Authentic S5 / Audi test drives

A coupe by its very nature is a car for those who value individuality, if not to say egoism. A roadster is too, but it's also a delight for extroverts and those who suffer from chronic self-admiration, whereas coupes are chosen by people with introverted tendencies. The owner of a coupe shows others not himself, but his unique, "unlike others" car, remaining in its shadow. The Audi "five" in this sense is like a doctor's prescription: a high beltline, narrow tinted window slits, a smoothly sloping roof — behind all this it's easy to hide from the world (and, by the way, to double up — if there were someone to do it with!).

But a coupe is a box with a surprise: as soon as you step out of its cozy cocoon into the light, all eyes turn to you: "Well, well, who do we have here so fashionable and 'not like everyone else'? Ah..." And you feel (until driving such a car becomes a familiar routine), depending on what's in your head, either like the center of the universe or like a person who went out into the street without clothes. Moving around the city on ordinary, "non-test" days in my solid, very comfortable, also German, but completely unremarkable sedan, I did not avoid such a "striptease"... On the very first evening, a pretty and stylish, "glamorous" girl, the owner of an expensive and pretentious car, who had recently become my neighbor in the parking lot and had not seen my test cars before, gave me a much more interested look and with a very friendly smile started a conversation about...

However, that's no longer important. After all, I was getting behind the wheel not of an ordinary, albeit wonderful "five", but of an S5! And that means all this glamour, pretentiousness, style, along with all sorts of pretty girls, takes a back seat: much more important is the sporty character of this coupe, its engine and driving qualities. Due to a confluence of circumstances, last summer I was unable to attend the European presentation of the new Audi coupe and was very upset then. Now it so happened that the S5 became the first car I received for a test, just as I assumed the position of editor-in-chief of "Motor". And I considered this a very good sign.

There was a time — about 15 years ago, when I was more of a staunch critic of cars with four rings on the radiator grille than their admirer. However, the unprecedented qualitative leap that the Audi brand made in subsequent years made me change my opinion by 180 degrees. And it's not even about the mind-blowing R8, but about the entire line of road-going Audis, among which models with the S and RS indices occupy a special place. Classifying the "S" models is quite simple: they are not yet RS, but already far from the base A-versions, which means they are a reasonable compromise between, if I may allow some tautology, uncompromising sportiness and comfortable practicality. And in this capacity, I really like them. Well, from the S-version of the "five" I expected even more: after all, it's not just "stuffing" a powerful engine into the A4, A6 or A8, "tuning" the suspension — it's essentially a new car. So, it turns out, I was deliberately positively biased, but that also meant the demand on the new car — to justify the heightened expectations — was greater. So, what does it turn out — more than from an Audi?

Funny, but the manager who gave me the car for the test added fuel to the fire when, after telling me about some features of the controls of the new Audi, he finished his explanations with a phrase that would arouse keen interest in a specialist in the psychology of the subconscious: "Well, everything else here is the same as in an Audi." Not in "previous Audis", mind you, but simply in an Audi. That is, the Audi S5 is already, as it were, not quite an Audi...
Do you still have the ability to follow my train of thought?
Well, then let's see what kind of beast this is...

As soon as I settle into the seat, an involuntary comparison comes to mind with the BMW 335i coupe I already know — and the first impression is not in Audi's favor. In the "three-series," there's a convenient little detail: once you close the door from inside, a special mechanism automatically hands you the seatbelt, saving you from extra movements. Here, there's no such helper, so you have to twist and turn to reach the buckle. However, the comparison of the S5 with the top "civilian" version of the third-series coupe is only natural — these cars are indeed direct competitors (while parallels with the M3 are inappropriate: its real opponent is the future RS5). Despite the similarity of silhouettes, they look noticeably different. The BMW appears more elegant and refined, with a sense of restrained elegance.

Audi, on the other hand, is more rugged, masculine, and assertive. I couldn't choose between them: each is good in its own way. But since vivid memories of last spring's trip to the Nürburgring behind the wheel of a beautiful "three-series" are behind me, and now I have the steering wheel of Audi's "five-series" in front of me, it's this coupe that feels closer to me. Moreover, objectively speaking, the S5's interior — ultra-modern and generously equipped — makes a much stronger impression than the 335i's cabin, which, despite all its style, looks somewhat dull, almost old-fashioned, and quite austere even for the top version.

