sanfordrich

I am considering purchasing a new 2018 A5 or S5 Cabriolet. I am trying to understand whether Audi Drive Select has any impact on the suspension unless the vehicle is optioned with an adaptive suspension system. To me the obvious answer is no, but the Audi sales person tried to convince me otherwise. He claims that Audi Drive Select does modify the ride through the suspension even if the car does not have an adaptive suspension system. Reviewing the Audi USA website, I can infer that the answer is no, but I want to make sure. The A5 I am considering has the Sport Suspension but not the Adaptive Damping System. I believe the S5 comes standard with a Sport Suspension, but again, a different vehicle I am considering (S5) does not have the Adaptive Suspension System. I am concerned these vehicles with Sport Suspensions might be a rough ride on bad roads and selecting "comfort" in Audi Drive Select will not result in much "comfort" (ie. a smoother ride).

CtheW0rld

I have the A5 S-line, which comes with the sport suspension. It does have a firm ride, but I like that. It does NOT have the optional adaptive suspension. The Audi Drive Select only has an affect when you have the adaptive suspension. The manual (page 138) confirms this.

sanfordrich

Thank you for confirming what I thought was true.

SportbackNewbie

For the A5 the difference on the dampers is barely noticeable at all. In fact the ride with the sports suspension on my A5 is quite comfy and everyone that has ride on the back has given me compliments of how comfy of a ride is. Now the S5 is a little different as the suspension on the sport package is an air adaptive, it could be a little different. I would recommend driving an S5 that has the sport package and let the feel of the different settings give a good feeling. Also if the car salesman gets a little pushy or tries to give you some bs, tell him that you are into a Mercedes and that you really need to get a good feel for the car before making a decision, and that would make them leave you alone.

superswiss

Where do they find these sales people? As already said, a fixed suspension such as the sport suspension obviously can't be adjusted. Also, the S5 does NOT have an air suspension. It's still a steel spring adaptive damping suspension. I concur that on the A5 with the adaptive suspension the difference between comfort and dynamic is minimal. Comfort is actually somewhat floaty and I don't like it much. It's a general complaint of mine with most adaptive suspensions, that in comfort mode they get floaty and in dynamic mode they are not all that impressive, or on the other side of the spectrum, comfort mode is not all that comfortable and then dynamic mode is very firm. The further up you move in the performance chain they somewhat get better as they use more advanced approaches. The best steel spring adaptive suspension is the DRC in the RS5 currently. It's truly comfortable in comfort mode and quite stiff in dynamic mode. It has an amazing range. For ultimate comfort, an air suspension is the way to go, but you'll have to move up to an S6 at least to get that. The A5 overall even with sport suspension is a rather comfortable ride. These are the volume model and they are comfort oriented. It's probably best if you test drive them with the different suspension and decide for yourself. Ride quality is somewhat subjective.

Chris

I would definitely agree here. You can absolutely differentiate between comfort and dynamic.

Slides

It's not an air suspension on the S5.

SportbackNewbie

Sorry I was thinking of the SQ5...

sanfordrich

I am considering either a specific Cabriolet A5 or a specific Cabriolet S5. This A5 has the sport suspension but not the adaptive suspension capability option. It is my understanding the S5 comes standard with a sport suspension. The S5 I am considering does not have the adaptive capability option. So...after reading the posts so far (knowing this is a subjective thing to begin with), my impression is that the A5 sport suspension is probably fine without the adaptive capability. Other commented about the SR5, but what about the S5 without adaptive suspension capability? Any opinions about the need for the adaptive capability for an S5?

synergize

Adding to what sanfordrich asked about the damping suspension: What if one or more of the damping (valved) shocks goes bad or wears out on the S5. Would you need to replace it with an Audi part or will there be aftermarket options available?