Thinking of moving to an RS5 cab from a coupe

[scmguru]

Title says it, considering swapping my coupe for a cab, but I'm concerned about the ~400lb weight differential.

Anyone here drive both back to back?

Would love to get your impressions.

Thanks!

[antoff83]

I wont swap coupe for cab but thats just me(price difference and weight is after that)..its all preferences

[AirmattRS5]

You've got your priority out of wack. Should be thinking about that lovely open exhaust on a sunny day as you cruise down the highway.

[superswiss]

I guess it depends on what you want in a car. To me it just feels wrong taking a car that was designed as a coupe, chop of the roof and add a ton of extra weight to get it somewhat rigid again.

Don't know if you've watched this one yet. The cab really needs more power to move that extra dead weight.



EDIT: In case you haven't seen his earlier review of the coupe, you should watch the above in context of how he felt about the coupe.

[Guzzii]

To me it just feels wrong taking a car that was designed as a coupe, chop of the roof.

Agree. I would not do that for sure.


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[JimWB]

Roofline is one of my fav parts about the 5. Keep the coupe and get a motorcycle

[Gonzoe11]

Go for it. But I'm biased. I picked up my first cab ever last year and figured I would try it. Worst case, I would sell it. That's the approach I take to most cars.
I have to agree with a post above that on a nice day, top down driving is great. Especially with a great sounding engine/exhaust. My only complaint so far is the suspension characteristics, there's a rubbery feel to it on uneven pavement or bumps. Matt Farah mentions it in his review, and I agree. Pss10's and new sway bars have helped but the AWE exhaust note makes it all go away

[namvar]

While I was waiting for my Coupe, I drove Cabs or coups just to get my fix. I guess my question is why do you want a cab? The cars do drive differently and for me the Coup was a better choice.

I personally don't think a Cabriolet is a daily driver.

[d1amund]

Roofline is one of my fav parts about the 5. Keep the coupe and get a motorcycle

Best advice so far.

[scmguru]

Roofline is one of my fav parts about the 5. Keep the coupe and get a motorcycle

Had a few, sold them because I'm now a dad and there are too many crappy drivers in SoCal who have no situational awareness.

Unfortunately I see at least a couple of motorcycle accidents a month where the motorcycle rider wasn't at fault and got the raw end of the deal.

Maybe I'll just pick up a different car as a convertible.

Thanks folks

[jetRS5]

Go for a test drive, it is the only way to know. I will not be racing my car but driving it daily. A cab for me is a must as I enjoy the feel of the wind and sun as often as I can.

I also ride a motorcycle...

[Alister]

I didn't rate the RS5 Cab when I drove one - felt underpowered for the weight and not worthy of the RS badge.

I was more impressed when I drove the S5 Cab with SC 6 a good few years back. That was a car that delivered on my expectations (which were admittedly lower given that it had an S badge and not an RS badge).

Don't let me tell you though - drive one and see for yourself!

[dseag2]

I didn't rate the RS5 Cab when I drove one - felt underpowered for the weight and not worthy of the RS badge.

I was more impressed when I drove the S5 Cab with SC 6 a good few years back. That was a car that delivered on my expectations (which were admittedly lower given that it had an S badge and not an RS badge).

Don't let me tell you though - drive one and see for yourself!

I agree. I owned a '10 and '11 S5 Cab and both were great cars. Yes, the rigidity wasn't as great as my coupe, but it was better than 90% of 4-seat convertibles on the market. With the top up, the car is almost as quiet as the coupe and still has plenty of luggage space. It is great as a daily driver. It was also easier to get people in the back seat by putting the top down vs. having them do contortions in the coupe. Most important, I used to hear that great exhaust sound with the top down. Now I have to put the windows down to hear it.

[Gonzoe11]

I agree. I owned a '10 and '11 S5 Cab and both were great cars. Yes, the rigidity wasn't as great as my coupe, but it was better than 90% of 4-seat convertibles on the market. With the top up, the car is almost as quiet as the coupe and still has plenty of luggage space. It is great as a daily driver. It was also easier to get people in the back seat by putting the top down vs. having them do contortions in the coupe. Most important, I used to hear that great exhaust sound with the top down. Now I have to put the windows down to hear it.

