S4 vs S5

[The.Wizard]

Not sure if this has been asked before and I know that this side of the forum may be biased but which out of the two latest generation of S4 and S5 is considered the better handling car ?
I know both vehicles share a lot of the same running gear pretty much but looking into peoples views and reasons.

[ZChicagoS4]

GTR wins.

[The.Wizard]

GTR wins.

Haha..really, ya don't say but thanks for the reply.

[SwissBliss]

Been pondering this as well! Was very close to trading in on an S5 but figure its worth it to wait for the next gen.

[HedonismBot]

The S5 is great because the only negative thing I can say about it is that it's too good looking. You'll never fly under the radar in an S5 like you can in an S4.

[F40LM]

The S5 is great because the only negative thing I can say about it is that it's too good looking. You'll never fly under the radar in an S5 like you can in an S4.

I see more S5's around me than S4's, but what trumps that is I see a ridiculous amount of A4's.

[washyourrhands]

and none of these responses answer the OP's question. lol

[P Rock]

I see a lot more S4's by me (3 in my neighborhood) and a good amount of 4.2 S5's too but I hardly ever see 2013+ S5's with the facelift. If I could do it again, I'd go for the facelifted S5 since I'm a single guy with no kids. I view it this way....they're siblings and the S4 is the more responsible and conservative of the two while the S5 likes the attention.

Handling-wise, I drove both and they felt the same to me. Both had sport differentials.

[infinkc]

and none of these responses answer the OP's question. lol

including your post :)

[F40LM]

I see a lot more S4's by me (3 in my neighborhood) and a good amount of 4.2 S5's too but I hardly ever see 2013+ S5's with the facelift. If I could do it again, I'd go for the facelifted S5 since I'm a single guy with no kids. I view it this way....they're siblings and the S4 is the more responsible and conservative of the two while the S5 likes the attention.

Handling-wise, I drove both and they felt the same to me. Both had sport differentials.

Same here. I didn't buy the S5 though because I test drove one and it didn't feel as crisp to me as the S4 did. It was because I test drove an S4 with summers vs an S5 with all seasons though......DOH! Didn't realize that after I bought my S4 with all seasons and picked it up and it felt way different.

[washyourrhands]

including your post :)

Heyyyyyyyyyy


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[Merlin4979]

The only major difference that I can see (feel free to correct me if I missed something here) is the whole V-6 vs V8 issue. The V-8 has more horsepower (354 vs 333), but I think it also adds a couple hundred lbs to the S5.

[F40LM]

The only major difference that I can see (feel free to correct me if I missed something here) is the whole V-6 vs V8 issue. The V-8 has more horsepower (354 vs 333), but I think it also adds a couple hundred lbs to the S5.

They stopped putting the V8 in the S5. The S5 now has the same motor as the S4 and they both weigh about the same.

[PsYkHoTiK]

Current facelifted models are the same 3.0 V6T.

I say if you don't need four doors, S5. :-)

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[Black3.2]

I have taken all 3 variants around a track S4 3.0t, S5 3.0t and S5 4.2 - I ran similar lap times in the 3.0t's and was slightly slower in the 4.2. I did notice that the S5 at speed felt more planted in the high speed corners (all three on stock suspension) but as i said the times were equal. In everyday driving i dont think you would notice much of a difference at all

[Alessandro]

what about the track is the track wider on the s5 to lazy to google?

[sidthafish]

Given that there isn't much difference between the two; I would say that the performance difference between either one is marginal at best. You get an S4 if you need/want 4 doors. You get an S5 if the previous statement doesn't apply. Pretty sound logic to me.

[IanVr6]

So much fail in this thread....

[The.Wizard]

I personally like the stealthy way the S4 goes about it's business. Having owned quite a few performance orientated cars. I just haven't heard much discussion about the performance benefits and downsides of either the S4 and S5 when pitched against each other apart from looks alone.
From an earlier post where the V8 was used as a comparison I can understand that the weight of the V8 over the nose in traditional Audi style could hinder the handling somewhat.

Interesting to hear peoples views and comments on this thread as it seems a little unknown.

[IanCH]

Clearly the S4 is faster and better, plus the 5 is so ugly, especially the 5's that mops and bk own, just terrible.

[z_curtis_s4]

Not sure if this has been asked before and I know that this side of the forum may be biased but which out of the two latest generation of S4 and S5 is considered the better handling car ?
I know both vehicles share a lot of the same running gear pretty much but looking into peoples views and reasons.

Well I little birdie told me that the S4 which I own puts the "power"down to the wheels better then the S5. I like the look of the 4 door and you can def fly under the radar until you race anyone basically on the road and beat the blank out of them! S4 for the win handling I mean hands down.

[F40LM]

Clearly the S4 is faster and better, plus the 5 is so ugly, especially the 5's that mops and bk own, just terrible.

The last part is sooo true

Sent from West's Trollquarters

[raudiace4]

Stock vs stock the S5 is a tad bit slower than the S4. It's also considerably more expensive, less practical, and cost more to insure. But god damn does it look good.

[Jimminez@Nemesis]

Clearly the S4 is faster and better, plus the 5 is so ugly, especially the 5's that mops and bk own, just terrible.

Lulz

[axnyc]

Test drove both, i noticed that S4 was a bit faster than the S5...maybe its just same... Settled for the S4. I also had an A5 before that and when i got my A4 loaner, i thought the A4 loaner was faster than my A5.

[Pilfer]

Stock vs stock the S5 is a tad bit slower than the S4. It's also considerably more expensive, less practical, and cost more to insure. But god damn does it look good.

I disagree, the mere existence of the RS5 ruled out purchase of an S5. The RS5 is so much better looking than the S5 not even to mention the performance aspect.


