They look nice. Anyone driven one?

Its just another fake VW, stick with your Passet 😉

I see them a lot usually in 2.0TDI form – usualy about two inches from my rear bumper in places I can't move over.

Nice looking, just another overpriced rebadged VW underneath. S5 nice, RS5 has a slightly torqueless engine for a car that heavy.

Look, I don't care if it's a VW underneath. Exterior, interior, equippment and set-up are all different on the various VWs, and they are all important.

Nice looking car and I'm sure it will be excellent in all departments from a mere mortal's perspective, if not from that of the driving gods who frequent this here forum 🙄

My boss at my last place of work had the 3.0 TDi and I drove that once.

Not really driven anything similar to compare it against, but it was very nice.
The one I drove was fitted with the DSG gearbox which suited the car and it was deceptively quick.
I was suprised how good the ride was compared to what I was expecting – it was more compliant than I thought it would be.

The interior was very nice.

Boss reckoned he averaged 38mpg on his normal commute.

My old boss had one, really nice inside and in 2.0T petrol it felt pretty nippy.

Rear seats are useless as actual seats. I'd only get one if I was single or a DINKY

They look nice.

I must have a different car in mind then… 🙄

To me they empitomise Audi's (and Mercedes Benz') "me too" approach to styling – trying to capitalise on the overtly sportier market that used to be BMW's…

A5 / S5 look unecessarily brutish to my mind, no delicacy or refined touches. A4 (and to some extent A3) has gone the same way recently as well. Trying to look all muscular, masculine and aggressive

Was a nice looking car but too common now, think all the trunks who used .to drive 3 series now drive them. Can't say I've driven one, but motoring press slate the rs version

Mike – does it really take a driving "god" to be tailgated by some ar5e in an A5? No it doesn't. They are pretty cars but generally contain weeny little engines usually found in hatchbacks.

rkk – okay they look niceISH!

Most/all have those hideous Daytime Running Lights… also available at the chav department of your local Halfords…

A4 (and to some extent A3) has gone the same way recently as well. Trying to look all muscular, masculine and aggressive

I definitely agree. They all look too aggressive from the front, but the A5 looks nice from the side I reckon.

Mat, we already discussed that I don't care about tons of bhp 🙂

Read a Clarkson review of the A5 once, said he'd rather have swine flu.

Ah yes but Clarkson also likes Alfas…

Mol – yes I know but why have a car that looks powerful and aggressive but actually isn't? Just stick to the Passat or if you really want a coupe shape, get a Passat CC. Prettier IMO.

TT

Read a Clarkson review of the A5 once, said he'd rather have swine flu.

There's nothing like making one's own mind up, is there..!

Most/all have those hideous Daytime Running Lights… also available at the chav department of your local Halfords…

Erm, aren't they about to become compulsory on new cars in the EU soon?

yes I know but why have a car that looks powerful and aggressive but actually isn't?

Why not?

If I like the way it looks then I like the way it looks. Bit daft to shell out on a great big engine if I don't want it.

This world of car people is a bloody strange one!

But I do very much like the Passat CC also, and is probably more my style. At least I'd get let out of junctions.

Most new cars I see appear to have those day time lights now. On the right car they look nice.

A5s in my opinion are very nice. 🙂

Daytime running lights are / have been very contentious with the motorcyclists

People who haven't driven an A5 aren't qualified to discuss any aspect of one, so shouldn't be commenting on this thread….blah blah….morons who know nothing about anything….blah blah rear wheel drift….blah blah

😉

Why not?

Think:

Chubby guy in a tight "muscle" vest.
Gobby guy that's actually rather scared
Fully kitted up DH rider that is nervous of DH riding
Beginner surfer on a shortboard

To me and many others, "all show no go" is deeply uncool.

Stumpy – no but I've driven plenty of A4s and they are pretty much the same. Now please find me a good review of an A5…

But Mat, your car is not a statement of your power and masculine strength…

No it's not but they are useful analagies.

Taking to base level – think fit pretty chick who is utterly useless/lazy in bed and nags all the time … 😉

coupe is a lot better than the sportback, different chassis (sportback is an a4 underneath not an proper a5)

3.0tdi quattro sport is the one, 60/40 rear bias and all the torque you could ever want

s5 is pretty awesome too, haven't had a rip in an rs5 yet but I would say that's going to be incredible

I just don't care what other people think of my car. I draw your attention yet again to the Prius in my drive 🙂

Not that I'm ever gonna buy an A5 mind, just wondering about them and trolling a little I must admit 🙂 But I do like the look of them.

Usual spouting off from people who don't know what they're on about…

The A4 and Passat no longer platform share. The Passat is built on a modified Golf platform.