But that's not the most important thing. It's time to get properly settled and set off. Interestingly: with my nearly two-meter height, I habitually slid the seat all the way back (completely depriving an imaginary rear passenger of any space), and then discovered that the pedals and steering wheel were at the very limit of my reach. At first, this was annoying — it seemed I'd have to move almost right up to them! However, this position unexpectedly turned out to be very comfortable and well-thought-out, like in a racing car's cockpit (it reminded me of the seating in the TT, but in a more "civilian" form). Everything is at hand, everything is ergonomic and beautiful at the same time.

To start the engine, you need to insert the radio key into the slot (a start button is available for an extra charge), while simultaneously pressing the brake and clutch all the way down. After that, the instrument needles perform a "lap of honor," and from the signature four exhaust pipes comes a low, thick, and menacing roar familiar from previous "S" models. It makes passersby flinch, and for those inside, it gradually fades into excellent sound insulation as revs rise, but it invariably reminds you of itself during engine braking and sharp accelerations from low revs.

And the acceleration fully matches this growl. The well-known 4.2-liter V8 FSI from the regular "eight" and the hot "fours" is slightly detuned here and produces 354 hp — versus 420 in the RS4. But its torque is 10 Nm more, and in both parameters it surpasses the version installed in the S4. As a result, at the same electronically limited top speed, the S5 hits 100 km/h half a second faster than the S4 sedan, and this difference is clearly felt.

And yet, oddly enough, acceleration remains very smooth and elastic — a combination that seems paradoxical. You just need to get used to the long-travel clutch and the very sensitive throttle pedal at the start of its travel, and then — pure delight! You only have time to shift gears — the gearbox works almost flawlessly, although there's enough torque reserve for rarer shifts. This reveals the very quality for which "S" models are loved: in city traffic, the car behaves calmly and without jerks, but give it free rein — and it instantly shows serious dynamic potential, and on a long trip it proves to be a worthy representative of the GT class.

The suspension, combined with transparent steering and sufficient body rigidity, works impeccably and composedly — I even opened my mouth in amazement when the S5 at a decent speed flew over a speed bump that I noticed too late, as if it didn't exist at all! This coupe's ability to calmly swallow almost any bumps, barely transmitting them to the "fifth point," is simply fantastic. However, speaking of classic Audis, one cannot help but recall another kind of "flight" — the innate understeer, especially characteristic of light cars with large heavy engines. Engineers have made considerable efforts to, if not eradicate it in the new coupe, then at least weaken it. To do this, they placed the engine for the first time not ahead of the front axle, as before, but behind it, and also changed the torque distribution between the axles from 50:50 to 40:60 in favor of the rear. However...

Let me note right away: the test conditions on wet winter roads in the Moscow region were far from "sterile" — unlike the sun-warmed spring serpentines near the Nürburgring, where a year ago I had plenty of driving in the 335i. But even so, it was clear: the creators of the S5 failed to overcome understeer — or they didn't want to. In any case, if the BMW "three-series" obediently slides its rear wheels outward when needed, helping to trace the arc, then the Audi "five-series" when exceeding speed at the entrance to a similar corner stubbornly slides outward with its front end — even with the stability control turned off.

I don't think that the very smart Audi engineers couldn't handle this task — rather, they didn't want to. After all, the car is positioned as a "sports coupe of the business class," and it seems that the second part of this formula is more important from a marketing standpoint: it's unlikely that those very businessmen will line up to attack corners in controlled drifts. They have enough precise and informative steering combined with a tendency toward understeer, which is much safer than oversteer. That's the whole secret. And for those craving sharper sensations, it's worth waiting a couple of years and getting behind the wheel of the 450-horsepower "five-series" with the RS index and a system for intelligent torque distribution between the wheels.

But all these discussions about understeer and oversteer are, in fact, just "by the way." The main thing in the S5 is not exactly how it takes corners, but the overall impression it leaves. And it, despite individual shortcomings, more than compensated by a multitude of advantages, is the most positive. Life behind the wheel of this very harmonious "moderately sporty" Audi coupe becomes brighter and more pleasant: it is truly dynamic, but doesn't chill the blood with extreme thrills. And that, no matter how you look at it, is exactly what attracts people to cars of this kind.
Perhaps the S5 is indeed "more than an Audi." But considering that every new car from Ingolstadt is always a noticeable qualitative step forward, it is an absolutely authentic Audi.