Audi S5 B9 Sportback - 3.0 V6 Turbo

[joropug]

Thought I would start a thread for my latest purchase, a 2017 Audi S5 Sportback (B9).

A few weeks ago, I was in our local Audi dealership for a service on my Wife’s Q3 and spotted they had a rather nice Audi S5 in stock and had a look around. I have been looking to get a new car for a while and had done my research, the S5 seemed like the optimum car for me. A luxurious car, that is also practical with a huge hatchback and 5 doors. 3.0 Turbo engine and a ZF8 gearbox certainly attracted me too.

The car they had in was a really high specification, low owners, full history, low mileage, but…had a high price. It was outside of my already majorly creeping budget. I had a decent drive in it anyway and was blown away – it literally ticked every box for me, powerful, laden with tech, all wheel drive, smooth gearbox, awesome sound. I wanted one!

My car went up for sale that day whilst I furiously tried to work out how to afford it without over stretching – I decided that it was too much and I should look elsewhere.

Fast forward a few weeks, in my daily search of Autotrader I realised it had just dropped in price by 10%! It was overpriced before, but it was a very high spec and nothing else compared to it at its new price. I phoned up and left a deposit right away and have recently picked it up.

It’s a 2017 model, Sportback in Navarra blue with Rotor Grey interior.

The S5 is well equipped as standard but I had look through the original brochures and it certainly had a few extra quid well spent on it:

Engine/Drivetrain:
3.0 V6 TFSI Quattro – 354PS
8 Speed Automatic (ZF8)
‘S’ Sport Suspension

Exterior:
Navarra Blue Metallic
Red Brake Callipers
19” Cavo Alloy Wheels
Rear privacy glass
Folding door mirrors with auto-dimming and memory function

Interior:
Rotor Grey Super Sport seats in Fine Nappa leather
Memory Drivers Seat
Heated front seats
Massage front seats with adjustable bolsters
Carbon Atlas trim set
Flat-bottomed steering wheel

Comfort and Sound Pack which includes:
Bang & Olufsen 3D Sound System (755w, 20 speakers with illuminated door speakers)
Advanced Key / comfort access
Power tailgate with kick function to open
Rear view camera

Light and Vision Pack which includes:
Audi Virtual Cockpit
Extended LED Interior Lighting – Multi-Coloured
Matrix LED headlights
Dynamic front and rear indicators
LED Rear lights

I am a happy man, its on another level of performance compared to my previous cars and to have all of the modern toys like virtual cockpit, apple car play and the LED interior pack I feel like a kid in a sweet shop.

Performance is fantastic, the power delivery is very smooth and due to it being 8 speed it is rarely in a position to lag. I love the exhaust sound especially on the manual downshifts – Big grins.

The drive modes are very useful, I drive out of my area in comfort, quietly (except the loud start up) and then switch to Individual which is in my case set to comfort, but with the exhaust valves opened. Dynamic mode raises the idle RPM and is another animal altogether for when you wish to press on.

Anyway more to follow but here are some pictures, hoping to snap some more this weekend.

Never had this treatment before….

Edited by joropug on Saturday 15th October 11:06

[joropug]

Nickbrapp said:

Very classy, I love that blue colour and this generation of A5 is one of the best looking cars on the market, great engine set up too.

Any plans?

Cheers - It certainly does look the part, such nice lines and i think the Sportback even more so than the coupe.

Its under warranty for a year so nothing on the performance front, I'm struggling to think of anything it is crying out for to be honest- I have even come to like the Chrome on it of which there is plenty. Perhaps a black honeycomb grill at some point.

One thing I am a little disappointed with is the B&O Stereo. It has an independent subwoofer controller set to max, but it's not that bassy. Turning the bass of the speakers up makes the interior rattle too much. I've found a bit of a middle ground and biased it towards the back and it's definitely improved. I might however look at some dynamat installation in the future and replace the centre speaker - apparently quite a common mod.

[joropug]

village24 said:

Lovely car OP.

I find your comments re the lag interesting, I often drive my brothers S5 and I find the engine and gearbox to be rather lazy, I find it does have lots of lag and that the powerband is quite narrow. Can definitely see why the rs5 is a twin turbo.

That being said, I find it a lovely place to sit and it does what all S cars do which is offer the best of both worlds.

