2010 Audi A5 Quality Review

Reviewers at TheCarConnection.com and around the Web agree on the A5's excellent build quality and front-seat comfort. They're the 2010 Audi A5/Cabriolet's forte-while utility gets pinched in Cabriolet versions by the folding top, and in both coupe and convertible by a small backseat.

The Audi A5's front seats are amply snug-and among the best of any coupe its size, with good support and firm, comfortable padding. Motor Trend says the "sport seats...embrace occupants [like] Dr. Heimlich." Edmunds notes the "seats offer all-day touring comfort and good support," though TheCarConnection.com observes that headroom is tight for adults who carry their height in the torso. The S-line brings leather/perforated Alcantara seats with an embossed S logo and silver stitching. ConsumerGuide, however, feels it is "difficult to find a comfortable driving position" behind the wheel due to a high beltline and high windows. The rear seats in the coupe are small and can be difficult to get into, and once nestled in them, adults will find almost no legroom and not much more headroom under the hard or soft roof. The Cabriolet is a bit narrower across the back because of the hinges of its folding top. Edmunds and other sources find the A5's backseats a bit tight. "This remains a four-passenger car," they remark of the Cabriolet, "as the convertible top's mechanism restricts shoulder room in the rear seat too much to permit three-across seating." The room is improved over the former A4 Cabriolet, they add. Car and Driver disagrees with most, calling the rear seats "comparatively spacious."

The A5's high shoulders give it a good-sized trunk, though, and the rear seat folds down for plenty of pass-through space. In the Cabriolet, "the trunk remains large and usable at 11.3 cubic feet," Car and Driver says, "and 50/50 split-folding rear seats help maintain some practicality." With the Coupe, "the trunk offers 16.1 cubic feet of cargo capacity (large for a sedan, let alone a coupe)," Edmunds reports, "and the rear seat flips down to accommodate more, if need be." A ski bag is standard.

The A5 affirms Audi's reputation for high-quality interiors. Surfaces have a low-gloss luster, and the cockpit shows the company's mastery of mixing plastic, leather, and wood in the right proportions. Automobile says it's "virtually impossible not to be impressed by this cockpit," while Edmunds asserts "typically Audi, the A5's cabin impresses with finely stitched leather, impeccable fit and finish and real wood trim (aluminum with the S-line package)."

Reviewers do note some points against the Audi in structural rigidity, but praise it for low road noise. It "doesn't feel as bad as some convertibles," Edmunds comments, "but you still sense tremors in the steering column and through the seat that would simply go unnoticed in the A5 coupe." Motor Trend observes that the convertible top "features a glass rear window" and says, "we were impressed with the Cabs' coupelike quietness."