[Dalmango]

Hi all,
I've owned a M2 for just under 1.5 years & I haven't greatly enjoyed owning it. It's far to bumpy for a daily driver in the current state of UK roads. As a track car it would be sublime but sadly I'm not wealthy enough to worry about a track car. So I'm getting rid of it.

I'm torn between 3 cars atm & starting to do my research & would be grateful of your comments on owning a S5; out of interest I've listed my current list of cars I'm considering:

1 - Nissan 370Z 50th Edition (had a 350Z for 15 years & it was my pride & joy).
2 - Audi S5 - it seems to tick many boxes what I'm after, I'm just a little concerned it doesn't look too special & know nothing on what it's like to maintain. Never owned an Audi before & a little concerned with the reputation they have for consuming oil.
3 - Mercedes C43 AMG - On paper this ticks all the boxes; however I'm not over the moon with it's aesthetics; also many of these on the roads.

So how have you found owning your S5? What should I look out for? I watched a video last night where the driver's were commenting when you really push it the car hesitates a little; as if the computer is figuring out what to do. I'm an enthusiastic driver, however the main reason I'm outing the M2 is there are not many opportunities to put the foot down.

Grateful of input to your experiences.

 

[x13Eric]

Personally I absolutely love my S5.
Can't stand the look of the small mercedes.
The 370Z is nice looking still to me, but a little long in the tooth and tail happy, and not practical at all.
For the S5, I had to make a few mods to make it perfect for me, the standard suspension was a little too floaty at high speed on highway. very comfy, but I wanted to feel a little more connected. Then, a quick stage 1 tune on the engine AND transmission. it made the car super fun, it pulls very hard, love it since the quattro keeps everything in check, love it.
If my car was to be broken, or stolen, I'd have to buy another b8.5 S5, I don't like the new generation b9, (laggy turbo is a big turn off). or I would consider an rs7 or something like that but afraid on the maintenance cost on those. the s5, the maintenance is super good. very strong engine too. (mine is a 2013 b8.5 generation with now stage 2, very reliable in texas heat).

 

[x13Eric]

Hi all,
I've owned a M2 for just under 1.5 years & I haven't greatly enjoyed owning it. It's far to bumpy for a daily driver in the current state of UK roads. As a track car it would be sublime but sadly I'm not wealthy enough to worry about a track car. So I'm getting rid of it.

I'm torn between 3 cars atm & starting to do my research & would be grateful of your comments on owning a S5; out of interest I've listed my current list of cars I'm considering:

1 - Nissan 370Z 50th Edition (had a 350Z for 15 years & it was my pride & joy).
2 - Audi S5 - it seems to tick many boxes what I'm after, I'm just a little concerned it doesn't look too special & know nothing on what it's like to maintain. Never owned an Audi before & a little concerned with the reputation they have for consuming oil.
3 - Mercedes C43 AMG - On paper this ticks all the boxes; however I'm not over the moon with it's aesthetics; also many of these on the roads.

So how have you found owning your S5? What should I look out for? I watched a video last night where the driver's were commenting when you really push it the car hesitates a little; as if the computer is figuring out what to do. I'm an enthusiastic driver, however the main reason I'm outing the M2 is there are not many opportunities to put the foot down.

Grateful of input to your experiences.

Wait, you're in the UK? isn't the 2018 S5 already the b9 generation? turbo or supercharger?
Here in the US, i thought the 2018 was the last year of the b8.5 but I could be wrong. Regardless, there's a HUGE difference between the b8.5 generation and the b9.
Some people love the b9 for a lot of reasons, but for me, that's a big fat nope.

 

[Dalmango]

Thanks Eric, yes I'm in the UK, I think it's the B9 version.

What defers you from the B9 version?

 

[x13Eric]

Thanks Eric, yes I'm in the UK, I think it's the B9 version.

What defers you from the B9 version?

I can only talk about my opinion, some others will feel differently.

To me, the main issue with the B9 generation is the change of the engine and the turbo instead of the super charger (b8.5, instant delivery).
The b9 feels laggy, turbo lag, people say it is not that bad, but personally I hated the drive.
Also the dual clutch transmission, in my opinion, I prefer the dual clutch one of the b8.5 than the 8 speed on the b9. it is also not as fun, not as sharp.
Engine reliability on the b9 is unproven too. while the b8.5 has gone through the test of time.

Test drive both of them, you should see a clear difference.

