2009 Audi S5: High Fashion

No, when I think Audi I think college kid with rich parents but not rich enough to buy a proper BMW.

Audi was fashionable from 1998 to 2000, but ever since then they've been known as tarted up Volkswagens that fall apart after a year.

The A5 (or S5) certainly has that effect. It looks more special than the BMWs and Benzes.

I have to agree with this post in a sense. While it's highly dependent on which model (I'm more likely to think country club when I see a 2.0T w/auto 4 compared to say... a 335i coupe with a six speed), generally the Audis are flat out better styled vehicles in my opinion.

When I was walking across campus to see the Longhorns flatten the LA-Monroe Warhawks on Saturday my friends and I saw a black Audi A5 with a six speed and the S-Line package. It was absolutely stunning-- everyone in my group, both male and female stopped to look it over and gush over its looks.

Wow Mike, I totally just inadvertently proved your point. Whoops.

"When you see an Audi, you think of exotic Europe. When you see a BMW or a Mercedes-Benz, you think of the country club parking lot in Indianapolis. And this is why Audi is winning the design contest and BMW and Mercedes are losing it."

When you see an Audi, you think of reliability/maintenance issues and mediocre performance. When you see a BMW or a Mercedes-Benz, you think of financial/social status, confidence, and solid performance. And this is why Audi is losing the sales contest and BMW and Mercedes are winning it.

Maybe it's just me, but Audis get a couple points because it just seems more likely to see Mercedes and BMWs as taxis in europe...with the exception of the A6, mostly, but that's never been my favorite Audi.

I actually agree with what you said, but probably not how you were thinking. Audis do garner more attention, but more because they are rare.

BMWs are far more attention grabbing designs to the common-folk, but there are so many of them around that people don't really think about them anymore. A new BMW typically draws more looks than a new Audi; at least that has been the case whenever I am with non-car people. They never seem to notice Audis until I stop to look the car over. They always like the design, but I have had people tell me they thought it was a Lexus. Ouch.

MB doesn't draw many looks either with its cars, but that is kind of the point. It caters to old-money folks who want an elegant, timeless design that isn't in-your-face or image-conscious like an Audi. It's for this reason Audi's are so rare: the company's design language is too "new-money". Great for appealing to college kids, but not people who can actually afford the cars.

I personally like Audi design a lot, but at the same time I just can never imagine myself in an Audi at this stage of my life.

"When you see an Audi, you think of exotic Europe."

No I don't.

When I see an Audi I think of Quattro and an upscale VW...

Oh by the way, if I am in China, if I see an Audi I think of "Made in China"...

As an Audi owner, the post made me laugh. Fancy VW is all I think when I see an Audi.

As a current Audi owner and a past BMW Owner, I can say I prefer the experience my Audi gives me over the one I received with my BMW.

Let's face it: when you spend a good chunk of your salary on a car, you don't want it to just blend in with the crowd (cough 3-Series/5-Series), you want to stand out somewhat.

While I had a 2005 325i, it was about as common as a Taurus, and remained unnoticed for the entire lease. But now with my A5, even at a little more than a year old, it still gets looked at as if it just rolled off the showroom floor (especially by VW Drivers), and I love that factor.

Plus, when you see another A5/S5 (rare sight), it is actually somewhat special, and you always get a friendly greeting from the other driver. With my 3-Series, all I would usually see driving them are women in their mid 40's who have them in white on tan vinyl, AWD, and never heard of a carwash.

But, the car brand I view more style oriented still means to be Jaguar.

Don't tell ME what to think!

I agree to a point.

When I see a base (ironically the Premium level) A4 w/o it's snazzy LED running lights and dumpy 16" wheels, I certainly do not think of exotic Europe. Wherever that is. Those base Audis are FAR more common than S5s, Q7s and R8s that are clearly more chic than it's German rivals.

Problem is that the lower end models from BMW and Benz look just as good, if not better IMHO, and they're the ones being sold.

"When I see an Audi I think of Quattro and an upscale VW..."

Every Audi hater repeats this tired old line.

Well, every time I see a Lexus I see an upscale Toyota.
Every time I see an Infiniti I see an upscale Nissan.
Every time I see an Acura I see an upscale Honda.
Etc.

