2008 Audi S5 - Superior coupe provides perfect fuse of luxury and sport

The 2008 Audi A5 Coupe is a sporty enough addition to the German automaker's stable in his own right, but the company dishes out an even stronger bidding in the S5 Sports Coupe. Mixing a little beast with its beauty, the racy S5 is the epitome of vogue with substance, from its familiar grille (the new face of Audi) to the twin dual exhaust tips.

The S5 sits low to the ground and evokes a sleek persona from every angle. The LED lights that outline the lower headlamp line render the car instantly recognizable as an upscale Audi model, in addition to providing a unique image. Blend all that with the egg-crate grille-work, integrated fog lamps in their own individual housings and slick five-twin spoke alloy wheels shod with performance rubber, and the overall look completely envelopes one with emotion. But this beauty is much skin deep.

Beneath the spectacular exterior are as tempting mechanical components. The motorcar lavish wheelbase yielded engineers the power to put the engine farther aft by almost 6 inches, which reduces forward mass, resulting in minimized understeer potential. The differential moves forward, placing the output shafts on the front axle's centerline. The Torsen diff's torque distribution has been recalibrated to deliver 40 percent of the car's motive force up front and 60 percent aft, resulting in the all-wheel-drive vehicle feeling more like a rear-wheel-drive in its handling characteristics.

Ability for this artful Coupe comes from a 4.2-liter DOHC, FSI Direct Injection technology V-8 that grinds out 354 horsepower at 6800 rpm and 325 pound-feet of torque at 3500 rpm. The melodious V-8 elicits a noteworthy rumble from its dual exhaust pipes, though for my taste it could be even more raucous. The engine mates to a six-speed manual gear case that goes smoothly in the upper ranges when driving in a spirited mode, but exhibits a slightly stubborn notchiness in the lower gears while driving slowly. There's a shift-up suggestion indicator in green with current gear displayed in white. The S5 is capable of scooting from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and delivers an elapsed time of 13.4 seconds in the quarter mile, clocking in the 105-mph range. Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph.