If you accept that the main purpose of Audi's A5 coupe is to provide a welcome alternative to BMW's 3 Series Coupe, then the importance of the entry-level 1.8 TFSI variant we're looking at here can hardly be stressed highly enough. The A5 range was originally launched without a four cylinder option and starting prices of over £30,000 made it look like a car you needed an understanding accountant to buy into.

The 1.8 TFSI variant, meanwhile, brings the starting price for ownership back to the £26,000 mark, an almost identical figure to that being asked by BMW for the 320i version of their 3 Series Coupe. The Beemer even has an identical power output to the Audi - 170PS.

The A5's engine is the familiar 1.8-litre Turbo petrol unit that has powered A3, A4, A6 and TT models in the past. Performance-enhancing turbocharging and fuel-rationing FSI direct petrol injection combine in this unit to deliver a healthy 250Nm torque peak that remains available from 1,500rpm through to 4,800rpm. In other words, owners more used to six cylinder power shouldn't notice too much difference.

It's reasonably quick too, the car passing the 62mph yardstick 8.4 seconds after take off, and continuing to a top speed of 140mph. All the while, this car is able to demonstrate a healthy dislike for petrol, with up to 39.8mpg possible according to the combined cycle test.

You don't lose out too much in terms of equipment by opting for a four cylinder A5 either. The extensive equipment list found in the six cylinder models is largely carried over. It includes luxuries such as Milano leather-upholstery, advanced three-zone climate control and rear acoustic parking sensors, as well as sophisticated features like a space-liberating electromechanical parking brake which are more commonly to be found only in larger luxury cars. 

Key options for this lead-in model include Xenon head lamps with LED daytime running lights, a Sport upgrade bringing larger 18-inch wheels, sports seats and further lowered sports suspension, a 505-watt, 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system, the Audi Parking System Advanced with rear-mounted camera and Adaptive Light swivelling headlights. All of which of course would see you back up at the £30,000 level we started at.

"For most buyers, most of the time, the 1.8 TFSI A5 will be all the car they actually need?."

Of course, if as a keen driver you choose to buy one of these over a 3 Series, your BMW-owning friends will likely come over all sniffy in the pub, droning on about the benefits of rear wheel drive for the true enthusiast. Let them have their say, then give them the 'front mid-engined concept' with both barrels. If you're not sure what that is, then you need to know that with this car, Audi's engineers have shifted the front axle as far forwards as possible and shunted the engine and gearbox as far back as they can.

For years, chassis engineers have known that bringing weight to the centre of the car improves its responses and agility, which is why Formula 1 cars and all serious supercars have their engines mid-mounted. More recently, engineers have explored the concept of the 'front mid-engined' car, that is, a car with the engine ahead of the driver but behind the line of the front axle. It might sound techy but it offers real benefits. You'll experience these at the wheel of an A5. It may not be quite the drivers car that journalists expected after stepping out of Audi sports models like the R8 or the RS4 but it gets close enough to the 3 Series for most owners not to care about the difference.

Leaving aside its radically improved chassis, the most significant factor for most buyers will be the simple fact that here at last is an Audi coupe that real people with legs and a head will be able to sit in the back of, something that could never really be said of the TT. Despite the attraction of the TT's styling, this one caveat was enough to send many potential buyers down the road, only for them to return with Mercedes CLKs or, more frequently, BMW 3 Series coupes. The A5 will seat four adults in reasonable comfort and still leave room for 455 litres of boot space.

The styling is reminiscent of the Nuvolari concept car, first shown in 2003, albeit with a good deal more shape in its flanks, the wavy beltline that runs from the headlights right back to the tail lights being the car's most distinctive feature. The interior is cleanly styled too, with the fascia looking a lot cleaner than some contemporary Audi models, the cowled dash now neatly incorporating the centrally mounted display screen. As with all Audi models, build quality seems peerless with beautifully damped controls and top-drawer materials used throughout.

If there's one thing we can take as read with Audi coupes, it's a strong residual value. The A5 will, as a genuinely new and not merely an evolutionary product from Audi, also enjoy the benefit of being perceived - rightly or wrongly - as a more modern product than its CLK or 3 Series rivals, with this perception helping to beef up used values. Great news if you're looking to buy one or lease a car for, say, three years but possibly not what you'd want to hear if you were holding out for a bargain on a low mileage example. Word is there won't be too many screaming deals to take advantage of.

Although some buyers may be a little disappointed at how conservatively Audi has styled the A5, it's undeniably a handsome piece of penmanship and, most encouragingly, signals a new resolve to offer more spirited drivers cars. Objectively there is very little to criticise. It's marketed cleverly, beautifully finished, well-equipped and will also work out comparatively affordable to run once the purchase price has been swallowed.

For most buyers, most of the time, the 1.8 TFSI A5 will be all the car they actually need. Audi will go on selling plenty of the six cylinder models of course but the next time you see a 1.8-litre variant, mark the owner out: they've made a savvy choice.

TOP 1 A5 DEALS

The results below show the top A5 deals on buyacar

	Audi A5 1.8T FSI 2dr Coupe
	ETR	Mthly £440	Saving £962	Price £25,568

typical 9.82% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000