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[mr shickadance]

The only major difference that I can see (feel free to correct me if I missed something here) is the whole V-6 vs V8 issue. The V-8 has more horsepower (354 vs 333), but I think it also adds a couple hundred lbs to the S5.

v8 on paper has more hp, but that is not true, the v6 outshines the v8 by a LOT

I have taken all 3 variants around a track S4 3.0t, S5 3.0t and S5 4.2 - I ran similar lap times in the 3.0t's and was slightly slower in the 4.2. I did notice that the S5 at speed felt more planted in the high speed corners (all three on stock suspension) but as i said the times were equal. In everyday driving i dont think you would notice much of a difference at all

Very interesting, the 4.2 v8 is a much less powerful engine

Given that there isn't much difference between the two; I would say that the performance difference between either one is marginal at best. You get an S4 if you need/want 4 doors. You get an S5 if the previous statement doesn't apply. Pretty sound logic to me.

performance difference I would imagine (but have nothing to back it up) would be that by themselves, since they are similar cars, the s5 would have the advantage. why? it has less doors, and it has a better chance at being more rigid across the entire chassis, stiffer frame leads to better handling around the corners, leads to faster times.

it would be close i would imagine, v6 s5 vs v6 s4, but the s5 in my head would have the advantage.

[raudiace4]

I disagree, the mere existence of the RS5 ruled out purchase of an S5. The RS5 is so much better looking than the S5 not even to mention the performance aspect.


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RS5 is godly, but for the money I can get into something way faster. Besides I don't like the idea of a tuned S5 walking my 85K car.

[Tmarks91]

I own an s4 and personally I prefer the looks and shape of the exterior better of the s5. However, is the exterior of the s5 really worth the major price difference..I don't think so, the s4 sure is a whole lot fancier/flashier than the average car you see out there. So why spend extra the cash on something that looks slightly better but performs slightly worse to about the same? Doesn't make sense to me, if both were right around the same price range (no more than 1-2k of a difference) hands down I would take the s5 simply for looks but thats not the case. Waste of money in my mind

[TexasDfwS4]

I think that S4 FTW in that it's faster, under the radar, doors are shorter (when opening a large door the opening is narrower), and the price is why to much. I drove the 4.2 S5 and thought the thing was pregnant the way it handled itself.

[MrFunk]

Drive them both.
The seating position is different in both cars... I drove an S5 - and actually didn't like the seating position - hard to describe...
Performance wise/handling wise... doubtful you'd decipher any difference... wheelbase on the S4 is longer by only 2 inches - probably would not even notice that but that should equate to being more stable at high speeds but S5 being more maneuverable at low speeds.

Just go try em both and see which you prefer... Let me know if you notice the driving position difference?

S5 is also more expensive... for less space... not sure what the premium is for but if you prefer the looks then I guess it's worth the extra 4k??

[superswiss]

what about the track is the track wider on the s5 to lazy to google?

Yes, it's wider. Should result in more grip around corners, but the skid pad numbers seem to be the same for the B8.5. The B8 is worse, though.

B8 S5: 0.88g
B8.5 S5: 0.96g
B8.5 S4: 0.96g
B8.5 RS5: 0.99g (for comparison)

[13allroad]

Four doors or two. 4 doors equal lower insurance costs and better chance for a quicker resale.

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[PsYkHoTiK]

RS5 is godly, but for the money I can get into something way faster. Besides I don't like the idea of a tuned S5 walking my 85K car.

In a straight line yes/perhaps. On a race track/road course, the RS5 is significantly faster (at least compared to my APR Stage II+ B8 S4).

[drob23]

If I did it over...would definitely be rolling in an S5. Can't go wrong either way

[hayasa]

performance difference I would imagine (but have nothing to back it up) would be that by themselves, since they are similar cars, the s5 would have the advantage. why? it has less doors, and it has a better chance at being more rigid across the entire chassis, stiffer frame leads to better handling around the corners, leads to faster times.

it would be close i would imagine, v6 s5 vs v6 s4, but the s5 in my head would have the advantage.

Turns out the opposite is true. Sedans are generally stiffer than their coupe brothers. Why? The B pillar makes a huge difference when it is positioned at the mid-point of the cabin. The coupe pushes it back too far which allows more flex. They sometimes have to add structures to compensate. That might explain why the S5 is 100lbs heavier than the S4.

[Mops@Nemesis]

Clearly the S4 is faster and better, plus the 5 is so ugly, especially the 5's that mops and bk own, just terrible.

Agreed, their cars suck! Couple of uber pricks too.

I'd pick the 5 every time, but its all situational. Mines sit in the garage unless I choose to drive it. The truck and hatch are driven 95% of the time. Either way, I love the 4's, I feel the 5 is a much better looking car, with road presence that cannot be matched for less than $100K. The 4's also cannot handle nearly as aggressive wheel/tire setups. So much room in there.

To the OP, I've never pushed a 4 as hard as my car, so I cannot say, but I would assume the 4, due to the structure.

[raudiace4]

In a straight line yes/perhaps. On a race track/road course, the RS5 is significantly faster (at least compared to my APR Stage II+ B8 S4).

Well I would hope so, but I don't ever track my car like 90% of the people who buy them. Real world speed or straight line matters more, with the refined luxury and ability to hold its shit together in twisties is always nice.

Now If I had the coin to spare a year ago when I bought my S4, I would no doubt be driving a RS5. Best looking car Audi sells in the USA. But I was referring to my next car when this S4 is all done, it will have to be substantially faster than my stage 2 s4.

[Pilfer]

^ B9 RS4

[raudiace4]

^ B9 RS4

I have high hopes for it. Hope it's as good as we're expecting.