“IT’S SUPREMELY FIT FOR PURPOSE AS A RAPID GT THAT FLATTERS YOUR DRIVING”
to an electrically adjustable seat that goes to the floor, while in the back there’s 23mm more legroom and a 465-litre boot that’s the biggest in its segment. You can even fold the rear seat 40/20/40 if you need more carrying capacity.
Dynamically, the S5 is as good as it needs to be. The optional quattro sports differential is a must if you’re that rare bird who enjoys driving an S5 hard, but most will just enjoy the standard car’s all-wheel drive grip off the line, seeing 100km/h come and go in 4.7 seconds. It has the chops to entertain if driven enthusiastically, but the quattro system will never send more than 70 percent of available drive to the rear, so it’s a car for those who like to keep things quick and tidy rather than letting it all hang out.
The turbo installation’s a corker, delivering meaningful punch right into the upper registers and the ZF eight-speed auto box is more than adequate. It would be nice to be able to split out the throttle mapping from the gearchange aggression using Audi’s Drive Select switch, but these settings aren’t independent. As a result, the car can occasionally throw in a gearshift right where you don’t want one. If you’re set on driving the S5 quickly, keep it in manual.
The suspension is a new architecture, with five links front and rear, and there’s an excellent adaptive damping system. Even in Dynamic there’s plenty of compliance and reassuring body control. The steering’s acceptable, but nothing to get you too juiced. It’s supremely fit for purpose as a rapid GT that flatters your driving but doesn’t ask too much of you in return. It’s an easy car to admire but a hard car to love. If effortless efficiency is your thing, maybe the Audi S5 can make a convincing appeal to head over heart. It’s a very good car. I’d like a bit more mongrel about it, but that’s not Audi’s way. Ingolstadt knows its market and this one will doubtless hit the bullseye.