I think when its in the right gear, it's pretty responsive - The trick is to tell the car right away if you want to downshift either by using the paddles or stabbing the throttle, gets it teed up quicker.

Summit_Detailing said:

Lovely choice in a great colour

I like the silver trim as it shows off the glass profile...but I appreciate I am probably in the minority.

Shame the dealer didn't clean the exhaust tips!

Cheers,

Chris

I am warming to the chrome too - It breaks it up a bit. May change my mind in the future but we shall see. Yes I did notice the exhausts! Forums suggest one pipe on each side gets coked up more than the other too due to the valve which seems to annoy people more than it should.

Fusion777 said:

Lovely! Great condition. Was looking yesterday and seems you can pick these up in coupe form from £25k now (probably not in as good condition/spec as yours), which doesn't seem too bad given the performance and quality on offer.

Yes pretty much the cheapest they get at the moment is 23-24k for a non cat model on higher miles with lower spec. Cazoo seemed to have a lot but it was like speaking to an AI when enquiring about the service history, literally zero clue.

I actually was fine with a coupe if it was right, I test drove one in another Main Dealer that was at the time that was £28,900 - It was a touch scruffy in places but they assured me it would be sorted. I phoned to leave a deposit but before doing so did a HPI, dealer lied about the number of owners (4 previous, not 2 total) and 'Full Audi History, because it needs it to reach our forecourt' turned out to be 1 Audi service in 2018, a 3 year gap, and a random garage invoice.

I think the best value/spec is around £30k at the moment - Unless it's not a long term purchase, in which case the cheap (not cheap) ones might be a better choice for a quick flip. What's also worth noting is at £25k, you are looking at almost like for like age and mileage against an S3.....

RammyMP said:

That’s the car I should have bought instead of the diesel Q5 I did buy!

Lovely car!

Sure the Q5 is lovely anyhow, thanks! We have a MK1 Facelifted Q3 S-Line alongside this, Audi household now it seems.

[joropug]

Nelka said:

I’ve had virtually the same car for just under a year now & absolutely love it. As a family car that also keeps me entertained, it’s fantastic.

Things to watch out for/check - the air box gets full (like REALLY full) of leaves. Whip off the lid & give it a hoover. The rear lower spring mounts are prone to splitting. I just replaced my near side one at 27k miles. Some info on page 4 of my thread below.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Enjoy the car!

Nice one that’s first on the list to check then ! Mine is on 32k.

Yours is theoretically the same as mine on the outside but something looks different. I have only seen mine dry once so far though!

[joropug]

mholt1995 said:

This is LOVELY.

A Navarra Blue S5 Sportback has been on the bucket list ever since seeing Michael C Hall's character driving one in "Safe"



Have driven a diesel A5 Sportback and found it very pleasant!

I had forgotten about that! Was a big Dexter fan so watched it when it first came out.

Have hit lots of traffic since buying it so was at around 24mpg average but got 34ish today on a longer run which is not bad at all.

[joropug]

CarlosSainz100 said:

Bit weird innit

Man moth?

Funk said:

That's a very lovely-looking motor..! Nice one joropug.

Cheers mate - well chuffed.

Under the bonnet, one finds the engine:

[joropug]

ValuableWhistle said:

you've gotta ave' your critics

Well, let’s see Wendy’s little car when it comes out

[joropug]

8IKERDAVE said:

Very nice indeed! I have the same car albeit the B8.5 a year older and completely different shape. But you know...the same

I love mine, did a stage 1 on it earlier in the year which really woke it up. They're a completely 'do all' car. This has been used as my daily, to ferry the family to Germany for 2 weeks, lugging stuff around for work and an evening blast car for me when I fancy it. Not sure about yours but mine suffers from the standard Audi numb steering feel and sometimes in comfort mode I'd like it to downchange a bit quicker. Other than that, very little to complain about.

ah nice got a thread?

I'd imagine performance is pretty similar, the main difference would be the gearbox. I like the B8.5 too, in fact I like all of the 5 iterations!

Interesting that the B9.5 is a diesel.

[joropug]

Funk said:

I'm more than a little envious. Makes the replacement for my 8-series (which I'm picking up on Weds) seem rather lacklustre in comparison...!

Go on, what are you getting? Did you score it on that ludicrous lease deal?

