Audi S5 Cabriolet quattro S-tronic (A) Review
27 Jan 2010|12,680 views
Rain is hardly cabriolet weather.
After two days of constantly scalp-scalding weather, the heaven’s decided to open up an hour into my review of the gorgeous S5 Cabriolet.
Needless to say by then I was already in topless mode (the car!), having done the unspeakable act almost blatantly smack in the middle of a traffic jam near my place, indulging myself in the puddle of jealous stares and pointing. Only to find myself desperately keeping my composure and trying to look cool hurrying the process of getting the top back up with the accumulating stares of amusement that just up till a minute ago, were brimful of green green envy.
Not a good start to the day but a pretty insightful start to the review.
For you see, Audi, unlike some of its equally successful competitors, decided earlier on in the A5’s soft-top design period to utilise their expertise in fabric structure than the more popular folding hard ones seen on the Lexus IS-F and the popular BMW 3 Series.
Doing so not only grants the German automaker with envious amounts of boot space but also a desirable sleek silhouette that puts the bulbous ones of its competitors to shame.
After two days of constantly scalp-scalding weather, the heaven’s decided to open up an hour into my review of the gorgeous S5 Cabriolet.
Needless to say by then I was already in topless mode (the car!), having done the unspeakable act almost blatantly smack in the middle of a traffic jam near my place, indulging myself in the puddle of jealous stares and pointing. Only to find myself desperately keeping my composure and trying to look cool hurrying the process of getting the top back up with the accumulating stares of amusement that just up till a minute ago, were brimful of green green envy.
Not a good start to the day but a pretty insightful start to the review.
For you see, Audi, unlike some of its equally successful competitors, decided earlier on in the A5’s soft-top design period to utilise their expertise in fabric structure than the more popular folding hard ones seen on the Lexus IS-F and the popular BMW 3 Series.
Doing so not only grants the German automaker with envious amounts of boot space but also a desirable sleek silhouette that puts the bulbous ones of its competitors to shame.
 |
Replacing the older S4 Cabriolet from 2004 and continuing the expansive A5 line-up, the S5 comes endowed with the same good looks possessed by the rest of its siblings.
Strong and pronounced shoulder lines work their way from the equally strong headlamps, with the daylight running lamps that reek of terror and destruction when viewed from the rear-view of the car in front. The hunkered down is further exaggerated with 19 inches of alloys filling up the four wheel arches snuggly. The crease then continues past the ‘V6 T’ badge, under the traditional silver-coloured side-view mirror covers signifying the sportier breed and to the perfectly (in my opinion) sculpted rear.
Dual twin pipes sit flushed in line with the rear bumper, with the appropriate red badge placed just below the rear left lamp, hinting to those around the real reason for having the mini collection of exhaust outlets at the bottom.
 |
The fabric roof deserves much more of a mention that the brief one in the introduction. With designers going with such a roof, the cabriolet not only gets a cavernous boot space and gets to keep the low roof line its hardtop brother possessed, but also folding it doesn’t become much of a burden with the relatively light weight, and that’s reflected in the 15 second fold away timing it has (7 seconds faster than the BMW 335i).
Another 17 seconds is taken to close it – both of which can be done on the trot up till 50km/h.
What’s more, Audi claims the acoustic roof which is the result of the German’s playing around with different materials and textures, keep external disturbances like road and tyre noise out and music from the speakers inside, in. Doing the job almost as good as its hard top brother.
Interior
And you’d probably want that when you’ve got 14 high-performance Bang and Olsen speakers resonating such smooth and luxurious quality of sound. Think of it as carefully slicing your tau huay (a popular bean curd dessert usually eaten for breakfast) with your spoon with just the right amount of syrup on it, and then letting it slide effortlessly into your mouth.
The inside’s predictably a carbon copy of the fixed roof version so we’ve got the well laid out dash area that actually has the centre portion of it tilted towards the driver, with all the buttons where they should be.
Differences from the standard machine though are the red stitching on the steering and on the gear lever that matches the colour from the sporty dual toned seats and the carbon fibre inserts found around the gear lever console and on the door panels.
Another 17 seconds is taken to close it – both of which can be done on the trot up till 50km/h.
