S5 is another scorcher from Audi
By: Henrie Geyser
Following hard on the tail-pipes of the scorching Audi R8 launched in South Africa a few months ago comes another four-ring flyer - the sleek and very fast Audi S5 coupe.
Audi is clearly on the war-path with an aggressive campaign of new model introductions and the S5 - flagship of a whole new range of A5 models - throws down the glove to the best BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and even Aston Martin has to offer.
To rub extra salt into the wounds of the other überwagons, the Audi S5 not only beats them on pace and beauty, but it is also considerably less expensive than most of them.
For starters, it is as fast over the 0-100km/h drag and at top speed than the considerably more expensive Mercedes-Benz CLK 350, quicker than the CLK 500, and faster than the BMW 335i.
But out there on the road, one should probably put into the ring another champion coupe - the mighty BMW 650 which I happened to be testing during the same time I drove the Audi S5 for the first time.
And it's a close call to pick a winner between these two. On a personal note, I would put the Audi a coat of metallic paint past the chequered flag ahead of the Beemer.
I prefer the Audi's looks (which leaves no doubt that it is directly related to the R8), its handling, the slickness of its manual gearbox, the more user-friendly on board computer, its lesser-is-better technology and, all importantly, its price tag.
The S5 comes in at an amazingly competitive R549,000 against the 650 Beemer's R825,500. In fact, the Audi is only about R1,000 more expensive than the BMW 335i and it really offers a lot more. The same goes for the Merc CLK which costs about R26,000 more than the S5.
The S5 has been welcomed with tremendous fanfare from the world's motoring media, with a leading German car magazine already describing it as “the world's new champion coupe”.
And I must say, that even after just spending a few hours behind the wheel of the S5 I am inclined to agree. This Audi is everything one would want in a classic coupe - it goes like a rocket, it sticks to the road like it was bolted down and it's looks will turn more heads than a topless super model on Clifton's 1st Beach.
It certainly created quite a storm when I drove it through George, De Rust, Oudtshoorn and the lovely winding roads and mountain passes in that region recently.
Unfortunately I cannot go into too much detail of what precisely we did get up to on that drive because that could lead to ugly things such as speeding tickets, holding cells, magistrate's courts and BIG fines.
So I will skip the finer details, but you will get the picture when I tell you that wedged in under the long, sleek and elegantly contoured bonnet of the S5 is a 4.2-litre chunk of highly sophisticated V8 metal that roars out 260kW and 440Nm when you shove down the pleasure pedal and Audi's renowned FSI direct injection starts force-feeding it with high octane juice.
The S5 doesn't actually accelerate. It bullets. It rockets. It flies. And before you can say “Please can I have another beer, mister barman”, it will have done the zero to 100km/h blitz in five seconds. That's just 0.1 seconds slower than an Aston Martin!
And the fun continues all the way right up to the 250km/h electronically curtailed limit. Slicing through its short-throw six-speed box is bliss and the confidence and class with which the S5 takes on high-speed bends is amazing.
It sits glued to the road, no matter how hard you whip it, courtesy of Audi's superior permanent four-wheel drive, race-track perfected suspension, well-balanced, sharp steering, ESP electronic stabilisation programme and fat 245/40 R rubber wrapped around S-designed alloys.
The S5 boasts with one of the finest sound systems on the road, but there is no finer sound on Mother Earth than the deep, thunderous roar of a four oval-piped V8 bouncing off the side of the mountain as you go-kart it along a mountain pass.
This Audi is so capable that most drivers will ease off long before the S5 is at its limit. For the really experienced or the foolishly brave, the S5 will allow you to deactivate the ESP programme. But be careful, be very careful out there when you do that.
It's not difficult to distinguish the S5 from lesser cars on the road. One glance at its elegant lines, low, wide body, imposing grill and gaping air intakes, huge tyres, big bore twin outlet pipes and one of my favourite bits of eye candy, its daytime running lights, comprising a strip of eight LEDs on each side, tells it all. It looks evil!
As you would expect, the cockpit is designed to please mainly the driver because above everything else, the S5 is a driver's car.
The design is simple, but logical and you find the knobs and dials where you would expect them to be. The dials and gauges are clear and unfussy and we loved the way the speedo needle swings into action when you click on the ignition.
The small steering wheel with audio controls, handily-positioned gear lever, the racing style pedals, sports leather seats are matched with superior sound and good aircon.
As with all Audi's, the S5 looks and feels solid, well-made and durable.
Typical of a coupe, the rear seats are not designed for adults to travel long distances in. Leg and head space is cramped, although the pikkies will no doubt love it, especially when daddy makes the S5 go brrm-brrm when he drops them off at school.
The two doors are big and heavy and they do swing open wide, which is always a tad risky in car parks, and in the Cape, when the howling south-easter is in full force.