Amazing cars, I've seen they are starting to creep down a little now too.

[joropug]

That’s lovely mate hope it treats you well. I considered a 540i and pretty much all of the B58 gang but there weren’t any that were right for me at the time.

If this S5 hadn’t dropped I was scheduled to look at a 440i GC individual but I think the S5 is just perfect for me.

[joropug]

The Cardinal said:

Lovely car - great spec and colour combination. These sorts of packages balancing comfort, engine, sensation, range and utility will not come back at such reasonable prices.

If only I could fit one into my garage, I'd have one of these or an S4 Avant. As it is, I have to make do with an RS3.

Thanks - I agree I didn’t quite realise just how many boxes it ticks for me !

I’m a big fan of the grey leather, the doors also look great with alcantara, leather and the carbon trim.



Easy access to video while stopped is handy too… It would be spiteful to put a Jellyfish in a trifle…



I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to photograph it at night. The ambient lighting is more subtle than the photos suggest as they were long exposure, but look fantastic.

Matrix LED headlights:



Ambient lighting pack:

[joropug]

Walshenham said:

I have always ( weirdly) hankered after the s4, rather than the rs4. In pretty much every version of the a4 platform, it’s something to do with the “ looks like every other diesel a4 on the road, but isn’t” effect. Properly cool motor in my opinion.

Including the disco interior. I’d have fun with that.

I didn’t rule out the S4, my preference was S5 SB, S5 Coupe, S4 Avant then S4 saloon. What I found was the S4 saloon was cheapest it also seemed to have less spec , the 19” alloys usually missing etc. I saw a nice grey Avant but wife ruled against an estate.

AI1601 said:

These are such nice looking cars. The only thing they are missing is the previous gen supercharged V6 engine which had more character in my opinion.

Never been in the supercharged one, in fact thinking about it, the last fast Audi I went in before this was my old Audi TT Roadster in 2011ish .

I think the supercharged one would suit the S Tronic box where the turbo will suit the ZF8 more.

DanoS4 said:

Love the Sportback - I'm only about 5 months into V6 S5 ownership, and I'm loving my Nogaro Blue coupe.
They don't seem to get as much love on here (possibly because they're not really seen as "sports cars"?).

I've not intention of getting shot of my 2013 50k example just yet, but I will be looking at the very last of the V6 Sportbacks when I do change - if they're available at the time

Great purchase

Dan

Cheers , all generations are lookers and have their own perks ! That colour being one. A colleague has the first gen V8 4.2 manual too so going to have a nose around that at some point.

[joropug]

Few pictures today after it’s first wash - rained immediately after as usual.

[joropug]

Couple of minor updates. Car went back to the Main Dealer to sort an acorn type dent in the roof - Done very well, completely gone. Also had some badly touched up stone chips flatted back which now look much better.

Had a warranty claim on the indicator stalk which turned out to be the self cancelling mechanism interfering with the column - was causing a loud snapping sound, now resolved.

I have one issue outstanding however....it rained extensively pretty much since I bought the car, but upon giving it its first wash in the sun I have noticed that the bonnet has a slightly different shade to it than the rest of the car. It is slightly more purple, if you look back at my previous pictures you can probably notice it. In the sun, at a certain angle, it is a lot more noticeable. Given it is a clam shell bonnet it touches the wings, doors and the A pillar. Really, it needs respraying or the edges blending.

I have raised it with the garage - although I've now bought it and I should have noticed, the conditions have not allowed it. I have met some resistance, but am expecting a call later today. Hoping they put it right. We shall see.

Nelka said:

....Things to watch out for/check - the air box gets full (like REALLY full) of leaves. Whip off the lid & give it a hoover.....

You weren't kidding! Thanks for the heads up, hoovered for now, will get a new filter soon too. +5BHP.

[joropug]

Nelka said:

Nice one.

Shame about the paint though

They have agreed to do a repaint and blend ! Phew… this is why it’s worth paying more to buy approved used. The service has been exceptional so far.

As you can see… errr… it’s pretty bad. On the plus side it’s only the bonnet that has been sprayed it’s all original otherwise and consistent. Guessing keyed maybe ? Who knows. Artificial light and very bright sunlight highlights it. Under normal cloudy conditions it’s not as noticeable.



