I was fortunate enough to have an S5 from an Audi dealer driven to me while shopping at the mall earlier this afternoon.

This car looks 3x better in person than it does in photos, btw.

First thing I noticed, as it was being driven up, were the white LED's up front under the headlamps -- great styling hue. Next, was the seemingly quiet sound from the engine bay. Granted, once I was heard saying that, the salesperson revved the engine and was surprised to hear an amazingly pure v8 grumble which was sexy just hearing. Very deep.

I wasn't sure what the protocol was at this point after making small talk about the car and what it does. I then asked if we could take a ride -- implying I'll let the salesperson drive while shotgun with my co-worker and setup contact in the back. Surprisingly, we took it to an empty parking lot where he drove it WOT, hit the brakes, and made it go sideways about 3 times. I asked to drive it and was told I could -- nice.

The e-brake is electronic. Weird, but whatever. Even if you forget to flick it off, the car knows to just disengage it for you. The interior looks like a space pod with a bunch of strategically placed buttons. Didn't get to hear the B&O sound, but it didn't matter since I was entertained enough by hearing the engines grumble. There are a bunch of ways to adjust the seat and wheel, so it's easy to find your ideal position. I liked the huge sunroof until I realized it only pop's open and doesn't slide all the way back -- I'd rather a carbon fiber roof than that.

Off the line, you can feel the torque just launch the car with ease. My few initial shifts into 2nd were a bit clunky because I didn't expect the clutch to be as smoothe as it was. After a handful of stop and go's, I learned the catch points and I was actually driving it better than my own car. Brakes didn't seem as good as my own or that of most BMW's, but still good.

So, after testing these basics a few times circling a large area of the parking lot, I decided upon myself that I'd make this thing go sideways. I'd WOT, tap the brakes, and pull the steering wheel sharply to the left, and experience several times first hand what this car was capable of. Wow. The car went wherever you maneuvered it. But I mean, it did it better and more controlled than my own car. I took the Audi’s handling COMPLETELY for granted since I've been self-taught to think that an AWD car doesn't inherently handle better than a RWD car. Sooo not the case with this Audi. Granted, it had my personal favorite PS2's wrapped around the average-looking 19's, but I'm sure it wasn't completely because of the tires. I was amazed and instantly fell in love with this car -- not that I'd take my own new car sideways, but just knowing that I could easily do so, made it that much more appealing. I honestly didn't notice if the sales guy took off the traction control since he was playing with a bunch of buttons and the tire pressure monitor was acting funny -- but nonetheless, it was an awesome experience.

I reluctantly allowed him to get back in the driver's seat after 10 or so minutes and told him to call me in the morning.

I've purposefully avoided paying a visit to the BMW dealership since I know I'd just fall in love with the new e93 m3. I have not driven the new m3 yet so I can't really say if I prefer it over the s5, but I can tell you that the s5 is an awesome car and that it's my current personal favorite. Oddly enough, I've been told I wouldn't have to wait for a new m3, but the current wait for the s5 is about 6 months for a 2009 model -- or I could pick up the 08 I drove this afternoon right away. I couldn't use the excuse of saying the s5 I drove today wasn't built with the exact specs I wanted in order to shy away from the sales guy. It was 6 speed, meteor gray, magma red nappa seats, tech pkg, navi, B&O sound, and carbon inlay. I ideally wanted it the same way, but with black nappa seats and no inlay option. Same color scheme as my current setup, which I wanted to veer away from, but still very nice.

Summary: Great car, ok value, unexpected handling, unreal off-the-line, magical sound, great styling (way better in person), and unique. It’s considerably less than the e93 m3 – so I may have fallen in love…

0.02

 

Great review no question that the new S5 is one sexy beast

 

wait, you're saying it handles better than your m3?

that's pretty good, considering they are not in the same class (potentially and rs5 would be though)..

and yeah, u gotta remember, it's not just run of the mill 4wd, it's quattro, kinda like subaru's symmetrical awd that has been rally tested and proven.

and i think that the roof/weight of the e93 m3 will hamper its handling a lot compared to an e92 or e90.

 

I was just looking at an A5 in white earlier. sexy car.

I've looked at and sat in a red S5, it's gorgeous, inside and out. the interior is incredible.

 

Yea the RWD biased quattro system is suppose to be a lot more fun.

 

In terms of throwing it around, it's easier to do so...

...and huh?

 

Great review and if I ever buy new again, I'm ordering.

Fucking sales donkeys abusing a car like that.

 

That car is god like....deff getting that after school

 

RS5, FTMFW!?!