A5 vs. S5

[13055]

Hey guys, so finally had a chance to test drive a5, also a while ago did the test drive for S5. Huge difference, i mean it. A5 is slow, for me it is slow. I think my 2.0T chipped is faster. I know , what shoud i expect, well first, for this type of car the engine definetly should be more effective and responding,
second it should really go, now OOOooo!!!!:( S5 was real nice, power, perfomance not just a words for this vehicle, and knowing that audi has more enginess coming, i;d hope , and i would wait a lil more . Just my opinion :)
Cheers!!!!

[Dr Strangelove]

Hmm.... I had just the opposite impressions regarding the A5 vs. the S5 in terms of speed.

I've had my S5 since November and had a chance to test drive an A5 S-Line MT6 last month. My primary impression from driving the A5 was how fast it was from a standing start. Maybe I just hit it right but I was seriously impressed by the A5 0-60. There can only be a second or less difference 0-60 vs. the S5. When I asked the sales guy about this he said the A5 is lighter and this could account for this. How the two cars would compare from 40-70 I don't know. All I can say is that from 0-60 I did not "perceive" a great deal of difference. I might also add that my car previous to my S5 was a 2005 M3 with competiton package. So,I have a lot of experience with quickly accelerating cars.

I'm not knocking the S5. Hey, I have one in my driveway. Rather, I'm recognizing just how good the A5 is. For you guys debating between the two cars the acceleration difference from a standing start should not be an issue. Again, the A5 is a terrific car and I was serioulsly impressed by it. I almost wish I had gotten an A5 and thereby saved 10K not to mention less gas consumption.

Dr Strangelove

[immiketoo]

Yeah, but you wouldn't get the sound....mmmmmmm

Good point on gas tho..yikes

[greene08]

Comparably equipped the A5 and S5 are just a tick under $6k apart from each other. That sealed my decision... S5. Gas mileage is what it will be... your 2005 M3 with the high revving I6 probably didn't get much better than the S5 does.

[ShadyJC]

It's not a huge difference. The S5 is rated 16/22 for MPG, where the A5 is 18/26.

After 1200 miles on my A5 I've been seeing 23-24 in mixed use on California 91 gas.

[greene08]

Yup. You gotta pay to play!

[turbo4s]

yeah I test drove the A5 and got the impression that it was fast.

[quattro.it]

It's not a huge difference. The S5 is rated 16/22 for MPG, where the A5 is 18/26.

After 1200 miles on my A5 I've been seeing 23-24 in mixed use on California 91 gas.

Psychologically it is much better to see avg mpg > 20 than < 20. Even if it is 19mpg vs 23mpg, 4mpg adds up after awhile. I'd rather have the S5 because like others have said it isn't a big $ difference. It's just hard to see avg mpg <20 especially with $4+ gas. But that's just me. And the A5 is pretty darn quick and with SLine it looks and handles great. Bollocks!

[Phoebusvh]

I like the A5 better for 2 reasons:

1. as a daily drive, I would like to be in a luxury coupe, not a sport coupe (the S5 seems to be a rough ride to me just like the S4 and the RS4. I have not seen Drive select yet, so no comment on that as for now).
2. If I need anything more powerful than an A5, I will go with the 335xi.

[wrench]

[A5101]

It's not a huge difference. The S5 is rated 16/22 for MPG, where the A5 is 18/26.

After 1200 miles on my A5 I've been seeing 23-24 in mixed use on California 91 gas.

The S5 MPG is 14/21..[:(]

[quattro.it]

^^You'll regret the x-drive, part-time awd and front half shafts run through the oil pan. Nice desgin. I have driven both back-to-back and the awd in the 335xi is rubbish and it really didn't feel that much faster than the A5. There is one freeway on-ramp here with a decreasing radius turn that the BMW and Audi dealers use to demo cars. I floored the 335xi and halfway through the corner the traction control kicked in and spoiled the fun. The salesman told me I could turn the traction control off. Nice, I'll remember to do that next time.

On the same onramp the A5 on the other hand kept saying 'give me more'. Subjectively the A5 is much more exclusive and has a bigger wow factor than the 3 series that you see everywhere. Again subjectively the 3 coupe looks like a chicks car.

[greene08]

My decision was between the 335i Coupe and S5. The S5 won with style points and exclusivity as the 335i Coupe is everywhere and back again. I have to say that from a drivers perspective (in California weather) the 335i is probably more fun to drive (tighter steering, stiffer suspension, more response handling) but the S5 adds classy style the 3-series can't match--not to mention an intoxicating V8 growl that you just can't replicate (however the 335's TT engine is a marvel and does have quite the pleasant raspy note when you stomp the go pedal. Wow, that was a run-on sentence.

The reason why I'm OK with the S5 decision from a drivers perspective is that I will be getting the ADS system and have heard very, very good things about it. If it can stiffen up the steering, the dampening and the response of the engine... I'm sold.

It was a REALLY hard decision, one I'm almost still not 100% certain of (considering gas, total cost of ownership and sheer pleasure of driving) but I love the look and statement of the S5 and I'm an Audi fan for life.

Oy vey.

[greene08]

The S5 MPG is 14/21..[:(]

This is true. I drive mostly city-short commuting and don't average much better than 20-21mpg in my stock A4 2.0T. I'm also extremely light on the pedal. If I'm going to get 6mpg less but have a much more engaging drive I can justify the increased cost. Hell, I'm already paying for premium gas too.

On the freeway I'm getting 30+ mpg in the A4 so that will be more noticeable drop but that is only on weekend trips (when I want to have more fun driving anyway)--so bring it on!