What’s more, Audi claims the acoustic roof which is the result of the German’s playing around with different materials and textures, keep external disturbances like road and tyre noise out and music from the speakers inside, in. Doing the job almost as good as its hard top brother.
Interior
And you’d probably want that when you’ve got 14 high-performance Bang and Olsen speakers resonating such smooth and luxurious quality of sound. Think of it as carefully slicing your tau huay (a popular bean curd dessert usually eaten for breakfast) with your spoon with just the right amount of syrup on it, and then letting it slide effortlessly into your mouth.
The inside’s predictably a carbon copy of the fixed roof version so we’ve got the well laid out dash area that actually has the centre portion of it tilted towards the driver, with all the buttons where they should be.
Differences from the standard machine though are the red stitching on the steering and on the gear lever that matches the colour from the sporty dual toned seats and the carbon fibre inserts found around the gear lever console and on the door panels.
Apart from the button that operates the incline and recline of the fabric top, Audi has housed another button just behind it to aid the cool image of the driver by having it control the collapsing action of all the windows at once rather than having the need to stick four of your fingers to your right in dropping them down individually.
Seating at the rear is strictly for two and it’s pretty reasonable with two six footers not having much complaint occupying the two perfectly moulded and slightly upright seats on trips around the Island. Trunks space measures in at 320 litres with the roof down and 780 litres of storage capacity with the rear seats folded down.
Driving impressions
Once you’re in and you’ve slotted the key just behind the steering wheel, the real highlight of the car comes abruptly to life – the engine.
With global emissions and the increasing need for impressive fuel consumption figures dominating the board room meetings of everyone in and around the Automotive world, Audi like many of its competitors, has decided to shift its focus to engine of lesser capacity with forced induction being the influence of choice.
So although the S5 Coupe will be sticking to its V8 block for another year, the S5 Cabriolet will be the first to have the 3.0-litre Supercharged replacement under its bonnet.
Generating 333 horses (17 hp less than the V8) but the same 440 Nm of twist action, the cabriolet gets up to 100 km/h in about five and a half seconds, around 0.4 seconds slower than the coupe.
Benefiting from Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system paired to the Haldex developed differential, the S5’s front heavy proportions and understeering capabilities are negated by the above mentioned system that keeps most of the power coming from the rear, giving the sensation of driving a rear wheel drive machine.
Seating at the rear is strictly for two and it’s pretty reasonable with two six footers not having much complaint occupying the two perfectly moulded and slightly upright seats on trips around the Island. Trunks space measures in at 320 litres with the roof down and 780 litres of storage capacity with the rear seats folded down.
Driving impressions
Once you’re in and you’ve slotted the key just behind the steering wheel, the real highlight of the car comes abruptly to life – the engine.
With global emissions and the increasing need for impressive fuel consumption figures dominating the board room meetings of everyone in and around the Automotive world, Audi like many of its competitors, has decided to shift its focus to engine of lesser capacity with forced induction being the influence of choice.
So although the S5 Coupe will be sticking to its V8 block for another year, the S5 Cabriolet will be the first to have the 3.0-litre Supercharged replacement under its bonnet.
Generating 333 horses (17 hp less than the V8) but the same 440 Nm of twist action, the cabriolet gets up to 100 km/h in about five and a half seconds, around 0.4 seconds slower than the coupe.
Benefiting from Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system paired to the Haldex developed differential, the S5’s front heavy proportions and understeering capabilities are negated by the above mentioned system that keeps most of the power coming from the rear, giving the sensation of driving a rear wheel drive machine.
 |
Steering was light at expressway speeds and the car didn’t feel as nimble as I initially thought it was going to handle. The 7-speed S-tronic, which is Audi’s DSG, now comes standard in the S5 and provides the car with smooth gear shifts up and down the ratios. But even with 7 cogs, the engine finds it hard getting this nearly two tonne machine up to speed from rest with power sitting in mid-range.
Should you even consider this?
This, very surprisingly, was a pretty hard decision to make.
I was looking forward to driving the S5 Cabriolet under the pretence that the car was coming with the eight pot under the bonnet (forgetful me), and in essence, the subdued whoosh from the V6 is no match for the growling V8 engine, taking away a chunk of sportiness from the car.
