophiles out there—GET IT! It sounds absolutely amazing! I don’t recall how much I paid for it, but I don’t really care, because whatever it cost, it was worth it. It turns my commute to and from work as well as our frequent long car trips around east Texas into truly joyful listening experiences. My only beef here, and it’s small, is that there is no midrange control for the equalizer—yet, curiously, the Audi sound engineers saw it fit to incorporate separate controls for both the bass and subwoofer. Go figure. In addition to an adjustable control to finely modulate the surround sound effect, it also has an additional sound modification feature known as “3D Effect”, which allows you to further augment the ambiance of your music and give it even more of a concert hall feel. At least I think that was its purpose. Lastly, the tech in this car, including the “virtual cockpit” option (which I highly recommend!), is fantastic! Those Audi design engineers have thoroughly thought this car through and made it one of the most forward thinking cars on the market today. One peculiar oversight, however, and for me this was more than a bit of an annoyance considering the price point of this car, is the lack of a digital readout for tire PSI. A bit disappointing for a car that seems to address nearly every conceivable technophile’s whim—and then some.

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