We set off to test the newest Audi S5 coupe alone, but fate had other plans: quite unexpectedly, we got to pit the "S" face to face with its main rival and longtime opponent — the BMW M3 super coupe in the E92 body. But let's start from the beginning.
We had been eagerly awaiting the coupe with four rings on the hood, and here it is before us — the Audi A5, built on a fresh platform shared with the A4 family. In the mid-nineties, Audi had a three-door hatchback with a sporty slant, but in Ingolstadt they always favored station wagons. Just recall the legendary S2, refined by Porsche specialists, or the 380-horsepower RS4 — both models were produced exclusively in Avant body style. And now we have a true two-door coupe, and with an S5 badge at that. Under the hood sits a 354-horsepower V8 4.2 FSI unit, which in various forms is found on almost all Audi models, not counting the little A3 and TT.
The creators of the A5 faced a tough task: they needed to maintain classic coupe proportions — otherwise the public might not appreciate the newcomer, especially since the TT was already in the lineup — but at the same time avoid falling into the usual straightforward Audi style that had long been inducing boredom. Additionally, the A5 was to become a harbinger of the new generation A4 sedan, the brand's best-selling model. So the stakes in this game were higher than ever.
Scrutinizing the A5 closely, you realize: the work is excellent. The design team led by Walter de Silva did a brilliant job. Perhaps the "S" looks a bit heavy due to the swollen wheel arches, in which even 18-inch wheels get lost, but that's just nitpicking. The coupe turned out truly dynamic — something Audi hasn't had in a long time — yet easily recognizable. Just look at the wavy side line — pure eroticism! And the LED "eyelashes," like on the R8 coupe, add charm.
Inside, everything is in Audi's signature style. The MMI system is familiar from the senior models — A6, A8, and the Q7 SUV. At first, it seems complicated due to the many buttons with poisonous red backlighting, but after a couple of hours of active use of navigation and other functions, you find common ground with it. After that — no complaints, everything is intuitive, aided by a large contrast display with a wealth of useful information.
The steering wheel, seats, and overall ergonomics are also familiar from other Audis, so you don't have to get used to them for long. Without delay, I press the Start Engine button on the center tunnel — and off we go. The electronic handbrake helps when starting on an incline: it holds the car in place and releases itself when you start moving. In a calm rhythm, this is convenient, but for brisk starts, it's better to do everything yourself, without automatic intervention. After all, the S5 is clearly not for leisurely driving? Yes and no.
Driving the coupe calmly is a pleasure: the torquey engine allows skipping a gear, or even two. True, the long-travel clutch is a bit annoying, but we've gotten used to it over years of testing Volkswagen Group cars. If you drive carefully, not pressing the gas pedal more than a third and not revving the engine above three thousand rpm, then we have a convenient and comfortable everyday coupe with an average fuel consumption of 12–14 liters per hundred. An electronic prompt helps save fuel: it shows the current gear and advises which one to shift to. Its task is to conserve fuel, so during full-throttle acceleration it stays silent until the red zone, but during calm driving it often recommends skipping a gear. When slowing down, the "prompter" reminds you about engine braking.
But you can't save forever. Born to fly — must fly! Full throttle! The acceleration of the S5 can't be called mesmerizing, but a glance at the speedometer opens your eyes: the speed is much higher than it seems. Gears engage one after another magnificently, and you can easily exceed 220 km/h by accident, being sure you're not going faster than the "allowed" 160 on the Moscow Ring Road. The engine honestly delivers the claimed 354 hp, and the 4.2-liter displacement, which can easily be boosted to 420 "horses," leaves no doubt about its hot temper. At the same time, the cabin is quiet and comfortable, as if you're driving not a sports coupe but a powerful business sedan. Perhaps even the previous Audi S4 sedan felt more sporty. The "five" also lacks a rich sound: the characteristic gurgling of all "eights" is heard only at low revs, up to 2000 rpm. Above that, the sound drowns in the general hum and excellent sound insulation. Even during full-throttle acceleration, you have to watch the tachometer — otherwise the engine will hit the limiter without you hearing it. In the closed car, you feel like a first-class passenger on reliable German Lufthansa. Nothing creaks in the cabin, and the S5 handles bumps and even unnoticed-at-night speed bumps with true Aryan steadfastness. It seems almost impossible to make the suspension bottom out. But body rolls could be less. Although this is a matter of priorities: for everyday driving on roads like Moscow's, the suspension tuning is almost ideal, but the sporty handling you expect from any car with an Audi S badge is pushed to the background here.
If you enter a corner at a speed higher than permissible, the "S" will simply slide outward with the front wheels, and correcting it will be extremely difficult — the suboptimal weight distribution with the heavy V8 ahead of the front axle takes its toll. Compared to the previous generation Audi A4, the "five" has a reworked transmission, with the balance of the center differential shifted toward the rear axle (standard torque distribution is XX/XX), which somewhat improved the situation, but completely overcoming understeer has not been achieved.
A duel, only a duel
And at the end of the test, like a piano in the bushes, one of the first owners of the newest BMW M3 in Moscow appeared. For a client of the Bavarian Motor Works, the Audi S5 became a red rag, and a desperate race broke out between us. How will 354 hp combined with Quattro fare against 420 "Bavarian stallions" on rear-wheel drive?
