Stunning design and fit, beautifully burbly V8
Coupe’s rear seats hard to access, thirsty fuel with 98RON required
Audi S5 Coupe Overview
What started as a single super-A5 coupe with a manual tranny has expanded to four variants in three bodystyles, such is the popularity of Audi’s mid-size V8 sports coupe.
Audi S5 Coupe Engine
In the old S4, Audi’s 4.2L V8 engine was
Like its free-revving rival, the BMW M3, the S5 pushes well into the higher revs with ease (7000rpm), and though power is almost 50kW less than its smaller Stuttgart rival, it still sprints to 100km/h in just 5.1secs. And that’s with all-wheel-drive grip to overcome off the line.
The quattro system is simply superb when matched to such torque, and the coupe is the only one of the three bodystyles that comes with a good old-fashioned manual as well as a dual-clutch or traditional steptronic auto.
Audi S5 Coupe The Interior
For the driver, the S5 is fabulous. Easy entry and egress despite the sloping roof, into cosseting folds of leather and lashings of brushed aluminium and woven fibre. The fit and finish is superb, as it should be, and it’s hard to fault the soft-touch surfaces and damped dials.
The seat has countless adjustment, the climate control is tri-zone, and the centre-mounted multimedia interface has everything; Bluetooth, sat-nav, hard drive… swathed in buttons and dials, it is initially frustrating to master - a sit-down with the instruction manual should fix that.
For the shotgun passenger, there is equal comfort to be found in the space and seat adjustment, with smallish storage cubbies and a couple of cupholders.
However, for the rear seat passengers, it is a different story; getting into the rear seats requires some warm-up, while the effort to exit the car is almost gymnastic.
The sloping shoulders and high belt-line reduce headroom, visibility and light; though with only two dedicated rear seats, there is decent shoulder- and hip-room.
But let’s face it; if you wanted to carry more people, or indeed cared a thought for them, you would turn towards the four-door Sportback.
Audi S5 Coupe Exterior & Styling
It’s a hard thing to get right – a large four-seat coupe that offers class, comfort and performance. Usually, one is sacrificed. And while the S5 is not without its faults, the design is pretty spot-on for its purpose and demographic.
The front of the car manages to look aggressive and formidable without overdoing it; the rear subtle and tapering into a lovely wedge. Sitting low with big haunches, flared guards and 18-inch wheels wrapped in low-profile rubber, it subtly stands apart from its deliberately plainer A5 sibling.
Audi S5 Coupe On The Road
As the S5 debuted Audi’s new sedan platform base, we all wondered if the old bumps, jerks and sometimes-rough ride of the Autobahn-prepped, Aussie pothole-hating chassis would be gone.
Well, it wasn’t; not entirely. The chassis certainly feels far more solid, a smidge more compliant, and the nose points toward the apex much better at speed.
But particularly in S guise, the damping is still overly firm on corrugations and low-speed surface changes.
The steering, while better than before, still feels thick with electronic interference; again at lower speeds. And in Australia, lower speeds are largely what we have.
But open it up, and the cathedral of sound matched to the V8’s urgent pull does away with the low-speed compliance criticism. Audi claim a better weight distribution with the new platform, and while it’s hard to judge at first with such power underfoot, the car certainly turns in obediently and moves with a light-footedness that belies its 1630kg mass (which is actually rather light for the segment).
Audi S5 Coupe Challenges
As a GT, the S5 coupe certainly acquits itself well. However, the buyers of a two-door hundred-plus dollar car may not want an overly firm ride, nor do they care about the second row of seats. Their nest is often empty, or they have a second car doubles as the school bus. A softly-sprung Merc, housing the fattest nat-atmo V8 on the market, may top the list instead.
Speaking of lists – standard features include cornering headlights, six airbags and stability control, forward and reverse sensors and a great stereo are all inclusive, as they should be. But the options list is a little rough - some of its competitors don’t charge for luxuries like a reversing camera, heated seats, or metallic paint.
Audi S5 Coupe Verdict
The S5 is good – very good. The drivetrain is lush and the chassis and handling far improved; fit and finish is superb, and the interior sublime. But the ride; still not good enough on Australian roads, particularly for a Grand Tourer.
Audi S5 Coupe The Competition
The M3 from arch enemy BMW is not quite as big – the A5 on which it is based steps up in size and down in doors from the A4, which is naturally a 3-Series fighter. But with roughly 20 per cent more power, over fifty different performance settings, the purity of rear-wheel drive dynamics and steering, and coming in in both coupe and cabrio form, the M3 is a real threat.
Less so, the M5, which has finished up for now. When it rejoins with a twin-turbo V8, it will up the performance ante - but comes at a far loftier price. Same goes for the RS4 when it is rebirthed; many would go for the upper-sedan over even the four-door Sportback S5 for its pure performance bent in sheepskin guise.
And finally, the AMG assault from Mercedes is formidable in this segment. Pending budget, the CLK500, C63, or even CLS63 may tear buyers from the S5 range, what with its sonorous V8s and far more supple ride.