The A5 is on a modified A4 platform.

molegrips, I cant understand why someone who seems so disinterested in cars, would even worry what one looked like ?

I understand where Mat is comming from, at the end of a day a car is for driving, if it does not drive well it misses the point of being a car. Like a really nice looking mountain bike that rides like a heap of crap.

Driving well does not have to mean fast, it can me comfortable or fun or all 3.

So are you saying you want a car that looks good for posing in but you dont car what it drives like ?

Bazzer

Mol – exactly. You drive a Prius so don't care, I often drive a Jimny so don't care. In fact I often feel a bit of a t1t in the BM but it's good enough to bear that cross.

But why get a car that looks all sporty and shouty when it's actually slower and worse handling than a modest hatchback which costs far far less?

I had a 318d M Sport loaner the other day – only 145bhp yet covered in all the M Sport plastic bodywork, big alloys, massive rear tyres, M Sport badges everywhere. I felt so stupid in it that I stuck on a rarely used beanie and sunglasses on to try and disguise myself!

Again another analagy springs to mind – a bit gold shouty Rolex. That's fake.

I see the stalker geeks taggers are trying to have some fun. How's yer Punto/Mondeo/whatever? 😉

Driving well does not have to mean fast, it can me comfortable or fun or all 3.

That is my position exactly.

I'm not disinterested in cars, but I am disinterested in silly fast ones. I would love a nippy nice driving car, but I also very much don't want to waste fuel, which is why sporty ish but frugal TDI coupes appeal to me. Hence the question 🙂

So are you saying you want a car that looks good for posing in but you dont car what it drives like ?

As above, I want a car that handles nicely in reasonable driving, is slightly quick, is comfy, well equipped, looks nice inside and out and is economical.

But why get a car that looks all sporty and shouty when it's actually slower and worse handling than a modest hatchback which costs far far less?

I don't see it that way. From the side and rear I think it looks stylish and classy, very German. The grilles etc are a bit much tho granted. I think BMW and some A4s are much worse.

If it was as you said, then I'd not be interested. If it was what it looked like then I would. Hence asking if anyone'd driven one.

Matt, a ****t who drives like a ****t will drive like a ****t regardless of what car they drive, so I don't think your A5 tailgating example is particularly conclusive.

You drive a quick car (your "stealth bomber" as you are always so quick to remind us at every given opportunity), so I bet you drive it like a ****t at times. You might not think you're driving like a ****t, but others probably do.

Anyhow, I don't think Molgrips has any intention of ever buying an Audi, he just posts these threads to get a rise out of you, and you never disappoint – though the responses are beginning to get a bit repetitive now.

Well here's someone that has driven it:

http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/209164/audi_a5.html

And I point you to these paras:

There are three main things wrong with the A5 idea. Here’s the first. Compared with other Audis with front-mounted, longitudinal engines, it has a revised disposition of major components. The differential is now between the engine and the clutch, which brings the front wheels forward to the benefit of weight distribution and looks, and the lower-mounted steering rack is connected to the front wheels by shorter, less flexible steering arms. Yet, to drive, the A5 – and S5 especially – still has the nose-heavy, inert feel the new chassis was surely intended to eradicate.

So, what happened? Dr Horst Glaser, Audi’s dynamics chief, is clearly annoyed. ‘I agree with you,’ he says, ‘but the marketing people insisted it was this way so the A5 would feel familiar to Audi buyers.’ What about those buyers Audi seeks to steal from BMW, then? ‘I hope we can change it gradually,’ Dr Glaser replies, ruefully.

Snag two is that the A5 is unnecessarily big for a car with such meagre rear room. It feels bulky as a result; the forthcoming A4 saloon, which shares the new platform, will be narrower.

And then there’s the way it looks. Take one Audi Nuvolari concept car (Geneva 2003), take away the metallic, technical look with its taut lines and constant-radius curves, add a flabby waistline and confuse the curve in the rear side window, and you have a bland car which throws away much that Audi design has been working towards for years. Styling chief Walter de’Silva says it’s the most beautiful car he’s ever created. So much for the fusion of Bauhaus and the Italian carrozzeria legacy.

What was that you were saying about the aspirational middle classes being boring as ****

Mike – come on certain cars attract silly driving.

BMWs (yes they do), certain Audis, many Golfs, some Mercs, etc.

There's usually a common theme – prestige(ish) brand owned by middle managers who need to "prove" their executive car is in fact also quick. So it's usually small engined ones with something to prove.

For some reason I rarely see "properly" quick cars being driven stupidly. Might just be me, might not. And yes I do make cock ups all too often. Being awesome doesn't stop me being human 😉

Poor old taggers are getting a wee bit desperate now. Sorry, not enough attention being paid to you? There you go, feel better now?

