One way to avoid ULEZ - Audi S5 V6T Cabriolet

[Krupp88]

Yesterday I paid a deposit for a 2010 Audi S5 cabriolet. My current car is a non-ULEZ compliant diesel and whilst my London commute is now on a very occasional basis I wanted a ‘new’ car that would save me from the £12 odd daily charge.

Well actually that was just a good excuse, since covid my mileage has dropped significantly (20,000 down to less than 5,000) so having a diesel doesn’t make sense and most importantly I have always wanted a S5.

Option wise it’s a odd one, some great bits of kit fitted, MMI3G High, folding mirrors, heated seats, (supposedly) sports differential, but on the other hand it doesn’t have auto dipping rear mirror or the option to open the boot from the drivers seat (small things really).

I had the car for a extended test drive, I am not a expert but no overheating or misfires and the DSG box was smooth with no clunks. For a heavy car it certainly shifts. The only underwhelming point was the exhaust, it sounds very muted, you get a nice rasp on the upshift, but all in its very understated.

Couple of niggles for the dealer to sort out, Drive Select buttons are not working and it will come with a years MOT, the spark plugs and gearbox oil are also being done.

The original front grill has been replaced with a aftermarket RS5 style honeycomb one, I am not normally a fan of non- OEM but it does suit the car so no immediate plans to replace, if anything I may change the fog light surrounds to match.

Once I collect it the plan is to give it a good clean, if anyone has any valeting tips on getting the best from the nappa leather and the soft top that would be helpful.

So thanks Sadiq! One less 40mpg diesel on the roads of London, replaced by something that does 16mpg when pushed.

Edited by Krupp88 on Sunday 30th January 08:02

[Mr Tidy]

That's progress!

If I still had my BMW 123d Road Tax would be £155 a year, but it isn't ULEZ compliant.

But my 2006 BMW Z4M Coupe in Band M for Road Tax at £600 a year is ULEZ compliant, as is my 2005 BMW 330i.

ULEZ is nuts, but I wouldn't buy an Audi to avoid it!

[Krupp88]

That part of the purchase decision was firmly tongue in cheek, apart from the math of offsetting the increased fuel cost.

[C70R]

Mr Tidy said:

That's progress!

If I still had my BMW 123d Road Tax would be £155 a year, but it isn't ULEZ compliant.

But my 2006 BMW Z4M Coupe in Band M for Road Tax at £600 a year is ULEZ compliant, as is my 2005 BMW 330i.

ULEZ is nuts, but I wouldn't buy an Audi to avoid it!

You do realise that road tax (based on CO2 output) and ULEZ compliance (based on NOX/PM2 output) are completely unrelated, right?

Nice car, OP. I think a map and a pulley can see these at 400bhp, which should make for hilarious overtaking.

[Dixie]

16 mpg when pushed? I got 6.9mpg on Cadwell. We average about 17 and we certainly don't push it a lot although that is a lot of short journeys. You might get over 25 on a long run.

I fitted a X-pipe to mine. Makes for a much better sound both at idle and through the rev range. It was fairly easy to fit and cost about £350.

I've not been brave enough to remap it yet but i think i will at some point. 400bhp should be achievable without a pully swap.

Be kind to the brakes if you track it. They just don't cope with the weight of the car in track settings in standard form.

Keep some engine oil handy. Mine gets through about a litre every 2000 miles. I think this is fairly common.

Check the seals on the sports diff. They're prone to leaking. Not a big job to have fixed.

YouTuber Samcrac has a few videos on an S4 with the same engine. Might be worth a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-xT-GIV3iB...

[Krupp88]

Dixie said:

16 mpg when pushed? I got 6.9mpg on Cadwell. We average about 17 and we certainly don't push it a lot although that is a lot of short journeys.

Well that was 'spirited' driving on a road test for an hour, real world I think I would be more restrained. The onboard computer was giving an average of 23mpg since it was last reset.