But with that disappointing sentiment aside, you can’t help but notice how the sports breed of the A5 line-up comes into its own with the forced induced engine.
Should you even consider this?
This, very surprisingly, was a pretty hard decision to make.
I was looking forward to driving the S5 Cabriolet under the pretence that the car was coming with the eight pot under the bonnet (forgetful me), and in essence, the subdued whoosh from the V6 is no match for the growling V8 engine, taking away a chunk of sportiness from the car.
But with that disappointing sentiment aside, you can’t help but notice how the sports breed of the A5 line-up comes into its own with the forced induced engine.
With power being comparable and less with a less dramatic delivery, the emphasis of the car becomes the comfort, the slightly relaxed driving style, the magnificent looks, the large boot space that makes practical sense alongside the seven speeder which improves the fuel consumption over the coupe version.
This is no RS, it’s just a sport variant of the A5.
So if you’re in the market for a cabriolet you could see yourself taking trips up north with the family in, the S5 cabriolet, at $270,500, will make much more sense than the $275,800 BMW 335i and its other competitors.
But if supreme handling is what you’re looking for, stick to the beemer. Looking for something below the $200,000 bracket? Volvo might have a sleeper in its midst in the form of its newly launched C70 coming in at $194,999.
If I had to choose though, I’d put my hard earned money on the A5 2.0 TFSI version at $206,800. Or I’d wait for Mercedes-Benz to bring in their E-Class Cabriolet.
This is no RS, it’s just a sport variant of the A5.
So if you’re in the market for a cabriolet you could see yourself taking trips up north with the family in, the S5 cabriolet, at $270,500, will make much more sense than the $275,800 BMW 335i and its other competitors.
But if supreme handling is what you’re looking for, stick to the beemer. Looking for something below the $200,000 bracket? Volvo might have a sleeper in its midst in the form of its newly launched C70 coming in at $194,999.
If I had to choose though, I’d put my hard earned money on the A5 2.0 TFSI version at $206,800. Or I’d wait for Mercedes-Benz to bring in their E-Class Cabriolet.
Rain is hardly cabriolet weather.
After two days of constantly scalp-scalding weather, the heaven’s decided to open up an hour into my review of the gorgeous S5 Cabriolet.
Needless to say by then I was already in topless mode (the car!), having done the unspeakable act almost blatantly smack in the middle of a traffic jam near my place, indulging myself in the puddle of jealous stares and pointing. Only to find myself desperately keeping my composure and trying to look cool hurrying the process of getting the top back up with the accumulating stares of amusement that just up till a minute ago, were brimful of green green envy.
Not a good start to the day but a pretty insightful start to the review.
For you see, Audi, unlike some of its equally successful competitors, decided earlier on in the A5’s soft-top design period to utilise their expertise in fabric structure than the more popular folding hard ones seen on the Lexus IS-F and the popular BMW 3 Series.
Doing so not only grants the German automaker with envious amounts of boot space but also a desirable sleek silhouette that puts the bulbous ones of its competitors to shame.
After two days of constantly scalp-scalding weather, the heaven’s decided to open up an hour into my review of the gorgeous S5 Cabriolet.
Needless to say by then I was already in topless mode (the car!), having done the unspeakable act almost blatantly smack in the middle of a traffic jam near my place, indulging myself in the puddle of jealous stares and pointing. Only to find myself desperately keeping my composure and trying to look cool hurrying the process of getting the top back up with the accumulating stares of amusement that just up till a minute ago, were brimful of green green envy.
Not a good start to the day but a pretty insightful start to the review.
For you see, Audi, unlike some of its equally successful competitors, decided earlier on in the A5’s soft-top design period to utilise their expertise in fabric structure than the more popular folding hard ones seen on the Lexus IS-F and the popular BMW 3 Series.
Doing so not only grants the German automaker with envious amounts of boot space but also a desirable sleek silhouette that puts the bulbous ones of its competitors to shame.
|
Replacing the older S4 Cabriolet from 2004 and continuing the expansive A5 line-up, the S5 comes endowed with the same good looks possessed by the rest of its siblings.
