NEW AUDI S5 PARIS AUTOSHOW BLOG

Sitting proud on the Audi stand was the new Audi S5. This is the car I think that most Audi drivers would aspire to have (excluding the R8, A8 and A7 drivers).

This was the first time that I have seen the new S5 close up.

What I am going to write next is going to be controversial for most people who may aspire to owning or leasing a new Audi S5.

Going purely on the looks…… from the outside it leaves me wanting a bit more. I remember when the first A5 was launched with its sweeping body lines. It had a gracious classic, well establish look to it. Nothing on the road looked like it, but people who knew nothing about cars knew it was an Audi when they first saw it. If this latest S5 was a Cornish pasty, I would take a bite and then straight away would be thinking…………It needs more pepper. That’s how the exterior design makes me feel. Yes its well put together and the doors shut with that reassurance thud, but in terms of its looks from the outside….. it is “safe” design and styling.

This question pops up in my head time and time again……….

Is it:

LAZY STYLING? or DESIGN EVOLUTION?

It seems all new Audi and Volkswagen group cars lately, seems to be very “safe” in terms of their design. I do appreciate that this is a completely new design, with the design team having a big blank canvas to work on. But it seems they have ended up with a vehicle that looks quite a lot like the vehicle it replaced…….. but less cutting edge. It is more rounded off. So I’ll call it “Design Evolution”. You know it’s a Audi when you see it.

Inside the new S5.

Inside the new Audi S5 is the best place to be. You could easy fit 4 of me inside. (I’m average build and height) The interior finish is Audi’s typical clinical polished aluminium surrounded by smooth to touch dark grey/black plastic.

Something that did catch my eye were the air vents that run along the passenger side of the dashboard. It looks very familiar, then I remembered sitting in the new VW Passat earlier, which has very similar long horizontal air vents that go the entire length of the dashboard left to right (see picture below).

I will kind of ignore this because the execution and quality of the materials used in the new S5 are far better than the Passat.

Don’t get me wrong…………Sitting inside the new S5 is a pleasurable experience. The virtual cockpit is brilliant and a great step forward in terms of cockpit dials but having the Infotainment screen on top of the dashboard looks awkward. It looks more like a after thought. In today’s world there must be a better way to integrate the display then just attaching it to the top of the dashboard.

Starting prices for the new S5 is £47,000

We Blog Any Car Stats:

3.0 litre TFSI V6 petrol engine
Turbo
354 bhp
155 mph (limited)
4.7 seconds 0-62mph
500 Nm of torque
Tiptronic auto gearbox

We Blog Any Car thoughts……….

It all depends if you believe in feeling “connected” with a car. This new Audi seem to leave me a bit cold.

This could be because of the previous model being such a huge trailblazer. Think of the first TT…….. Nothing on the road looked like it back in 1998. Fast forward to the latest version which to me looks “Less edgy”.

So if you are reading this and are thinking of choosing one for your next car than that’s fine…….I can’t really knock your choice. I have written in this blogged my gripes about the car. It isn’t all bad!!!

This is what I will call “the safe choice”. Driving this car people will see you as being a successful, surefooted dependable person who probably likes to get away for weekends in the country. There is nothing wrong with that. Who wouldn’t want to be looked upon as a successful, surefooted, dependable person who goes for weekend breaks? Its better than getting stuck in the traffic at an out of town shopping mall at the weekends.

Now this is a car blog and I am writing this to highlight that there is an alternative…………

If you where to ask me the question of what Audi would I choose for around the same money?

At the time of writing this blog.