My 5 Week Review of the B8.5 S5 Cabriolet

[snocat17]

Hello all,

I bought my 2016 S5 Cabriolet 5 weeks ago. I thought I'd write a little review and pro's/con's to see who out there has any feedback.

Overall, this car is swell. I mean, it's really neato. Super-duper, even. Everything I hoped it would be, plus maybe a little more. I bought it as my daily driver, and it is so comfortable when I want it to be, but also fun and sporty. I was a little concerned with the high miles when I bought it (26K), but I've since put 4K more on it in 5 weeks so I shouldn't have been that concerned.

Cons:

• Lag when not in Sport mode. Yesterday it almost cost me. I was trying to turn left through on-coming traffic. An on-coming car was going slow, so I tried to beat it. I put my foot down, and received just a nice, easy, leisurely acceleration. I made it, but just barely. I shouldn't have had any problem. I don't have that problem when in Sport mode, as it's easy to pass.
• Street noise with the top up. This is probably unique to cab owners. It's not good. I can hear a lot, especially with the music off and the engine sound in comfort mode.
• Electronics issues. My Homelink hasn't worked a few times. This morning for instance, the garage door wouldn't go down after pulling out. I hopped in my truck, and hit its Homelink and the garage went down. It's happened like 3 times now, so I am getting sort of concerned. It's never happened with my GMC. Also, this morning, the MMI didn't come on for about 2 minutes. After putting the top down, I tried to put all the windows up with the center button, but the passenger front window then went down to 25% closed. I used the individual control on the driver door, it went all the way up and immediately to 25% again. I tried it once more, and the same thing. I used the individual control manually to get it to stay at 100%. Also, sometimes the MMI takes off "random" play back mode for no reason when listening to media (iPod and SD card).

Pros:

• Performance. Overall, this car will really impress you. Maybe it's because I've never owned a sports car, but it's just so nimble. The way it dives into corners and holds in the turns; it's effortless. Even the lateral G's feel lower when taking turns at 65 mph compared to my old Hyundai. The suspension is just so perfect coupled with AWD. The gas mileage has been slightly lower than the EPA calculated (23.5 vs 26), but the smiles per mile more than make up for it.
• The Look. This car is such a chameleon. Just glancing at it, it's nothing SUPER special. Very clean lines, no sharp aggressive styling. But looking a little closer, the details look awesome. The LED tail lights are really nice, and I am starting to like the front LED lights more. Not as nice as the double halos of the BMW, but it's very unique. The front grill and splitter are much better than BMW. It has very good character.
  
  I guess I could throw in here "the looks I get." I cannot tell you how many women have come up to me asking what kind of car it is and saying how beautiful it is. Guys; not so much.
  
• The Sound. Before I actually drove the car, I started doing research into after market exhaust upgrades. Now that I've driven it for a few weeks, I feel the sound is sufficient. I even got to ride behind it while my friend drove it. It sounds so perfect. Not too loud, not too throaty, just a good unique performance sound.

I think I'll keep it.

[taz98spin]

Glad that you're liking your car!

I have a 2016 as well. As for the Homelink, I have not been able to set mine up since day 1. I tried multiple times, but eventually just gave up.

[macboi]

Actually very glad you did a review, as I am looking at a few cabs myself! Hope to get in one soon


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[snocat17]

Actually very glad you did a review, as I am looking at a few cabs myself! Hope to get in one soon


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

Drive a BMW 440xi to compare. I really was sold on the S5 after driving the bimmer.

[snocat17]

I just got this back from Audi USA:

[audiBoon]

These are a dog down low and out of the hole when not in sport. And my homelink is weird, it's like the further away I am from the garage, the better it works. Maybe it's the angle or something.

And regarding the looks, girls like convertibles. I've gotten thumbs up from guys, never from girls (edited to say this could be my ugly face and not the car. Ha). I have the coupe.