 

[Dippy]

UK B9 started 2016/17 I believe. The first S5s were 3.0 TFSI but at some point (maybe 2019?) they changed to 3.0 TDI.

 

[sayek]

I have owned BMW E92 SE for 5 years before it was stolen. My mate owned the same car but in Msport vesion. My mates Msport was very nice driving on dual carriage ways and taking round abouts but when it came to typical UK town roads his car was hard ride and my SE was idea for the roads.

The Audi S5 is same category as a BMW 340i so maybe consider that as 1st option.

But you need to decide if you can live with a Audi Quattro comming from powerfull BMW rear wheel drive?

I dont think you will get the ride any better with Audi S5 on UK town road. It will be a S-Line lowered suspension.

 

[x13Eric]

I have owned BMW E92 SE for 5 years before it was stolen. My mate owned the same car but in Msport vesion. My mates Msport was very nice driving on dual carriage ways and taking round abouts but when it came to typical UK town roads his car was hard ride and my SE was idea for the roads.

The Audi S5 is same category as a BMW 340i so maybe consider that as 1st option.

But you need to decide if you can live with a Audi Quattro comming from powerfull BMW rear wheel drive?

I dont think you will get the ride any better with Audi S5 on UK town road. It will be a S-Line lowered suspension.

Did you drive the B9 S5? or do you own one? Even with S line, it's very soft/comfortable.

 

[SimonRoma]

Dalmango mate, you need to really drive the cars to get the feel and to understand what you really like. I had and loved a BMW 530D, it was my first RWD car and I REALLY loved her and drove all around Europe, 180 horses in those days was LOADS for a diesel. Then I bought a front drive A5 and enjoyed her too, but since I bought my 4WD S4 oh my goodness!!. Personally I am a massive fan of big, normally aspirated engines cos as they say there is no substitute for cubes and I agree. The A5 is NOT a harsh ride in my opinion but you must try it cos it depends what you are used to......

 

[sayek]

Did you drive the B9 S5? or do you own one? Even with S line, it's very soft/comfortable.

I have a B8 2.0i A5 with a basic non S-Line suspension and this seems harder than a BMW E92 SE..others own the same A5 model complain the suspension is too soft and lower the car. I am just comparing the the ride of BMW vs Audi.
Unless I am mistaken the true S-Line is harder/lower than standard suspension.

We all have different level of tolerance when it comes to the term "comfort" ride. I have seen owners of B8 with 20inch alloys S-Line suspension and say its comfortable.

 

[Dalmango]

Thanks for all your input. The main things I dislike about my M2:

1 - It's too bumpy on bad roads.
2 - I also wish the interior was a better insulated with sound.
3 - This sounds a bit silly, but when I shut the door it sounds like I'm shutting the door of a 1980's fiesta.

I'm not very pleased with the build quality of BMW's. I believe they came 17 out of 20 on reliability; which does not surprise me in the slightest.

 

[sayek]

Thanks for all your input. The main things I dislike about my M2:

1 - It's too bumpy on bad roads.
2 - I also wish the interior was a better insulated with sound.
3 - This sounds a bit silly, but when I shut the door it sounds like I'm shutting the door of a 1980's fiesta.

I'm not very pleased with the build quality of BMW's. I believe they came 17 out of 20 on reliability; which does not surprise me in the slightest.

I have to say the Audi A5 does a very good job with sound insulation compared to BMW. On the BMW I could hear a lot of tire noise but the Audi feels refined.
I have refreshed suspension on both the BMW and Audi. The Audi front suspension has 4 control arms but BMW only has 2 so that maybe why the Audi suspension is superior. I would say I my next car would be another Audi A5 and not a BMW. Those B9 A5 do look very nice

I suppose being a BMW 1 series maybe less refined than a bigger brother the 3 or 4 series.

BMW M2 is pocket rocket so you don't buy that for quite or comfort

 

[heylinTTnz]

I looked at the 370z, c63 amg, bmw M3 and 650i, b8.5 S5 and gen 1 R8, when coming off the 3.2 mk2 TT.

At the end of the day the Audi RS5 (or S5) ticked all the boxes, modern timeless design, AWD, performance, and overall build quality and pedigree.

I'm sure the b9 S5 is just as great, it's quick for sure, but compared to an Rs5 I felt it lacked a little soul.

The 370z to me is just a cheaper feeling version of a 3.2 TT without AWD.

 

[Dalmango]

Thanks guys, yes I think I'm going to rule out the old 350Z on the base of the interior. The 50th anniversary does look sublime.