polyconsoler
09-27-2007, 04:27 PM
I got a rare opportunity the other day to actually sit down in an S5. I wrote a couple of things about this in another thread but heres some other stuff I failed to mention. Hopefully I can shed light on some stuff that car reviews have yet to be stated.
At First Glimpse
When I opened the door to where the S5 was sitting I was blown away. Ive seen it in pictures time and time again, but they do not do it justice. External fit and finish is excellent (as expected), styling is superb, and stance of the vehicle from far away is...incredible.
Entry
To get into the S5 you have to have the Keyfob near the car, simple enough. But I guess in case your battery is dead for some reason and you need a key, that is available in the keyfob, you just pull out the metal part and youll see a regular key come out. You pull on the handle and the first thing you notice is that the glass on the door is free on the top. In other words there are no seals around the top of the glass. So when you open the door in an instant the glass pulls down to unseal itself from the car; similarly when you close the door the glass pops back up to make a good seal.
Come around to the back of the car where the trunk is and youll be surprised to find a completely different trunk mechanism then what youre used to. Its very simple and very untechnical and very un-Audi like. Its just two circular like bars that come from the top part of the trunk and loop to the back of the trunk lid. These are metal with plastic coverings. I thought it looked cheap. Youll also find two latches inside the trunk to fold down the rear passenger seats. Open the left hand side compartment and youll find the place to load the Nav DVD (good idea) as well as all the electronics for the audio system. Open up the bottom compartment for that full size spare and youll be dissapointed in finding ad non-full size spare.
Sit down
When you first sit down in this car take a moment to think about how the seat feels. Remember it. Because you'll be craving it when you get back in your car. Each seat feels like it was personally sculpted to your body; you just melt into the leather. Speaking of leather, its fantastic. The particular color of leather in this model was the cinnamon it looked GREAT matched with the aluminum trim and wood inlays. Next, look at the speedo and the MMI screen. Youll notice how the depth of the gauges and screen are inset back seems to disappear. Everything is perfectly placed to the millimeter.
I thought I would hate the new center console. Actually, I LOVE the new center console. Right amount of buttons, right amount of subtle curvature to complement the rest of the car. Car has an electronic parking brake button there too, so for all of you who were wondering where the E-brake is, its that button that says (P) on the left hand side. Manual gearbox has a nice mechanical feel when shifting with a short throw shifter (Sorry didnt get to test drive, so I cant tell you how it feels when driving). Steering wheel and leather on the shifter were stiched in matching fibers as found in the leather seating. Nice touch.
To your right you'll find a storage compartment for a cellphone and other stuff Wrapped in the same leather that goes on the seats. Lift this up and youll be relieved to find it doesnt feel like it came from a VW like the center arm rest in the A4s. It has weight. It doesnt sound all plasticy. I like that.
Although car magazines said theres plenty of room in the back seats I began wondering what midgets they used to test this. Im not a very tall person, 5' 10" at best. I dont sit incredibly far back. But I looked in the back seat behind the passenger seat and it looked like there was less than my B7 A4. Now that I think about this the driver seat may have been pushed forward more then the passenger seat. I dont know, but I was dissappointed.
Closing
Theres not really much else to say without having a drive--the dealership didnt actually own the car as it was on loan from AoA for an event tonight. However, I do have this to say. When you get out of the S5/A5 and close the door, take the time to listen to the sound the door makes when it closes. Much like the rest of the car, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
http://lh4.google.com/kwarenycia/RvrJpIvN97I/AAAAAAAAAZc/mUSVOg4-s3A/s400/2933923217_ORIG.jpg
http://lh3.google.com/kwarenycia/RvrJq4vN99I/AAAAAAAAAZs/u_T5TGyet5o/s400/2933922937_ORIG.jpg
More Pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/kwarenycia/AudiS5AtNielloAudi9262007
At First Glimpse
When I opened the door to where the S5 was sitting I was blown away. Ive seen it in pictures time and time again, but they do not do it justice. External fit and finish is excellent (as expected), styling is superb, and stance of the vehicle from far away is...incredible.
Entry
To get into the S5 you have to have the Keyfob near the car, simple enough. But I guess in case your battery is dead for some reason and you need a key, that is available in the keyfob, you just pull out the metal part and youll see a regular key come out. You pull on the handle and the first thing you notice is that the glass on the door is free on the top. In other words there are no seals around the top of the glass. So when you open the door in an instant the glass pulls down to unseal itself from the car; similarly when you close the door the glass pops back up to make a good seal.
Come around to the back of the car where the trunk is and youll be surprised to find a completely different trunk mechanism then what youre used to. Its very simple and very untechnical and very un-Audi like. Its just two circular like bars that come from the top part of the trunk and loop to the back of the trunk lid. These are metal with plastic coverings. I thought it looked cheap. Youll also find two latches inside the trunk to fold down the rear passenger seats. Open the left hand side compartment and youll find the place to load the Nav DVD (good idea) as well as all the electronics for the audio system. Open up the bottom compartment for that full size spare and youll be dissapointed in finding ad non-full size spare.
Sit down
When you first sit down in this car take a moment to think about how the seat feels. Remember it. Because you'll be craving it when you get back in your car. Each seat feels like it was personally sculpted to your body; you just melt into the leather. Speaking of leather, its fantastic. The particular color of leather in this model was the cinnamon it looked GREAT matched with the aluminum trim and wood inlays. Next, look at the speedo and the MMI screen. Youll notice how the depth of the gauges and screen are inset back seems to disappear. Everything is perfectly placed to the millimeter.
I thought I would hate the new center console. Actually, I LOVE the new center console. Right amount of buttons, right amount of subtle curvature to complement the rest of the car. Car has an electronic parking brake button there too, so for all of you who were wondering where the E-brake is, its that button that says (P) on the left hand side. Manual gearbox has a nice mechanical feel when shifting with a short throw shifter (Sorry didnt get to test drive, so I cant tell you how it feels when driving). Steering wheel and leather on the shifter were stiched in matching fibers as found in the leather seating. Nice touch.
To your right you'll find a storage compartment for a cellphone and other stuff Wrapped in the same leather that goes on the seats. Lift this up and youll be relieved to find it doesnt feel like it came from a VW like the center arm rest in the A4s. It has weight. It doesnt sound all plasticy. I like that.
Although car magazines said theres plenty of room in the back seats I began wondering what midgets they used to test this. Im not a very tall person, 5' 10" at best. I dont sit incredibly far back. But I looked in the back seat behind the passenger seat and it looked like there was less than my B7 A4. Now that I think about this the driver seat may have been pushed forward more then the passenger seat. I dont know, but I was dissappointed.
Closing
Theres not really much else to say without having a drive--the dealership didnt actually own the car as it was on loan from AoA for an event tonight. However, I do have this to say. When you get out of the S5/A5 and close the door, take the time to listen to the sound the door makes when it closes. Much like the rest of the car, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
http://lh4.google.com/kwarenycia/RvrJpIvN97I/AAAAAAAAAZc/mUSVOg4-s3A/s400/2933923217_ORIG.jpg
http://lh3.google.com/kwarenycia/RvrJq4vN99I/AAAAAAAAAZs/u_T5TGyet5o/s400/2933922937_ORIG.jpg
More Pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/kwarenycia/AudiS5AtNielloAudi9262007