Strong and pronounced shoulder lines work their way from the equally strong headlamps, with the daylight running lamps that reek of terror and destruction when viewed from the rear-view of the car in front. The hunkered down is further exaggerated with 19 inches of alloys filling up the four wheel arches snuggly. The crease then continues past the ‘V6 T’ badge, under the traditional silver-coloured side-view mirror covers signifying the sportier breed and to the perfectly (in my opinion) sculpted rear.
Dual twin pipes sit flushed in line with the rear bumper, with the appropriate red badge placed just below the rear left lamp, hinting to those around the real reason for having the mini collection of exhaust outlets at the bottom.
|
The fabric roof deserves much more of a mention that the brief one in the introduction. With designers going with such a roof, the cabriolet not only gets a cavernous boot space and gets to keep the low roof line its hardtop brother possessed, but also folding it doesn’t become much of a burden with the relatively light weight, and that’s reflected in the 15 second fold away timing it has (7 seconds faster than the BMW 335i).
Another 17 seconds is taken to close it – both of which can be done on the trot up till 50km/h.
What’s more, Audi claims the acoustic roof which is the result of the German’s playing around with different materials and textures, keep external disturbances like road and tyre noise out and music from the speakers inside, in. Doing the job almost as good as its hard top brother.
Interior
And you’d probably want that when you’ve got 14 high-performance Bang and Olsen speakers resonating such smooth and luxurious quality of sound. Think of it as carefully slicing your tau huay (a popular bean curd dessert usually eaten for breakfast) with your spoon with just the right amount of syrup on it, and then letting it slide effortlessly into your mouth.
The inside’s predictably a carbon copy of the fixed roof version so we’ve got the well laid out dash area that actually has the centre portion of it tilted towards the driver, with all the buttons where they should be.
Differences from the standard machine though are the red stitching on the steering and on the gear lever that matches the colour from the sporty dual toned seats and the carbon fibre inserts found around the gear lever console and on the door panels.
Another 17 seconds is taken to close it – both of which can be done on the trot up till 50km/h.
What’s more, Audi claims the acoustic roof which is the result of the German’s playing around with different materials and textures, keep external disturbances like road and tyre noise out and music from the speakers inside, in. Doing the job almost as good as its hard top brother.
Interior
And you’d probably want that when you’ve got 14 high-performance Bang and Olsen speakers resonating such smooth and luxurious quality of sound. Think of it as carefully slicing your tau huay (a popular bean curd dessert usually eaten for breakfast) with your spoon with just the right amount of syrup on it, and then letting it slide effortlessly into your mouth.
The inside’s predictably a carbon copy of the fixed roof version so we’ve got the well laid out dash area that actually has the centre portion of it tilted towards the driver, with all the buttons where they should be.
Differences from the standard machine though are the red stitching on the steering and on the gear lever that matches the colour from the sporty dual toned seats and the carbon fibre inserts found around the gear lever console and on the door panels.
Apart from the button that operates the incline and recline of the fabric top, Audi has housed another button just behind it to aid the cool image of the driver by having it control the collapsing action of all the windows at once rather than having the need to stick four of your fingers to your right in dropping them down individually.
Seating at the rear is strictly for two and it’s pretty reasonable with two six footers not having much complaint occupying the two perfectly moulded and slightly upright seats on trips around the Island. Trunks space measures in at 320 litres with the roof down and 780 litres of storage capacity with the rear seats folded down.
Driving impressions
Once you’re in and you’ve slotted the key just behind the steering wheel, the real highlight of the car comes abruptly to life – the engine.
With global emissions and the increasing need for impressive fuel consumption figures dominating the board room meetings of everyone in and around the Automotive world, Audi like many of its competitors, has decided to shift its focus to engine of lesser capacity with forced induction being the influence of choice.
So although the S5 Coupe will be sticking to its V8 block for another year, the S5 Cabriolet will be the first to have the 3.0-litre Supercharged replacement under its bonnet.
Generating 333 horses (17 hp less than the V8) but the same 440 Nm of twist action, the cabriolet gets up to 100 km/h in about five and a half seconds, around 0.4 seconds slower than the coupe.
Benefiting from Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system paired to the Haldex developed differential, the S5’s front heavy proportions and understeering capabilities are negated by the above mentioned system that keeps most of the power coming from the rear, giving the sensation of driving a rear wheel drive machine.
