[vallance5]

Currently driving e92 330i se and is time to change. Loved the car but had a few problems with it along the way nothing major (just had to go to the garage 3 or 4 times) but enough to say it want a fully reliable car.

Looking to go faster so the obvious choice was the facelift 335i, however the idea of owning pretty much the same car for 6 years put me off. So i am currently looking at an S5 sportback as the normal coupe has the fuel guzzling v8, alot less rear room and the sportback comes with the dual clutch as standard.

Was just wondering on peoples opinions and what they make of the potential change.

Cheers

[CATCH_M3]

S4, S5, RS5, C63, Panamera, F10 5-series, E90 M3 test them out.. All pretty good

[zltm089]

I like the looks of the S5 Coupe...and S4 is ok aswell...but its a saloon...

Evo X fq360 ...not sure if u like jap cars...

M3 ..

if you want something faster than a 330i and with good handling, you'll need to look at the S and RS Audi range...

[DrDurt]

wait it out, the s5 will be getting the supercharged v6 shortly, how about a slightly used Carrera 4S????? all wheel drive and very fun

[vallance5]

I need something with 4 seats for adults as the rest of the family all have 2 seaters. The S5 coupe even when it does get the V6T will still be too small as its much smaller in the rear than the e92 unfortunately.

I looked at an M3 with a couple of k miles on the clock but again is a fuel guzzler. As for an evo, isnt quite the look im going for however they are quick!

Hence the best i have found so far is the S5 sportback. 4 seats with lots of room with 333bhp with audis s tronic dual clutch gearbox. I drove an S4 which apparently drives very similarly and was impressed. There always the option of an MTM upgrade aswell for a reasonable price, boosting power by about 90hp

[rsmallwo]

why not properly goto the dark side...

335d e91 or e90?

You've had you're taste of petrol, get on the performance diesel wagon!!

if not then c63 amg it is, yes it will drink fuel but OMFG!

[dxb335d]

C63 IS AWESOME.

May I ask what problemo's you encountered.

How long did you own and how many miles covered.

[Snooky]

I think the S5 Sportback is an excellent choice for what you are looking for. I am a fan of the Audi Quattro 4WD system since we got our A4 Avant. Ours is just the 2.0TFSI version and it is pretty quick so the S5 will be very quick. I like the way the Audi's are put together too. You'll not be disappointed. My only downside to the Audi is the slight off-set positioning of the pedals (less of an issue in the DSG version you are going for).

Look forward to the pics when you get it

[CHG]

Originally Posted by Snooky

I think the S5 Sportback is an excellent choice for what you are looking for. I am a fan of the Audi Quattro 4WD system since we got our A4 Avant. Ours is just the 2.0TFSI version and it is pretty quick so the S5 will be very quick. I like the way the Audi's are put together too. You'll not be disappointed. My only downside to the Audi is the slight off-set positioning of the pedals (less of an issue in the DSG version you are going for).

Look forward to the pics when you get it

Couldn't Agree more with the pedal issue... Really annoyed me in the A5 I drove...Auto/DSG cures the problem though

[beemerbird]

Originally Posted by vallance5

Currently driving e92 330i se and is time to change. Loved the car but had a few problems with it along the way nothing major (just had to go to the garage 3 or 4 times) but enough to say it want a fully reliable car.

Looking to go faster so the obvious choice was the facelift 335i, however the idea of owning pretty much the same car for 6 years put me off. So i am currently looking at an S5 sportback as the normal coupe has the fuel guzzling V8, alot less rear room and the sportback comes with the dual clutch as standard.

What problems you had with the 330i? I had one and no probs, not a lot to go wrong with the engine, not under stress, N/A etc, just curious.

Fuel guzzling V8......shame on you. You're right about the rear legroom in the S5 and headroom to a degree.

It is clearly visible from looking at the sportback there is more rear room. Nice looking car. Like others have said, go for a few test drives and have some fun.

As for the pedals - agree. At first you think eh! Then as with most things you just get used to them and don't notice and now they feel 'normal' tbh. You've said you'd want the s tronic so not applicable as they say.

I've no complaints with mine put it that way. Well screwed together and a nice place to be.

[pjs]

S5 sportback one of the best looking cars under 100k, if it is half as good to drive as it looks it will be great. Pricey? What are the must have options?

[Irnbrukid]

Dont think the S4 v6 is that much more fuel efficient than the v8 going by some comments from S4 owners on other forums.

If you intend to extract more power at a reasonable cost then the v6 is the way to go.

The Sportback should be way more practical than the coupe as you say and not to many around either.

[F31-340i]

S5 Sportback. Takes me back to the early 1980s.....



...which is no bad thing.

Get one and put "Vitesse" side stripes on it. Dare you. It also has to be red of course!

