Key strengths: Beautifully built car and nice looks
Areas for improvement: Sat nav, steering column
Beautifully built car and nice to look at.
The air suspension was definitely worth the extra money. The Comms Pack 2 with DVD sat nav is a huge disappointment at £2000 extra, but the only way to get fully functional hands free capability. (A Tom Tom does the same job better with full 7 digit post code entry for £300!) Also Audi really are well behind in their compatibility and phone cradles for modern mobile phones. With their flash upgrade facility, it shouldn't be that difficult.
Surefooted and agile, but the steering is a little wooly around the centreline, but I would say that after 9 Mercedes Benz; the last being a E320 CDI estate. MB no 8 and 9 were terribly unreliable, hence my defection to Audi (BMW don't do the 4wd estate in the UK, and BMW drivers have an unfortunate image here... the Audi is seen at the thinking professionals car).
Electrically adjustable steering column failed at 3 weeks old.
The 2007 satellite navigation DVD has corrupted the Traffic Management Control system and Audi still have not got a fix after 6 months. It is only a minor irritant. The running costs for Audi A5 3.0TDI Automatic are normal
Safety: 71
Equipment: 78
Reliability: 81
Driving: 81
Comfort: 79
Design: 72