There’s no official crash safety rating for the A5 or S5 but the Audi A4 was awarded the maximum five stars in the new more stringent Euro NCAP crash tests, introduced in 2009. The new overall rating covers not only adult occupant safety but includes child and pedestrian safety along with a rear impact whiplash test in one rating. The S5 should be just as safe and comes with six airbags, ABS and electronic stability control (ESP) – which features hydraulic brake assist along with optional cornering lights.

The new intelligent key can also store important information, such as the vehicle’s current mileage or warning messages from the information system. The data allows after-sales staff access to the information they need for servicing quickly and easily.

Getting in and out of the rear seats can be a challenge. Even though the front seats electrically slide forward to improve access, it’s still a struggle, especially when it comes to getting out. The boot in the coupe is impressively large though with 455 litres of space – not far short of the Audi A4 with 480 litres. The boot opening itself is wide and it can carry surprisingly large items plus there’s extra hidden storage under the boot floor.

Up front there’s a good sized glovebox, large central cubby between the seats and decent door pockets too. The large doors are quite heavy to open though and you need to be careful in tight parking spaces. The Cabriolet version is useful too – the boot offers 380 litres of room with the roof up and 320 litres when it’s folded down. However, the boot isn’t great for larger items due to the rather shallow opening.