2009 Audi S5: That Feeling

You forgot to add:

"It makes me feel like I have money"

"It just needs more power, at least 400 hp."

Not really. What it's got, gets the job done.

"Not really. What it's got, gets the job done."

I drove one and loved everything about it but the power, I live at 5000-6400 ft above sea level and had more fun driving a 335i or my Jeep.

I agree with the sentiment, but I'd rather have a hardtop BMW convertible for that price.

I'll admit right up front that I don't have any experience in the S5, but my main complaint with Audis remains that their rides are just too brittle. They have greatly stepped up their performance game recently, but they have yet to master the BMW handling/comfort tradeoff in suspension tuning. My old A6 was way too soft, but the A8L that I test drove a couple weeks ago was just too stiff for a luxury car and it just didn't perform well enough to merit that stiffness (aside from that I loved the car despite trying to dislike it). Everytime I drive a BMW I'm amazed at how compliant yet totally controlled the suspension is, everytime I drive an Audi I feel like it's just too brittle. Maybe the S5 is better and I hope that it is, but I feel like suspension tuning is where Audi continues to drop the ball.

I test drove an A5 a couple of weeks ago and it was a nice car, but it had a steering wheel vibration issue that was hard to overlook. It is a beautiful car though.

better exhaust sound

At first, I read "I wanted to do absolutely nothing to this car. It's just so... done." as "I wanted absolutely nothing to do [with] this car. I'm just so... done." ... I know, I'm dyslexic.

I hope that they can clear up the steering wheel vibration for the 2011 MY, as that was my only real gripe when test driving an '09 S5.

First, I'm sure you meant an Eames chair. :) I only see the Barcelona in commercial waiting areas these days.

Second, I agree. Adult is a dirty word in the US these days, but the elegance and performance of the S5 is very adult. I think I'd pick one over even the BMW 3-series coupe. I find that equally beautiful, but every BMW club meet I go to is crawling with kids (literally teen-agers) with 335s and M3 coupes.

Wow. That has to be the best angle for this car. I'm not really into butt shots and the whole booty movement but that has to be one great rear.

I'm not too crazy about manufacturers bumping up hp output in past couple years. Thanks to high gas price in recent years, people are getting their senses back.

i kinda feel that way about the GTI. it has way too much power for being FWD, so i'll spin quite a bit when i floor it... even with traction control on. it already has 18" wheels, which is really big. lol. it has a nice sound system. nice handling. nice brakes. (yes, you'd really have to thrash on them at the track before they show weakness) it even has a sound tube, so you get a nice growl when you floor it.

i dont NEED to do anything to it, but i do cuz its fun... lol.

@mercedesfan - I drive an A4 and love the car; but, that's a very accurate word for the suspension..."brittle". Wonderful ride on a smooth road though.

@huyracing - IS your GTI flashed or stock? Interested in the new GTI but I am wondering if flashing the engine would be a bit too much for the FWD setup.

'European sensibilities'? Are we just supposed to fill in the blank on that one? What does that even mean?

If I had to guess, I'd say it actually sounds sort of lame.

mercedesfan & rascal: I disagree on the a4 ride comment. Just switched from a sports package bmw to a sports package a4 and the ride is very good, definitely better in the audi. It's not just the runflats either, as I've had two kinds of them and also a winter tire. The 2006+ 3-series just doesn't have enough suspension travel, causing bottoming of the suspension a regular occurrence. My a4 on 18's rides better... I will give the steering and road feel to the bmw though.

@mercedesfan & rascal
I have to agree! All this time I thought it was just me, because I rarely hear complaints about ride quality in reviews of the A4. I test drove a brand new A4 3.2 two winters ago and noticed the brittle ride quality as soon as I started driving it. My friend in the passenger seat noticed the same. We made up our minds after driving just one block. Granted, it was winter in the midwest and the car had been sitting in the lot for a while--the salesman let it run for 10 minutes to de-ice, so I wondered if perhaps the shocks were just frozen or something (it seriously felt like it had ZERO suspension travel). Then tried a used A6, which was much more compliant.

But for a long while after the test drive, my friend and I were just shocked at how horrid the ride was in that A4. I've never been in a hardcore stripped out sports/race car before, but I've never experienced anything nearly that harsh.

I still have to think that car was probably a fluke. There's no way there could be so many A4s on the road if they all rode like that.

Also test drove numerous competitors, including the BMW 3, which was much more compliant even on run flats (in the same weather, same roads) and handled at least as well on the street. Ended up buying a used 530i.