Seating at the rear is strictly for two and it’s pretty reasonable with two six footers not having much complaint occupying the two perfectly moulded and slightly upright seats on trips around the Island. Trunks space measures in at 320 litres with the roof down and 780 litres of storage capacity with the rear seats folded down.
Driving impressions
Once you’re in and you’ve slotted the key just behind the steering wheel, the real highlight of the car comes abruptly to life – the engine.
With global emissions and the increasing need for impressive fuel consumption figures dominating the board room meetings of everyone in and around the Automotive world, Audi like many of its competitors, has decided to shift its focus to engine of lesser capacity with forced induction being the influence of choice.
So although the S5 Coupe will be sticking to its V8 block for another year, the S5 Cabriolet will be the first to have the 3.0-litre Supercharged replacement under its bonnet.
Generating 333 horses (17 hp less than the V8) but the same 440 Nm of twist action, the cabriolet gets up to 100 km/h in about five and a half seconds, around 0.4 seconds slower than the coupe.
Benefiting from Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system paired to the Haldex developed differential, the S5’s front heavy proportions and understeering capabilities are negated by the above mentioned system that keeps most of the power coming from the rear, giving the sensation of driving a rear wheel drive machine.
|
Steering was light at expressway speeds and the car didn’t feel as nimble as I initially thought it was going to handle. The 7-speed S-tronic, which is Audi’s DSG, now comes standard in the S5 and provides the car with smooth gear shifts up and down the ratios. But even with 7 cogs, the engine finds it hard getting this nearly two tonne machine up to speed from rest with power sitting in mid-range.
Should you even consider this?
This, very surprisingly, was a pretty hard decision to make.
I was looking forward to driving the S5 Cabriolet under the pretence that the car was coming with the eight pot under the bonnet (forgetful me), and in essence, the subdued whoosh from the V6 is no match for the growling V8 engine, taking away a chunk of sportiness from the car.
But with that disappointing sentiment aside, you can’t help but notice how the sports breed of the A5 line-up comes into its own with the forced induced engine.
Should you even consider this?
This, very surprisingly, was a pretty hard decision to make.
I was looking forward to driving the S5 Cabriolet under the pretence that the car was coming with the eight pot under the bonnet (forgetful me), and in essence, the subdued whoosh from the V6 is no match for the growling V8 engine, taking away a chunk of sportiness from the car.
But with that disappointing sentiment aside, you can’t help but notice how the sports breed of the A5 line-up comes into its own with the forced induced engine.
With power being comparable and less with a less dramatic delivery, the emphasis of the car becomes the comfort, the slightly relaxed driving style, the magnificent looks, the large boot space that makes practical sense alongside the seven speeder which improves the fuel consumption over the coupe version.
This is no RS, it’s just a sport variant of the A5.
So if you’re in the market for a cabriolet you could see yourself taking trips up north with the family in, the S5 cabriolet, at $270,500, will make much more sense than the $275,800 BMW 335i and its other competitors.
But if supreme handling is what you’re looking for, stick to the beemer. Looking for something below the $200,000 bracket? Volvo might have a sleeper in its midst in the form of its newly launched C70 coming in at $194,999.
If I had to choose though, I’d put my hard earned money on the A5 2.0 TFSI version at $206,800. Or I’d wait for Mercedes-Benz to bring in their E-Class Cabriolet.
This is no RS, it’s just a sport variant of the A5.
So if you’re in the market for a cabriolet you could see yourself taking trips up north with the family in, the S5 cabriolet, at $270,500, will make much more sense than the $275,800 BMW 335i and its other competitors.
But if supreme handling is what you’re looking for, stick to the beemer. Looking for something below the $200,000 bracket? Volvo might have a sleeper in its midst in the form of its newly launched C70 coming in at $194,999.
If I had to choose though, I’d put my hard earned money on the A5 2.0 TFSI version at $206,800. Or I’d wait for Mercedes-Benz to bring in their E-Class Cabriolet.
Car Information
Audi S5 Cabriolet 3.0 TFSI qu S tronic (A)
CAT B|Petrol|10.3km/L
Horsepower
248kW (333 bhp)
Torque
440 Nm
Acceleration
5.6sec (0-100km /hr)
This model is no longer being sold by local distributor
All Used Audi S5 Cabriolet
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