2011 S5 Cab: 4 year ownership report
02-04-2015, 05:57 PM
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2011 S5 Cab: 4 year ownership report
I put a deposit down today on a 2015/2016 A6 3.0 TFSI Prestige. They told me to expect delivery in April. I spent a couple weeks test driving competitors as well as the A7 and S6 and am really happy with the decision.
But I won't be happy to leave my S5 Cab. The bottom line is that this is the best car I've ever owned. I've driven and owned an MGB, VW GTI, 2 Honda Civics, Honda Accords, Mercedes C class, Acura RL and MDX with some others in between.
Let's start with a list of the mechanical and electrical defects I encountered over the 4 years and 45000 miles I put on the S5:
<crickets>
That's zero. I've had a couple mornings where the instrument display didn't come on, but "rebooting" (re-starting) the car fixed that. For a while I encountered a very rare transmission issue where it briefly missed a gear but that went away too.
That doesn't mean I haven't repaired the car. I hit a bone-rattling pot-hole a while back that took out two wheels, the tires and the wheel bearings. And I had a 5mph front-end collision in heavy traffic that required some body work. Expensive fixes in both cases but covered under insurance.
Otherwise? Just regular maintenance. Of all the cars I've bought new, which is most of them, this is the best four-year experience I've had in terms of reliability.
My S5 Cab is brilliant black/black interior w/carbon fiber. Prestige, Comfort Package, Audi Drive Select, Driver Assist.
Some notes on the car itself, my options and the dealership experience:
- The A5/S5/RS5 Cab design is both sexy and practical. I continue to get comments in parking lots and smiles from my teenager's friends when they see the car, yet I can seat myself and three passengers relatively comfortably for a 2-door. The rear seat legroom is exceptional for a convertible.
- I found body structure and rigidity to be excellent for a convertible. I mean it ought to be at 4300lbs. You can feel some low-speed cowl shake between 25 and 40mph before the tires warm up but otherwise it's very solid.
- I mounted Continental DWS's soon after taking delivery of the car. They are just about perfect for the mid-Atlantic region weather I drive in. Highly recommended, but I can see where some might find them too soft on turn-in.
- I installed the mods4cars.com SmartTOP top control unit for remote and one-touch top and window operation. Fantastic product that has worked flawlessly.
- Both the exterior and interior wore extremely well, and that's one of many reasons I stuck with Audi. I had the car detailed twice a year and only used brushless car washes. Once I get a few of the scratches buffed out this car it will look new inside and out.
- I suppose I could have lived without Drive Select and the Comfort Package. I never felt like the suspension changed character enough with Drive Select, and I just didn't use the ventilated seats and neck warmer very often. But I like gadgets and I did use sport mode on drive select often, I just wish it were more aggressive (I think the new S6 I drove addresses that).
- The Bose stereo kinda sucks (don't need to beat that dead horse) but with decent audio sources it's OK. My biggest beef has been the lack of Bluetooth audio streaming. What a PITA, especially when my 2010 Honda Odyssey minivan has that feature. And then to have to spend another $75 (at the time) on an aux audio cable? Really? Well at least Audi has addressed that pain point.
- I averaged about 17.5 MPG. I could have squeezed out a couple more MPG if I didn't wind it out on every on-ramp and jack-rabbit from stop lights. I understand the new 3.0 TFSI is more efficient, but we'll see.
- Shout out to Audi Chantilly in Chantilly, VA, my service manager Deontea, and everyone in the service department. The best dealership experience I've had bar none and another big reason I stuck with Audi.
The S5 is a wonderful daily driver and top-down cruiser for a couple hours, but I'm at a point where I'm doing weekly five, six or eight hours drives and need a comfortable, but fun, cruiser that can carry three adults on those trips - thus the switch to the A6. But I won't be counting the days and monitoring the progress of the A6 delivery like others since it will mean saying "tschüss" to my Cabriolet.
But I won't be happy to leave my S5 Cab. The bottom line is that this is the best car I've ever owned. I've driven and owned an MGB, VW GTI, 2 Honda Civics, Honda Accords, Mercedes C class, Acura RL and MDX with some others in between.
Let's start with a list of the mechanical and electrical defects I encountered over the 4 years and 45000 miles I put on the S5:
<crickets>
That's zero. I've had a couple mornings where the instrument display didn't come on, but "rebooting" (re-starting) the car fixed that. For a while I encountered a very rare transmission issue where it briefly missed a gear but that went away too.
