Owning an Audi S5 V8
So I have finally got round to doing a write-up of the change from the 3.0si to the S5!
Firstly, the spec:
Year: 57 Plate
Colour: Meteor Grey
Engine: 4.2 FSI V8 (4,163cc)
Power: 349HP / 354PS at 7000rpm
Torque: 440N-m / 325 lbf-ft at 2900-5300rpm
Transmission: 6 speed manual
Differential: Quattro Generation V
0 – 60mph: 5.1 seconds listed, rumoured to be 4.8
Disclaimer: Engine is a google image not mine, mine is a tad dirtier!
I have always loved the look of the A/S/RS5 exterior and in my opinion find it to be one of, if not the best, looking executive coupes out there! The 4 series probably being the closest competitor in my eyes now, especially the M4!
The interior is on another level compared to the Z4, probably as expected. The front seats are incredibly comfortable and I can easily do hours of motorway cruising in the car without having any numbness or general discomfort that I did get in the Z4.
The Bang and Olufsen sound system is brilliant, however currently it vibrates the aluminium inserts in the door interior making a nice rattle so I need to get that fixed!
Of course the all important question though... is how it drives!
In short, I love driving the car!
When I first test drove the car I almost walked away from it as I didn’t enjoy how it drove completely in comparison to the Z4, however I was reminded that it was not a little go-kart like the Z4 and therefore would have different characteristics. I eventually stuck through it because of the lovely V8 sat under the bonnet.
Now I have been driving it for a while I enjoy how it drives completely. Cruising at 70 on a motorway sits you at 2600rpm which is slightly higher than you may expect from a V8 however this sits you nicely just below the main band of torque that quickly comes online when you need to accelerate properly. It is quite scary how quickly 70 can turn into upwards of 90, and it doesn’t even feel like much of a difference.
Off the line I don’t tend to go anywhere very fast because I still haven’t mastered the transition back from an automatic to a manual :rolling: Jokes aside when you do manage to get it right the car races through first gear and then keeps on going in second. Top end of 2nd gear finds you around the 78mph mark and 3rd gear is about 95mph so it very quickly becomes dangerous territory.
SWMBO thinks the car sounds broken. What this actually means is the V8 sounds pretty good when driving around ! I feel in the future once the warranty runs out an aftermarket system will be required to unleash an even louder roar but until then I am content with the noise it makes, as shown in the below video that most will have seen. I still need to get some footage of a drive-by.
Fuel economy. Hmm. To be honest it isn't all too bad considering I do alot of commuting miles in this car. I tend to average 25-26MPG on a 106 mile round commute to Milton Keynes and back which is probably 90% motorway. On my run to Birmingham a couple of weekends ago I got 31MPG average over 200~ miles cruising at 60! Which I am impressed with. That being said if you accelerate hard I can easily go sub-10
[youtube]watch?v=zXxH50kpYUc[/youtube]
Below are a few shots of the detailing I had done recently by a friend, he cleaned, clayed, mopped, polished and waxed the car. He travels to the car, bringing everything he needs with him, and does a bloody good job in my opinion, spent a few hours getting scratches out that I didn't even know existed, was teaching me how to do bits as he went along too! Bonus picture included of him doing colour sanding (apparently can cause interesting discussion). He is based in Stokenchurch but travelled to near Woking to do my car. His other new claim to fame is managing to remove a dead spider from a tail light unit that Audi claimed was sealed and impossible to do when I asked them to do it! If anyone is interested I can point you in his direction.
Colour sanding above
Thanks for reading what is probably going to be my longest and most detailed post ever!
I would recommend owning one if you are considering it!
The below is probably the only future edition that I 100% want for now, an AWE track exhaust to unleash the V8 more... just waiting for the warranty to run out in February 2016
[youtube]watch?v=bGFozgTA-YM[/youtube]
Mike / Disca
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