Ian Dickson writes

Audi, like most manufacturers, holds regular catch-up events around the country for journalists to get reacquainted with its products.

I attended one a week or so ago set in the stunning location of Walton Hall, Warwickshire, a beautiful stately-home-cum-manor-hotel that Audi took over for the benefit of its launch. Sadly, I was too busy to stay the evening, but I did make full use of the impressive fleet of new Audis at my disposal.

Here are my thoughts ahead of official road tests due on the site soon.

Audi A5 Sportback

Cynical at first about this car – why buy one over an A4 I wondered? But in the metal it’s got serious presence. I went straight to the boot first and the hatch makes it hugely more practical than an A4 saloon and more pleasing on the eye than an A4 Avant. I tested first the stop-start 2.0 TDi. Makes a lot of sense this car with low emissions and fuel bills, handy if you commute regularly in heavy traffic. It’s a punchy engine too, using the latest common rail diesel technology to extract 170bhp and 54.3mpg.

I also had a spin in the 3.0 TDI, heading near £50k with a load of options, but a lovely machine indeed and very nicely appointed inside, though I found the centre console not constructed of the highest quality materials…

Audi TT RS

Looks mean the new TT-RS and when you start it up sounds absolutely fruity. Very fast, too, the 2.5-litre five-cylinder mated to a six speed manual ‘box getting it to 62mph in 4.6 and on to a limited 155mph. In gear shove is amazing; proper throw you back in your seat kinda stuff, but it feels very heavy and you can’t exploit the performance so it’s very much a point-and-squirt machine – extremely quick cross-country but not rewarding enough for some.

Audi R8 V10

Highlight of the day driving this. Had a brief shot in one back in May around Millbrook test track, but this was my first proper drive of the V10 on the road. This has to be the world’s easiest supercar to drive quickly – some might call it boring – but it’s a real sense of occasion dropping down into it and thumbing your way through the Lambo-style open-gate gearbox. The attention you get is unbelievable, too – definitely one for the ‘if I win the lottery’ list.

Audi S3

The grown-up hot hatch. The S3 errs on the side of the Golf GTi in that it is very civilised but remarkably quick, especially with the self-shifting DSG gearbox. Compared to a Focus RS or even an ST, fast Megane or Civic Type-R, it doesn’t feel particularly exciting – it’s isn’t a cacophony of engine noise, a fight to the red line or an arm-wrestling torque-steer fest - but this is what the S3 is all about – middle class B-road fun. You won’t wear a baseball cap in here!

Looks great in RS blue, too and, now in my early 30s, is the hot hatch I would want sitting on my driveway. Or maybe I’d take the cheaper Golf… it’s a tough call!

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