The X-pipe sounds interesting, is this a DIY job?

Thanks for the youtube link, I will have a look.

[Output Flange]

I've been running a 2014 S5 convertible for a couple of years, and 20k-ish miles. It's a fantastic all-rounder.

They're heavy cars at a whisker under two tonnes, and that does impact the economy, but you can get into the 30s on the motorway if you don't hammer it.

[Krupp88]

Output Flange said:

you can get into the 30s on the motorway if you don't hammer it.

On my commute days I might go the longer way which is all dual carriageway rather than having 25 miles of single lane and the attendant issues this brings with overtakes, varying speed limits ect.

Added bonus that this takes me through the Hindhead tunnel.

[JAMSXR]

I like it, good choice.

With the new normal resulting in a significant drop in business miles I’ve also moved to a proper gas guzzler. Love it.

[C70R]

JAMSXR said:

I like it, good choice.

With the new normal resulting in a significant drop in business miles I’ve also moved to a proper gas guzzler. Love it.

Characterizing this as a 'gas guzzler' misses the point spectacularly and downplays what Audi have achieved.

My mechanic has the saloon version, and he doesn't hang around. They are incredibly efficient when you're not hammering them.

[Dixie]

Incredibly efficient is not a word I would ever use to describe this car.

For the record it is used pretty gently for the most part. I blame the wife.

Note the petrol light is on. As per usual!

I keep trying to sell the remap idea by claiming it “might” improve the economy.


Xpipe is totally DIYable. I left the exhaust on the car when i fitted it but it would be easier to remove it.

Edited by Dixie on Monday 31st January 17:33

Edited by Dixie on Monday 31st January 18:16

[Mr Tidy]

Krupp88 said:

That part of the purchase decision was firmly tongue in cheek, apart from the math of offsetting the increased fuel cost.

Yes I thought that was the case!

Driving a ULEZ compliant car in a high road tax band inside the ULEZ just feels like sticking 2 fingers up at the Mayor.

[JAMSXR]

C70R said:

JAMSXR said:

I like it, good choice.

With the new normal resulting in a significant drop in business miles I’ve also moved to a proper gas guzzler. Love it.

Characterizing this as a 'gas guzzler' misses the point spectacularly and downplays what Audi have achieved.

My mechanic has the saloon version, and he doesn't hang around. They are incredibly efficient when you're not hammering them.

Sorry but you’re wrong, it’s not incredibly efficient. Like I said, I’ve made a similar move from an efficient diesel to a (V8) gas guzzler - I absolutely love the thing. This S5 also looks great by all accounts.

[C70R]

JAMSXR said:

C70R said:

JAMSXR said:

I like it, good choice.

With the new normal resulting in a significant drop in business miles I’ve also moved to a proper gas guzzler. Love it.

Characterizing this as a 'gas guzzler' misses the point spectacularly and downplays what Audi have achieved.

My mechanic has the saloon version, and he doesn't hang around. They are incredibly efficient when you're not hammering them.

Sorry but you’re wrong, it’s not incredibly efficient. Like I said, I’ve made a similar move from an efficient diesel to a (V8) gas guzzler - I absolutely love the thing. This S5 also looks great by all accounts.

I don't know what to say.

Stated ex-urban economy is in the high 30s, and there are lots of reports on owners forums to corroborate this (and my mechanic's observation) and better in many cases.

That's not a "gas guzzler" by any definition.

[Krupp88]

Mr Tidy said:

Driving a ULEZ compliant car in a high road tax band inside the ULEZ just feels like sticking 2 fingers up at the Mayor.

I will be thinking of him as I smile and blat it through the Hanger Lane underpass (having obviously reduced my speed before and after said section to avoid getting speeding notice from the average speed cameras that infest the A40.)

[Dixie]

C70R said:

JAMSXR said:

C70R said:

JAMSXR said:

I like it, good choice.

