G Star

iTrader: (2)

I love the Audi S5 I really do but it would be so hard for me to give up the luxurious and refined interior setup that Lexus has and go to something rigid and sporty like Audi/BMW. Also one thing, the exterior is not as exciting as I would want a sports car be and the overall interior looks like it's from a sports car from the mid 90's. I like the attention to detail but it's really not enough.

The handling and power is great, I have no problem with it.

I'll wait and see what the RS5 has in store for all of us.

mmarshall

Thanks for the compliment, Mike, but my work is not for sale, especially to auto marketers. It is purely for the benefit of those who read it.....and car shop.

Mpunk

Hey mmarshall, as always, excellent review! I don't post up here too often but I usually make it a point to read your reviews, which are always informative and very, very well written.

I personally love the S5 and have been considering it along with the ISF and E92 M3. I do have to agree with some of the posters, though, about the pricing, which is clearly in M3 territory for near 335i-performance. And yes, I know the M3s don't offer AWD.

The one thing I found interesting that you didn't mention was Audi's use of the "electronic" parking brake. Audi S5s are in short supply everywhere and when I went to the local dealer to inquire about it (they didn't have any to test drive, not even a demo model), the salesperson told me that you "just need to drive it - you'll get used to it." I currently drive a TL 6MT and my condo's parking garage is on a steep 45-degree angle. I hate having to balance with the clutch and find it far easier to leave it in Neutral and use the ebrake instead of "balancing."

What are your thoughts on this? I'd much rather have hill assist than an electronic parking brake - only more things to go wrong with. At least Audi saw fit to offer the 4.2L V8 with a true manual. (I'll pass on the DSG, sorry.)

The other thing I found to be a bit "el-cheapo" with the car (which is very few, btw) is the use of light-bulb tails on a near $60K car (which is being replaced by LEDs, thank gawd) and trunk hinges (pretty much all Audis had non-intrusive gas struts in lieu of el-cheapo trunk hinges like the B8s now have, ugh). I'm also surprised you said the hood has only "one" gas strut? Thinking back on the review, were there any other issues aside from thin carpeting that seemed out of place on a car the price of an S5?

Thanks again for the great review!

I8ABMR

thanks for the review buddy. Happy holidays to you as well

mmarshall

Thanks. I put a lot of time into them. They aren't written like in auto mags, which give track/max-prformance figures, etc.... My reviews are done to give an overall detailed asessment of the car and just what you get for your money....which, IMO, is more important than track-performance and G-figures.


You're right that I forgot to mention the flip-lever for the electronic parking brake, but E-brakes becoming more and more common today, especially on upmarket/luxury cars. The Jaguar XF I reviewed several weeks ago, for example, also had one.


Not many cars today, outside of a couple of Subarus, offer the classic "Hill Assist" with manual transmissions that maintains brake pressure with the clutch pedal in and your foot off the brake, even though the feature itself is not new (some Studebakers had them back in the 1950s). With the decreasing popularity (and production) of conventional three-pedal manual transmissions today, I wouldn't look for this feature to be expanded much, if at all.



Sure. More coming up....but I'm going to take a short break for awhile.

LEDs may look nice, but they are complex to manufacture and install, and I don't see where they do much more than conventional taillight bulbs. Still, some manufacturers have opted for them.....the 21K Mazda5 that I reviewed earlier this week, for example, had them.

I mentioned the single strut, not necessarily because there was anything wrong with it (there isn't), but because I review a car in detail and, though I occasionally forget a few things, I try to be as accurate and comprehensive as possible. One advantage of a single strut is that gas struts sometimes wear out after a few years, and a single one, of course, is simpler and (sometimes) cheaper to replace than a double-one.

As far as things "out of place" on this car (regardless of price), I'd have to say the MMI. Like most BMWs, this is a car built for driving. That means DRIVING......keeping your eyes on the road, not fiddling around with a electronic joy-stick and video screen. That's why I listed the MMI as one of the car's chief minuses.

mmarshall

Thanks. I'm going to take a review breather for a little while (got things to do), but more will be coming up

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

Yeah, not the one where it (A4) was compared to the LS parking itself. One of the stupidest advertising ever

Awesome review as always MMarshall
Love the S5 design over the 3 series, inside and out.

mmarshall

Thanks.

The 3-series, however, has a little nicer steering feel, and its overall ride/handling combination is slightly better than Audi's. Some of the 3-Series come in AWD xi versions, but they are more-or-less grafted-on AWD vehicles that were not designed from the outset for AWD, like Audi's Quattro.

snowday

MM, why the persistent 3-series defense?

For many, comments about "design" are comments about what their eye is taking in. Why toss a "yeah, but..." at them about steering and chassis dynamics?

Now you got me on the defensive.

mmarshall

This is not a matter of "offense" or "defense." I call it like I see it. There are things that the 3-series excels in. There are things that other cars excel in.

GS3Tek (a CL member who I have had a long and good relationship with in this forum, BTW) made a statement about prefering the S5 over the 3-series (and I greatly respect his opinion...I share it in some ways). I merely pointed out, briefly, in one sentence, the 3's traditional strong points....steering/chassis dynamics, and that it is a good alternative. I didn't HAVE to spend more time on the S5.....I had already done that in a long review (and, yes, I appreciate the things in the review you yourself pointed out to me that I may have overlooked, like the trunk-located battery).

But, if GS3Tek, whose post I was answering, had no problem with my reply (and he would have brought it up if he did), I don't see why you should either.

snowday

I thought this was a forum where different people could state their views.

My comment about your 3-series defense was not meant as a personal jab. I should have left the smiley at the end of the sentence.

mmarshall

By all means. I welcome your views.....state them. I appreciate the fact that you noticed a couple of things on the car I left out.

But I was just pointing out my reasoning for replying to a previous post as I did, that's all....you had questioned it. That is my perogative, as well as yours.

rsantiago

Mike, thanks for the great review. Though the price for the S5 may be a bit high, and the 335i may have the overall ride/handling combination, it's a small premium to pay for a car you won't see in every street corner, unlike the G37, 335i or even the M3.

mmarshall

De Nada, Amigo. (You're welcome). Anytime.


Dollar for dollar, IMO, it's hard to beat the 335i. It even offers an AWD xi version like the S5 Quattro, but the BMW AWD system is not as refined as Audi's Quattro...it was not designed for AWD from the start like Audis are, but simply grafted on.

The S5's price may seem high, but it is actually substantially lower than many AMG and BMW M cars. Of course, though fast, it doesn't have quite the tire-shredding power of the typical AMG either.