That doesn't mean I haven't repaired the car. I hit a bone-rattling pot-hole a while back that took out two wheels, the tires and the wheel bearings. And I had a 5mph front-end collision in heavy traffic that required some body work. Expensive fixes in both cases but covered under insurance.
Otherwise? Just regular maintenance. Of all the cars I've bought new, which is most of them, this is the best four-year experience I've had in terms of reliability.
My S5 Cab is brilliant black/black interior w/carbon fiber. Prestige, Comfort Package, Audi Drive Select, Driver Assist.
Some notes on the car itself, my options and the dealership experience:
- The A5/S5/RS5 Cab design is both sexy and practical. I continue to get comments in parking lots and smiles from my teenager's friends when they see the car, yet I can seat myself and three passengers relatively comfortably for a 2-door. The rear seat legroom is exceptional for a convertible.
- I found body structure and rigidity to be excellent for a convertible. I mean it ought to be at 4300lbs. You can feel some low-speed cowl shake between 25 and 40mph before the tires warm up but otherwise it's very solid.
- I mounted Continental DWS's soon after taking delivery of the car. They are just about perfect for the mid-Atlantic region weather I drive in. Highly recommended, but I can see where some might find them too soft on turn-in.
- I installed the mods4cars.com SmartTOP top control unit for remote and one-touch top and window operation. Fantastic product that has worked flawlessly.
- Both the exterior and interior wore extremely well, and that's one of many reasons I stuck with Audi. I had the car detailed twice a year and only used brushless car washes. Once I get a few of the scratches buffed out this car it will look new inside and out.
- I suppose I could have lived without Drive Select and the Comfort Package. I never felt like the suspension changed character enough with Drive Select, and I just didn't use the ventilated seats and neck warmer very often. But I like gadgets and I did use sport mode on drive select often, I just wish it were more aggressive (I think the new S6 I drove addresses that).
- The Bose stereo kinda sucks (don't need to beat that dead horse) but with decent audio sources it's OK. My biggest beef has been the lack of Bluetooth audio streaming. What a PITA, especially when my 2010 Honda Odyssey minivan has that feature. And then to have to spend another $75 (at the time) on an aux audio cable? Really? Well at least Audi has addressed that pain point.
- I averaged about 17.5 MPG. I could have squeezed out a couple more MPG if I didn't wind it out on every on-ramp and jack-rabbit from stop lights. I understand the new 3.0 TFSI is more efficient, but we'll see.
- Shout out to Audi Chantilly in Chantilly, VA, my service manager Deontea, and everyone in the service department. The best dealership experience I've had bar none and another big reason I stuck with Audi.
The S5 is a wonderful daily driver and top-down cruiser for a couple hours, but I'm at a point where I'm doing weekly five, six or eight hours drives and need a comfortable, but fun, cruiser that can carry three adults on those trips - thus the switch to the A6. But I won't be counting the days and monitoring the progress of the A6 delivery like others since it will mean saying "tschüss" to my Cabriolet.
02-04-2015, 06:58 PM
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Hey, thanks for the very detailed input. I was especially interested in reading it since I owned both a '10 S5 Cab and an '11 S5 Cab. The second Cab was a special order in Daytona Gray/Tuscan and I loved it. Unfortunately, I needed more utility and traded it for a '13 Lexus GS F Sport. The Lexus dealership didn't even put it on their lot. They had a buyer down in Houston that wanted it immediately.
Several weeks ago I came back to Audi and traded the GS for a '15 S5 Coupe. I'd never driven the S5 with its fantastic supercharged engine in as rigid a structure as the coupe and it is a blast to drive. With that said, what I miss most about the Cab is the ability to hear that exhaust "bark" when you really step on it and the gears change. Yes, the S5 Cab is an amazing car with lots of utility for a convertible. Great to hear it was pretty bulletproof over your period of ownership. My circumstances have changed again, and I may have to reconsider when the 2-year lease is up on my S5. The only comment I had a question on was the Bose sound system. Is that the standard system? I had the Bang & Olufsen system in mine and, even then, I didn't think it had the strength it needed for a convertible. That was my only gripe about an otherwise wonderful car.
Glad to hear you had such a great experience with your S5 Cab, and I hope you enjoy your new A6 even more!
