Hurricanes

For years I purchased various Audis and BMWs all the while ignoring the Mercedes brand. Why you may ask? Answer is I don’t know. I always loved the C63 coupe but passed on two occasions to purchase a E92 M3 and a B8 RS5. M3 was a great car and I regret selling it to this day. I did not care for the RS5 and wanted to get rid of it the moment I bought it. Well I finally made the jump. Last week I saw a C63 507 I fell in love with and purchased it. It’s a new 2015. The dealer gave me 9.5% off which I think is a great deal. I picked it up over the weekend and have been driving everywhere in hopes of getting to 1000 miles quickly. This is a hard car to keep below 4500 rpm. I appreciate all the help and insight everyone gave me in my previous thread. After I pass the break in period I plan on doing a proper comparison review. In the meantime here are some pics of my former cars and my latest addition.

unruin

Congrats on the recent purchase! I came from an e92 and miss that car as well. I can see myself in an ESS SC'd e92 some day.

Beautiful color combo. I'd take the side stickers off though. Other than that, it's just perfect.

Sidv22

Congrats on the new ride! you did get a pretty good deal!
Can you please elaborate more on why you did not like the RS5? I ask because I am planning to replace my A5 with the RS5 in the near future. I have only test driven the RS5 so any inputs from an actual owner are welcome.

uc63ry

I came from a RS5 to a 507 too Loving every bits of the 507... and not missing the understeer from the heavy RS5 at all

M-Theory

I miss my FBO E92 M3 as well, but I don't miss the beatings I took from E/C63 cars in it. Only way I'd go back is with a S/C kit. You'll love the M156 once break in is over!

leungsta

iTrader: (1)

I went from a FBO 335i to a C63 and added the EC v5 tune. Although the handling seems more improved on the BMWs, the power in the C63 makes up for it. Enjoy!

8o8is

Congrats on your new C63!! I too was wondering why the RS5 was not to your liking. Been contemplating getting an RS5 as a second car. I've test driven the last V8 S5 and didn't like it. But I figure the RS5 should be an animal.

Hurricanes

Please note I do not intend to start a car war. I am only providing my opinion on the car.

The RS5 is a great car, it just wasn't for me. Here is a quick listing of what I loved and what I disliked:

Loved:

The look of the car. It's a head turner. However this is subjective.
The sound of the car in Dynamic mode was fantastic although no where near the sound of an AMG.
It was a beast in the snow with snow tires.
The gas mileage was very good for an 8 cylinder car. In comfort mode I could regularly average 23-24mpg.
The transmission is fantastic. It's lightning quick. Much faster than the 507.
Navigation with Audi connect is superior to any GPS system I have ever used. The downside is it was 30 dollars a month for something I used maybe three times a year.
Grip. This car has so much it is crazy. It handles as if it is on rails. The crown differential is remarkable. However it does come at a cost which I will explain below.

Disliked:

Audi MMI. This system is given so much praise in car mags. I couldn't stand it! There is no USB port in the car. Your iPhone/ipod could only connect via a cable in the glove box. No matter what cable I purchased I could never see album artwork when I played Pandora or iTunes Radio. In fact in never even displayed the artist info. Very annoying when you hear a song you like but have no idea who is singing it because it says "Music".

The Bang and Olufsen system is just overrated. This is not the same B&O system in the S6 that pumps out 1250 watts. This pumps out 505. The speakers can not handle the power from the head unit and often crackle at very low volumes. The bass is missing. It's plain weak. I know the HK on the 507 is only 450 but it is better in every way imaginable. (Off topic the Enhanced Premium Sound option in the e92 M3 was AWESOME. Not as good as the S6 B&O but still AWESOME).

Although the car is quick off the line it is not impressive at all on the highway. There isn't enough pull. You will have a hard time keeping up with the E92 M3 at 40 mph and above. If you encounter a F80/82 you will be walked. It's not even a contest.

There is zero connection from the road. The steering is soulless. If you put it in dynamic steering it is so heavy it can't be used. The crown differential is so solid you never know when you are going to lose control of the car. It's actually kind of scary. With the E92 M3 and C63 you know when the tail is gong to go out. In the RS5 you hit understeer out of nowhere because you can not feel when the grip is going to let lose. You have to push the card very hard to do so but it happens. It is not as prevalent as some of the other Audis but its there. There was no reward when I drove this car. This may sound nuts but I like the white knuckle grip I have when behind the wheel of the M3 and C63. It puts a huge smile on my face every time. In the RS5 i was bored. The car did everything for you which can be a very comforting feature especially in climates with 4 seasons. It was almost like cheating. You knew the car did all the work and you were along for the ride. Keep in mind the car knows what it's doing. In the hands of a skilled driver it can produce very quick lap times. I would bet a mediocre driver around town would have an advantage over the C63 and M3 because it's that easy to drive. However I found it boring and it did not provide the driver involvement I was looking for. I made a rush decision to purchase and it bit me.

In closing it is a great car. It looks fantastic and can be driven very hard. It's exclusive and it holds it value. If you want a solid upgrade from the A5 go with the S5. It will be 15-20K cheaper and will provide 90% of what the RS5 offers in terms of usability and comfort. If you are debating about paying 80K for a car I strongly encourage you to drive the E92/F82 M3/4 variants, the C63 204/205, and the RS5. Make sure you can open them up. Play around with the Idrive, Command, and MMI systems. I actually had M3 and C63 owners on various forums that let me test drive their cars prior to purchase. They let me open the cars up to get a true feel. I was not able to find an owner willing to let me do that in the RS5 and convinced myself the car would be an animal after I passed the break in period.

