The Audi S5 is the spiritual successor to the quattro of the 1980s. The rapid, svelte two-door coupe is a handsome beast that cuts quite a dash on the road.

It would be easy to write the S5 – and the whole Audi A5 range – off as simply a two door Audi A4, but it should be much more than that. Stuart Milne went to Warwickshire to find out if the Audi S5 is a worthy heir to the original quattro's crown.

View our Audi S5 slide show

The Audi S5 – and the A5 on which it is based – has a very different look to the rest of the Audi range. While it has the corporate front and rear, it shuns Audi's fondness for straight cut sides for a gentle curve that immediately grabs the attention.

And it creates a classy look that sets up the story for the whole car.

It shares its 4.2-litre V8 engine with the Audi S4, although the Five sees power increased by a useful 16bhp to 349bhp. That means a 0-62mph time of 5.1 seconds and a top speed limited to 155mph.

And out on the road, it's all the performance you really need. It feels muscular as it charges towards the horizon with a soundtrack that can only really be orchestrated through a big V8 powerplant.

It features Audi's quattro four-wheel drive system, so had masses of grip; and while the steering is too light for committed petrolheads, and lacks the level of feedback you get with the Audi RS4 it is wonderfully direct. There's lots of fun to be had by turning the wheel to change the car's direction in an instant.

Mid-engined coupe

But underneath the slightly detached steering is a great chassis. The engine has been pushed back over the front wheels, creating a front-mid engined layout, for improved weight distribution which is evident on faster bends.

The ride is good; firm, but never uncomfortable and only the biggest bumps cause a fluster in the cabin.

All this adds up to an accomplished grand tourer, rather than an out-and-out sports car. The Audi RS5 should see to that when it launches.

It's frustrating, because as a drivers' car, the Audi S5 could easily be a match for the excellent BMW 3 Series Coupe.

However, the Beemer doesn't have it all its own way. The S5 has a typically classy interior – better than the 3 Series – built with care and well designed.

More space than an estate

There's Audi A4 levels of space in the front, but space in the rear is limited, although this is predicable given its coupe configuration. And there's a 455 litre boot, which is just five litres smaller than that of the BMW 3 Series Touring.

Running costs aren't far off the faster BMW M3, which although costs £10,000 more new, matches the Audi S5 for fuel consumption (22.8mpg) and is rated just one insurance group higher. And there's nothing to split them on road tax either – the S5's CO2 emissions of 288g/km are lower than the M3's 295g/km, but its really academic as they both fall into tax band F, which costs £400 a year.

View our Audi S5 slide show

Equipment levels are pretty comprehensive, with 19-inch alloys, bespoke suspension and brakes, leather sports seats with electric adjustment, aluminium trims and 'S' badging come as standard.

In many ways the Audi S5 is a worthy successor to the original quattro coupe from the 80s. Both are very good, but have flaws. While the quattro was heinously complicated, the S5 just doesn’t have the level of driver involvement we'd hoped for.

As a way to cover large distances very quickly, it’s a great car, but drivers looking for absolute involvement behind the wheel might feel a little disappointed.

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