We drove the $65,000 Audi S5 Coupe - and it's pretty much flawless

Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider

• The second generation Audi A5 Coupe is all new for 2018.
• The A5 shares a platform with the highly touted A5 sedan.
• Business Insider had a chance to test out a sportier version of the A5 Coupe called the S5.
• The 2018 A5 starts at $42,800 while our S5 Coupe test car cost $64,750.

In late 2016, Audi dropped off a brand new 2017 A4 sedan for Business Insider to check out.

After just a week behind the wheel, it became apparent that the current fifth generation A4 is, without a doubt, the most exquisitely executed sedan ever to emerge from Ingolstadt, Germany-based automaker.

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The A4's solid driving dynamics, handsome styling, state-of-the-art tech, and luxurious cabin blew us away.

We liked the A4 so much that it finished second only to the Acura NSX for out 2016 Car of the Year award.

Fast forward a year or so and Audi is back with the second generation A5 coupe. It's based on the current A4 sedan, but with two fewer doors and a sleeker body.

Recently, we got a chance to experience Audi's new coupe first hand on the road in and around Atlanta, Georgia.

Our test car turned out to be a sporty S5 variant clad in a striking Daytona Gray Pearl Effect paint job. The A5 and S5 are virtually identical apart from the S5's more powerful engine and a few custom design treatments.

In the marketplace, the S5 is a direct competitor against the BMW 440i xDrive Coupe and the Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe.

The 2018 Audi A5 Coupe starts at $42,800 while the mid-grade S5 starts at $54,600. Our option heavy 2018 Audi S5 Coupe 3.0T quattro tiptronic test unit costs $64,750.