2016 Audi S5 Sportback
Discussion
Something hit me this year, I'm turning 40 in November and never really owned a quick car. I've had some interesting cars over the years (E36 328i, Clio 172, Jaguar XJ8, etc.) but nothing knocking on the door of 300bhp. I also believe us petrolheads are on a ticking timebomb before the electric cars take over so decided I wanted something a bit fruitier than normal. I have a nice Triumph Speed Triple for weekend blasts and needed an element of practicality so 2 seaters were out of the question as was anything too silly that would be a pain to daily.
I shortlisted my choice down to the following:
BMW 440i / 435d Gran Coupe
Mercedes C43 AMG
Audi SQ5
Audi S5 Sportback
All of the above had their pro's and cons but I quickly dismissed the SQ5 as I'm not really an SUV man. Maybe in later years when I can't get in and out of a normal car I will reconsider.
Because of Covid, arranging test drives was out of the question so I waited until we were allowed to do that again as I can't buy a car without driving it. I had planned to test an example of each car but after driving the S5 I just decided to jump in. The car was reasonably priced, had the spec I wanted and it brought a smile to my face. Also I have a very busy life (don't we all!) so booking test drives all over the UK was going to be a long drawn out process, especially as we had literally just moved house.
I've owned the car for just over a month now and am genuinly impressed. The ride is great, the interior is a very nice place to be. Although some may say a little dated (as this is one of the latest versions of this model), it does everything I need it to and everything is laid out nicely - not a touchscreen in sight! I'm in auto mode most of the time as I'm generally just wafting around, but if I feel like a bit of a play then dynamic mode is only a button press away. That drops it down a gear or two, firms up the steering and gives the car a totally different feel.
I wouldn't say it is a particularly 'fun' car as there is a substantial weight to it and it has a very safe feeling. Boot the throttle and the numbers go up at a decent rate but it just gets on with the job and you feel quite insulated. As many report, there isn't a great deal of steering feel but on the other hand a hell of a lot of grip. Besides which, as any biker will tell you it takes a lot of car to impress us when it comes to speed
I'm considering a remap in the future and would be interested to hear from anyway who has done a stage 1 as to whether it's worth it or not. I've also read you can perform a cheap little mod to open all the exhaust flaps all of the time to offer a nicer exhaust tone without upsetting Greta too much.
Anyway, enough waffle, here are some pics:
I shortlisted my choice down to the following:
BMW 440i / 435d Gran Coupe
Mercedes C43 AMG
Audi SQ5
Audi S5 Sportback
All of the above had their pro's and cons but I quickly dismissed the SQ5 as I'm not really an SUV man. Maybe in later years when I can't get in and out of a normal car I will reconsider.
Because of Covid, arranging test drives was out of the question so I waited until we were allowed to do that again as I can't buy a car without driving it. I had planned to test an example of each car but after driving the S5 I just decided to jump in. The car was reasonably priced, had the spec I wanted and it brought a smile to my face. Also I have a very busy life (don't we all!) so booking test drives all over the UK was going to be a long drawn out process, especially as we had literally just moved house.
I've owned the car for just over a month now and am genuinly impressed. The ride is great, the interior is a very nice place to be. Although some may say a little dated (as this is one of the latest versions of this model), it does everything I need it to and everything is laid out nicely - not a touchscreen in sight! I'm in auto mode most of the time as I'm generally just wafting around, but if I feel like a bit of a play then dynamic mode is only a button press away. That drops it down a gear or two, firms up the steering and gives the car a totally different feel.
I wouldn't say it is a particularly 'fun' car as there is a substantial weight to it and it has a very safe feeling. Boot the throttle and the numbers go up at a decent rate but it just gets on with the job and you feel quite insulated. As many report, there isn't a great deal of steering feel but on the other hand a hell of a lot of grip. Besides which, as any biker will tell you it takes a lot of car to impress us when it comes to speed
I'm considering a remap in the future and would be interested to hear from anyway who has done a stage 1 as to whether it's worth it or not. I've also read you can perform a cheap little mod to open all the exhaust flaps all of the time to offer a nicer exhaust tone without upsetting Greta too much.
Anyway, enough waffle, here are some pics:
Nice looking car, something a bit unusual in sportback guise, colour suits it.
If this is the supercharged version I'd suspect a stage 1 is a pretty safe bet with good gains from a pulley upgrade and remap to suit. For more gains you may want to look at cooling, intake and a gearbox remap to compliment the power upgrades.
Just make sure the brakes are up to it. Theres a good video of Chris Harris mapping his dog wagon S4 which has the same engine and then races an RS4!
If this is the supercharged version I'd suspect a stage 1 is a pretty safe bet with good gains from a pulley upgrade and remap to suit. For more gains you may want to look at cooling, intake and a gearbox remap to compliment the power upgrades.
Just make sure the brakes are up to it. Theres a good video of Chris Harris mapping his dog wagon S4 which has the same engine and then races an RS4!
si_xsi said:
Nice looking car, something a bit unusual in sportback guise, colour suits it.
If this is the supercharged version I'd suspect a stage 1 is a pretty safe bet with good gains from a pulley upgrade and remap to suit. For more gains you may want to look at cooling, intake and a gearbox remap to compliment the power upgrades.
Just make sure the brakes are up to it. Theres a good video of Chris Harris mapping his dog wagon S4 which has the same engine and then races an RS4!
Thank you! No its the 3.0 V6 Turbo. A stage 1 claims 400bhp which is quite a substantial gain from 333 stock!If this is the supercharged version I'd suspect a stage 1 is a pretty safe bet with good gains from a pulley upgrade and remap to suit. For more gains you may want to look at cooling, intake and a gearbox remap to compliment the power upgrades.
Just make sure the brakes are up to it. Theres a good video of Chris Harris mapping his dog wagon S4 which has the same engine and then races an RS4!
Fuzzy69r said:
It’s actually the supercharged V6 that’s in these as we had the same engine in our S4, these respond really well to a revo remap and if your looking for hilarious intake whine from that supercharger get a intake kit
Wow, I never realised that! Better hand in my PH card at the door. I assumed as it says V6T on the side that's what it was.I think these are the best shape for the S5. Much nice that the coupe in my eyes. Looks lovely in blue too.
I remember Chris Harris doing a video on a remapped S4 with the same engine and testing to see if it would keep up with an RS4. Can't remember when that video was made but seems a while ago.
I remember Chris Harris doing a video on a remapped S4 with the same engine and testing to see if it would keep up with an RS4. Can't remember when that video was made but seems a while ago.
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