+1 on your review... Not to mention a stage 2 tune really wakes the cab up and makes it 100% better than any other 4-seat convertible on the market

[B8 S FOR]

I test drove the RS5 and the S5. I couldn't justify the price difference. I had the cash and just couldn't. I ended up saving 15K by going with the S5. In my opinion the S5 is just as capable than the RS5 less the badge and V8 sound. I feel the RS5 is not worth the extra $$$$$.

[northwoods1]

I test drove the RS5 and the S5. I couldn't justify the price difference. I had the cash and just couldn't. I ended up saving 15K by going with the S5. In my opinion the S5 is just as capable than the RS5 less the badge and V8 sound. I feel the RS5 is not worth the extra $$$$$.

It's all personal preference. We all here because cars are not transportation appliances to us. We each have unique preferences and financial resources. I test drove both the S5 and the RS 5 and felt the added cost was well worth it. I wasn't even considering the RS and I could have been satisfied with the S but the RS provided more than mere satisfaction. The total experience was so much more... and then there are the sounds the engine and transmission make..... puts a smile on my face every day. I also considered that I would spend extra to mod the S which would reduce the price differential but never get me the total experience the RS offers.

[JamesRS5]

Lets not turn this thread into an S vs RS thread, theres enough of those already.

I agree with the guys on here though, when you add in the extra chassis weight, the S cab makes much more sense than the RS cab, the RS cab isnt really a performance car and not worth paying the added premium for just that badge.
Have You considerd a Porsche Boxter? A cab designed to be a cab and a very very capable car.

[GSS5]

I test drove the RS5 and the S5. I couldn't justify the price difference. I had the cash and just couldn't. I ended up saving 15K by going with the S5. In my opinion the S5 is just as capable than the RS5 less the badge and V8 sound. I feel the RS5 is not worth the extra $$$$$.

popcorn for everyone

[AirmattRS5]

Get a miata and call it a day, OP. You don't have to worry about the weight and with the money you save, you can probably mod it up where it'll blow the doors off of the rs5.

[Beast]

Get a miata and call it a day, OP. You don't have to worry about the weight and with the money you save, you can probably mod it up where it'll blow the doors off of the rs5.

Or a civic, chop of the roof, twin turbo it and it blow the doors of any Rs5. Plus its cheaper!

[JimWB]

Lets not turn this thread into an S vs RS thread, theres enough of those already.

+ one million

[GSS5]

While we're all suggesting cars for the op, i recommend he get a ferrari 458 spyder.


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[JEDW]

I was loaned a Cab while my Coupe was being tinted. I can't say it was a proper back-to-back comparison because my coupe only had a few hundred km's on the clock so was still being babied ~4k RPM, whereas the Cab had 12K km's on the clock so full use of the powerband was available. Admittedly, this was the first time I had ever driven a cab but it was a complete blast, and in the right climate as a daily driver I would love to own one. I had it for half a day and must have had the roof up and down 20 times....lol. It had a great fun factor to it, wind noise was no issue, exhaust was definitely more enjoyable/audible. My only gripe was that to maximise use of the trunk space you have to manually push the fold-up roof into a locked position. It just seemed odd to me that this was the case given everything else about the roof was automatic. And the roof does cut into the trunk space, versus that available in the coupe.

I say do it if roof down fun factor & enjoyment is more your priority than overall aesthetics, less weight, and some performance gain which on a day-to-day basis I'm not sure if you would miss the difference. It really depends on how you drive on the performance point!

[Racedoc11]

+ 1

I wont swap coupe for cab but thats just me(price difference and weight is after that)..its all preferences

[Racedoc11]

Ok! Thank god you didn't test drive a 435 BMW you would have thought it is better than both.

I test drove the RS5 and the S5. I couldn't justify the price difference. I had the cash and just couldn't. I ended up saving 15K by going with the S5. In my opinion the S5 is just as capable than the RS5 less the badge and V8 sound. I feel the RS5 is not worth the extra $$$$$.

[B8 S FOR]

Ok! Thank god you didn't test drive a 435 BMW you would have thought it is better than both.

Na...that's why I didn't. It was only 300HP. The 435i Convertible starts at $49K. Plus it's a hard top. Hard Top = zero trunk space and more prone to problems. Heavier too. Shit ...my S5 was $76K with tax. Not a BMW fanboi.

[squid42]

As a lifelong convertible lover I have to say you have a good question at your hands.

