IF WE conveniently ignore the TT (which is more accurately a two-seater anyway), Audi has been without a coupe contender for more than ten years.

In that time BMW and Mercedes have pretty much carved the market up between themselves while the Japanese backed away from sports tourers.

That is ironic, given that Audi pretty much created the prestige coupe market, first with the legendary Quattro and then with the B4 (80) Coupe.

Audi left the market when it was looking as though coupes were old-hat. Since then things have changed somewhat: the 3-Series coupe boosts BMW’s 3-Series sales by half as much again.

That’s the kind of success Audi bosses simply cannot ignore.

The A5’s striking body sits on a new chassis that also forms the basis of the latest A4 and a forthcoming medium-sized SUV, the Q5.

It may be conventional architecture, but Audi reckons the lessons its engineers learnt on the R8 supercar project and the tremendous RS4 have been put to good use. This, it says, will be the most enjoyable ‘ordinary’ Audi for years.

The biggest change they have made has been to move the front axle forward, creating better weight distribution and lengthening the wheelbase, thereby calming the ride and tightening up the front end response.

The front suspension is also a more sophisticated (and expensive) five link set-up and it communicates with a re-worked steering system for improved feedback.

Audi reckons the A5 is the spiritual cousin of the Quattro. There is no way it could hope to make the same impact, but they share certain styling points, especially the rear side windows and windscreen pillars.

Walter Da Silva, Audi’s design chief, reckons the A5 is the most beautiful car he has ever produced.

That’s some claim coming from the man who penned a series of good-looking Alfa Romeos (including the 156) and then moved to SEAT, where his first design, the Altea, was so impressive the company has simply reproduced the same shape across its entire range.

The A5 looks good from any angle. It is under-stated in a typically Audi-esque way and I reckon it will age very gracefully.

Other than the day-time running lights, there is nothing ‘bling’ about this coupe – and it’s all the better for that.

Few sports cars can claim to be genuine four-seaters but the A5 has enough room in the back for a couple of adults. Access to the rear is hampered, though, by the electrically adjustable seats which take an age to slide forward.

The boot is also big enough to carry a family’s luggage with room to spare. The seat backs fold if more boot capacity is required, but the A5 isn’t a hatchback, so it lacks the practicality of some coupes.

Audi has a hardfought reputation for high-quality cabins.

The A5 is terrific, full of ‘surprise and delight’ features like the careful use of metals mixed with soft- feel plastics and the instruments which sweep around the clocks superbikestyle when you switch on.

Audi puts great store in the quality of its haptics (the feel and consistency of the switches and buttons) – everything feels very precise and well made.

That’s not to say it doesn’t have its faults. The Audi multi-media interface is as baffling and stupid as BMW’s i- Drive set-up and the keyless ...err, key, is a bit pointless.

Ditto the automatic handbrake, which won’t release itself if you haven’t buckled up, annoying when all you want to do is move the car on the drive.

The latter can be overcome if you depress the brake pedal and release the hand-brake manually, but what's automatic about that?

Although there is a full range of petrol engines, the pick of the bunch has to be the revised 3.0-litre turbodiesel.

The rev limit has been raised and peak power is up a bit, to 237bhp.

It’s surely one of the greatest diesels ever produced. From behind the wheel it is almost impossible to tell apart from a V-6 petrol because there is no vibration and no diesel grumble. Only the slightly annodyne exhaust note gives the game away.

It’s fast, too. The top speed is electronically limited to 155mph and it fair stomps all over lesser traffic in the midrange.

During a week of mixed driving it managed 32mpg, short of the 39.2mpg official figure but still good for a car of such performance.

The A5 will sell on the quality of its looks alone, of that I have no doubt.

But there is so much more to this car than just a pretty face.

It’s an elegant, timeless design, built from top-quality materials on a new chassis that is far nicer to drive than its predecessor.

No wonder BMW and Mercedes are casting nervous glances at their coupe sales figures. Audi is back – and how.

Specification

Engine: 2,967cc V-6 turbodiesel
Max power: 237bhp @ 4,000rpm
Max torque: 369ft/lb @ 1,500rpm
Max speed: 155mph (limited)
0-60mph: 6.4 seconds
Fuel consumption: 39.2mpg combined (official)
C/O2 emissions: 172g/km
Equipment: Electric windows, CD player, RDS radio, Quattro four-wheel drive, leather interior.

Extras fitted to test car include: heated seats, sattelite navigation system Plus, parking radar, lane assist, Bang & Olufsen sound system.