Bleser

Thanks for the comments all, I appreciate it. To answer a few questions:

• I'm not going to be tracking my car, so that isn't important, but I want the engine/drivetrain to feel "present" in the car, and I think that most cars these days are so good at isolation from NVH that the engine/exhaust just can't make it in the cabin.
• I agree that the face-lifted RS5 might offer something else - but not holding my breath as the VW Group engine lineup is pretty well defined at this point and I don't see the 4.0 V8 going in the RS5 - that'll be the RS7.
• When defining my next car, here is some things I came up with over time. As you can see, the RS5 hit nearly all of them:
  • Excellent-Sounding Engine, inside & outside
  • Same or better performance to 335i
  • Some element of exclusivity - unique brand, model, body, etc.
  • Prefer non-touch interface (wheel or similar) to head unit (RS5 refresh will kill this )
  • Both paddle shifters and gear leaver shifter (prefer 'pull back for upshift')
  • Prefer mixture of analog and digital instrument cluster to all-digital (but RS5 test drive showed me digital can be cool)
  • Need a back seat, probably with four doors
  • Must have a sunroof
  • LED interior lighting around door panels, dashboard, etc.
• I actually just got back (today) from driving a Maserati Ghibli SQ4 and wasn't blown away by its sound either, even though that is their big selling point and the main reason I drove it (although it was more present). Between the RS5, Ghibli and Gulia Quad, they honestly all felt about the same sound-wise, with RS5 being the fastest feeling and the Ghibli the best sounding. Yet it is not the prettiest - the RS5 SB takes the cake on that by far.
• "Have you test driven the Model 3 Performance or the latest gen 3-series?" - Yes and no. I drove my friend's Model 3 and it was like driving... a golf cart. Boring, and not that good looking. I don't like the minimalist design on the interior, either. The G20 I find ugly at this point. G80 M3 will be determined soon.
• "Did you have the RS in Dynamic mode with transmission set to Sport? That makes a big difference." - given the conditions I didn't check, but the salesmen said he started in Comfort and moved it to Dynamic later on. Dynamic seemed to really force the shift-farts, which I wasn't a fan of - maybe it will grow on me.
• I didn't do any launches but when I put the pedal down the performance was IMPRESSIVE. No problem there.
• 911 would be my #1 choice but my kids are going to be too big too soon and only getting bigger. Next car.

Thanks again - I think I need to take my wife on a test drive with me in better conditions - not so hot out, no thunderstorms.

SolventSolution

That's the real rub. You're looking for a high performance family four door. That's a very narrow category with pretty much the options you are already looking at.

RS5 SB with aftermarket exhaust may fit the bill...

Wait until the new S7 or RS7 comes out? It's going to be big like the Panamera though.

Mabs

I guess I was in a similar situation. I was coming from an austin yellow m4, I loved that car. But family changes had me in need of something awd with 4 doors. I very brashly moved to the x3 m40i. Great car, but I wasn't enjoying it, I'm not a suv guy. Then I found myself looking at the X3M and GLC 63s, wanted awd and cargo space. I test drove the GLC and it was a blast, that exhaust roared, but just much more than I wanted in a daily. Haven't drove the x3m, but the it looked like a faster version of what I already had. Audi wasn't on my radar, I had driven the last gen rs5 prior the the m4, and it didn't wow me. Looking backI think the drive mode must have been in comfort. When I saw the rs5 sportback, I was hesitant from past experience but looked like it met a lot of my needs. When I saw it in the dealership though, love at first sight.

I love the lines of it. It doesn't feel as aggressive as the m4, but I think that car was just special. I had a f10 m5 and the m4 still was the winner, so I think the m4 was just a beast. That all said, the rs5 sb, hits so many of my requirements. If there is ever a solid ecu tune for it, that's the last check box. Don't get me wrong, the car is already lightning, but I could go for just a little more.

