ramothepharaoh

I recently bought a new 2018 S5 Coupe and after looking at and hearing more about the RS3 I kind of feel like maybe I should've went for that car. I'm in my early 20s so luxury is not as important to me as sportiness but either car would have to have been my daily driver and it would have to be used in the winter (I live in Michigan). I went for the S5 because of its looks and beautiful interior but I've now began to see reviews such as the C&D one that says the new S5 is "lethargic around town." This made me feel like maybe the new S5 wasn't the best purchase for the money and maybe an RS3 would've been a lot more fun to drive. Oh well, I guess it's too late now.

shaf

I have the new S5 coupe and am very happy with is. If I recall Car and Driver was looking for a harder edge to the car. My previous cars were 911 and a Macan. S5 handles very well and4.4 seconds to 60 is anything but lethargic.

Damon44

The S5 is a safer car with driver accident prevention packages. Better audio and collision avoidance.
You have the S5 which has way more options than RS3 just add a tune and you are over 400horses easy.

I just built a fully loaded RS 3 and it is similar to BMW m2. Blazenly fast and nimble. When I was 29 something it would have gotten me in trouble.
I was in school and couldn't afford it anyway.
Totally different vehicle. Driving comfort, road awareness , and luxury do matter overtime. Think hard and long. There will be many cars to come.

plat27265

Tune at you own risk while the car is still under factory warranty. If the dealership finds out your car has a tune, it is marked TD-1 in their database and they will not honor the warranty.

Personally, why be bothered by what reviewers from C&D or any auto magazine or publication? Just because they say that the car lacks an edge, it does not mean it is bad. A car journalists job is very difficult. As cars constantly improve from previous models, they find it much harder to criticize it. So much so that some of them resort to nit-picking the car just to have something negative to say about it. Some auto journalists lose focus on what the car is all about. For the S5, it is comfort and sport. However, they drive it like it was meant to be a sports car. It is not a Porsche and it will not be a track car for most buyers. I bet you that if the S5 is given the same edginess of, say an RS3, they'll say that the S5 has lost the comfortable ride it was once known for and it sucks. It is a damn if you do, damn of you don't kind of relationship.

Do not worry about what the auto journalists say about it. The S5 is a great car and, like what others above have mentioned, come packaged with a lot of options and features that the RS3 does not have. Just enjoy and be content with what you have, a spectacular S5. If you really want to put your doubt to bed, go drive an S3 and compare it to the S5 in terms of level of refinement, and good balance of sport and comfort. The RS3 is an S3 with a more potent engine and suspension set-up. It is pure sport which might grow old on your quickly especially if you DD it. But, since you are young, you might feel that you want to make heads turn in the sport tuning crowd with the RS3. So, it all boils down to what you want in your cars. If you are really unhappy with the S5, ask your dealer how much it would take to move you into a RS3.

synergize

[QUOTE=ramothepharaoh;24986485]
I went for the S5 because of its looks and beautiful interior but I've now began to see reviews such as the C&D one that says the new S5 is "lethargic around town."



Downshift and step on the juice pedal...problem solved!

heisnuts

I too thought about the RS3 before ordering my S5 Coupe, but it wasn't even close for me after seeing the interior, the loss of options like HUD and top view camera system, and the fact that the price would almost come out the same fully optioned out.

Damon44

The driver awareness tech is a top priority esp as I get older and my reflexes slow. The modern auto has so many advantages over a mere sport coupe racer.
Lane assist, blind spot, collision avoidance, hud as mentioned. Audio system is another advantage in the S series.

Quattrings

Nice pics, congrats! I like the RS3 too. That said, it's a different car. I look at the S5 as the "mature choice" and a great looking car that has just about everything going for it. That said it will never be an 'RS', even if tuned. RS cars feel different driving and have that harder edge. RS3 has the 'dual personality' too, so it would be a great DD, if not at the S5's creature comfort level. That ENGINE and exhaust NOTE are spectacular. I think either choice is great and what you have now looks amazing. Maybe some day there will be an RS5 Sportback so that other Audi models don't tease us.

Check out this video, this guy had the same dilemna:

Glisse

^^

Agree with all your comments. Good find on this VLOG - better than most "professional" reviews, complete with drone shots!

Australia does maintain the same pricing relationship as Germany, in that the S5 is more expensive than an RS3, hence the owner buying the cheaper RS3 (a moderately optioned S5 Sportback would have cost him at least 15%/$15k more). It is a little weird in the US that the RS3 is the same price (Audi heavily discount the MLB models in North America vs global pricing, and not the MQB models).

Which is also why Audi produced an RS3 sedan, primarily for the US market, because they can make a decent margin. Which they can't do with RS4/RS5/RS6 - so range and allocations will be restricted to NA as a result.

So in the US, the S5 is much better value for money. But as you said, if performance and the more focused RS experience is important, then the RS3 would be the choice. That 5 cylinder engine is very special, and has character in a way the new 3.0TFSI does not.

Quattrings

I agree, the S5 is a great value for the money over here. Thats interesting about the margins between the different platforms, good to know! Oh how I love the sound of 5 cylinder turbocharged Audis, reminds me of their V10. Such a unique and authoritive sound.