Which to get? The 135i from BMW will have 300HP and cost less than the new A5 coupe.

GT car, meaning it will transport four occupants over long distances at speed, in comfort and luxury, and with very little effort. When called upon, the car will pick up her skirts and go, but this will not be its everyday calling. Think London to Nice, arriving fresh enough to go straight to the beach bar.

The 135 is basically a track toy. It has a short wheelbase, meaning it'll turn more responsively but will also transmit road irregularities, especially washboards, much more harshly to its occupants. Its relatively spartan interior will have few luxury appointments, with almost everything being an extra cost option, including leather.

On the flip side, it gets the fire-breathing V6TT from its bigger brother, M-tuned suspension and 6-pot front brakes. It will not be as abusive over long distances as say, an Elise, but likewise will not come close to the A5's cruising ability. It will also only carry more than 2 people for rides less than ~30 minutes, unless the front seaters are dwarfs.

In short, despite having similar price tags and door counts, the cars are probably not going to appeal very equally at all to any given driver.

I have to test drive both the Audi A5 and BMW 135i coupe next year when they both arrive on dealer showrooms. Also for me, since I like both Audi and BMW equally, it will depend on what kind of deal that I can negotiate and get from a dealer on the car and what insurance costs. When there is a tie between two fantastic cars from Audi and BMW, have to use these to make the decision. I did like the S5 quite a bit but the cost is not cheap and gas mileage stinks on it.

I do not drive long distances so having a car for short distances and can carve up hills since I live in San Diego and there are zillions of hills and back roads to have fun on, it will be a tough decision.

Ultimately my dream garage would have something similar to the following:

Audi S5/A5 or BMW M3/335i coupe
Lotus Elise or Exige S
Range Rover SUV
Audi R8 or Lamborghini Gallardo
Porsche 911 GT3RS

For now, I will just have to be patient and wait until end of next year to see how I like the new Audi A5 and BMW 135i coupe. I also would like to see if Audi ever builds the R4 coupe to compete with the Porsche Cayman. I liked the TT but it was not fast enough and no manual transmission except for the 3.2 engine and would rather have the 2.0T engine. Unfortunately, I am not filthy rich or an executive VP like so many folks on this board. There must be a ton of lucky wealthy guys here :-) I cannot just run out and drop 60-90k on a new car like its an afterthought.

take a look at this comparison test:<ul><li><a href="http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/grouptests/212085/1series_coup_vs_rivals.html">http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/grouptests/212085/1series_coup_vs_rivals.html</a</li></ul>

One is a toy, the other is for adults with some class.

I for one, as a consumer, am more likely to consider any number of cool cars within a certain price range. I don't necessarily say to myself that I definitely want a GT or a sports coupe. I will at least test drive cars to see how they fit. 99% of my driving is commuting to work and I have the luxury of not caring so much about trunk space, rear seat room, etc. I'm interested in the 135i, Audi A3, 335i, R32, Cayman. They've all got some appeal and some drawbacks.