S5 or A5 quattro? Buying advice

[Bigjoelski]

Hi,

I'm tired of my unreliable but fun stage 1 2007 A3 TDI. Fed up of diesels too and want to go back to petrol. I'm looking at spending £15k-£20k on a newer, bigger, faster petrol car. Preferably with mileage below 45k.

My mileage is currently less than 8000 a year. Is it worth getting a slightly newer A5 2.0 quattro with the potential to remap it or should I go for a 2013-2015 S5?

Anything to look out for and just big boy Audi advice in general around reliability of both cars would be much appreciated. S3 would still be too small I think as I'd like a bigger boot.

 

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

I have a 2012, B8.5, A4 2.0 TFSI, remapped and it's plenty fast. But it's no S4. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have gone for the S4 with the 3.0 V6 supercharged engine - the same as the S5 you're considering.

They are meant to respond very well to remaps, from 333bhp to the 4XX BHP.

And the B8.5 3 door A5 is one of the most beautiful silhouettes - I'd love one!

 

[Bigjoelski]

I have a 2012, B8.5, A4 2.0 TFSI, remapped and it's plenty fast. But it's no S4. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have gone for the S4 with the 3.0 V6 supercharged engine - the same as the S5 you're considering.

They are meant to respond very well to remaps, from 333bhp to the 4XX BHP.

And the B8.5 3 door A5 is one of the most beautiful silhouettes - I'd love one!

Thanks for your comment! How's the reliability been for you? Anything in particular to look out for?

 

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

On the 2.0 TFSI engine, I don't have the oil consumption issue, which im over the moon with. I didn't know about this until after I bought the car, so fortunately there. Somehow my early 2012 engine (CDNC) has the modified piston rings(?). This shouldn't be an issue as long as you go for 2013 model, onwards.

Remapped at 80k four years ago, currently on 114k and no major issues with reliability. I have had a carbon clean (proper walnut shell job) and all my misfires went away and it drives so well. Changed a clutch, but that's expected. I always stick premium fuel in it, I'm still on the fence about its benefits, but I'm unlikely to change back to regular petrol. So no major issues at all, outside of standard expectations of a high mileage car.

Fuel consumption around town isn't great, but that's the price you pay for very high torque from 2k RPM onwards.

Just ensure you go for full service history, ideally at a Audi/VW specialist. At the price range you're looking, you'd expect to find some nice examples.

Also, hold out for the highest spec/options you want. Retrofitting is nice to be able to do, but it's more economical to find the car that has the options you want. Wheels are easy to change, but interior, infotainment etc - that can get expensive. If you're into your music, I personally wouldn't be swayed by the B&O speaker system. But do check what MMI comes with the car. It will affect how you connect your phone to it for both music and calls (by cable/Bluetooth).

https://www.veikl.com/d/Audi-A5---S5-Coupe-Brochure-Price-list-Tech-Specs-UK-2013-EN-11720 this link has the brochure for the A5 from 2013 - if I were doing what you are, I'd look through this, list out what I wanted and find as close to it as possible.

 

[Dippy]

Most of the B8.5 models had the OB5 s-tronic DSG which has a history of problems, particularly the 1st version. The gearbox was revised twice with the latest from early 2013 onwards, so that's a reason to choose a car registered late 2013 or after. For the B8 S4 there was a manual option with the supercharged V6, but for the S5 it was V8. Both the B8.5 S4 and S5 were only in s-tronic version. The supercharged engine itself is relatively reliable but it was revised in mid 2014 with a few improvements and possible fixes. That would be a reason to choose a car registered late 2014 or after.