I had a rather nice courtesy car . 72 plate A5 Tdi .

Same colour as mine , this is the B9.5 facelift model. A few take aways:
-2.0tdi Quattro with S Tronic is a very nice drive
-The infotainment is entirely touch screen which is very hard to use and even reach from my seat position
-The black package on it really works against the colour and I will be doing this to mine when funds allow all at once. Going to start buying parts.
-This car had 20” alloys, ride was on the whole smoother apart from drain covers etc where you really felt the thin tyres. (Mine has 19s but must have harder suspension.
-I liked the coupe body shape but it felt a lot less usable than the sportback

Edited by joropug on Friday 4th November 11:53

Edited by joropug on Friday 4th November 11:54

[joropug]

Funk said:

Glad they're doing a repaint for you, great result.

Agree about AUC schemes; I'm still using my 8-series at the mo but thought I ought to give the 530i a run the other day as I'd not really used it. Got in to be greeted by a low coolant warning which means either BMW didn't check it before selling it or they did and there's a leak that's bad enough to trip a warning within a fortnight.... It's booked in next week for them to look at it. I'm also getting them to check a 'jolt' when cold-starting which feels a bit more severe than I'm comfortable with.

How long do you think you'll be without the S5 whilst they get the repainting done?

Oh, and I disagree re. the black pack - I think yours looks better with the chrome.

I’ve taken the car back for a couple of weeks and it will go into the body shop for a few days at a guess - I’ll have a courtesy car again which is good of them. My friend sprays and said it would need proper blending which they’ve said they’ll be doing for a proper finish and what should have been done by whoever did it last.

Strange one on your 5 - can you record it to show them ? Difficult if they can’t replicate. Our A1 always started harder after the cambelt was done - thought maybe they adjusted the engine mounts or something to access it. Fingers crossed.

[joropug]

Percy. said:

Very nice car, big fan of the Sportback shape.

I also have a 3.0 V6T Navarra Blue Audi, but in Avant form.

Lovely - have you got some photos of the black bits please and any links you might have. Interested in what you’ve done to the rear splitter as it’s chrome and grey

[joropug]

Percy. said:

Thankyou.

Car is completely un-fettled (other than a long list of optional extras), it's a Black Edition so black bits are all standard.

Interesting - I found an A5/S5 brochure online and couldn’t it as an option. Perhaps there are some factory parts I can acquire.

[joropug]

Haha - Anorak central and I love it.

I bought a Carista dongle, bargain at £17.50 from Amazon and a month trial of the subscription (which I certainly shan’t be continuing with).

On my Wife’s Q3 I was able to clear the annoying inspection due bong, supplying garage changed the gearbox oil and reset it so it was out of sync with the oil servicing. Very easy to use for that.

On mine I had a play with the coding but to be honest there was very little worth changing. Mine already had nearly everything turned on, perhaps more useful if retrofitting stuff or have a lower trim level. I am going to look to see if OBD11 has additional coding options.

What I did change:
- Lane change indicator set to 4 flashes
- Start/Stop disabled

Start/Stop is an interesting one - in BMWs you change the default setting to off, rather than on.

In my Audi, it appears to be on but not ready to work, I.E you get the A symbol with the cross through it like you do if the engine is cold, when coming to a stop.

It also says in the app that the block only works when the HVAC is active, so I think from that I can take it that it somehow tricks the HVAC signal to the car to say “I need to keep running, don’t stop the engine!”.

Works perfectly, I never use it unless I’m going to be stopped for a considerable time. If I really want to activate it, turning the HVAC to off worked instantly!

Edit - turned Start/Stop back on - prefer controlling it from the button rather than the HVAC .

Edited by joropug on Thursday 24th November 00:28

[joropug]

Percy. said:

Thankyou for this information. I spoke to you over email about the Sprint Blue S4 Avant that you had for sale at the time.

I just assumed it was designated as Black Edition, but remember seeing it labelled as 'Black Styling Pack' now that you mention it.

I'm looking to find the option list of what's specc'd on my car as it does have an extensive options list. I've tried a few of the VIN "window sticker" checkers and they don't come up with anything.

Email Audi and they can tell you. I used this A5 brochure to work mine out, before I got the full list.

https://nd-mediagallery2-public-production.s3.amaz...