2009 Audi S5: 20,000 miles

This is what a high end gauge cluster is supposed to look like.

Older Audi's use red for button backlights and for ambient lighting, in addition to older LED displays. I'm not sure about the button backlights for the current generation Audis.

Stingray and hybris, I was thinking the same thing about the gauges but this should come as no surprise as Audi has no peer when it comes to interior design. Clear, legible and oh so beautiful . . . with a 200MPH speedo to match!!

This cluster does look great! I spent last weekend at Club Trials and Autocross (all flat track with cones) and Audi was not represented. Honestly, I saw an Oldsmobile and a Pantera but zero Audis. I was bummed. Wanted to see the how they hold up, plus the S5 looks and sounds good.

Audi switched from completely red lighting in the instrument clusters in the early 2000's (I want to say 2001). I know because I had a 1997 A4 back in the late 90s that I traded in for a 2002 S4. 01 up models had white backgrounds with red needles. It looks like they've gotten rid of the red needles as well now.

The switch from red lighting was more recent than '01. My '05 has red entirely red lighting and I'm pretty sure B7 A4/S4/RS4 do as well.

Current "S"-model Audis have white-backlit gauges with white needles and gray-colored dials, while non-"S" models have the same white-backlit gauges but red needles and black-colored dials.

The button backlighting is red in all Audi models.

I guess I'm in the minority, but I never actually like Audi gauge clusters. There is just too much wasted space in the name of style. To me nothing matches BMW and Porsche gauges for function. When it comes to style I generally think MB and Jaguar do it better because they are just more elegant.

Anyway, back on topic. I'm surprised the S5 is only now reaching 20K miles. This car has to have received the greatest number of posts per driven mile of any car in the fleet. I don't really care though, it's one of a dwindling number of cars in the fleet I actually enjoy reading about.

93.1 is the local butt-rock station round these parts

Long live Tesla

let me guess Mercedes, you prefer the gauges on MB products. BMW gauges are lame and have been for a long time. They aren't any more sophisticated than what you get an a $25k car.

That screen in the middle is great. I noticed the new M has a monochromatic display in the gauge cluster which is what you get on lower end vehicles like the Equinox or some VW models. Unacceptable considering the car can cost over $65k. The Lacrosse CXS has a screen like this and after seeing it in person I was impressed. This is what you should get in a luxury car.

The gauges LOOK really nice but the speedo is typical poor engineering in the name of marketing BS....a 200MPH speedo??????? Give me a freaking break....how is this speedo even remotely well designed when most of is is not useable 99.9% of the time? And none of this "well the speed limiter is 190 so it MUST read to 200" BS.....why have something that you will NEVER use on the street AND if you do you are a complete moron who endangers other peoples lives? So lets not pretend that German cars are all about function over style....its not true.