I once read that Automotive Designer Walter De Silva said of the Audi A5:
“For me, the A5 is very close to perfect. I love everything about this car. Its general shape, its details; it's so balanced in its proportions. It's sensual and at the same time dynamic. There's nothing about it I dislike. It's the most beautiful design of my career.”
Quote from: www.europeancarweb.com
I followed both an Audi A5 & Alfa Romeo 156 tonight and (remembering it arrived in 1997) think it is the superior design.
Images from Alfa Romeo 156 site circa 1997