The 2012 Audi A5/S5 family of luxury/sport coupes and cabriolets is full of great lookers and athletes. They steal second and third glances as they pass by, and they steal your heart when you take the wheel.

 

Clean, flowing designs devoid of extraneous lines and gimmicky touches keep the 2012 Audi A5 and S5 coupes and cabriolets looking fresh and elegant. Starting at an MSRP of $37,100 for the 2012 A5 Coupe Premium with standard quattro^® all-wheel drive, this is one family that also respects your finances.

 

The 2012 Audi A5/S5 line offers a choice of four models: A5 Coupe and A5 Cabriolet, and the high-performance S5 Coupe and S5 Cabriolet. Each speaks to a different driver. In this rundown of each model, find the one that talks to you.

 

A true driver’s machine, the A5 Coupe pairs the award-winning 2.0-liter TFSI^® engine to your choice of a six-speed manual or Tiptronic^® eight-speed automatic transmission that you can also shift manually. Call this the perfect sports coupe engine for our times. With 211 hp and a thick power band that brings 258 lb/ft of peak torque at just 1,500 rpm, the 2.0 TFSI^® feels more like a super-smooth V6 when you give it the spurs, but it sips fuel like the high-efficiency, turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder that it is. Paired with the six-speed manual, this powerhouse took the A5 Coupe from zero-to-60 mph in just 6.2 seconds in the hands of Car & Driver magazine, yet, the A5 Coupe is also EPA-rated at 31 mpg on the highway.

 

Standard quattro^® all-wheel drive, with a 40:60 front/rear torque split, gives the A5 Coupe tenacious grip on any road, not just the slippery ones. The Mercedes-Benz C250 Coupe, which has less power from its 1.8-liter turbo engine, does not offer all-wheel drive at all. Standard features in the 2012 Audi A5 Premium include 18-inch alloy wheels, a powerful Audi sound system, leather seating surfaces, power front seats and a glass panorama sunroof. Moving up to the Premium Plus and Prestige trim lines increases the luxury factor.

 

The Audi A5 Cabriolet, with an MSRP of $42,600, offers something rare in the luxury category: A convertible that’s available with all-wheel drive. The 2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet comes standard with FrontTrak front-wheel drive and the Multitronic^® continuously variable transmission (CVT), offering quattro^® teamed with the Tiptronic^® eight-speed automatic as an option.

 

Powered by the same 2.0 TFSI^® engine as in the A5 Coupe, the A5 Cabriolet makes for one quick top-down fun-and-sun machine. The A5 Cabriolet features an elegant soft-top roof that you can lower while driving at speeds up to 30 mph. It’s a serious luxury touring car, offering the same choices in premium finishes as its coupe sibling including available leather/Alcantara^® seating surfaces. Personalize the interior with your choice of aluminum or available wood trim inlays. The top-line Prestige trim equips the A5 Cabriolet with an incomparable Bang & Olufsen^® Sound System and Audi MMI^® Navigation plus, ensuring the best in entertainment and connectivity.

 

The Audi S5 models move into a higher performance realm, but with different approaches. The S5 Cabriolet (MSRP $59,300) is powered by a 3.0-liter TFSI^® direct-injection V6 engine that makes 333 hp and sends 325 lb/ft of torque through a new seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic^® transmission and standard quattro^® all-wheel drive. You can choose automatic mode or use the steering wheel paddleshifters. Either way, you’ll experience smooth, lightning-quick shifts.

 

The 2012 Audi S5 Coupe (MSRP $53,900), meanwhile, exclusively features a 354-hp 4.2-liter FSI^® V8 engine. Also featuring standard quattro^®, the S5 Coupe offers a choice between a six-speed manual and the available Tiptronic six-speed automatic transmission.

 

S5 models offer the driving enthusiast even more road grip thanks to special sport suspension tuning. With the available Audi Drive Select Package, the S5 Prestige models also include the Sport Rear Differential, which further enhances handling by varying torque between the rear wheels in response to various cornering situations.

 

The S5 versions get their own performance-tuned look with exclusive front and rear bumpers and side skirts, along with an anodized aluminum windshield frame and red ambient LED interior lighting.

 

Which 2012 Audi A5 or S5 model speaks to you? Come in and listen for yourself.