[vallance5]

cheers for all the replys. The problems i have had was that one day it decided to run on 5 cylinders or less, issues with starting recently and two software upgrades. Nothing major but still been in the garage 4 or 5 times. The car has 19k on the clock and will be 3 years old in October.

On the S4 i drove i did notice the pedals were offset but something im sure you would get used to. They audi S models hold there value alot better than the big engined e92s. So will prob be putting the deposit down this week!

Beemerbird how do u compare the handling between the two cars. Iv heard the audis are a bit more of a detached driving experience with a tendency to understeer however they are doing a trick differential which i hear makes a huge difference. Probably a must for the options list.

[F31-340i]

Just noticed the S5 Sportback has 333ps but only makes 219 CO2s. Thats very impressive. That means it is currently 'only' £245 a year tax instead of £425/435 for usual stuff this fast with over 225 CO2s. Year 1 showroom tax is £550 though - ouch.

more memories....

[vblanche]

What about an Alpina?

[Jamese93]

Originally Posted by colourhutgroup

Couldn't Agree more with the pedal issue... Really annoyed me in the A5 I drove...Auto/DSG cures the problem though

Strange you guys mention that - was driving a friends A3 sportback at the weekend and found the pedals strangely offset, not a bad car though. As for the S5 - nice car - the normal A5 sportbacks are a bit naff ITO looks - there's a dark metallic blue one in the basement near mine and to be frank, it's as boring as they come and shows you have to be careful with colours. S though, awesome car!

[Irnbrukid]

Originally Posted by vallance5

cheers for all the replys. The problems i have had was that one day it decided to run on 5 cylinders or less, issues with starting recently and two software upgrades. Nothing major but still been in the garage 4 or 5 times. The car has 19k on the clock and will be 3 years old in October.

On the S4 i drove i did notice the pedals were offset but something im sure you would get used to. They audi S models hold there value alot better than the big engined e92s. So will prob be putting the deposit down this week!

Beemerbird how do u compare the handling between the two cars. Iv heard the audis are a bit more of a detached driving experience with a tendency to understeer however they are doing a trick differential which i hear makes a huge difference. Probably a must for the options list.

Not sure about the audi S models holding there value... especially if they bring an RS out in that line-up then its residuals are toast.

Most Audis are dull drives there is few lately that have shaken this tag somewhat RS4 - R8.

But think its sounds as if you need a change so go for it.

[vblanche]

RS6 avant?... lovely car...

[vallance5]

I think it may hold its value a bit better being a sportback as there is no RS model of that coming out. As for colours i agree have seen a few A5 sportbacks in dull colours and the are very ordinary. I was thinking of sprint blue or ibis white. RS6 too expensive!

[vblanche]

alpina?

[beemerbird]

Originally Posted by vallance5

Beemerbird how do u compare the handling between the two cars. Iv heard the audis are a bit more of a detached driving experience with a tendency to understeer however they are doing a trick differential which i hear makes a huge difference. Probably a must for the options list.

Right then handling..........on mine it has this gearing thing going on with the steering and at speeds below say 35 mph the steering feels light, certainly lighter than my two beemers. Therein after things become as they should be imo ie. much more feel. I would say the most feedback you get is above 60 mph + and through the twisties you do know what is going on under your bottie. The steering becomes direct and combined with the grip you can tramp on in all honesty across country so to speak.

The split is 40:60 rear biased as you'll probably know, and I would say at lower speeds you can detect slight understeer, again this is not apparent at higher speeds ahem. The EDL (electronic diff lock - standard on S5 & S5 sportback being quattro) really seems to do its job ie. excess power to one wheel it will direct to other wheels for optimum grip. I've pushed the car and imho the suspension limits are reached before grip gives. What the cars are like with the optional sports diff. and the variable suspension, I don't know but would wager pretty good fun. The only thing mine isn't too keen on is quick change of direction above 90 mph through S bends........still doesn't loose grip though.

My opinion, and it is only my opinion is that the driving experience isn't so much detached compared to the BMW's but BMW appear to concentrate more on the feeling of involvement whereas Audi seem to plump more for what 'appears' to be a more 'civilised' experience. It is very deceptive what speeds you are travelling at! Hard to explain. Best way I can describe it is you drive a BMW and you feel pretty much involved from the get go. The Audi at first you may think mmm, this is very nice but too 'civilised', where's the overall excitement perhaps? The more I drove the S5's in my case, the more I got to know the car and there is a bit of a wolf in sheeps clothing going on. It has surprised me and pleased me in all honesty. It has a dark side lol.

Whatever you decide there's no harm in having a good long test drive, so enjoy.

Edit: As for residuals, the RS models don't affect the S models residuals- different model totally for pricing. Bit like the M3 doesn't affect the residuals of any E9X M sports.