Modiecast

Took delivery of my new 2014 RS5 and traded my 2013 S5 last week and for those of you that have wondered, yes it's worth moving up from the S5. My only beef is the "comfort" seats are not very comfortable. I selected the $800 option to get the ventilated seats with what is supposed to be a better grade leather as well, but these seats are anything but comfortable. They're hard, don't have the manually adjustable thigh support that the standard seats have, and they are notably smaller with side bolstering that's not nearly as supportive as the standard seats. For those curious, they also don't have the embossed RS5 on the headrest, or the contrast stitching that the standard seats have. Quite frankly, they look like they're lifted from an A4 or other less expensive car. An hour in these seats is about all my back can handle. Anyone else feel the same way?

superswiss

Congrats to the new car and good to hear from someone who has made the trade up from a current S5. It is indeed worth it.

Yeah, those seats do not belong in an RS5. It's pretty much the one option to avoid on the 2014 RS5. There have been several threads over on Audizine where people asked about them. It's well known that these seats don't have the side bolstering one would expect from the seats in an RS car, but I haven't heard that they are actually uncomfortable to sit on. Did you not see pictures of the seats before you ordered? The lack of side bolstering is pretty obvious.

I would say these pics in comparison should have steered you away from them.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5501/9...24de2b3d_o.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2850/9...b9154269_o.jpg

ayap

Sorry for the wrong decision. Probably have been better if you spent that money on improving the harsh suspension. LOL, they look like the normal Audi seats, but with ventilated holes in it. My 2013 allroad sports seats look much more softer and comfy than that.

MichaelB_1969

Gee, I went from a 2013 S4 with 19" wheels to a 2014 RS5 with 20" wheels, and although prior to taking delivery I was very concerned about ride quality, I don't think that there's much of a difference. The RS5 ride is way better than I expected, and the handling is significantly better than my S4. I was expecting the better handling, but thought it would come at a greater cost in terms of comfort.

visualguy

How is the handling better than that of the S4, and what would explain it? The RS5 is even heavier, with most of that extra weight sitting all the way in the front.

superswiss

From the top of my head. All aluminum suspension, lower point of gravity, wider track, thicker sway bars, reinforced drivetrain stabilizer from the S5 convertable, although it's still subpar to the Alu Kreuz and if his S4 was a manual transmission, then all new quattro system with the self-locking crown gear center diff and 4-wheel torque vectoring that makes a huge difference in the handling over the old torsen based system.

EDIT: Oh, and I forgot the upgraded shocks and springs.

superswiss

visualguy,
I just remembered this video. Go try this with your S5 and report back.

visualguy

Nah... I like my tires too much.

superswiss

Not what I was getting at. This video ought to clear up some misconceptions you seem to have about the RS5.

Not that I'm suggesting doing burnouts in a parking lot, but the point is the RS5 corners like an RWD car despite its weight over the front axle. I had my aha moment in Germany while gunning it at a rural intersection and the tail broke loose with the ESP on. Not what I was expecting.

visualguy

Yes, that's because the front is so heavy, it's practically planted in the ground and the rear flails about like in the video.

The weight distribution on this car is so skewed to the front that they had to add a wing to the rear to reduce lift at speed.

Anyway, we're arguing about a car that weighs as much as many SUVs... Not that the S4/S5 are light, but they are about 160 lbs lighter than the RS5. Basically, the RS5 is like the S5 with a person lounging on the hood...