Real hard.

Wait a minute, that picture of an anorexic Bulgarian with a vodka commercial dude somehow = good design? Audi's PR department is trying too hard, and it's embarrassing.

The hard truth is that people that actually pay for German cars - as opposed to the average ILer worshipping them - no matter how hard their corporate advertising arms try to suggest otherwise, is that their core customers are pudgy, soulless corporate accountants and orthodontists and loan officers without any real taste in automobiles.

VW can pay P. Diddy and Lady Gaga a billion dollars to pose with an S5 but that, my friends, does not equate to 'good design' by affiliation. The scantily clad women and sculptured men in magazine spreads don't buy Audis. The full-figured women and dudes with hairy backs that work for mutual funds and consulting firms do.

Also, adavis, re: Jaguar:

Absolutely. If you're that style-conscious, and have the kind of cash to buy a new Beamer, Benz, or Audi, there are literally an infinite array of more appealing choices. If it's really just looks you're after, buy a 2005 Elise or 1995 Maserati or something for a quarter of the price. Or drive a classic Detroit car to work every day. More attention than any 5 series will get you and hey, you'll actually have respectable taste in cars.

+1 ctpax and mercedesfan.

With the exception of the A5/S5, I don't see how Audi is "winning" the design contest. The new E89 Z4, F01 7er, and E-class coupe are pretty stunning cars in person.

When I think of Audi, I think of FWD or heavy AWD, not a proper sports car. Though I do believe they have some great looking vehicles, just not driven by the proper wheels (except when in reverse).

i get audi and prefer audi over the rest, but i can't pony over the extra cash for one over a VW, more than $10,000 more for a similarly equipped Audi to my GTI... makes no sense for me.

Quattro is the only thing that Audi offers over VW... and I live in So Cal and don't snowboard or ski. Performance benfits are nice, but since I can only afford a 4 cylinder model, its not going to be much of a performance car. After spending more money to chip the car, you have yourself a car that might keep up with a V6 Honda Accord.

@ rascal99 : Except that an Infiniti G35 isn't a rebadged version of a US Nissan (like the A4 is a Golf or ES350 is a Camry.)

You also have to keep in mind that Volkswagen AG isn't quite as gifted in terms of engineering as Toyota, Honda, Nissan, or even Kia. They haven't figured out things like how to build an engine that doesn't sludge or get proper fuel economy or a suspension that doesn't crap out before the mileage hits six digits. They haven't figured out how to build an interior that doesn't fall apart after two years or even make a simple button that doesn't exfoliate.

Thanks to their innovative use of turbos, they HAVE found a way to deliver the performance of a V6 while simultaneously achieving 1/5th of the longevity! Way to go Audi!

The caption for this picture should be:

-Honey, where are you going?! You were supposed to drive me to the fashion show!

-In this pretentious and mediocre performance can? Fagiet about it!

mikeolan:

+1,00,000,000

@ctpax perfect caption!

"When I was walking across campus to see the Longhorns flatten the LA-Monroe Warhawks on Saturday my friends and I saw a black Audi A5 with a six speed and the S-Line package. It was absolutely stunning-- everyone in my group, both male and female stopped to look it over and gush over its looks."

Haha, I go to ULM. And yea, y'all did slaughter us but that wasn't a surprise at all... You should have slaughtered us worse.

And yea, the S5 is a great looking car.

actually, all of you that keep saying that Audi's are just tarted up VW's are actually wrong. (keep in mind the following pertains to only the current generation of vehicles).

1. the only vehicles that share platforms between Audi and VW are the A3 and GTI, A8 and Phaeton,and the Touareg and Q7. the A3 does share engines with the GTI and Jetta, the 2.0T and 2.0 TDI.
2. the A4 is not just a dressed-up Jetta, as the A4 rides on an entirely new platform that also underpins the A5. the A4 and A5 do share the 2.0T engine, but its power output is entirely different in that it has a new variable valve system from Audi.
3. the A6 is in no way similar to the Passat. they do not share any engines or a platform. none of the Passat's current or past engines are found or were ever found in the A6, and vice versa.
4. the Q5 and Tiguan are also totally different, as the Q5 is based on the A4 platform, the Tiguan, the Jetta. they do not share engines, although there have been a few rumors that Audi may migrate their version of the 2.0T to the Q5.

