gaazmon

Ya, especially since everyone I know that has one got ripped off royally on the car, LOL

rieger

Well I rather have a little shake than the SBC failure thing. Not only that the shake is pretty well fixed or fixable but the SBC not so.

gaazmon

+1. SBC sucks.

gkw

Until it got hi-jacked by Audi service problems....

I am also on the fence, having driven an S5 standard and the E350 coupe. I am driving the 550 coupe next week and the S5 auto, but I am leaning toward the 550 based on the numbers and (what I believe) better and more distinct exterior appearance.

Current cars - LS 460 swb, SC 430, FX 45

Hopefully, the topic veers back on course...

And why isn't there a 350/550 coupe section under Coupes??

GW

stogie1020

GKW, where do you live that you have these two S5s available for test drive?

My local dealership says I am lucky to get to see pictures of the car, and should not hold my breath for test drives.

gkw

I believe it was Prime Audi Porsche in Westwood Mass on Rt 1. They had a 6spd that I drove and an auto that was buried out back and I didn't have time to wait for them to pull it out.

GW

gaazmon

It's ridiculous how low the supply of the A5/S5 is. With that said, the people that really want it end up paying way too much for the car.

anachronist

cars.com has some pretty nice low mileage ones

S5 is my second favorite car, so i keep an eye on it.

RJC

Audi USA has a special lease offer on 2010 A5 2.0 premium's...$499/36 and about $3600 out of pocket...

http://www.audiusa.com/us/brand/en/r...l_offer_3.html

rieger

A5 is pretty underpowered. Even the current S5 I feel is underpowered. I would wait until the new supercharged engine is put in the 2011 car and then it would be much more powerful especially with a chip. But the exterior is like sex on wheels. Definitely best looking 2door on the road these days after the R8. That is the reason for the long wait, demand is definitely higher than supply. Last two years Audi has increased sale while MB and BMW sales has declined worldwide. If Audi of America wasn't such a lame duck Audi would be really kicking ****.

cmcbenz

gonna go ahead and disagree with you there... the E550C is much hotter.

rieger

Not a problem since each person has personal taste but the general consensus in the enthusiast world is definitely the S5. Obviously you didn't have to wait a year for your e550c. Demand for the E550C is definitely lower than the S5. Don't believe me than visit other forums like for BMW and Audi and you will see that the S5 is definitely rated much higher than most other 2 door cars in exterior design. Even the M3 guys agree on this front.

cmcbenz

you know what's strange about that? there were five S5's in the atlanta area available for purchase when i ordered my E550C, and I had to wait 8 weeks to get my hands on it. they were all black on black, two manuals and two automatics. maybe people backed out of them due to the economy? the E550C just hit the real user market, so it'll be interesting to see the reviews over the next few months/comparison tests etc.

The benz is more of an all-around luxury car IMO with amazing speed, whereas the S5 is more sport than luxury. Would you agree? One thing I really liked about the S5 was the ability to set manual user preferences for suspension/steering/throttle - it was a $3k package but is really impressive.

rieger

I would totally agree with that statement. The S5 is probably for younger people and the E550C is probably for older folks because of what you had just mentioned regarding handling. But design wise Mb decided to go younger with the edgy design which really baffles me because from reading the threads it's a toss up on the whole E-class design. My take is that if I was leasing the car it would be fine because after 4 years give it back but if I was going to keep it longer than I like a little less edgy design because if you look at timeless designs usually are smoother, with shapely curves. Perfect example would be looking at BMW and how Chris Bangle is being castrated for his designs on the 7 and 5 series because it was just too edgy. I think Audi was the main benefit of this if you look into world wide sales of Audi.

cmcbenz

I agree - the 5 and 7 series look terrible, almost like they started with the front and didn't know what to do with the back end.

The Audi is still more of a drivers' car, so they probably stole share from BMW. I think the CLK / now the E-coupe is for young and old people alike; I wouldn't necessarily draw too much of a distinction on age when it comes to these audacious coupes. I think it's simply a matter of preference.

gaazmon

A5/S5 exterior is really HOT!!! And again, you still see barely on the road compared to a 3 series or g37 or e coupe, so probably gets more attention.

cmcbenz

a quick list of why I like my E550 coupe better than my experience test driving / considering the S5 (and why i waited an extra 8 weeks to get my hands on it)

1) pillarless design
2) rear seat panoramic view as opposed to a hole
3) rear seat windows with controls
4) automatic brights - 8 different automatic settings
5) 4 way air bolstered seats for driver, 3 way air bolstered seats for passenger (3 save settings for driver and passenger with controls on door panel)
6) COMAND system is better than the MMII
7) brake assist/adaptive cruise control
8) better gauges - a) merc has a clock b) audi has 60 mph an inch above 0 mph (why? why??)
9) much smoother transmission
10) more HP and more Torque
11) rear wheel drive for those fun wheel spins
12) better steering wheel with better buttons and better leather and thicker and better paddle shifters
13) 40GB in dash HDD - maybe audi has this too IDK
14) no funny smelling seude patches
15) bigger trunk
16) better service from merc
17) panoramic roof
18) pirelli p zeros
19) forgiving suspension
20) sexier
21) more luxurious
22) less annoying nav system voice
23) passengers have a better ride
24) quiter
25) 2 cup holders that are open and available and pragmatic
26) more spacious interior
27) better gauge colors (white versus red)
28) audi's vibration issue btwn 40-60 mph
29) better driving position
30) audi has very, very annoying salespersons and service departments

now i will brace for impact from all you S5 lovers. remember, this is just my opinion.

to be fair, the audi is better in that:
1) manually adjustable suspension/steering/throttle
2) tighter
3) inspires race-car type driving confidence
4) who cares about passengers??
5) who cares about salespersons and service departments?
6) at least half the reasons above for the merc are personal preference

thanks for listening. let the record show that i have the right to say these things because i actually OWN an E550 coupe. good day.

RJC

I just read the RS5 is being intoduced in Germany this month and will keep the 4.2 V8 but will have 450 hp and the new 7 speed, the car wil also have lots of other goodies including what looks like flared fenders. The RS5 is supposed to be around $70k when it goes on sale here in the early spring.

I am calling my local dealer to see if there is a waiting list...this car has it all!

The most powerful A5 ever will make its world debut next month at the Essen Motor Show that runs from November 28 thru December 6 in the West German city. Compared to the current top of the line S5, the new RS5 will feature a more aggressive front end complete with larger air intakes an a deeper lip spoiler, wider wheel arches to house the additional rubber and R8 super car style aluminum fuel filler cap. Aside from the standard RS upgrades, the upcoming RS5 will also wear a pair of the brushed metal mirror covers and should be filled with plenty of carbon fiber on the inside.

Under the hood, the Audi RS5 will be powered by a 4.2 Liter FSI V8 engine and will be coupled with a 7 speed S-tronic gearbox. The power plant will be upgraded from previous versions in order to produce a maximum output of 450 HP and will be more than enough to send the RS5 sprinting from 0 to 60 MPH in around 4.5 seconds. By combining the upgraded FSI engine with Audi’s patented Quattro all wheel drive technology the German automaker is about to release a very stylish high performance vehicle into the market that will easily compete with the likes of BMW’s boy racer M3 and even an AMG powered C63 from Mercedes Benz. So now that we know the RS5 is official, we can’t wait until Essen to see the finished product.

anachronist

i am a big fan of S5, but i saw the e coupe for the first time in peson on friday when i took my car to the dealership, and contrary to the negativity about the new e shape, i think the e coupe is a beautiful car.

if they make an AMG version of it, i will buy it as my next car.