what made you think it’s a performance car from the beginning? As someone already mentioned, did you not do a test drive before the purchase? At this price range you shouldn’t be expecting much in my opinion. I’m actually surprised that it can do mid 12’s on a 1/4 mile considering how much the car weighs.

Supposedly these cars start in 2nd gear to save fuel, and this may cause the boggy acceleration.

In general, I'm surprised by how high the real-world fuel consumption is on these cars (even with whatever Audi is doing to mitigate that).

[/QUOTE] At this price range you shouldn’t be expecting much in my opinion.

At what "price point" do you begin to expect things (assuming you mean performance) from?

I second that...
 

I was getting 10.5 l/100 km with my 435i xDrive coupe when it was new, 10.3 when I traded it in. I normally drove it with the drivetrain in Comfort. I'm getting 10.8 l/100 km with the S5 Sportback and I have the Individual setting in Auto for the engine and transmission. And the throttle response is still not quite as good as that of the BMW. Some of the difference in mileage may be due to the weight of the car (200 pounds heavier), but consider me less than impressed with this "Miller cycle" which likely is the reason the Audi's throttle response is not as sharp.

Thanks for the responses everyone. As I said, I previously owned a '15 S4 Prestige, and within a few months went full Stage 2. Very, very pleased with the acceleration low, mid, and high range, plus the exhaust note was awesome. I expected the B9 with turbocharging to be a noticeable stock improvement over the B8/B8.5 supercharged engine. It is, but in my seat of the pants opinion, only marginally. As a daily driver, it definitely checks all the boxes and then some. But I would prefer better acceleration, and if I wanted to buy a car just to be within the criteria of a daily driver, there are other vehicles that would do just as well. With respect to one poster's comment about the S5 not being a sports car but a GT, I hear you. The car I sold to get into the S5 was a '15 Maserati Granturismo Sport. Beautiful car with lots of V8 power! I've also previously owned two GT-R's, two Cadillac CTS-V's, M6, Lotus Evora 400, modded Pontiac G8 GT (432 HP to the wheels), and others. But this is the third Audi I've owned (previously, '05 and '15 S4), so it's a testament to the brand and how much I like it. I've wanted an R8, but the price and lack of any real storage space are a disqualifier. I've also looked at the RS7, but there is something about the way it looks that turns me off.

Admittedly, before I even set eyes on the S5 Sportback, I was looking at a nicely optioned TT S. I was interested in the TT RS, but the price for a new one was just a bit out of reach, or so I thought ($5K-$10K more than what I paid for the S5). So I was looking at the TT S, and seriously considering it when I started looking at the S5 Sportback sitting next to it. Then I started comparing apples to apples and the S5 was the better value. But as I said, I just wish the S5 had a bit more punch to it. So do I just get out of the S5 and into something that is more performance oriented to my liking, or do I find a way to go after market mods on the S5? The first option would be more costly, because as we all know, as soon as you drive a new vehicle off the lot it decreases in value several thousand dollars. The second option would be by far much less expensive, but then you are taking a chance that Audi will detect your tune or see your performance modifications and slap your vehicle with the dreaded TD1 code. Or you could bring your vehicle in for warranty work, and then Audi finds your modifications and tries to use that to deny your claim. The last two Audi Service Departments I dealt with both knew I was Stage 2 because I was very upfront about that, and they were "cool" with it. But make no mistake, when it comes to a warranty claim, if Audi can prove you've altered the performance of the vehicle, they can use that to deny your claim. And who knows, maybe you can prevail in the end, but a lot of us don't want to take that chance.

‘Performance’ is a relative term.
The S4/5 is more performance than 90 plus % of cars on the road today. But comparing to Maserati GTs, AMG 63s, and GT-Rs? The S4/5 can not/should not compete in this arena, but that should have been extremely obvious even during a 5 minute test drive. This car has an all around diferent purpose—4 hour drives in the AMG or GT-R (never driven a maserati) would be torture on an American-sized adult man compared to the S4/5.

Thanks for your feedback. As far as your statement that an S4/5 should note compete in this arena, actually this is my third Audi (first two were S4's), and I don't agree with that statement. I've also known a few other people with similar vehicle ownership (e.g., have also owned GT-R's, S4's, CTS-V's, etc.). I also don't agree with the assertion that a four hour drive in an AMG or GT-R would be uncomfortable on an American adult male. The C63 AMG I owned was VERY comfortable. As for the GT-R, I've owned two of them and space/comfort were never an issue (now the backseats in the GT-R, that's another story!). Anyway, even in a test drive you can't drive a vehicle anywhere close to its limits, nor should/could most drivers. Besides, the vehicle engine would not have been properly broken in at that time. Anyway, bottom line is that overall the S5 Sportback is a very good DD with great technological features and decent performance. But in my personal opinion, and it's just that, MY personal opinion, it needs a bit more oomph in the acceleration, even in Sport/Dynamic mode. But put a tune on it, better intakes, resonated downpipes, and a better exhaust, and then you're talking.

tune it, and share that with your insurer?
 

I can't speak to other jurisdictions, but here in Ontario "street cars" have been demonized to the point where disclosed performance mods will make you uninsurable. Playing hide and seek with your insurer is potentially much more costly than playing hide and seek with your dealer/Audi. For me it is simple: live with the car and think about moving on to an RS5 Sportback or G80 M3 in two or three years. In the interim Audi could make a lot of people happier with a firmware update to improve throttle response.

Honestly, based on what you wrote and your long line of sold cars, just sell it and be done.

Currently, there are no tunes available for the new motor, and the only thing available are piggybacks which won't satisfy you. I am an older owner at 40, but if there is one thing I learned about cars as an enthusiast--is that if you're unhappy with the car you have, it's best to cut your losses and move on.

I too come from a long line of ultra performance cars and knee getting into my S5, performance wasn't what I was after. It's the DD aspect of the car that really stands out.

Thanks for the info. Even a tune was available for the B9 S5, I'd probably have to wait it out a bit before taking the plunge. As far as piggybacks, I would like to drive someone else's S5 to see if the difference in acceleration would be worth the purchase. Plus convi.nce myself that using such a method would not cause problems to the vehicle in the long run.
Ha! I am almost 60, and I agree about the cars. They are a bad habit for me, but at least it's better than gambling, drugs, or women! :) And believe me, I HAVE cut my losses early on when a car I bought just didn't satisfy me in one way or another, or wasn't the right choice.
True, but based upon the performance gains I realized with my formerly owned '15 S4, I felt I could eventually do something to improve the S5 in that area eventually.