My brief review of the new Audi S5.
Mar 13, 2008, 12:46 AM
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My brief review of the new Audi S5.
Well, the weather in Chicago is finally getting better, so I went for a lengthy test drive tonight to check out the Audi S5 coupe, and here is what I think. Now I am no professional so just take what I say for what its worth.
First impressions: The car is a lot longer and wider than I expected. It has a mean front end, with those LED R8'esque lights. The rear looks kinda like the new 3 series, but the 4 exhaust tips look nice. The car I drove was meteor gray, but I think it looks best in black.
Performance: This things got a 4.2 V8 pumping out 354bhp so its no slouch. The acceleration was silky smooth all the way from idle to redline. The M3 and Evo like to make a racket when they are accelerating but this thing just went fast, without any fuss or drama. It didnt feel as eager to rev as the RS4 I drove last year, but the throttle response was crisp and it was still plenty fast. The demo car had all season tires on it instead of the usual high performance summer tires, but the car still handled brilliantly. I went through a few turns pretty fast but the car never seemed to be upset. The tires never made any squealing noises, during hard acceleration from a stop or during fast curves. What was even more amazing was that it did all of this all while having the ride quality of a luxury sedan. Chicago winters really **** up the roads, but the S5 took all of the bumps and potholes like they were nothing. The clutch was a little softer than what im used to, but the 6spd manual was slick and easy to use.
Now to the best part, the Interior. This was hands down one of the most warm and inviting interiors I have ever been in. The seats were supportive and comfortable, and there was a lot of room in the back. It can seat 4 adults easily. The car was fully loaded, so it came with a lot of cool features. Pretty much everything is controlled though the Nav screen and a dial located where the handbrake would normally be, from the HVAC controls to the bluetooth phone directory, navigation, and tons of other options that I didnt have time to play around with. The car also came with a 505watt Bang and Olufsen sound system. If you guys know anything about audio, you'll know how awesome that company is. I didnt have any CDs to try but, the radio sounded great on it. I'd say even better than the Mark Levinson system in my Lexus GX470.
Overall, I think the car is great and Audi have outdone themselves again. I was never a big fan of Audi's, but they are really stepping up their game. The RS4, R8, and now S5 are all amazing vehicles that even a couple years ago I would not have thought Audi capable of designing. So it might not be the fastest thing out there, but it is certainly a great overall package that would be a blast to have as a daily driver. Too bad they are so rare. Dealer told me 9-10 month wait if I place an order now....
First impressions: The car is a lot longer and wider than I expected. It has a mean front end, with those LED R8'esque lights. The rear looks kinda like the new 3 series, but the 4 exhaust tips look nice. The car I drove was meteor gray, but I think it looks best in black.
Performance: This things got a 4.2 V8 pumping out 354bhp so its no slouch. The acceleration was silky smooth all the way from idle to redline. The M3 and Evo like to make a racket when they are accelerating but this thing just went fast, without any fuss or drama. It didnt feel as eager to rev as the RS4 I drove last year, but the throttle response was crisp and it was still plenty fast. The demo car had all season tires on it instead of the usual high performance summer tires, but the car still handled brilliantly. I went through a few turns pretty fast but the car never seemed to be upset. The tires never made any squealing noises, during hard acceleration from a stop or during fast curves. What was even more amazing was that it did all of this all while having the ride quality of a luxury sedan. Chicago winters really **** up the roads, but the S5 took all of the bumps and potholes like they were nothing. The clutch was a little softer than what im used to, but the 6spd manual was slick and easy to use.
Now to the best part, the Interior. This was hands down one of the most warm and inviting interiors I have ever been in. The seats were supportive and comfortable, and there was a lot of room in the back. It can seat 4 adults easily. The car was fully loaded, so it came with a lot of cool features. Pretty much everything is controlled though the Nav screen and a dial located where the handbrake would normally be, from the HVAC controls to the bluetooth phone directory, navigation, and tons of other options that I didnt have time to play around with. The car also came with a 505watt Bang and Olufsen sound system. If you guys know anything about audio, you'll know how awesome that company is. I didnt have any CDs to try but, the radio sounded great on it. I'd say even better than the Mark Levinson system in my Lexus GX470.
Overall, I think the car is great and Audi have outdone themselves again. I was never a big fan of Audi's, but they are really stepping up their game. The RS4, R8, and now S5 are all amazing vehicles that even a couple years ago I would not have thought Audi capable of designing. So it might not be the fastest thing out there, but it is certainly a great overall package that would be a blast to have as a daily driver. Too bad they are so rare. Dealer told me 9-10 month wait if I place an order now....
Last edited by TheBlueBlur; Mar 13, 2008 at 12:49 AM.
Mar 13, 2008, 09:06 AM
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The S5 still uses the 4.2 FSI, but it doesn't make as much horsepower as the RS4 because it doesn't rev as high. The S5 engines got a little more torque though.
