Does anyone here own or drive an Audi A5? I'm in the process of looking for a new car to drive daily, and a few A5's are available in my area, used, at a reasonable price. However I'd like to know more about the driving dynamics of these cars. Is there a huge difference between the 3.2 FSi V6 and the new 2.0 Turbo FSi I4? Ideally I would want a Quattro model, which is always the case with the V6, but there are FWD variants of the 2.0 TFSi cars, which I am curious about. I'm not necessarily looking for a car to drive around as an enthusiast - I'm not putting it on the track - but of course good performance and handling and everything matters. Practicality, though, matters almost as much - even knowing that as a coupé it's not exactly going to be the ideal car to be driving passengers around in. Basically I'm a big fan of the car's style, and it would be nice to know that it is just as nice to own as to look at. Opinions on the Sportback are also welcome, but I'm talking mainly the Coupé model, here. Thanks
I've had a 2010 A5 2.0T since August 2009. I think all U.S. version A5s are Quattro. (I had the same 2.0T engine in a 2008 Audi TT.) Car magazines recommended the 2.0T as the better engine in the A5. The 3.2 has more horsepower, but IIRC the torque is greater in the 2.0T. The good: - It is a beautiful car, probably the prettiest 2+2 coupe on the market. Designed by an Italian and it shows. - Interior is nice, but the seats are most comfortable I've experienced. They lack the bolstering that you get in the TT, but for daily driving you won't miss it. - Ride quality is very nice and the car is quiet, almost eerily silent on smooth freeway. - Quattro is unobtrusive and extremely effective. We have no snow in San Diego, but when it rains the roads are very slick, and my fwd TT would often spin its front wheels on launch. The A5 with Quattro never does that. - Handling and braking are excellent -- very crisp, decent feedback through the steering wheel but nothing coarse. - Boot space with the fold-down rear seat is ample. - Reliability has been fine. Only routine servicing except when I mangled a tire in a construction-zone pot hole. - Gearbox is a six speed, so it's busy, but it is smooth and does a decent job of finding the right gear in D, a better job of holding gears in S. - Panorama moonroof really brightens the black interior of my car. I have it open all the time. The less good: - The car isn't fast. It isn't slow by any means because the torque is there when you pull away and it's probably in the 6 second range, 0-60. 'Drive' is lethargic. 'Sport' is noticeably better, but the car feels heavy regardless. - The back seat is usable for short trips, but if you're over 5'7" or so headroom is really tight. It's better than the TT (which makes the 911 feel like a limo), but realistically the back seat is for kids or for adults you don't want bothering you for frequent rides. - Front valance is stylishly low and protrudes, so it is vulnerable to scrapes. - Audi color palette: it is beyond boring. There's sort of silver, sort of silvery grey, sort of grey-green, definitely silver and basic red, white or black. BMW, Ferrari and Porsche all offer better color ranges. Overall very nice car. My advice would be to avoid the fwd and go with the Quattro.
I have a 2010 S5 Cabriolet. Like it very much. It now has 50,000 miles on it. it is the supercharged V6 with 333 hp. .
I've got an '11 S5 with the V8 and a manual. I used to have an '09 A4 2.0T manual. The A4 felt pretty quick with the manual transmission, I imagine it would be pretty pokey with an auto though. I haven't had any major problems with either.
I've got a 2010 S5 V8 with manual trans, gray with red interior. I absolutely love it as a sporting DD, and it has been 100% reliable in 2.5 years. As said above, about the best looking 4 seat coupe on the market, luxurious and comfortable interior, and with the V8 it has great performance.
Thank you all for your answers. While I love the S5, at this point it's not a viable option for me. These cars are generally very overpriced here in Brazil, so I would already be paying a little too much for the A5, more than I would like to pay. Also, cars with rides that are too firm suffer loads in the pothole infested streets of São Paulo. I'm not too worried about the car being "fast", in the Ferrari sense of the word, as like I said I'm not going to be racing or going crazy in it any time soon. I have to check if the 2.0's available for sale here are Quattro, because FWD would be a deal breaker for me. I know the most competitively priced one currently for sale is a 2009 3.2 V6, so I might be springing for that one. I'm also thinking of an A4, as well, an Avant, which I've always loved, and they are also cheaper around here. I've been (I am) a BMW guy for a long time, but my current car is a 635csi that is costing me too much to own, as old cars tend to do, and I'm starting to long for a proper car that I can take out without having to think if it's going to explode along the way... Audi seems to be making some great cars, very good looking, and properly nice. We have an E90 3 series at home, and I cannot express how much I hate the feel of that car. It doesn't help that the car is weighted down with....security equipment...but I'd much rather be driving in an A4, anyways.
The A5 is something of a bargain in the US, actually, or at least a good value. Base price in the US is under $40K, and you're driving a relatively rare car.
I used to live in Boston... The good days.... Here in Brazil you might as well double the price. Then switch to our currency.... Lots of $$
go for the Avant! We're on our 2nd one (07S4). BUT, if buying a used one, try to get a warranty. Audi's can be expensive to maintain; primarily the electronics.
I've heard that but I've also heard the latest generation A4's (and Audi's in general) are quite good on the reliability front, so far. That makes me happy. Plus, you should see the bills on my old ass 635csi....But at least the quirks are mechanical... Or on some of the newer BMW's we have, once they decide to break (electronics, usually) it's a mess.... I went to look at the new A4's at the dealership yesterday... Not as bad as I thought, on the price front... Which makes low mileage used ones something I really have to think about. Plus the cars, the avant especially, look extremely good.
I just bought an A3 and speaking from my experience, I had a much more satisfying time at the Audi dealership than the BMW dealer. It's a lot less of a pretencious place compared to bmw. At least the dealer I was at.
Again, that will vary, but trust me on this: they are on the same level here in Brazil. That's not what will make me change my mind. As a rule I consider dealerships to be a pain in the ass, and simply a necessary step before getting a new car. I'll try to make it as quick an experience as I can. I prefer doing the research online (such as on this thread) with enthusiasts and the press, then arrive at a dealership with a specific idea of what I want, and hopefully get through the price & payment discussions as quickly and painlessly as possible. I like the A3, too, but the nicer versions of it are too expensive for me, here. I'd rather buy a 1 series hatch, as I really like them, and you cannot beat the RWD feeling on a small car, even if it comes at the expense of passenger space. Considering the fact I'm looking at the A5 passengers are not my first concern, though the A4 avant will win on that front, again...