Good luck finding your dream car.

superswiss

You have pretty much identified the players in this segment. I personally was also very underwhelmed with the new RS5, however I was specifically looking at the Coupe. I still own a '13 RS5 and the new one just didn't do it for me. I ended up with a '19 C63S Coupe and picked it up in Germany at the beginning of May. I just dropped it off last Friday for shipment to the USA and I'm flying back this Sunday. Should be reunited with the car mid to end of August. It was to me the only car in this segment that measured up to my '13 RS5. It has all the sound etc. Some things I appreciate the most now that I've had two months with it is that opposed to current Audis, the C63S is responsive and eager to play even in Comfort mode. I often don't even have the need to take it out of Comfort. It adapts very well to the current driving style and the transmission is always in the right gear. Even in Comfort mode it immediately starts downshifting when slowing down. The 2019 is the mid cycle refresh and it's actually quite a different beast compared to the 2018. It's an amazing long distance GT, in fact better than the new RS5 IMO. It has so much torque down low that it very easily picks up speed. Here in Germany on the Autobahn it was super relaxing to drive fast and also very easy to drive fast. There's no lack of sound and the car is very adjustable to your liking. The new steering wheel controls for the drive modes etc. are great. I'm actually very impressed with the GT side of the 2019 to a large degree because of the much better driving assistance features. They are at Tesla Autopilot level, including autonomous lane changes. This thing practically drives itself on long distance highway journeys. I have it fully decked out pretty much including the AMG Performance Seats which some people find uncomfortable, but I love them. I drove ~10,000km/~6200 miles in 8 weeks and the longest trip was something like 14 hours of driving in one day from Switzerland all the way to Copenhagen with most of it through Germany at very high speeds. Quite the car I must say. AMG did a great job at re-tuning the suspension and as opposed to the new RS5 which essentially knocks your fillings out in Dynamic, the C63S can be driven in S+ even around town, but once you drive it hard in S+ the suspension starts to shine. They've done a really good job with the suspension not getting harsh even in S+ if you are driving around at normal speeds. It only really tightens up when you start slinging the car hard around corners. It's well done I must say. I know you are looking for a family car and prefer the C63 coupe, but at least go drive the sedan before you rule it out, however, the coupe and sedan do drive differently. The coupe has a wider track and unique rear axle as well as fatter tires. It's the one to get IMO, but if you need 4 doors it might have to be the sedan. Also, give the GLC 63S a go for something more practically, but still a beast.

Xenny

The mid-refresh c63s sounds pretty good! I can't wait to see what they do with the rumored upcoming AWD C63S coupe. That and the upcoming AWD M3/M4 will make things way more interesting for this segment.

Mortys66

Kudo's to you for having a five year plan when it comes to your replacement vehicle for the '2013 BMW 335i' and also the discipline to be able to stick to that five year plan. I can honestly say that I have neither......
I thought I was very thorough (my wife would say that it should read 'very critical') when I took about 9 months to nail down the purchase of my 19' Audi RS5 Sportback.

I'm interested to know if you plan on buying new or used when you do buy? I'm asking because I would use this mindset if it was me in your shoes (it was until June 4th): Are you plan on buying a used vehicle and you are test driving the 2019 Audi RS5 Sportback now, because that is the vehicle you think will be priced right for your budget (when you buy the replacement vehicle in a year and a half) or if your plan is to buy new, but you are just test driving the current model to see if you like it enough to keep it on your options list. Either way you go I would say that a year and a half is a long time when it comes to advancement of vehicle and vehicle option choices that are both available and affordable so you can tailor the car to your liking. In a year and a half the choices will have changed with many more options being available from the factory if you end up buying a new 2020/2021 (when you consider the engine/trans combos,interior design and materials, add-on OEM/dealer installed options, etc...). If you go with a used 2019 (buying in 2020/2021) the available options for you to upgrade the items that didn't meet your liking (from your latest Audi test drive) for the 2019 vehicle platform will have been around for a couple years so you will have all the feedback and guidance from the Audi RS5 B9 forum community as to how the aftermarket upgrades worked or didn't work to help get your used Audi to perform, ride and sound the way you want (or even better than expected). With the B9 RS5 Sportback only being available on the streets this year we a very limited available options list for us to upgrade and fine tune our Audi RS5 Sportback's.