If you have any other specific questions I would be happy to help.

Hurricanes

Can you please elaborate more on why you did not like the RS5? I ask because I am planning to replace my A5 with the RS5 in the near future. I have only test driven the RS5 so any inputs from an actual owner are welcome.[/QUOTE]

This is the same post I provided another forum member. If you did not like the S5 I do not think you will enjoy the RS5. Here is my loved/disliked listing.


Please note I do not intend to start a car war. I am only providing my opinion on the car.

The RS5 is a great car, it just wasn't for me. Here is a quick listing of what I loved and what I disliked:

Loved:

The look of the car. It's a head turner. However this is subjective.
The sound of the car in Dynamic mode was fantastic although no where near the sound of an AMG.
It was a beast in the snow with snow tires.
The gas mileage was very good for an 8 cylinder car. In comfort mode I could regularly average 23-24mpg.
The transmission is fantastic. It's lightning quick. Much faster than the 507.
Navigation with Audi connect is superior to any GPS system I have ever used. The downside is it was 30 dollars a month for something I used maybe three times a year.
Grip. This car has so much it is crazy. It handles as if it is on rails. The crown differential is remarkable. However it does come at a cost which I will explain below.

Disliked:

Audi MMI. This system is given so much praise in car mags. I couldn't stand it! There is no USB port in the car. Your iPhone/ipod could only connect via a cable in the glove box. No matter what cable I purchased I could never see album artwork when I played Pandora or iTunes Radio. In fact in never even displayed the artist info. Very annoying when you hear a song you like but have no idea who is singing it because it says "Music".

The Bang and Olufsen system is just overrated. This is not the same B&O system in the S6 that pumps out 1250 watts. This pumps out 505. The speakers can not handle the power from the head unit and often crackle at very low volumes. The bass is missing. It's plain weak. I know the HK on the 507 is only 450 but it is better in every way imaginable. (Off topic the Enhanced Premium Sound option in the e92 M3 was AWESOME. Not as good as the S6 B&O but still AWESOME).

Although the car is quick off the line it is not impressive at all on the highway. There isn't enough pull. You will have a hard time keeping up with the E92 M3 at 40 mph and above. If you encounter a F80/82 you will be walked. It's not even a contest.

There is zero connection from the road. The steering is soulless. If you put it in dynamic steering it is so heavy it can't be used. The crown differential is so solid you never know when you are going to lose control of the car. It's actually kind of scary. With the E92 M3 and C63 you know when the tail is gong to go out. In the RS5 you hit understeer out of nowhere because you can not feel when the grip is going to let lose. You have to push the card very hard to do so but it happens. It is not as prevalent as some of the other Audis but its there. There was no reward when I drove this car. This may sound nuts but I like the white knuckle grip I have when behind the wheel of the M3 and C63. It puts a huge smile on my face every time. In the RS5 i was bored. The car did everything for you which can be a very comforting feature especially in climates with 4 seasons. It was almost like cheating. You knew the car did all the work and you were along for the ride. Keep in mind the car knows what it's doing. In the hands of a skilled driver it can produce very quick lap times. I would bet a mediocre driver around town would have an advantage over the C63 and M3 because it's that easy to drive. However I found it boring and it did not provide the driver involvement I was looking for. I made a rush decision to purchase and it bit me.

In closing it is a great car. It looks fantastic and can be driven very hard. It's exclusive and it holds it value. If you want a solid upgrade from the A5 go with the S5. It will be 15-20K cheaper and will provide 90% of what the RS5 offers in terms of usability and comfort. If you are debating about paying 80K for a car I strongly encourage you to drive the E92/F82 M3/4 variants, the C63 204/205, and the RS5. Make sure you can open them up. Play around with the Idrive, Command, and MMI systems. I actually had M3 and C63 owners on various forums that let me test drive their cars prior to purchase. They let me open the cars up to get a true feel. I was not able to find an owner willing to let me do that in the RS5 and convinced myself the car would be an animal after I passed the break in period.

If you have any other specific questions I would be happy to help.

8o8is

Thanks Hurricanes for your review of the RS5!

Hurricanes

Couldn't agree with you more.

Hurricanes

Thank you!

Shellbmb

I'll second a lot of what was said about the RS5. I had a 2012 C63 coupe which I sold for my current M5. Briefly owned an RS5 for the wife, but like you, wanted to get rid of it almost as soon as i bought it. Definitely an impulse buy. I think soul-less is a great way to sum it up. Steering was horrible and brakes were terrible. My C63 had the best steering and braking of all my cars by far. I really miss that about it. And I agree, I don't know why people rave about the MMI. I thought it was terrible. And the ergonomics of that car really drove me crazy. If I had a 32 oz drink in the cup holder, I could not get access to the "puck" or barely the volume knob on the right side of the center console. Horrible design. Wish I would have kept my C63 for the wife now. Oh well.

But if you want grip for days, then the quattro will provide that. I tried to make it lose traction and it would not.

Love the 507! Man, do I miss the exhaust note of the M156.

Bardman

Interesting car journey. I went from the RS4 to the C63, and a big part of me wishes I had stuck with the RS4. Agree with you on the RS5, I test drove one and it didn't grab me at all.

The RS4 was a really special car though. Fitting a supercharger on it would have been cheaper than buying a C63...

Hurricanes

I can't believe I forgot to comment on the RS5 brakes. They are atrocious. In addition you are lucky if you get more than 20,000 miles before you need rotors and pads.

Side note how do you like the M5? I assume it's an F10? I was going to cross shop but never did.

Hurricanes

Funny you mention it. I still regret the decision to sell the RS4. Although I do not miss the carbon build up.