The S5's cabin materials are consistently good, but I've never been a huge fan of Audi's controls. Elements from the window switches to the turn signals feel too rubbery in some places, too brittle in others. Still, the S5's cabin should please, with high-rent leather and enough room for adults to get comfortable.

The rear seats are workable for adults, which is impressive. Even more impressive: They fold down to accommodate larger items from the trunk. Most convertibles offer, at most, a center pass-through for skis. Add that to a number of other touches — power-extending seat belt hooks for the driver and front passenger, a height- and length-adjustable center armrest, the convertible top's minimal trunk intrusion — and it's clear that, for a convertible, the S5 packs a lot of versatility.

Audi's third-generation Multi Media Interface uses a knob controller to operate the navigation and stereo systems. Optional on the S5, it's an improvement over prior MMI generations, but still far from perfect. See the "Updated Multi Media Interface" in our Q5 review to learn more. (The forthcoming A8 has an improved version of MMI, and it's likely the S5 will adopt it somewhere down the road. Check it out here.)