If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!  Those words beautifully reflect the thinking of the folks at Audi Motors regarding the 2012 A5.  A few minor features were changed or shifted about but really, when you have a car like the A5, why mess with it?

The A5, when it first came out, was like the sexy cheerleader in high school.  You know the one: drop-dead gorgeous, great body, sleek and moved like a tiger in the wild, but always in the back of your mind you wondered if there was any depth to her…if she had what it takes for a long-term relationship?

Well the A5 has what it takes.  Not only is this one sexy car but it handles as well as you could ever hope for.  Powered by a 211-horsepower four-cylinder engine in the standard package, the Audi A5 goes 0-60 in 6.3 seconds.  You can also get the turbo package that features a V6 or V8.  Your choice of transmissions includes a CVT, an eight-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission.

Do you want fuel economy?  How about 21/29 mpg with the manual getting 21/31 and the front-wheel drive Cabriolet at 22/30?  Safety features include antilock brakes, great stability control in the suspension, front seat airbags and blind-spot warning systems along with a whole array of other features.

The A5 gives you a comfortable ride, very good handling as we have come to expect from an Audi and just enough power to make you realize you are driving a European vehicle. There are others out there that boast more power like namely the BMW 3 Series and the Infiniti G37, but the A5 has both of those cars beat in fuel economy, so it’s six of one, half dozen of another.  It all depends on what you want for your $35,000+.

Replacement parts?  Yep, they are expensive, especially if you buy them at an auto parts store.  Anytime you buy replacement auto parts as new aftermarket parts you are going to pay an arm and a leg for them.  So why not go to a salvage yard and pay much less?  With a shaky economy it just makes good sense to buy used parts that come with a warranty.  The Audi A5 has been around long enough now that it is not hard to find parts for it at most reputable salvage yards. 

The Audi A5:  one heck of a fine car!