NHman

In the January issue of Car & Driver contains their list of the 10 best cars for 2013. For Audi, the A6/A7/S6/S7 made it. However in the editor's letter, three vehicles are listed as those that didn't fully nail (their words not mine) the criteria for maximum value. The first one listed, S5 3.0T. This was taken directly from the magazine..

"It may sound like sacrilege, but I prefer the new, supercharged V-6 equipped S5 to both the outgoing V8-powered model and the just arrived-to-the-U.S. RS5. The shrunken-engined car feels more playful, lighter on its feet, and more linear in all its responses than either of those two better-endowed coupes. Chalk one up for engine downsizing".

The S5 (and S4) are excellent vehicles but I would still take a RS5 (given the choice of two).

s5blitzer

Still love the exterior lines of the S5.

NHman

I do as well. However as a side-to-side comparison to the RS5, IMO, it doesn't have the same wow factor. To be fair, the same can be said of other brands...335i coupe vs M3, CTS vs CTS-V, etc.

a5sport

Yep. Loved my 2010 A5...really love my 2013 S5. And I will only drive a manual trans car, so the choices are getting limited.

dmbcrew36

And the RS5 is only available in automatic.

(Though, yes, you're right, the RS5 is still the beast of the group).