ngkanatsios
10-14-2007, 12:57 PM
Yesterday I had my second test drive of an S5. I logged half an hour on it last weekend and another half hour this weekend. The following are my observations after the two test drives compared to my B7 S4 manual.
Steering the S5 had less vibrations compared to the S4.
The ride on the S5 was slightly smoother and much quieter despite the fact that the S5 has much wider wheels to the S4 (255/35 vs 235/40) most likely due to its aerodynamic advantage over the S4 being a "squareish" sedan. The 5-link front suspension may have something to do with this as well.
Overall, the feeling of the S4 suspension is much harder than the S5 suspension. I didn't like this part at all, but it is probably due to the most luxurious character the S5 is trying to send out.
Taking certain corners at bare limits with my S4 (don't quote me but let's say somewhere at the 85MPH range), I found it not as assuring trying to do the same with the S5. Of course it should be noted here that the tires of the S5 were brand new and not broken into yet, which probably made me a little bit anxious to push further. In other words, tires might have been the limited factor here.
Braking was a strange experience with the S5. Looking at the front brake calipers, they appear smaller than those on my S4 (stock). Braking with the S5 appeared smoother and not as grabby as with the S5, as I mentioned in another post, but to my surprise, breaking was very effective and probably within same distance as the S4 (not able to verify). Maybe with 255s frond and back the S5 does an equally good job without the roughness. Generally, I would say that the S4 offers better braking assurance from the psychological point of view, but may not make any difference in real situations (I would like to see more posts on this).
There are no words to describe the interior experience on the S5. This is what you should want from an luxury sports car. It felt great both times. Red interior with carbon fiber helped a lot, but most of all the location and the user interface of all functions were great. I am looking forward to Audi moving this interface to its 4 series next summer. In general, it fills like you are flying a plane and everything is accessible without having to shift your body to reach a function.
The S5 seats are move conformable and easier to find the right position for your driving pleasure compared to the S4. It probably took me about 6 months before I was comfortable with the seat settings on my S4. It took me a few seconds to do this in the S5. That said, the S4 seats are amazing and my body stays put in them. In the S5 seats your body moves around a little, which means you will have to exersise your lateral abdominal muscles a little more to keep your body from shifting left and right on those legendary 85MPH turns. I prefer the feeling I get in the S4 seats over those comfortable seats in the S5.
All these points aside, i placed my order for a Phantom Black, red leather, carbon fiber fully loaded S5 yesterday to be here by end of the year. For those you are interested in price, fully loaded (all options), all taxes added registration fees, etc, it cost me a few hundreds less than 63K.
Personally, I think this addition to my Audis is going to be a fun one, too. I am sure I will be driving both cars for different reasons and different courses.
A couple of small other notices. I loved the keyless entry and button-push start. I loved the rear-view camera. I don't think I saw rear fox lights, which was a small disappointment since I happen to use them a lot where I am driving. Nice trunk size. Rear seats don't have too much space, but that is also true on my S4. With me driving, we can fit three peaople confortably on both the S4 and S5. With me seating a little unconfortable we can accomodate a fourth passenger, and probably easier on the S5 than the S4 due to how my legs fit under the wheel.
Sorry, no pictures were taken during either test drive.
Steering the S5 had less vibrations compared to the S4.
The ride on the S5 was slightly smoother and much quieter despite the fact that the S5 has much wider wheels to the S4 (255/35 vs 235/40) most likely due to its aerodynamic advantage over the S4 being a "squareish" sedan. The 5-link front suspension may have something to do with this as well.
Overall, the feeling of the S4 suspension is much harder than the S5 suspension. I didn't like this part at all, but it is probably due to the most luxurious character the S5 is trying to send out.
Taking certain corners at bare limits with my S4 (don't quote me but let's say somewhere at the 85MPH range), I found it not as assuring trying to do the same with the S5. Of course it should be noted here that the tires of the S5 were brand new and not broken into yet, which probably made me a little bit anxious to push further. In other words, tires might have been the limited factor here.
Braking was a strange experience with the S5. Looking at the front brake calipers, they appear smaller than those on my S4 (stock). Braking with the S5 appeared smoother and not as grabby as with the S5, as I mentioned in another post, but to my surprise, breaking was very effective and probably within same distance as the S4 (not able to verify). Maybe with 255s frond and back the S5 does an equally good job without the roughness. Generally, I would say that the S4 offers better braking assurance from the psychological point of view, but may not make any difference in real situations (I would like to see more posts on this).
There are no words to describe the interior experience on the S5. This is what you should want from an luxury sports car. It felt great both times. Red interior with carbon fiber helped a lot, but most of all the location and the user interface of all functions were great. I am looking forward to Audi moving this interface to its 4 series next summer. In general, it fills like you are flying a plane and everything is accessible without having to shift your body to reach a function.
The S5 seats are move conformable and easier to find the right position for your driving pleasure compared to the S4. It probably took me about 6 months before I was comfortable with the seat settings on my S4. It took me a few seconds to do this in the S5. That said, the S4 seats are amazing and my body stays put in them. In the S5 seats your body moves around a little, which means you will have to exersise your lateral abdominal muscles a little more to keep your body from shifting left and right on those legendary 85MPH turns. I prefer the feeling I get in the S4 seats over those comfortable seats in the S5.
All these points aside, i placed my order for a Phantom Black, red leather, carbon fiber fully loaded S5 yesterday to be here by end of the year. For those you are interested in price, fully loaded (all options), all taxes added registration fees, etc, it cost me a few hundreds less than 63K.
Personally, I think this addition to my Audis is going to be a fun one, too. I am sure I will be driving both cars for different reasons and different courses.
A couple of small other notices. I loved the keyless entry and button-push start. I loved the rear-view camera. I don't think I saw rear fox lights, which was a small disappointment since I happen to use them a lot where I am driving. Nice trunk size. Rear seats don't have too much space, but that is also true on my S4. With me driving, we can fit three peaople confortably on both the S4 and S5. With me seating a little unconfortable we can accomodate a fourth passenger, and probably easier on the S5 than the S4 due to how my legs fit under the wheel.
Sorry, no pictures were taken during either test drive.