Neither wanted to yield, and ordinary joyrides quickly turned into a real duel of sports cars. Initially, we had planned a head-to-head clash of the two Germans, but it turned out to be quite relative. It felt like a lean boxer in the lightweight division met a sumo wrestler in the ring. Of course, the differences between the cars are somewhat exaggerated, but the essence is clear. The BMW M3 is a lightweight sports car, perfectly balanced and built for the race track. The engine moved inside the wheelbase, a Kevlar roof and hood giving almost perfect weight distribution, and a low center of gravity. The BMW's handling is superb: the car follows the steering wheel precisely, and once you turn off the stability control, a drift is not long in coming. You need to stay sharp with the "M," and then it will reward you with magnificent drive. Body rolls are minimal, and the suspension, as befits a BMW, is bone-jarring. Switching the dampers to comfort mode helps a bit, but the Bavarian is incredibly far from the true comfort that the Audi S5 excels at.
The Audi S5 feels more responsive and comfortable, but you wouldn't dare call its character weak-willed either. When launching from a standstill, whether on wet asphalt or a slightly snow-dusted road, the "S" leaves the BMW M3 not a single chance. The legendary Torsen virtuously redistributes traction between the axles, and the Audi takes off like a bullet from a barrel. Due to the softer suspension and not the most successful weight distribution, the S5 has to noticeably slow down before corners, but you can also accelerate earlier — you don't have to fear a drift, and incredible traction in slush is something the "Bavarian" never even dreamed of. Moreover, if you turn off the stability control, the Audi allows you to attack corners in the signature rally style: you brake before the arc, provoke axle slip, and then slide on all four wheels almost to the exit. It's both fast and damn spectacular.
And, of course, when choosing a car, price plays an important role. And here there is no talk of parity between the rivals at all. The base Audi S5 is priced at 64,953 euros, which at the current exchange rate is 2,311,170 rubles, while the minimum price for the BMW M3 starts at 2,516,500 rubles. You can bring both cars "up to par" with additional options for another 200-500 thousand rubles, but in this context these are already insignificant details — they do not affect driving qualities in any way.
We did not ignore the practical side either: in terms of trunk volume and interior space, there is almost complete equality between the M3 and S5. As for the exterior, it's a matter of taste. The BMW looks more taut and composed, and the powerful engine under the hood is unambiguously hinted at by the characteristic hump, creating the illusion of turbocharging. The S5, on the other hand, gives itself away only by the lowered front bumper and badges. There are no other identifying marks, and they are not needed — there is nothing truly extreme about the S5 in essence. Just a powerful and incredibly torquey engine, whereas the M3 is a full-fledged charismatic sports car that has few equals on circuits like the Nordschleife. But in winter, it's better to leave such a car resting in the garage, switching to an all-wheel-drive "three", and ideally to an X3 or X5. The Audi, on the other hand, is a magnificent and powerful car for every day. And those who yearn to outdo a BMW in a fair fight on dry asphalt behind the wheel of a car with "four rings" will have to wait for the RS5 super coupe, which is expected in 2008...
Text: Leonid Pavlov
And what will the blonde say?
If you like to drive with the wind, you also need to be able to navigate in Kurkino, early in the morning, on an unnamed street, when it's a nasty zero outside and something like snow or rain is falling from the sky. The task, frankly, is not an easy one, especially for a blonde, but for the sake of a test drive of the new Audi S5, it's worth trying...
And here it emerges from around the corner — fresh, red, blinking its turn signal and flying forward, showing the way to the shooting location. All I had to do was press the gas pedal to the floor so as not to lose the "guide", and hope that the lady with the stroller would manage to brake before the crossing, noticing not only the red miracle of technology, sliding into a turn on a red light in front of her nose, but also that big white cart behind, which is trying with all its might to keep up with the "locomotive".
And from behind, this beauty is not a typical Audi at all – narrow, aggressive lights, four exhaust pipes, an elegantly curved trunk lid line, which, fortunately, does not repeat the TT design... A predatory, squat and wide muzzle combined with the red color instantly transports thoughts somewhere to a southern mountain serpentine, but alas... Although the Kurkinskoye Highway with its bends very much resembles it, if you abstract from the slush and other weather troubles...
I settle into the driver's seat. With a button, I release the electromechanical "handbrake". ESP has already been prudently switched off by professional racer Vasya, who has just left the driver's seat. Let's go...
Comfortable sports seats, stylish dashboard, a scattering of buttons and controls of an ultra-modern hi-fi infotainment system — navigation, DVD, radio, TV — and all this from Bang & Olufsen...
The first unpleasant discovery — gear shifting is only possible with the clutch fully depressed... Even the Lamborghini forgave me my heels and the clutch pedal not reaching the floor... The second surprise — a very smooth, not at all sporty acceleration. I remembered one "car enthusiast" who boasted about his tuned 300C: "Yes, it accelerates slowly, but then you can't stop it!" It was this statement, absolutely incompatible with a sports car, that came to mind when I, finally accelerating, barely braked before the turn. Later, looking into the technical passport, I understood the reason — the car's weight is 1,700 (!!) kg, due to which its 4.2 liters, V8 and 354 horsepower are completely not felt in this beautiful coupe...
Another annoying little thing — at 7 thousand rpm, the smart electronics itself cuts the revs: the feeling is unpleasant — as if an invisible third leg presses the brake at the most inopportune moment...
But if you consider that when buying a coupe, we often choose not functionality, driving qualities and safety, but how to more effectively give someone a ride along the central streets of our favorite city (and the female half of car owners is guided exclusively by this, and we don't care about torque and the location of the front axle differential) — then the Audi designers managed to create a truly stylish coupe, which, I am sure, next summer can be seen on Moscow streets driven by us blondes, who in spring happily switch from our winter SUVs to something new.