Several weeks ago I came back to Audi and traded the GS for a '15 S5 Coupe. I'd never driven the S5 with its fantastic supercharged engine in as rigid a structure as the coupe and it is a blast to drive. With that said, what I miss most about the Cab is the ability to hear that exhaust "bark" when you really step on it and the gears change. Yes, the S5 Cab is an amazing car with lots of utility for a convertible. Great to hear it was pretty bulletproof over your period of ownership. My circumstances have changed again, and I may have to reconsider when the 2-year lease is up on my S5. The only comment I had a question on was the Bose sound system. Is that the standard system? I had the Bang & Olufsen system in mine and, even then, I didn't think it had the strength it needed for a convertible. That was my only gripe about an otherwise wonderful car.
Glad to hear you had such a great experience with your S5 Cab, and I hope you enjoy your new A6 even more!
Last edited by dseag2; 02-04-2015 at 07:01 PM.
02-05-2015, 07:31 AM
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Thanks for the great write-up. I just had my '13 S5 cab in for its 25k service and had an A6 3.0 as a loaner car. I was not overly impressed with the A6. It was smooth and quiet, but not very fun to drive. I was very happy to pick my S5 up at the end of the day! On a side note, when did you have to replace your brakes? They told me I need new front brakes and rotors but it seems a little early to me.
02-05-2015, 12:13 PM
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I'm taking frequent trips now to visit my son in college, take my wife and daughter to track meets and drive to a couple new clients sites that are 3+ hours away - one way. If it were just me making the drive I would have stuck with an S5 for sure, but these trips all involve at least one passenger traveling with me the whole way, and picking up and driving around one or two additional passengers.
So that's my (unfortunate) rationale. S5 is good for two people, but three for shorter periods of time.
So I ended up taking my 2010 Honda Odyssey minivan on a lot of these extended trips. That showed up in the mileage on my S5 over the last 18 months. I just haven't been driving it much. And I'm not going to knock my minivan. It's a great, practical vehicle but "fun to drive" just doesn't enter in to the equation.
So that's my (unfortunate) rationale. S5 is good for two people, but three for shorter periods of time.
So I ended up taking my 2010 Honda Odyssey minivan on a lot of these extended trips. That showed up in the mileage on my S5 over the last 18 months. I just haven't been driving it much. And I'm not going to knock my minivan. It's a great, practical vehicle but "fun to drive" just doesn't enter in to the equation.
02-05-2015, 03:19 PM
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My new A6 has the S5 3.0T engine, but updated. The interesting element is the hp/weight ratio in comparison with my 2011 S5 Cab. This new 2016 A6 has 333hp and should (official stats are not forthcoming) weigh about 4000lbs. So technically this A6 will have more horsepower and lower weight than my S5. Of course they are different driving experiences, but that comes down to things like wheelbase, suspension, and center of gravity.
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02-21-2015, 02:29 PM
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My S5 is making this transition extra difficult
Due to some poor planning combined with extra bad weather I ended up on I-81 today in Virginia in some of the worst driving conditions I've experienced since owning the S5.
The car and the new Continental Extreme Contact DWS's performed amazingly well. I drive conservatively in winter weather like this but still, I watched many SUVs fish tailing behind me. And I had no trouble starting uphill at lights and maintaining stability on unplowed roads at 30-35 MPH. Eventually it got bad enough to pull off and find a hotel. The snow was 4-6 inches once I got off the interstate and I had no problems (slowly) making my way through that. And I had to make my way around many stuck cars, vans and a truck or two to get to the hotel.
Audi Quattro and good tires were a lifesaver today.
All the same I do is plan to get a set of dedicated snows for my 2016 A6.
The car and the new Continental Extreme Contact DWS's performed amazingly well. I drive conservatively in winter weather like this but still, I watched many SUVs fish tailing behind me. And I had no trouble starting uphill at lights and maintaining stability on unplowed roads at 30-35 MPH. Eventually it got bad enough to pull off and find a hotel. The snow was 4-6 inches once I got off the interstate and I had no problems (slowly) making my way through that. And I had to make my way around many stuck cars, vans and a truck or two to get to the hotel.
Audi Quattro and good tires were a lifesaver today.
All the same I do is plan to get a set of dedicated snows for my 2016 A6.
02-22-2015, 01:30 PM
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Nice ownership report, you answered a lot of my questions. I'm seriously looking at an s5 cab as my new daily, and I was wondering how the soft top is. Is it quiet and comfortable inside? I haven't been in any newer soft top convertibles and I've only owned sedans. I don't have a garage, would the soft top hold up to being kept outside? Sometimes I find myself near Wilmington, would it get sketchy in one of those big ocean thunderstorms? I don't mean to ask dumb questions, but convertibles are new to me.