It isn't just that the convertible is heavier. It is also quite a bit softer. And it is very expensive to stiffen it up. When looking for a new ride I drove my first 6-series 'vert shortly after the E-class cabrio. The 6 is so much more expensive but yes, that's why, the Mercedes was soft as a shoe sole, and the 6-series is reinforced everywhere.

When looking for nicer driving cars I ended up in a Z4 which does the job for now. It's solid and light. But most convertibles were sacrificing driving quite a bit.

[scmguru]

Drove a '15 Z06.. White with full carbon pkg and racing seats.. What a car!

[essfour]

I like convertibles only when they are first designed from the ground up to be convertibles. The Boxster is an example of this. As is the Z4, Miata and S2K. I typically like to shy away from cars that were re-engineered to become open tops. However - The difficult proposition for the OP is that there arent many 4 seat high powered convertibles on the market in the 65-85k price range.

Seriously - what else is out there? I mean I know the RS5 cab isnt as fast as tge coupe but it is still a 4 seat convertible capable of 4.5 to 60 that looks great and has a nice sound track. Can anyone think of anything else comparable for the same price?

[essfour]

Unless you dont mind a used vehicle...

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...92815923&Log=0

I <3 depreciation...

[jetRS5]

Lets not turn this thread into an S vs RS thread, theres enough of those already.

I agree with the guys on here though, when you add in the extra chassis weight, the S cab makes much more sense than the RS cab, the RS cab isnt really a performance car and not worth paying the added premium for just that badge.
Have You considerd a Porsche Boxter? A cab designed to be a cab and a very very capable car.

I had a boxster S but wanted to have a daily driver that was a convertible, AWD and sporty enough. The RS5 was just that and gives about the same performances as the Boxster S I had. For my needs, this was the right choice.

[B8 S FOR]

I had a boxster S but wanted to have a daily driver that was a convertible, AWD and sporty enough. The RS5 was just that and gives about the same performances as the Boxster S I had. For my needs, this was the right choice.

I don't agree on the comparison "same performances." I also owned a Boxster S and the Curb Weight is about 3,000 lbs. The RS5 is like 4,400 lbs. Not sure how you can compare the two? Apples and Oranges here. My Boxster S was rock solid, cornered like a champ and the engines are two different animals, platform set up etc...............

[mozman68]

I don't agree on the comparison "same performances." I also owned a Boxster S and the Curb Weight is about 3,000 lbs. The RS5 is like 4,400 lbs. Not sure how you can compare the two? Apples and Oranges here. My Boxster S was rock solid, cornered like a champ and the engines are two different animals, platform set up etc...............

You can compare any two objects....in the real world, do you really think anyone could tell any true "performance" differences between the two? Weight and "flickability" maybe, but with the quattro, I bet both cars handle so closely on the street only a slight difference in "feel" would set them apart.

[B8 S FOR]

You can compare any two objects....in the real world, do you really think anyone could tell any true "performance" differences between the two? Weight and "flickability" maybe, but with the quattro, I bet both cars handle so closely on the street only a slight difference in "feel" would set them apart.

and driver.......1,500 lbs is a huge difference

[jetRS5]

For the performance, I was referring more to acceleration and 0-60 times. I am not a race car driver, but want an all-around fun car, so maybe I am not sophisticated enough to be bothered by the 1500 lbs. I was also looking for more space than the boxster, two seats more and bigger trunk space.

Will let you know more when I can actually drive the car on a daily basis !!!

[essfour]

For the performance, I was referring more to acceleration and 0-60 times. I am not a race car driver, but want an all-around fun car, so maybe I am not sophisticated enough to be bothered by the 1500 lbs. I was also looking for more space than the boxster, two seats more and bigger trunk space.

Will let you know more when I can actually drive the car on a daily basis !!!

did you not see that autotrader post! same price as the RS5 cabriolet you can pick up a bentley gtc! do it!

[B8 S FOR]

did you not see that autotrader post! same price as the RS5 cabriolet you can pick up a bentley gtc! do it!

Good luck with the maintenance costs on that ;)

[essfour]

Good luck with the maintenance costs on that ;)

dont worry about those. i'm sure they are nbd! it's just two VAG VR6 motors mashed together in a W config - what could go wrong?

[patmusk]

It makes me sick that this car is offered in a convertable.

[jetRS5]

did you not see that autotrader post! same price as the RS5 cabriolet you can pick up a bentley gtc! do it!

Sorry, this one is over my head, not getting it at all.