2009 Audi S5: Introduction

Why did we spring for the 2009 model? The 2010 is supposed to have that new MMI among other upgrades.

Also, the S5 has been out since 2008 already...I thought LT tests are for brand-new models only?

S5!!!!!! HELL YA! I mean R8 is awesome but the S5 is attainable. So this(these) cars are driven daily? And you guys seem to enjoy the S5 so that means there should be DAILY updates. I mean it's not work...it's a 12 month dream. See...I can write. Drove one in Van Nuys when it first came out...very short uptake on the clutch. Takes getting use too. Oops...excuse me for a minute...I need to get a towel.

Sweet car! Though, why not wait for the Cabriolet version? Especially since you live in sunny California. I like the color, but I would have gone with the Quartz Gray.

If Megan Fox were a car....DAYUM

yep, awesome car. Walter de'Silva (the designer) likes this car over his other creations, which includes, but not limited to, the TT, R8, and Lamborghini Miura Concept...

I must too express my love for this car...I adore that engine, I adore the way it looks, and while I normally go for more extreme, focused performance machine, I love how it pulls off that idea of a GT. I would promptly and proudly own one. It may not be a huge game changer overall, but it's definitely an interesting and beautiful car and it deserves a long term test to document that.

We need a video that features plenty of audio of this sweetest of sweet engines being rowed through the box!! Audi's 4.2 V8 and a 6spd = :-)

It is indeed a beautiful car. One lives right near my, and it catches my eye every time I drive by.

It looks better in silver though. Shame about the ridiculously expensive nav - what a gouge.

I love it. You will be blown away by the Bang & Olufson Sound.

I wish you got it in Deep Sea Blue with the Cinnamon Interior.

By the way, when can we see that new XC60?

Another Audi? **yawn**

27 cars in the long-term fleet, and only 6 domestic vehicles.

Couldn't you have picked a Lincoln MKS or Chevrolet Traverse?

If it had to be an import brand, the Toyota Venza would have been a nice choice.

That's exactly my favorite color combo too, adavis2493, though I'd be willing to consider the very dark gray (forgot what it's called) with the cinnamon interior too.

IMHO the best reason to buy an Audi over something comparable from Japan Inc. boils down to those marvelous interiors. . . then again, there isn't really a Japanese counterpart to the A5/S5.

I was considering an A5 before I bought my current car.. it was beautiful but down on power and performance. The S5 was out of my price range..way to make me jealous :[

At least I hate red..

I also second the XC60

Great choice. I was checking out a CPO S4 at my local dealer and I also looked over the S5. A beautiful car- even more so in red...

Wow you got Bang & Olufsen holy crap!
I would trade my soul in written on a sheet of scrap paper for Bang & Olufsen!

its just hard for me to justify an Audi... you REALLY pay for the extra bells and whistles. its not a cheap car and every option you tick makes you cringe...

VW works for me. You get more car for less money.

What a beauty. Can't wait for the posts!

Chevrolet Traverse?

If it had to be an import brand, the Toyota Venza would have been a nice choice.

Wow are you kidding me? YAWNNNNNNNNNNNN

They already had one of the other badge jobs in the fleet, what would be the purpose? To show off the lower level of build quality?

The Venza, is borrring and uggggly. But it wouldn't surprise me one bit if a fully loaded or base model came in.

"Chevrolet Traverse?

If it had to be an import brand, the Toyota Venza would have been a nice choice.

Wow are you kidding me? YAWNNNNNNNNNNNN

They already had one of the other badge jobs in the fleet, what would be the purpose? To show off the lower level of build quality?

The Venza, is borrring and uggggly. But it wouldn't surprise me one bit if a fully loaded or base model came in."

A fine example of how you can't please everybody.

Lovely car- bad color choice.

I am intrigued by this selection. It's kind of pointless because the basic electronics and mechanicals are identical to the A4 Avant you already have, but if I had the option to be given a V8 and 6-speed I wouldn't turn them down either!

On a side note, I can't make up my mind about the car's design. I think the front end is just awful, the rear is devoid of any style at all, yet from 3/4 angles the car is absolutely stunning.

Stop just driving cars that you want to drive, and try driving some that some of us might be able to buy! Come on, I'm liking motortrend more and more I think.

