Audi has belatedly recognised that for many buyers, its TT coupe is just a little too impractical. Those looking for a svelte two door shape but real world utility should check out the A5 TDI diesels. Choose either a 2.7 or a 3.0-litre and revel in gutsy overtaking power and peerless build quality. Handling? Good, but not top notch.

The Audi A5 comes to the game very late and with a lot of catching up to do. Both the BMW 3 Series Coupe and the Mercedes CLK have been working this crowd for quite some time now and if Audi is to elbow these two heavyweights aside, it needs to bring something to the party that's other than an A4 shy of a couple of doors. And so it proves.

Were you to take an angle grinder to your new A5, you'd find sitting underneath the window dressing a chassis that Audi dubs the MDS platform. This is key. The next generation A4, A6 and A8 models will all sit on this platform and the future looks bright. The engine is mounted a little further back for better weight distribution and with the heavy TDI diesel powerplants fitted here, the mounting point is crucial. Weight too far forward results in stodgy, underwhelming handling and this car needs to score brownie points and fast.

Neither of the TDI engines is exactly short on power. The entry level 2.7-litre TDI makes 190bhp and is teamed with a multitronic gearbox that can be left in an automatic mode or the driver can select gears 'manually.' Alternatively there's the stonking 237bhp 3.0-litre that will crack sixty in just 5.7 seconds. That's about as quick as you'll manage in a serious sports coupe like a Nissan 350Z and when the weather is wet, Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system will get you away from the line quicker every time. This time round, the engineers have abandoned the rigid 50:50 distribution in favour of a sportier 40 per cent front and 60 per cent rear torque split. It's just another example of the way Audi really is getting serious.

The 3.0-litre diesel engine headliner is beautifully balanced for road driving, although push a little harder to the sorts of speeds that would definitely sully your licence and you'll feel understeer build up a little quicker than in a car like a BMW 3 Series coupe. Let's call the chassis a moderate success. It's better than many old Audis but still not quite class best. For most customers, what will matter more is the car's styling rather than its detailed dynamics.

"Neither of the TDI engines is exactly short on power?."

Expect a bigger, sexier TT and you'll come away from the A5 a little disappointed. Be a little more pragmatic in your expectations and it won't disappoint. 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 which is more than many family saloons.

The exterior design 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 glasshouse is eerily similar in execution to BMW's 3 Series although without the Munich car's trademark 'Hofmeister kink' at the trailing edge of the rearmost side windows. 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.

As it stands, the A5 range isn't a model for model rebuttal of the 3 Series coupe, cleverly sidestepping many of the key head-to-heads. It's a little longer and looks a bigger, more substantial car, although prices aren't too different. The entry-level 2.7TDI model carries a list price of £30,640 with the petrol 3.2FSI for comparison pitched at £33,230. Against these, the 3.0-litre TDI looks good value at £33,430. Sport trim adds almost £1,000 to the price.

A5 models include as standard 17-inch alloys, Milano leather upholstery, an MP3 compatible CD stereo, acoustic parking sensors, xenon lights, light and rain sensors and an automatic opening boot. Options include a revised Multi Media Interface with DVD satellite navigation and a smart key that can store servicing information.

If there's one thing we can take as read with Audi coupes, it's a strong residual value and the diesel-engined cars will be among the most in demand. 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.

Economy should be put into context. The 2.7 TDI manages 42.1mpg and even the steam catapult 3.0 TDI can eke 39.2 miles from a gallon of heavy oil, which is incredible given its haymaker acceleration. Insurance also reflects the fact that A5 diesels aren't going to be targeted by the Burberry cap brigade. Emissions are also comfortably under 200g/km for both cars, the 3.0-litre car weighing in at 191g/km and particulate emissions are kept low thanks to the standard fit diesel particulate filter.

It's tough to imagine a coupe that's an easier sell to a sceptical partner. The build quality, the residual values, the economy, the refinement and the restrained styling all combine to make the Audi A5 TDI models coupes for customers who wouldn't normally get away with such a thing. Read between the lines and you may come away with the impression that this also puts it at the wrong end of the excitement versus dullness continuum but these cars have so much overtaking muscle that you shouldn't get bored.

Objectively there is very little to criticise. The A5 is marketed cleverly, beautifully finished, well-equipped and will also work out comparatively affordable to run once the purchase price has been swallowed. Both engines have a lot to be said for them although the massive urge of the 3.0-litre unit is grin-inducingly addictive. An A5 TDI hides its juvenile side very well. Are you quite as accomplished?

TOP 5 A5 DEALS

The results below show the top A5 deals on buyacar

	Audi A5 2.7 TDI 2dr Multitronic Coupe
	ETR	Mthly £534	Saving £1,234	Price £30,746
	Audi A5 3.0 TDI Quattro Sport 2dr Coupe
	ETR	Mthly £585	Saving £1,369	Price £33,351
	Audi A5 3.0 TDI Quattro 2dr Coupe
	ETR	Mthly £569	Saving £1,322	Price £32,448
	Audi A5 2.7 TDI Sport 2dr Multitronic Coupe
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £1,282	Price £31,648
	Audi A5 1.8T FSI Sport 2dr Multitronic Coupe
	ETR	Mthly £481	Saving £1,082	Price £27,848

typical 9.75% APR

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