As coupes go, the S5 really is in a class of its own. If you are interested in acquiring one of them, I suggest you trot on down to your nearest Audi dealer because Audi's world-wide sales are good and the factory is under pressure to cope with the demand.
Greg Levine, Divisional Head of Audi SA, says the manual model is available from April and the automatic from May onwards.
Unveiling the A5At the same time as the launch of the S5, Audi also unwrapped its long-awaited A5 range and the first models are already on sale from April.
Only slightly less powerful but about R6,000 cheaper than the S5, the A5's will eventually be available in a number of different model options.
At its launch at Fancourt on the Garden Route we also had the opportunity to drive the A5 3.2 tiptronic Quattro which sells for R454,000 and I won't be surprised if this version becomes even more popular than the S5.
It has the same good handling characteristics, slick gear changes, rapid acceleration and roadholding, but with one major difference - it feels much smoother on the road because it doesn't have the full-on sporting suspension of the S5.
In looks they are also about 80% similar, but while the S5 is aimed at the enthusiast side of the market, the A5 models are being positioned to shake the cages of the Jag, Lexus, Volvo, BMW and Mercs of this world.
And they are going to do just that, believe me.
With its sleek, gracious appearance, enthralling performance, upmarket finish and fittings, plus very competitive pricing, the A5 seems destined for popularity.
Pitched as a modern grand tourer, the new A5 was created to the image of the Nuvolari quattro concept car first shown to the world in 2003.
Like the S5, the A5's are pitched as four-seaters with big boots. Several engine-, transmission-, drive- (front-wheel or Quattro four-wheel) and price options will become available locally over the next few months.
The A5 range has numerous interesting and advanced features such as dynamic steering and/or damping control which provides drivers with three operating modes — “comfort”, “auto” and “dynamic” — that can be used to set engine, automatic transmission and steering system characteristics to individual taste and driving styles.
All of the engines in the new series come with direct injection, whether petrol or diesel.
Audi is optimistic about the A5's acceptance locally, based on its almost overnight stardom overseas. No wonder Levine says: “The A5's sporty appearance, high quality materials and levels of driver engagement mark the beginning of a new era for Audi in this competitive segment of the market.”
The top-of-the-range petrol engine in the Audi A5 model range is a new 3.2-litre FSI which delivers 195kW and 330Nm in a broad and flat rev band from 3,000 to 5,000 rpm, which gets it from zero to 100km/h in just 6.4 seconds.
And in spite of this good performance, Audi says it will still use only 9.3 litres per 100 kilometers.
The sporty TDI in the new Audi coupé is a thoroughly revised 3.0-litre engine. It now delivers 176kW and 500Nm, a 0 to 100km/h time of 6.1 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h.
And to top it, it also offers an average fuel consumption of just 6.8-litres per 100km.
The A5 3.0 TDI quattro is one of the sportiest vehicles of its kind. Added to this, it also offers an average fuel consumption of just 6.8 litres per 100km!
In the standard specification, the Audi A5 powertrain features a six-speed manual gearbox with sporty ratios, but later this year Audi will also bring in a 2.0-litre TFSI model with a continuously variable multitronic automatic gearbox.
This smooth-shift option can also be switched to a manual mode with eight set speeds and operate as a manual transmission either through the gearlever or from the steering wheel mounted gearshift paddles.
A uniqiue feature of the entire A5 range is a clever key that comes with a memory that communicates electronically with the vehicle's electrical system every time it is used.
It can store important information, such as the vehicle's current mileage or warning messages from the Audi A5's driver information system.
The information is always updated and available and it makes it so much easier for service staff to sort out the car when you take it in for a service or a check. All the drive does is hand over the key - the rest is all done electronically!
All the A5 and S5 models come with all the latest fancies and luxuries that one would expect from a vehicle in this price range, but there is also more than enough scope to personalize vehicles according to individual taste with a wide range of optional extras.
Market introduction in South Africa is April 2008, commencing with the A5 3.2 quattro tiptronic and S5 4.2 FSI manual. Other model derivatives will be phased in during the course of the year.
The model options, prices and availability dates are:
A5 3.2 tiptronic Quattro (R454,000 - April 2008)
A5 3.0 TDI tiptronic Quattro (to be announced - September 2008)
A5 2.0T manual (TBC - September 2008)
A5 2.0T multitronic (TBC - January 2009)
S5 4.2 FSI manual (R549,000 - April 2008)
S5 4.2 FSI tiptronic (R562,000 - May 2008)
More by Henrie Geyser
More...ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Henrie Geyser has worked as a journalist in Cape Town, London and Windhoek for the Argus Company (now Independent Newspapers) and spent 12 years at The Cape Argus in Cape Town. He then owned and ran a public relations consultancy for 13 years. He joined the online publishing industry through iafrica.com, where he worked for five years as News Editor and Editor. He now freelances for a variety of print and online publications, on the subjects of cars, food and travel, among others; and is a member of the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists.
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