With the new normal resulting in a significant drop in business miles I’ve also moved to a proper gas guzzler. Love it.

Characterizing this as a 'gas guzzler' misses the point spectacularly and downplays what Audi have achieved.

My mechanic has the saloon version, and he doesn't hang around. They are incredibly efficient when you're not hammering them.

Sorry but you’re wrong, it’s not incredibly efficient. Like I said, I’ve made a similar move from an efficient diesel to a (V8) gas guzzler - I absolutely love the thing. This S5 also looks great by all accounts.

I don't know what to say.

Stated ex-urban economy is in the high 30s, and there are lots of reports on owners forums to corroborate this (and my mechanic's observation) and better in many cases.

That's not a "gas guzzler" by any definition.

That's because those figures are made up. Either that or my S5 is broken (i should defo re-map it to be sure). It's a freaking gas guzzler! It's worse than my 911.

I've never seen them stated as high 30s. I might be able to get into the low 30s on a motorway drive but don't kid yourself into thinking that's close to achievable Unless the newer models are far better.

In my pic above you can see it's at 15.7mpg. That's the long term average. Sure it's only used for short runs primarily since covid but it was only at maybe 17 odd before.

I don't reset the long term average so that average is roughly for the 4.5 years that I've owned the car.

OP - They're nice cars. You'll enjoy it I'm sure. I loved mine far more after I changed the exhaust.

I'd be interested to know what kind of MPG you get out of it after you've had it a few weeks.

[C70R]

Mr Tidy said:

Krupp88 said:

That part of the purchase decision was firmly tongue in cheek, apart from the math of offsetting the increased fuel cost.

Yes I thought that was the case!

Driving a ULEZ compliant car in a high road tax band inside the ULEZ just feels like sticking 2 fingers up at the Mayor.

You do know that the two things are completely unrelated, right? As in, they have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

The Mayor has no say in how VED is set based on CO2 emissions - a scheme intended to help reduce UK drivers' impact on climate change. Instead, he put in place a blanket charging system based on emissions (NOX/PM2) that are shown to cause serious illness in high volumes in urban areas.

If anything, he'd be confused about why you were sticking two fingers up while fully complying with the rules he put in place...

[Krupp88]

My inner child is getting the better of me and I have been stalking the MOT check website to see if the dealer is progressing with the prep.

As of 0910hrs a MOT pass with no advisories has appeared, hopefully the service will be done next and I can collect tomorrow as per the original plan.

My adult head is inpatient as if I can collect tomorrow it will save me from 3x ULEZ charges in the next 5 days (away at the weekend so unable to collect then), but really, having driven the S5, I now actively dislike my 2.0TDI A5.......

Edited by Krupp88 on Wednesday 2nd February 09:50

[Dr G]

Lovely engine. Sounds like a decent spec too, there's no sport differential fitted by the way. I've its build sheet here if you'd like a copy (message me).

These pads:

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08MQXSPXQ/r...

With Autoglym leather cleaner are fantastic for getting the shine off the leather, and making it look much newer. Plenty of youtube videos on best process to do so, but effectively you spray and scrub thoroughly with the above, wash off with a warm, wet microfibre, then dry down with a towel.

Edited by Dr G on Wednesday 2nd February 09:39

[Krupp88]

Dr G said:

Lovely engine. Sounds like a decent spec too, there's no sport differential fitted by the way. I've its build sheet here if you'd like a copy (message me).

These pads:

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08MQXSPXQ/r...

With Autoglym leather cleaner are fantastic for getting the shine off the leather, and making it look much newer. Plenty of youtube videos on best process to do so, but effectively you spray and scrub thoroughly with the above, wash off with a warm, wet microfibre, then dry down with a towel.

Edited by Dr G on Wednesday 2nd February 09:39

That would be great thank you, I have dropped you a message.

I had my doubts over the sport diff as the option should have appeared in the ADS setting but it was absent when I checked. On the positive its one less thing to go wrong.