Stumpy – no but I've driven plenty of A4s and they are pretty much the same. Now please find me a good review of an A5…

Here you go:

My boss at my last place of work had the 3.0 TDi and I drove that once.

Not really driven anything similar to compare it against, but it was very nice.
The one I drove was fitted with the DSG gearbox which suited the car and it was deceptively quick.
I was suprised how good the ride was compared to what I was expecting – it was more compliant than I thought it would be.

The interior was very nice.

Boss reckoned he averaged 38mpg on his normal commute.

or:
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/newreviews/209763/audi_a5.html
http://fwd.five.tv/cars/luxury-sports/audi-a5
http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/audi/a5-coupe/summary/25717-4
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/audi/a5-coupe-2007.aspx
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/209164/audi_a5.html
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results/First-drives/Audi-A5/?content-block=0

Hmmmm.
Main criticisms are that it is cramped in the back (no suprise there, then) & it doesn't drive as well as a 3-series.The buyers of this car are probably aware of both of those issues and unsuprisingly aren't that bothered.
"People have other priorities to Surf-Mat" SHOCKER.

My boss who owned the 3.0 TDi that I drove could be considered somewhat of a petrolhead, having owned an Impreza that had been tinkered with by one of his mate's who works for Prodrive followed by a 330cD and then followed by the Audi (all company cars).
He has also owned various trackday cars over the years, his latest one being a Delta Integrale……

I don't think Molgrips has any intention of ever buying an Audi, he just posts these threads to get a rise out of you

I don't intend to buy one – at least, not for a while, but I was interested to see people's thoughts. I knew Mat would slag it off mind 🙂

I'm not sure Evo car magazine ('the thrill of driving') adequately reflects my values tho mate 🙂

Oh, just read part of that review Mat posted:

But here I am, driving the 3.0 TDI on mountainous roads near Verona, and I’m having an increasingly good time after my earlier dismay at the S5. Overladen Fiat Ducato truck occupying a short uphill straight? Stay in third gear, foot down, surge past as the torque sluices forth. Hairpin bend? Second gear, foot down again, wait but half a second, exercise the rearward-biased quattro drive for a full-traction explosion from the exit. This is a fine machine for mountain roads.

I’m warming to this A5, enjoying its solidity and quietness and real-world eagerness

Sounds quite nice actually 🙂

A5 Quattro 3.0TDI here.

0-60 on my <cough>personal test track</cough> is sub 6 seconds. OK, OK, so it isn't all about the off-the-blocks speed but it gives an indication of how relatively quickly these cars can move.

Motorway cruising (in 7th gear) returns over 40mpg at, or around, the NSL. Going through those compulsory 50mph sections raises fuel economy to 65mpg+

Quattro handling really makes quite a difference. We test drove the 3.2FSI (or whatever it is) petrol and it was gutless and suffered from torque steer when you floored it. The Quattro is incredibly stable and you have loads of confidence when cornering in dry or wet.

I didn't try the smaller engined cars – I expect they would be way under powered and gutless for a car of this size.

Great torque, great overtaking capability.

Boot space is great for shopping, but not quite right for bike transportation so I had to buy a roof mounting kit for the MTB.

Enough toys inside to keep everyone happy.

It is only a 4 seater. There is no central seat belt in the back.

Sports auto setting, or switch to manual, makes for a much improved experience.

Others to consider: BMW, Jag XF, Merc CLS etc. But the Audi was the only one that met our requirements: 4WD (but not a 4×4 soft-roader), auto, decent boot space etc.

Spirited driving around the Peaks – where I live – and up at Kielder last week put a smile on my face. By comparison, my other car is a Lotus.

Mike – the 3.0TDI is a different beast. AWD (2.0TDIs are mainly FWD) and properly rapid with brakes to match. It's the 2.0TDI I'm on about.

And the Delta Integrale – is that meant to be your coup de grace? Yes they are nice but they fall to bits and aren't what I'd call track cars. And a Prodrive Impreza? Again decent but would you want one? I wouldn't.

And to djg – would I be right in thinking you're not getting enough attention? I have noticed a few digs that I've ignored. Then I found out why – you actually wrote this post.

I'm almost speechless:

I am social mobility in motion. Born in a teesside estate, now pulling in 6 figures living in West London.
😆 😆

From an actual A5 owner. And if anyone read back, it's the small engined versions that rile me, not the "proper" ones.

I didn't try the smaller engined cars – I expect they would be way under powered and gutless for a car of this size.

😀

I wondered if anyone would have a pop at that post, all I can say is some of it's true, and some of it's not but I wish it was!