Vehicle on test
Audi S5
Good:
Looks, performance, engine noise, comfort
Not so Good:
Dull dashboard design, harsh ride on some surfaces
Overall:
Think back – if you can – to the early 1980s and the introduction of the Audi quattro coupé. It turned world rallying on its head almost overnight and proved that all-wheel traction was actually useful for something other than ploughing fields. Oh yes, and it made a fantastic roaring, burbling sound as it passed. If you’re too young to remember standing in the Welsh forests and hearing the unmistakeable sound of a Group B quattro approaching at full chat, you have my sympathy.
In the intervening years, Audi’s launched a couple of coupés that have never quite managed to live up to the quattro’s image, although there hasn’t actually been a big coupé in the Audi range at all for a good while now. The first hints that there was another on the way came with the appearance of the Nuvolari concept at the 2003 Geneva show, but it’s taken over four years for the concept to finally become a reality and for the A5 and S5 models to appear in showrooms.
Initially, two models are offered – a 3.0 litre turbodiesel A5 and the model we tested, a 4.2 litre V8 FSI petrol S5 – with a succession of others to follow, including a 1.8 petrol and 2.7 oil-burner that’s expected to become the best-seller. Both the launch cars are 4WD-only, although front-wheel-drive will be an option on some of the smaller engined models. Similarly, 6 speed manual transmissions are all that’s on offer at launch, with a Tiptronic gearbox following before the end of the year.
Initial impressions of the S5, I have to say, were very good. The A5/S5 is the first car to be built on Audi’s new Modular Longitudinal Platform (MLP) that’ll also see service in the new A4. Moving the front axle forward has given the car the longest wheelbase of any mid-size Audi to date and there’s an impressive amount of interior room as a result. Head-on, the car looks like a big TT, although it would be a mistake to think of the S5 as simply a bigger version of the car we tested in late 2006. It’s an attractive car from every angle, with leather seats (complete with the “S5” logo embroidered into the front seats) as standard in the S variant. One disappointment, however, was that the dashboard looks the same as in every other Audi with the exception of the R8 – why can’t Audi designers offer something a little special in a car costing very nearly £40,000?
Once on the move, the car’s performance matches its good looks. The 354PS under the bonnet propels the S5 from 0-62mph in just 5.1 seconds and it’ll go to reach a governed top speed of 155mph if allowed. Combined fuel economy is quoted as 22.8mpg, while Audi’s mastery of 4WD technology means the S5 always feels glued to the road and so grip is always never an issue.
What is most definitely an issue is the ride quality. Fine on smooth tarmac, the car starts to become unsettled as soon as the road surface starts to deteriorate and there were a couple of occasions when things became decidedly uncomfortable. That’s not what you want from a Grand Tourer – instead, you need the ability to effortlessly cross continents with a couple of suitcases safely stowed away in the rear. I doubt that description could happily be applied to the S5, particularly when you look at its less powerful sibling.
The TDI-engined A5 launched at the same time takes just 0.8seconds longer to hit 62mph from rest, will do the same 155mph top speed and returns 39.2mpg on the combined cycle. What’s more, it costs a whopping £5,400 less than the S5, even with the optional £950 sports package. Hmmmm.
Audi reckon it’ll sell around 8,000 A5s in a full year, with the diesels accounting for the bulk of sales and so the S5 will be a fairly rare sight on UK roads. Despite the fact that residuals for the S5 are already predicted to be class-leading, I reckon the BMW 3-series coupé and Mercedes-Benz CLK will still manage to find buyers, thank you very much. The S5 is a good car, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a car that definitely has its flaws.
Report by Mark James
