MattMan3104

2018 Audi S5 Sportback Test | Review | Car and Driver

I'll admit this article has splashed a little cold water on my daydream of buying an S5 Sportback. To those of you who have one, what are your impressions of driving the S5 and do they line up with Car and Drivers opinion? I thought the sport rear diff was suppose to get rid of the understeer.

I'm not one to drive at the limits but was a little excited about getting a true sports car for once. Now I'm second guessing whether I should save some money and just get the A5 Sportback.

Thanks for your responses. -Matt

Stankia

Pretty much spot on but you're not going to feel the understeer in daily driving situations, it really has to be pushed to its limit to feel it. The sport diff only helps with understeer in mid corner and exit, it can't do much about initial turn in understeer. I actually managed to get it to oversteer on corner exits a few times. You have to drive Audis a certain way to get most of the performance out of them. Easy on corner entry but you can go all out on corner exit. It always has been this way but getting better with each iteration. This generation has made enough of an advancement to finally make me switch from BMW.

Also I don't know what they're talking about the adaptive steering, in Dynamic mode the ratios are fixed. Despite this I like to keep mine in comfort even with the varying ratios which I don't mind since Dynamic mode makes the steering artificially more heavy with pretty much no benefit.

NoMoreBMWs

The last 4 seater everyday sports car was my BMW E46 M3 circa 2000. Since then the makers of pure sports cars have really upped the dynamics, making them far less suitable as everday drivers - and perhaps for the street period.


The S4/S5, C43s and 335i/435i are an attempt at what might best be called a compact entry level grand touring car. In my opinion the S5 Sportback takes a really good swing at this with its superb combination of dynamics, interior refinement, space and ergonomics. But the A5 Sportback offers much of that at a much lower cost.

MattMan3104

Thanks Stankia and NoMoreBMWs. I appreciate your perspective.

ThaneS5

I came from a Porsche Cayman S. The S5 Sportback is definitely not a 4 door sports car. Steering feel is lacking and it just doesn't feel tossable. That's OK by me because that isn't what I bought it for I think the article is mostly an accurate review except for the comments about lag off the line. It doesn't sound like they had it in dynamic mode with the transmission in sport. With that combination it's a rocket (waaay faster than my Cayman was).

N8!

I concur; the A5/S5 is not a sports car, but it is a magnificent TOURING vehicle. It is 'sporty' in look, and has great performance for what it is and is very comfortable on those long 1000 mile trips.

JohnEnglish

Even Audi has that the RS5 is a GT car and not a sports car so obviously the S and A models are not going to be sports cars.

MattMan3104

This is a very good point. I may have been placing different expectations on the S5 Sportback than what it actually is. Then again, I wonder if Car and Driver is using a sports car standard to describe the Sportback as well. They rank this car against the likes of the Giulia Quadrifoglio, Mercedes-AMG C63 and BMW M3. Seems the RS5 would be a better fit for this group. Ultimately there is one sentence in the review that I'm curious to see if you agree with. "In short, the S5 is capable and more than competent, but it doesn’t feel willing or, ultimately, fun." I realize this forum may be biased, but would you agree the S5 Sportback doesn't feel "fun" to drive?

It's pretty clear, having reflected on this for a few days, that I want the S5. I'm still several months away from doing anything, so time will tell...

-Matt

plat27265

Fun can really mean different things to different people when referring to cars. It depends on what you are looking for in a car. The problem with car reviews is the reviewer themselves. They sometimes fail to understand the manufacturer's purpose and design of the particular model they are testing/reviewing. The 5 series is really a luxury GT model line with a sporty flair available in two flavors (S and RS). When one wants pure sport then go for the TT or R8 line.

So, it is best to test drive an S5 and figure out whether it is a fun vehicle for you and if the sporty flair is enough to give you some fun. If you find a GT mundane then you need a car that is more geared towards the sporty end.
F

buickfunnycar

Agreed 100%...and why I want the car.