996 to Audi S5?

[M@1975]

Anyone have much experience of an S5? I potentially have the opportunity to pick up one and trade the 996 against it(losing very little on the 996). Much as I love my Porsche and have always wanted one the lure of a V8 is very strong and it's a very well specced car in comparison to the 996. I know it has overtones of the repmobile about it and it's not a marque I would usually go for but its a tempting beast..

[pilchardthecat]

Positives - Sounds great
Negatives - Everything else

[river_rat]

All this talk of Audi V8's sounding great is lost on me.

I ran a B7 RS4 for 12 months and thought it was way too quiet on a stock exhaust. A 996 with sports exhaust is in a different sound league IMO (a Milltek might sort the Audi though)

[M@1975]

Cheers, I've still not driven one, I've just seen pictures of this one as it's not come in yet, going to have a drive this weekend and see what its like. apparently has Miltek downpipes and has had a remap so I'm expecting good things in terms of noise and pace, its the rest of it that may be a letdown.

[andy102]

I tested one a few months back, found it a good motorway car but no fun on the B roads. I got a S4 instead, strangely with a sports diff and in dynamic mode its much more fun than the S5. It loves being chucked about on the back roads.

[Callughan]

They handle very badly compared to a 996 but its different type of car.

[DJFish]

Was window shooping B7 RS4 Avants the other day, they seem quite expensive to run compared with a 996 with active suspension issues.
Lovely looking things though!

[pilchardthecat]

Callughan said:

They handle very badly compared to a 996 but its different type of car.

They handle very badly compared to an average hot hatch.

[vallance5]

My last car was an S5 but the supercharged V6. I would say you can't really compare them. I would call it a fast GT and not a sportscar. The 4wd makes for all weather useability of performance but in turn a bit of an uninvolving driving experience in regards to handling.

V8 sounds nice but one of my favourite car noises was a 996 C4S with PSE.

A to B very fast but might not have that much fun getting there.

Depends what your wanting from the car though. What about an E92 M3? V8 noise and more fun to drive.

Edited by vallance5 on Wednesday 13th March 14:58

[molar explorer]

Don't do it!! I sold my 997c2s for an s5 and hated it from the minute I picked it up. It's heavy , under steers when pushing on ( mine had the optional and expensive electronic diff) and never made me just want to go for a drive. Sold it at a massive loss for another 997 c2s . The v8 sounds great but that's about it!

[Shurv]

Don't do it, everyone will think you are a chavvy sales rep.

[thegoose]

Hmm, the answers here seem fairly conclusive, but I'd say it depends what you want from a car really.

I wonder what answers the OP would get if he asked the same question on an Audi forum?

[BillTheButcher]

thegoose said:

I wonder what answers the OP would get if he asked the same question on an Audi forum?

I swapped my C5 RS6 for the 996 911 that I have at the moment.

I've also owned a B6 S4 and a B5 RS4.

All three S/RS Audis were great cars; the S4 was a lovely GT car; the two RS's (both modified) were stupidly quick and extremely capable in all conditions.

But the 911 has a level of feedback and engagement that puts all three Audis to shame. I didn't know that this mattered to me until I got behind the wheel of a 911.

If you're after a comfy cruiser with gadgets galore and a nice soundtrack, get the S5. Otherwise I think it'll be a disappointment.

[MrTickle]

The Audi's seem great to people who have never driven a 911.

Enough said

[Output Flange]

Depends what driving you're doing. If you're just pounding the motorways and don't care about consumption, I'd do that in the Audi.

If you want some fun, stick with the 996.

I've got a B6 S4 and a 997C2S, and while they're both great at certain things, if I had to choose one to keep, it wouldn't be the one with a V8 in it.

[Moog72]

I also have a B8 S4 (V6 supercharged) and whilst quick it's almost too capable for it's own good and therefore becomes a bit sterile as a result. Sports diff really does make a difference though.

[Adam B]

DJFish said:

Was window shooping B7 RS4 Avants the other day, they seem quite expensive to run compared with a 996 with active suspension issues.
Lovely looking things though!

The only things stopping me swapping my RS4 B7 for a 996tt/997 is a) the RS4 is so good and b) the huge increase in running costs.

The RS4 has been very cheap to run - approx £300 per year for each of last 6 years, plus £850 on 2nd set of tyres and £400 on a de-coke (first set free as part of fixed cost mtce plan). It likes a drink but no worse than a 911. I run the RS4 without a warranty, I couldn't do the same on a 996/7.

Usual reaction when asking the OP question on a Porsche forum - one is a compact focused sports car with a dated interior and limited practicality, the other is a larger, fatter, practical luxury coupe. Horses for courses and not particlarly comparable.

[Paul O]

I had an S5 for a month or so as a rental. My experience below if you are interested.

http://motorcloud.net/other-cars/2009-audi-s5/

I liked it, but it aint a full on sports car. It's a fast comfy car. Depends what you want from a motor really!