get your facts straight. the majority of vehicles sold by either company are not just "touted up" versions.

otherwise, you could say the same thing about Lexus, despite the fact that the only vehicles that are shared amongst Toyota and Lexus are the ES350, GX470 and the LX570

also, in terms of reliability, Audi actually rates better than Mercedes Benz and about the same as BMW, according to Consumer Reports. Mercedes Benz has more problems than any other manufacturer in the US besides Chrysler, while BMW and Audi are more average.

overall, this thread is just full of VW/Audi hate from a few people that may have actually experienced or witnessed problems with their cars and a bunch of people that hate on them because VW's and Audi's outperform the rice-burners that they drive.

mike-you have no idea what you are talking about, so please just stop.

@jm1212 : look on eBay. Take a look at the interior of an E-Class and compare it to an A6 of similar model years. One will look like new, the other will have failed leather seats, warped dash panels, broken electronic equipment, trim pieces that have lost all of their finish, etc. I'm hard pressed to think of any other manufacturer whose cars disintegrate quicker.

Then take a look on Carsurvey. Mercedes hardly has Japanese or even American-grade reliability, but you can compare it any day of the week to something VWAG produced and it's night and day. Blown turbos, engine sludge, and electrical gremlins left and right. That's not a premium product. Audi must be a German translation for LADA, or FAIL.

RW, you're right-- it should have been a USC-San Diego State type blowout... I left the game after the third quarter when the score was 45-10. Disappointed to see the massive edge starting to go away.

I'm really glad I left, though, so I could watch the tail end of OU getting beaten, though, haha.

"Except that an Infiniti G35 isn't a rebadged version of a US Nissan (like the A4 is a Golf or ES350 is a Camry.)"

The A4 is not a Golf, nor is it related to any current VW. Are you thinking of the A3?

For all the talk of Audis being tarted-up VWs, that's actually true of what, one current Audi model? (The A3). The TT may be based on the Golf platform, but the extensive use of aluminum means it's a lot more than a low-roofed GTI. And the A4, A5, A6, A8, Q5, Q7, and R8 have no VW counterparts to my knowledge.

No offense to Audis or Audi owners but they are as exotic as the Munich airport.

@jm1212-

Acutally MB ranks 27 out of 32 in CR's rankings; still unimpressive but it does place them above Volkswagen. One also need remember that this list of vehicles includes the dreadful CLK, the electrical-gremlin ML, and the unloved R-Class. If you compare apples to apples by comparing CR reliablity data for the C, E, and S against the A4, A6, and A8 Mercedes trounces Audi. That isn't hard for me to believe through my experience with both companies.

@jm1212, ah but BMW covers their cars with a b2b warranty for 4 years/50k miles. Audi you can't get to even fix a broken button after 1 year as they call it normal wear and tear. Light bulb goes out on a 2 year old Audi - that's cost you for a repair. Audi did away with their included maintenance too. You can't even get your brakes changed for free anymore.

This blogger reminds me of agent001 from autospies; purposely trying to stir up drama with a thread in which he can't POSSIBLY be serious. Surely he meant to make us laugh with this, or see if it would start an e-war. No one could seriously think audi, with their bland and repeated designs, is winning any kind of design 'contest'.

I'd say the only contest they could win is seeing how many cars they can create with the same boring and overrated interior and exterior design.

"No one could seriously think audi, with their bland and repeated designs, is winning any kind of design 'contest'."

Actually, the A5/S5 won Automobile Magazine's 2009 Design of the Year award.

Dear Mr Jordan,

Have you ever considered getting back into basketball or baseball?

Because this auto journalism thing just isn't working out.

Not to mention that Top Gear fans thinks of Audi as the high-fashion "designer" brand thanks to Jeremy Clarkson. Anyone ever watched his top gear review of the TT? And anyone remember that Audi makes the R8? One of the most impressive looking cars on the road today? Not to mention that people in Europe just eat up the A3 because of its cool image and looks.

cwmoo, I love Europe but I don't think one should read anything into the affinity for VW across the pond. The also like Diesel branded clothing.