THIS AUDI CHANGES EVERYTHING
Don Adair
Marketing Department Columnist
Don's Take
I thought I’d found true love last year in Montreal.
Then brand new, Audi’s S6 sedan drove 398 pound-feet of torque to the ground through its all-wheel-drive system. It carved fluid, screaming arcs on seriously twisty country roads. It blended high-zoot design and bleeding-edge technology.
Others observed that its suspension attacked rough asphalt with the grace of a horse cart. They were right, but I was too stunned by the mechanicals to care.
Finally, though, the S6 would not win my heart. The Audi “yeah, but” had struck again.
Audi is committed to front-wheel-drive. Even its quattro AWD system routes power first to the front, sending it rearward only when traction loss occurs.
Problem is, performance buffs generally prefer the handling characteristics of rear-drive cars – and the 435-horsepower S6 is undeniably a performance car.
Exacerbating matters, Audis tend to suffer from poor weight distribution. Too much weight placed too far forward exaggerates the weaknesses of front-wheel-drive.
Audi’s front-drive setup impacts steering, too, and its systems have tended to be vague, at center, artificially weighted and not particularly communicative.
Despite its brilliant designs, this front-drive-derived “yeah, but” factor has kept Audi from the top ranks of performance cars.
Now a savior has arrived.
In Montreal, company insiders couldn’t stop talking about a new platform they’d been driving in Europe. It would revolutionize Audi, they said.
Its chief benefit was improved balance. In traditional Audi design, the engine rests just ahead of the front axle. In the new platform it moves rearward.
Structural changes allowed the relocation of the steering rack, improving feel, communication and responsiveness. Finally, quattro was recalibrated to send 60 percent of the power rearward, produce the handling bias of a rear-drive car.
It sounded lovely but too often our hopes have been dashed as great ideas matured into mediocre cars.
In this case, the real equals the desired. The 2008 S5 coupe – along with its A5 sibling, which comes early next year – signals fundamental change.
For starters, it may be the most beautiful design Audi has executed. Sinuous, muscular and blessed with ideal proportions, it makes an impact just sitting around.
The interior is unimpeachably cool, too. The switchgear operates as if on well-lubed ball bearings. Top-tier materials, elegant design and exacting fit and finish enhance Audi’s reputation for spectacular cabins.
But the real fun begins when one depresses the Engine Start button.
Snuggled into its new home just aft of the transaxle, the 354-horsepower V-8 engine sings a happy song with every blip of the throttle. Bury the throttle and a rhapsody swells into a Wagnerian tempest.
In our tester, the engine was mated to a six-speed manual gearbox (an automatic comes later). Clutch take-up is smooth and certain, with none of the itchy grab that in other performance cars can lead to an embarrassingly stalled engine.
Torque is abundant – sixth gear is useful all the way from 40 mph to the 155 mph top speed.
Though capable of sprinting from 0-60 in under 5 seconds, the S5 is no miser. The EPA estimates fuel economy at 14 city/21 highway.
Careful buyers can wait for the equally stunning A5, which will be powered by a more frugal six.
A whole world of new-to-Audi sensations reveals itself when the S5 takes to the road.
With this car, Audi has learned how to impart exceptional ride qualities to a sporting chassis. The S5 rides with the same fluid confidence that its switchgear does. But before the performance crew cries foul, it should be remembered that the S5 turns 9.1g on the skid pad and skitters through a slalom course nearly as quickly as the bone-rigid RS4 sport sedan.
Although it’s still a little too lightly weighted, the steering has far more heft than most Audi systems and possesses excellent on-center feel. It is more precise than before and has even learned to communicate with the driver.
With its 58 front/42 rear weight balance, the S5 enters corners with quick and accurate turn-in. The S5 corners with a neutral stance and a touch of body lean, but no front-end push. It pivots easily and at the limit can be steered with throttle inputs.
Audi calls the S5 a touring car, as distinguished from a sport coupe. Still, there’s no denying its abilities lie well beyond those of the vast majority of drivers. Anyone who snubs this car for its handling characteristics has a serious case of performance snobbery.
Downsides? Well, there’s the abysmal fuel economy. Plus, at $50,500, it’s not for every pocketbook. Tall friends relegated to the back seat will tire quickly of the roofline’s slope.
Makes no difference. This is the New Audi that changes everything. Others will come in its wake – including the upcoming 4-series family – and they, too, will put this new architecture to good use.
As for me, my heart is already lost. To the S5. And this time there’s no “yeah, but.”