I will speak for myself when I say the 19' Audi Sportback fell short in a few categories for me when I was doing my research and decision making, but it just kept making my list when I went from 10 cars that I would consider owning as a daily driver, I then paired it down to 5, then 3 and the Audi always ended up staying on the list because it checked off more boxes that it didn't and the ones that were missing a check were items that are easily adjusted with aftermarket items being used to get the check in the box. It then made my top spot because I was willing to give the aftermarket time to develop and add the products for this new RS5 4 door combination. For me everyone of the areas in this car that I feel the car could/should be better in or improved upon can and will be rectified by purchasing aftermarket parts and or accessories for my car as they become available. Keep in mind as you decide which cars make your list remember the available options on the market today are very limited, however as time goes by new advancements and ideas are being made by more companies every day. You will be in a much better position than we are now, when you buy, because In today's aftermarket we have a couple companies making the options we want (sometimes two, one or even none making the options for upgrading this platform). As an example for my RS5 I want a true ECM Performance Remap from both a reputable company and one that is widely used by many in the community that I can have installed on my vehicle at the Audi Dealership where I purchased my car that will not throw a TD1 Marker (I prefer the upstanding history and reputation of APR, so I'm not including some of the available HGP in Germany and MTM as I just don't have the knowledge about either company when it comes to customer service, product warranty, RMA process and brand reputation). When you buy yours in a year and a half there will be many, many more products developed and fine tuned that can and will add to the performance, ride and looks of this vehicle so that can address some of the items on your list. I have a lot of the same items, issues and concerns about the car as you and our lists are very close in what we desire, want and expect out of a vehicle.

I am so glad that the Audi kept ending up on my list of cars, as one month into my first Audi the car has exceeded my expectations. Now if the aftermarket products would just start to become available this vehicle would be perfect for me!

Enjoy your search and good luck finding the right one for you!

Nikon1

Welcome to AudiWorld @Mortys66 and a great first post!

— John

Mortys66

Thanks John, I would correct a couple misspellings, but I'm not authorized with red yet.....

Nikon1

@Mortys66 — The posts come quick. I suffer from “fat fingers” on the iPad / iPhone and spelling errors follow me like a dog follows a butcher.

— John

Aeroboiler

Bleser - I drove a 2016 BMW 435Xi on a 3 year lease that ended just a few months ago and picked up a 2019 RS5 SB in Jan. I needed more doors due to family additions but I must say i was really UNIMPRESSED with my 435xi . I had an S4 before the 435 and I thought the S4 was way more fun to drive and more diverse. Obviously each driver will have their own preferences, but for me i want a car that can be sporty and aggressive when driving solo, and can drive like a luxury car when toting around my family.

The BMW always felt like I was getting whipped around and it was aggressive. There was just no way around it. It was fun to punch it but my wife hated driving in it with me. The tech was cooler than my S4, but now the RS5 tech blows the BMW tech away.

I think you need to drive the RS5 again and make sure you understand the settings and drive modes. First you need one with the dynamic package and the ability to drive this around in comfort / auto / dynamic / or individual PLUS using the shifter to go from D to S mode all make a huge difference. The car really is Jekyll and Hyde. I agree with most people’s assessments that the exhaust is lacking a bit of punch, but I have not upgraded mine yet, but i plan to later this year. I did the ABT power and the AWE airgate intake and I’m well over 500 horse and torque now.

If money was no object I would probably have a large fun luxury suv and a 911 turbo, but since I’m limited to one car now, I think the RS5 combos them both better than anything else in its price segment.

Scar guy will set you up with a good deal!