Yes Finally a loaded car!

uncanny_man:

With today's economy, the few that are buying new cars are the wealthy. So essentially they are going with market trends, and buying cars that the people in the market are buying. The A5/S5 was just marked as one of the few cars that have had an increase in sales during the recession.

I admit, I would have preferred perhaps an XC60, Camaro, Venza, Fusion Hybrid, Insight, GLK, CC, RX, Etc.

"Couldn't you have picked a Lincoln MKS or Chevrolet Traverse?"

They already had an Enclave which is pretty much the same thing. When will the Camaro be in?

As for the S5: I've been waiting for this one for a while. What a beautiful car.

They've already got a Flex, and if you want to read about the Traverse, go check out the posts about the Enclave (essentially the same car), as others have said.

I do think you guys should add a Routan. It would be interesting to read about how it compares to its cousin, the DGC.

I also agree about the XC60 - you guys could do your own City Safety commercial, complete with in-car reactions (aka freak outs) and pee-your-pants hilarity.

I remember when pics of this car first hit the web and just about every comment was positive as the car is simply beautiful, classy and timeless. A fine example of a great design that will look just as good in 10+ years. The only down side is the price considering BMW's 335i and Infiniti's G37 offer the same or better performance with a more tactile driving experience.

I know with the 2010 S4 the new 3.0T will replace the 4.2L V8, will Audi do the same with the S5?

beautiful car.

however, i find that the long-term road test is becoming less practical and more humor than anything else, mostly because of how expensive all the test cars are. maybe it's cause i live in the middle class world, but i would never consider half the cars that are currently long-term road tested just because i just can't afford them, especially with this economy.

it seems like a growing trend with these long-term road tests are testing cars that are $30k+. what happened to restraint when buying a car? all these new long-term road tests (7 series, M3, challenger) are starting to become "not applicable" to me. i miss the old long-term road test days with more posts about everyday cars and less about "niche" cars.

hondacura4,

here's a quote from introduction:

"Rumor has it that next year's S5 will carry Audi's new supercharged V6 in place of the fan favorite, the award-winning 4.2-liter V8."

I guess we'll have to wait and see..

I'm all about the gorgeous S5 (great seats in those too). However, I would also like to see more domestic cars. The new "Eco" boost MKS is definitely one to look into, or a 2010 Mustang GT.

Absolutely gorgeous car, but it seems a bit redundant to me. Platform is the same as the A4, right? Engine is the same as the R8. There's isn't a whole lot new going on here, and it is just one more in the endless stream of unaffordable European sport sedans and coupes parading through the LT fleet. Of course I'd rather the balance slightly favor performance cars over practical cars, but would it kill you guys to fill some of the performance slots with something non-millionaires can afford? The Camaro and Genesis are just begging to be added, but instead we get this. Sexy yes. Different? No.

Oh, and that fuel economy is atrocious. Simply inexcusable. Why is it people decry American companies for building V8 performance cars, even when they are so much more efficient than the S5, but no one bats an eye when this thing returns 13 mpg? Hummers do better than that! Pathetic.

I'm going to have to echo some of the sentiments here regarding the consistent procurement of somewhat unobtainable euro-sleds. How about something a little different.

You guys should have gotten a Genesis Coupe 3.8 months ago. We all may or may not be fans of Hyundai, but most are curious about this car. Although I would love to own an S5, between this, the M3s, the A4, the 750i and a recent bout with a R8, this is becoming boring.

The FX is nice. The Challenger is okay, if not tedious. It would have been far more interesting to gotten a G37 or a V6 Camaro AND a Genesis Coupe 3.8 to see how the two compare.

@stovt0001:

"Hummers do better than that! Pathetic."

No they don't

"For instance, H2 in one engine configuration averages about 14 mpg-US on highways, 10 mpg-US in the city"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummer

I couldn't tell from looking @ the photo of the engine bay, but does the S5 have an oil dipstick?

Nice paraphrasing of King Julian in Madagascar 2. Great movie. :) Oh yeah, nice car too!

Yeah, I was being a little hyperbolic on the fuel economy thing. Yes, the Hummer does have fewer MPGs (though if you consider its utility, ultimate economy is actually higher) but the numbers are not that far off.

Recession? What recession? Certainly not at Inside Line.

I didn't look up every single LT car currently in the fleet, but there's not that many under $30,000.

I know they got this car for free, & I would certainly not turn down a free S5 either, but I'd like to see some less expensive cars mixed in.