S4 to S5
Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 12:41 pm
After 1000 miles I thought I would post up my thoughts of the S5 compared to the S4 avant I had previously.
Couple of pics first:
Performance
Overall I prefer the S5 as it feels ever so slightly quicker and seems to pull harder, I guess this is because the S5 is lighter. The S5 does feel more planted as well and gives me a bit more confidence in the corners. The S5 is definitely louder with the windows open as well, its got more an aggressive rasp and a louder throttle blip on the up-shifts. I find myself driving with the windows open a lot at the moment. The kickdown feature is bloody awesome. It shifts down gears and pauses before molesting you in lovely torque and power, the S4 started to pull slowly whilst the kickdown was being engaged so there wasn't such a wallop of torque.
Looks
First week I had it i went and visited my Dad and parked it on the main road, within 10 minutes I had a group of lads pull over and started taking photos of it (which I didn't like to be honest, my step Mum soon cleared them off!). It is a bit more of a head turner than the S4, I've had a lot more 'nice car' comments. I really adore how it appears to have RS arches from the front, it doesn't but it's the way have Audi have designed the car that gives this appearance. It didn't look out of place when I placed it next to a B8 RS4 (from the front). I think this is just a spec thing but the wheels appear bigger against the black paint as opposed to the white. I also think the new DRLs look better than on the 4. The S4 did have that sleeper appeal and also was a bloody good looking motor. I love the black metallic paint but it is worse than the white to keep nice. It is also showing some minor swirls whereas the Ibis didn't on the S4. This is just spec comparison though.
Spec
Well I had a poverty(ish) spec S4 compared to the S5 and I hold my hands up and say you guys were right about getting tech pack, drive select etc. The S5 wins here but then so could the S4 if it had more spec.
Day to day
The S5 is perfect for me for during the week, general shopping and it is ok for a weekend away however it does fall short of the S4 when it comes to taking a lot of stuff around. The S5 can become a pain when putting my daughter in the back also as you have to lean over to do her seatbelt up. The Mrs does this normally so it's normally ok for me.
Costs
The S5 cost 48k whereas the S4 cost 43k so you would expect it to be better. The S5 is costing me more as that increased exhaust nose is causing me to use that right foot a lot. Generally the fuel economy is worse at the moment even on a run. The insurance cost is also higher.
Overall
I prefer the S5 overall however this is slightly down to the spec (tech pack high, audi connect high, drive select, auto dimming lights etc). The looks really do it for me as do the kickdown and exhaust note. There is something about owning an S4 that I miss, maybe it's the heritage, fast estate thing.
At the moment the S5 doesn't have annoying rattles or squeaky brakes so this has to be a result!
My mini review above may be biased as I did start to fall out of love with the S4 due to the issues however I thought I'd share anyway.
Couple of pics first:
Performance
Overall I prefer the S5 as it feels ever so slightly quicker and seems to pull harder, I guess this is because the S5 is lighter. The S5 does feel more planted as well and gives me a bit more confidence in the corners. The S5 is definitely louder with the windows open as well, its got more an aggressive rasp and a louder throttle blip on the up-shifts. I find myself driving with the windows open a lot at the moment. The kickdown feature is bloody awesome. It shifts down gears and pauses before molesting you in lovely torque and power, the S4 started to pull slowly whilst the kickdown was being engaged so there wasn't such a wallop of torque.
Looks
First week I had it i went and visited my Dad and parked it on the main road, within 10 minutes I had a group of lads pull over and started taking photos of it (which I didn't like to be honest, my step Mum soon cleared them off!). It is a bit more of a head turner than the S4, I've had a lot more 'nice car' comments. I really adore how it appears to have RS arches from the front, it doesn't but it's the way have Audi have designed the car that gives this appearance. It didn't look out of place when I placed it next to a B8 RS4 (from the front). I think this is just a spec thing but the wheels appear bigger against the black paint as opposed to the white. I also think the new DRLs look better than on the 4. The S4 did have that sleeper appeal and also was a bloody good looking motor. I love the black metallic paint but it is worse than the white to keep nice. It is also showing some minor swirls whereas the Ibis didn't on the S4. This is just spec comparison though.
Spec
Well I had a poverty(ish) spec S4 compared to the S5 and I hold my hands up and say you guys were right about getting tech pack, drive select etc. The S5 wins here but then so could the S4 if it had more spec.
Day to day
The S5 is perfect for me for during the week, general shopping and it is ok for a weekend away however it does fall short of the S4 when it comes to taking a lot of stuff around. The S5 can become a pain when putting my daughter in the back also as you have to lean over to do her seatbelt up. The Mrs does this normally so it's normally ok for me.
Costs
The S5 cost 48k whereas the S4 cost 43k so you would expect it to be better. The S5 is costing me more as that increased exhaust nose is causing me to use that right foot a lot. Generally the fuel economy is worse at the moment even on a run. The insurance cost is also higher.
Overall
I prefer the S5 overall however this is slightly down to the spec (tech pack high, audi connect high, drive select, auto dimming lights etc). The looks really do it for me as do the kickdown and exhaust note. There is something about owning an S4 that I miss, maybe it's the heritage, fast estate thing.
At the moment the S5 doesn't have annoying rattles or squeaky brakes so this has to be a result!
My mini review above may be biased as I did start to fall out of love with the S4 due to the issues however I thought I'd share anyway.