Thanks bitkahuna...I've seen that video. I'm not sure it's a 2016 they are filming since I know they changed to a more standard shift lever for 2016.

Nice that it went through a lot of the features etc.. but I will say..they guys voice was kind of creepy if you ask me

I know the regular GC had some issues with the 9 speed transmissions when they first came out, but the SRT has the 8 speed in it.

Obviously this thing is on the beast side versus some of the others I mentioned. I'm sure it's lacking refinement in some areas.

It could just be old info from the past that I never let go of, but I always heard that Audi's aren't (or weren't) really that reliable/were in the shop a lot.

Hey dseag2...has your S5 been pretty good?

 

you're right it must be '15 in that video.

lol, yeah, i think he was just trying to keep his voice low in the dealership while he took the video.

actually they both (reg and srt) have 8 speed autos. my '15 summit has the 8 speed, and it's great.

i've test driven an srt and besides the ride being a bit stiffer than mine, it was comfortable, smooth, oh and blazing fast. and you could definitely feel the difference in the suspension modes.

 

I have had 4 now... '09 A5 S-Line, '10 S5 Cab, '11 S5 Cab and now '15 S5 Coupe. They have all been outstanding with no issues! Pretty good is not in my vocabulary.

 

I think that is a bit of a jaded point of view, since you never owned any of them outside of the warranty period and leased all of them.

Do you think if you still owned your 2009 and put all the miles on that car, with it now out of warranty, that you'd still say its been a great ownership experience???? Just being honest and not trying to bash, because some of us do like to keep our cars for 5+ years, put some miles on them, and trade them a lot less frequently.

 

Are you saying none of these Audi's would be a longer term proposition?

 

I personally just traded in my 05 A8L for a 13 A8L, and I really only had expenses on the vehicle in the past year (once I hit over 130K miles). I will say it is KEY to find a good independent mechanic for basic maintenance and repairs because to have it done at the Audi dealer is WAY too much...

 

That's good to hear. And agreed about the dealership charging way too much, I know where I live there are several big shops that specialize in Benz, VW, Audi, and BMW since they are popular cars around in my parts, but I'm sure you are SOL in getting a competent independent mechanic if you live in a more rural/remote area where these cars don't sell.

 

I don't think it is jaded, maybe limited. Anyway, that's why I mentioned the number/years of the cars. Your question to me is really a hypothetical one, since I will never keep my cars that long. If you want the answer re: long-term reliability, you can check out the S5 forum in Audiworld. There are plenty of owners with B8.5 S5's ('13+ that have the V6 supercharged engine) that have lots of miles and have had very few issues. Heck, Audi has had 8 years to work the bugs out. They should be reliable. Also, Audi is rating tops in reliability these days, right after Lexus, and the OP is looking for a '16 or '17.

http://www.carsdirect.com/automotive...pes-the-bottom