KarlFEvans

Get the V8. The sound is glorious. And it will cost you less.

DoubleA4

I haven't read all the responses but will just give you mine: I have had a 2011 S5 Prestige with the sport rear diff and a 6MT. Absolutely love it! I mean, when I am driving 30mph, the rumble of the engine reminds you of what it is, a proper GT. When I was looking I test drove both the V6 and the V8. It came to the difference between the refined V6 vs. the visceral V8. I am very happy with the choice. Yes, the V6 is extremely tunable and I've seen a vid of the AWE tuned S5 ripping of sub 12sec quarters... awesome. But, that is not me and I like having the extended CPO warranty. So, first off, you can't go wrong either way. Secondly, if you prefer to "feel" fast even when doing the speed limit go with the V8. I also prefer the original face of the S5 as opposed to the newer updated face. Realize its subjective but there you go. The new S5's can be mistaken for the leased A4 2.0 in the rental lot. Just saying'

Have fun with making the decision.

mikejaeggi

I will say the MPG for the V6T was not as good as I expected, perhaps it's my lead foot and agressive downshifts.

blinsc

The parasitic loss from the V6's supercharger is ~2 hp at idle to ~50 hp at redline. Since you only have six gears with the manual, it's unlikely the V6 would do any better than the V8 in terms of fuel economy in any real world scenario no matter how you drove.

Folks with the S-tronic have the benefit of cruising at 70 mph/~1800 rpm in 7th where the parasitic loss is fairly low.

My daily stints are half city/half highway and I'm averaging like 19 mpg - V6 with S-tronic. I don't have a lead foot but I also don't take 30 secs to get to the speed limit either.

knightriderRS5

I have the RS5 and mainly drive it in the city and average in 14mpg(comfort mode). When i drive it hard in manual in dynamic it doesn't drop that much. The v6 is very nearly the same fuel economy. I would get the V8 because its a v8, and that noise is awesome.

Sound of the V8 in the RS5

eric strauss

I debated back and forth and drove both variants. For me, the decision came down to the transmission. I prefer the involvement of the manual, even if it is less efficient (fast). For me, nothing provides more driving fun then the relationship between the car and the driver through the commitment to doing your own gear changes. Each sunday (and saturday if time permits), between 5:30-9:00am, I do a sporting, aggressive 100+ mile drive through SoCal's wonderful mountains (the route varies by week). My shifts are not always perfect, nor is my heel-and-toe consistently smooth - but when it all comes together, it is sublime. It is the reason I own the car. I usually go alone as this is my meditation and muse. When I am joined by my wife, she likes to bring her own car :-)

The supercharged V6 revs quickly and is very controllable as the weight distribution is more favorable in the V6. We chose glacier white, premium plus. Our daily driver is a 2012 A6 3.0 with the obligatory 8-speed, so for the crappy commutes, I have the tiptronic (which is excellent). On my long drives to Atwater (250 miles), the V6 manual averages 28-30mpg at a steady 80mph. Of course, the big A6 averages close to 33mpg. It is about to come off of lease and I am considering the SQ5 as the leases are just great.

I agree that the V8 sound is hard to beat - I came so close to purchasing a 2010 S5 V8 CPO. I have about 10 months left on the current S5 and may just give the RS5 a try next time.

See you on the road… enjoy the car, as you cannot make a bad choice.

BTW, I drove a A5 with a Stasis Touring package back in Massachusetts and it was really nice as well.