[Phoebusvh]

I have been Audi's fan for years. I know my car is old and all that but comments like "wow, nice car you got there..." are very comment. Although, lately, after driving the 545i, I have to agree that BMW is a driver's car. The handling is unbelievable. There is no A6/S6 that I drove could match the BMW's handling and comfort.
Audi are great cars with classy looking. BMW are just one hell of a driving machine. Either way, you will own one of the best machine out there. [drive] I'm cutting a large percentage of my expense and hopefully, by late this year I will be able to get me a used A5/335xi (whichever one is a better deal the time of purchase, and if 335xi is the way to go, I'm still an Audi fan).

[AFizzle87]

my decision to get the A5 was based on it's my daily driver and if i wanted to get a fast car or v8 it would be one worth while. The S5 is balls out slow, it traps 105 stock and for a v8 thats terrible my 350z with just intake and test pipes trapped 105 all day long, the s5 is gorgeous but it lacks so much power and is a pig on the scales. On a side not i saw that the s5 made 268 or something like that on awe's dyno and and i dyno'd 224 off of my 1 and only 3rd gear pull which isnt the biggest difference the a5 only lacks tq

[greene08]

The S5 isn't the most powerful but it is fun to drive and beautiful to look at. For comporable money what else can you get that is German? Who said a trap of 105mph isn't fast? You say that is slow? Yikes. The '08 M3 only did 112 mph in roughly the same amount of time as the S5. I guess that is slow too?

[AFizzle87]

The S5 isn't the most powerful but it is fun to drive and beautiful to look at. For comporable money what else can you get that is German? Who said a trap of 105mph isn't fast? You say that is slow? Yikes. The '08 M3 only did 112 mph in roughly the same amount of time as the S5. I guess that is slow too?

i guess its all about what your used to so maybe my statement should have been imho cuz here in south florida anything trapping slower than 125 is pretty slow unless your surrounded by ricers. Its a hell of a car i just think the S badged cars should be beefier

[greene08]

I'm not in disagreement... that is why they make the "RS" cars. ;)

[dontbethatguy]

I picked up my S5 this past weekend in CA and drove the 1,400 miles back to Texas. I had the cruise set on 80, and I got 24 MPG overall. So far, I'm averaging 17.5-18 MPG with mostly in-town driving, but I really don't romp on it.

I sold my tuned 335i in March. Stock vs. stock, the cars are pretty comparable in acceleration. My 335i tuned would KILL my S5. With no other mods, my 335 made 374 RWHP/434 RWTQ. It was a beast, and I miss the boost when rolling into the throttle. I had my 335 for over a year, but I wanted something different. The S5 is certainly a nicer car inside, and the handling is better. The 335 is more forgiving on rough roads, but the rougher ride of the S5 doesn't bother me. The growl of the S5 is unmatched, and the curb appeal is a no-contest. I would get attention in my 335i, but the S5 literally has people doing double-takes and rubbernecking. The S5 has much less of the "boy ricer" look when you mod it, and IMO it has a classier look and stance. The 335 definitely has tighter steering, as well as less aggressive gearing. The 335 and S5 are two very different cars; it's all in what you want and prefer. The S5 looks like a more expensive car, and it isn't mistaken for another Audi model. The 335 looks exactly like the 328 when driving down the road. There really isn't much exclusivity to the 335 anymore. I LOVE my S5 and plan on keeping it a while. I nearly bought another 335, but I was able to buy my S5 used with 5,500 miles on it for a nice deal. :) I had never driven an S5 or even seen one in person for that matter. I just took a leap of faith on Audi and figured I would like it! :) Overall, it hasn't disappointed. I would like more power, but Audi had to leave room for the RS5.

[quattro.it]

^^ You did very well my friend. Nice to see the mpg isn't that bad.

[greene08]

I picked up my S5 this past weekend in CA and drove the 1,400 miles back to Texas. I had the cruise set on 80, and I got 24 MPG overall. So far, I'm averaging 17.5-18 MPG with mostly in-town driving, but I really don't romp on it.

I sold my tuned 335i in March. Stock vs. stock, the cars are pretty comparable in acceleration. My 335i tuned would KILL my S5. With no other mods, my 335 made 374 RWHP/434 RWTQ. It was a beast, and I miss the boost when rolling into the throttle. I had my 335 for over a year, but I wanted something different. The S5 is certainly a nicer car inside, and the handling is better. The 335 is more forgiving on rough roads, but the rougher ride of the S5 doesn't bother me. The growl of the S5 is unmatched, and the curb appeal is a no-contest. I would get attention in my 335i, but the S5 literally has people doing double-takes and rubbernecking. The S5 has much less of the "boy ricer" look when you mod it, and IMO it has a classier look and stance. The 335 definitely has tighter steering, as well as less aggressive gearing. The 335 and S5 are two very different cars; it's all in what you want and prefer. The S5 looks like a more expensive car, and it isn't mistaken for another Audi model. The 335 looks exactly like the 328 when driving down the road. There really isn't much exclusivity to the 335 anymore. I LOVE my S5 and plan on keeping it a while. I nearly bought another 335, but I was able to buy my S5 used with 5,500 miles on it for a nice deal. :) I had never driven an S5 or even seen one in person for that matter. I just took a leap of faith on Audi and figured I would like it! :) Overall, it hasn't disappointed. I would like more power, but Audi had to leave room for the RS5.

That is exactly what I wanted to hear. I saw a beautiful grey on brown leather 335i Coupe yesterday and kept thinking maybe that is the way I should be going. I'm glad you agree that the handling keeps up even if the power doesn't exactly. Hell, throw some lightweight pulleys, a full exhaust, and a chip on the S5 and you'll do OK I would think! Can't wait for it!