Insurance Group: 40
MPG: 36.7
CO2: 179
0-62 Mph: 5.1 secs
BHP: 328 BHP
Range: 492 miles
The S5 is a very expensive car and you don’t really get much more for your money than the A5 Sportback 3.0 litre version. The 2.0 litre diesel engines of the A5 Sportback range are much more economical and practical to run, whilst still providing fairly decent performance.
PROS: The S5 is a hugely powerful car with great handling and control, thanks to the four-wheel-drive.
CONS: The price is high for a car that does not vastly improve on the A5 Sportback 3.0 litre version.
As a standalone version of the A5 Sportback range, the S5 is an incredibly powerful hatchback, which handles well and has good grip thanks to the four-wheel-drive although the control is not as good as that of other sports cars at this price.
The engine is 2995cc and uses super unleaded petrol with a fuel tank capacity of 61 litres. There is a seven-speed S Tronic automatic gearbox, which provides smooth acceleration.
The engine is quiet and refined, but there is a bit of wind noise at high speed and the suspension can be noisy at times too.
The 3.0 TFSI Quattro has a 328bhp engine delivering 324lb-ft of torque at 2900-5300rpm and reaches 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds with a top speed of 155mph.
The interior of the S5 is well-designed and is an improved version of the A5 Sportback cabin, but without many drastic differences.
The seat and steering wheel adjust comfortably, although the pedals are set off to the right, which can be a bit uncomfortable over long distances and the clutch is in a recess in the floor which makes for awkward control.
The 3.0 TFSI Quattro comes with leather seats, power steering, climate control, stability control, alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, MP3 connectivity, Bluetooth and stereo as standard, with optional extras including cruise control for £225, satellite navigation for £1620 and metallic paint for £615.
For fuel economy, the S5 has a start/stop system and electromechanical power steering as standard, which allows for great efficiency and low CO2 emissions.
The S5 comes with all the safety equipment you would expect in a high-quality hatchback including driver, passenger and front side airbags, alarm and immobiliser as standard. It also has stability control to prevent accidents and anti-lock brakes. There are also front and back ISOFIX child seat mounting points and options to fit adaptive xenon headlights, lane-departure, a rear-view camera and blind-sport warning systems.
In the past few years, Audi’s reliability rating has suffered, but the closely related A5 range scored Average in the JD Power survey in 2011.
The boot is sizeable, offering 480 litres with the rear seats up and 980 litres with the seats folded down. The S5 hatchback has got fair room in the front and back for passengers in terms of both head and leg room.
The running costs are fairly good with the S5, but with an engine this size the efficiency of the engine will not do much to help the fuel economy, although CO2 emissions are not as bad as other engines this powerful. The 3.0 TFSI Quattro model costs £41,840 and has a combined economy of 34.9mpg and CO2 emission rate of 190g/km.
The S5 is an upgrade from the rest of the A5 hatchbacks, but comes at a much higher price which is hard to justify.
The A5 Sportback 3.0 litre version is probably much better value for money if speed and power are priorities.
The resale value on the S5 Hatchback is good however, and Audi promise good service and reliability as well.
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