questionlp

I wholeheartedly agree that the S4 is the car when it comes to outright performance (while not as nimble or fast as an S4, but the S5 cabriolet comes pretty close). I'm just not sold on the looks of the B8 A4/S4 sedans compared to the A5/S5 coupe. Of course, if we had the S4 Avant, I would have a very tough decision between that and the coupe.

The other consideration on pricing is that the S4 sits smack dab between the A5 2.0T S-line and the S5 coupe, and would be a decent compromise.

aalui

A5 just for looks. Anything else S4 all the way.

Have you test driven them yet? There are no comparison lol.

JBDinTX

A station wagon against a coupe. What do you smoke.

questionlp

Absolutely nothing. I just happen to like the looks and the convenience of the A4/S4 Avants (sorry, I'm not a huge fan of the looks of the B8 sedans, even with S model trims). Without the S4 Avant, which is what I started to save up for before I even heard or seen the A5/S5, I opted for the next best thing: the S5 coupe. Even better was when I got a look inside the trunk and the relative easy ingress/egress of the coupe. Gotta be able to lug network equipment around sometimes.

If the S5 sportback were released here, I would probably opted for that instead; though, I would somewhat moan about the lack of a manual transmission.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and styling likes and dislikes.

SantoDomingoS5

I had an S4 V8 in the past and the extra doors meant to be everyone's carpool. I agree on taking the S4 over the 2.0T A5 but not over an A5 3.2 Manual or S5. Is obvious you are jealous of A5 owners out there, A4's are too common S models or not, they all look same to me, A5/S5 are unique!

tiag335

I was recently in a similar predicament - also a long time BMW owner, fell in love with A5's looks but couldn't really justify the extra $$$$$ Audi wanted for the S5. The S4 is almost 10 grand cheaper than the S5 and only two grand more than A5 Premium with S-line, so it was tempting.

Ultimately, the choice between A and S boils down to how fast you need/want to go in a straight line. The S4 is certainly faster, but how often can you take advantage of that extra power? Coming from a 335, I can honestly say that I rarely get an opportunity to open this car up (which is a shame, really). And keep in mind that A5 is by no means a slouch, either, epcially when paired with the new 8-speed tiptronic. The 2.0T motor feels strong of the line and has surprisingly good high end too. It certainly does not feel slow, even after the 335.

In all other respects, A5 S-line would be just as good as - or better than - the S4/S5. It has essentially the same suspension setup as the S models and is 200-300 lbs lighter (and has better weight distribution), so it should have an edge int terms of handling.

In the end, I picked the A5. It's a much better looking, more unique car and the extra power of the S4 would just be unused potential in 95% of my driving.

looking@audi

Why is the A5 a much better looking and more unique car compared to the S4?

YMMV...but if you are coming from a 335 I think you will find the A5 a bit lacking in the engine and fun to drive quotient.

BroncoOne

On pure looks criteria, I hope that this perspective helps you.

I traded in a V8, B6 S4 (manual) for a manual S5 about a month ago.

While the S4 was an absolutely GREAT car (despite having to drive around with spare oil in the trunk for when the oil light went on), most people thought it was an A4 (and I had added S5 whells on it!!!) I got comments on the rims, but very few about the S4 itself. Most people had no clue what it was.

Now the S5, on the other hand, is a completely different story. I get a comment nearly every day I take it out. A typical comment is, "Man, your car is SICK!" Another is "WTF IS that?! I never saw one of those before!" Then there are the stares.

While not a technical or at all practical offering, this may help. The A5 is a much more distinctive car than an A4 (and the s$ is pretty much just an A4 to 90% of the world), if you care at all about that sort of thing.

tiag335

Looks are subjective of course, but IMO, the A5 has much better lines. The A/S4 looks somewhat plain from every angle other than the front. Not an ugly car, just very...ordinary looking. And it's more unique because there's simply not many A5's out there. For every A5 I see about ten A4's around these pats (and half of them have the S-line package, which makes them look nearly identical to the S4).

As I said, even though I'm coming from a 335, the 2.0T does not feel sluggish in the least. But hey, what do I know...

SantoDomingoS5

A5/S5 got it all, looks, power, attraction, performance.. and these LED light can be seeing from miles away, you get thumbs up and drivers move away when they see you in their mirrors, this vehicle is king of he road, period. I don't miss my old BMW at all, I just can't get enough of that rumble-muscle V8 it's contagious and intoxicating, I think S5 is the best option now and ever regardless of the upgraded RS5 coming up, is way too expensive for just a little extra performance difference and basic A5's are just slow regardless of chips or modifications, and having driven the new S4 I find hard to digest an S5 with such engine regardless of its improved mpg's, V8 is the way to go.