I have been reading mixed reviews about it, some reviews say it is comfortable enough to fit two adults for a long ride and some reviews say it is too cramped (no head room, not enough leg room, etc.) and is a mission to get in there, for those who actually own an A5/S5 and use it daily...what do YOU think?
How Are The Back Seats Really?
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I'd agree with robb on this one, if you're any taller than 5ft 10" it's probably best you sit them in the front!
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I've only driven once with four passengers, but from the response of the people in the back, comfort is only limited by the size of the driver and front passenger!
I was driving far closer to the steering wheel than normal.
I can't say I'd be too happy driving like that for more than an hour.
I was driving far closer to the steering wheel than normal.
I can't say I'd be too happy driving like that for more than an hour.
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As long as the driver and front passenger are not tall then the seats shouldnt be too far back and create an issue. Headroom and the actual chair is fine. Its just the leg room and that is dependent on those in the front.
Getting in or out is not a gracious effort.
RHD pedal offset issues means that its probable that the driver sits further forward than those with LHD.
Getting in or out is not a gracious effort.
RHD pedal offset issues means that its probable that the driver sits further forward than those with LHD.
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Hmm... my opinion is, apart from the issue with the height restriction, the seats aren't comfortable in the back. OK for short journeys, but on a long journey its certainly not what I would call comfortable.
Any passengers i've had have always came out complaining about the comfort of the rear seats, which is a shame.
Any passengers i've had have always came out complaining about the comfort of the rear seats, which is a shame.
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At 5'8", I've sat back there; my height is nearly 50/50 (yeah, a bit disproportionate) so leg room is good, and I'm not "touching" the headliner. I think the A5 was more a 2+2 car, rather than a true 4 seater like the A6. But I knew that going in and my daughters are light and petite (16 and 10 ) so they don't have a problem back there.
Any adults, I warn.
Any adults, I warn.
From sitting in demos I'd say legroom is on the short side, but headroom provided by the very sloping roof is by far the biggest problem because that you can't really alleviate even temporarily. A 180 cm tall person (depending on individual body dimensions of course) will touch the roof when sitting up straight, any taller than that don't even bother.
Rear is fine for the kids and that occasional third adult hitching a 15 min ride somewhere. Fourth adult would probably force changing the drivers position which is not nice.
So, a great family car!
And the mother-in-law won't fit in which is always a bonus.
Rear is fine for the kids and that occasional third adult hitching a 15 min ride somewhere. Fourth adult would probably force changing the drivers position which is not nice.
So, a great family car!
And the mother-in-law won't fit in which is always a bonus.Its fine for short rides to downtown, or the movies, which is what it is good for. When you get close to a 2 hour trip, it becomes painful to sit back there. Although I do remember when I went to Boston from NYC in the back seat of my dad's 996 Turbo... that was a pain (I am 6 feet exactly).
18-year old
My daughter is 18, and 5 8". She has ridden back there on short trips, and says it is quite comfortable, but allowed how she didn't think it would stay that way for a 2 1/2 hour trip to grandma's house. Even if you fit, it is a little dicey for adults to crawl in and out, although the seat forward function on the seat makes it manageable. Seats ARE pretty comfortable, but again, just for short trips.
My daughter is 18, and 5 8". She has ridden back there on short trips, and says it is quite comfortable, but allowed how she didn't think it would stay that way for a 2 1/2 hour trip to grandma's house. Even if you fit, it is a little dicey for adults to crawl in and out, although the seat forward function on the seat makes it manageable. Seats ARE pretty comfortable, but again, just for short trips.
Realistically, you are buying a GT coupe, so there will be some compromise. Having said that, I compared the back seats on several competing cars (such as BMW 6, Infiniti G35) and the back seats on the A5/S5 are the most useable by far. I had my 12 year old son and wife test the back seats over a long test drive and they gave it the seal of approval.
Yeah, from my own demo/test experience I'd say that height is the main issue. If the people sitting in the rear are shorter (like many children and women are) and petite, there probably won't be any problem unless the driver/front passenger are so tall they need to keep their seats in the rear position or something. The biggest concern is will the rear passenger be able to keep their head straight or will it hit the roof.
If your rear passengers are 180 cm (5' 9") or more, you will have a problem.
Legroom is in my opinion not so big a problem compared to the roof, but still there isn't too much of that either. Legroom will be a problem if the people sitting in the front can't compromise on their own legroom a bit. In the rearmost position only a small child would fit behind the front seat, but if the front seats can be moved forward a bit, again children and petite adults should be just fine. I probably would never try to place a regular sized male adult behind the driver though, unless the driver is of smaller size, the driver would probably have to compromise his/her position quite a bit.
So, no, this is no TT - the backseat is actually usable on the A5/S5. But there are limitations, the sloping roof makes it a lot more cramped than say an A4 is, and the shorter length of the car makes legroom less than in an A4 B8. Otherwise the rear is quite nice with optional reading lights, third climate control zone, optional seat heating in some markets, all sorts of cupholders and armrest... and not to mention those beautiful (but not so powerful according to reports) B&O speakers in the side walls if the car is so equipped.
If your rear passengers are 180 cm (5' 9") or more, you will have a problem.
Legroom is in my opinion not so big a problem compared to the roof, but still there isn't too much of that either. Legroom will be a problem if the people sitting in the front can't compromise on their own legroom a bit. In the rearmost position only a small child would fit behind the front seat, but if the front seats can be moved forward a bit, again children and petite adults should be just fine. I probably would never try to place a regular sized male adult behind the driver though, unless the driver is of smaller size, the driver would probably have to compromise his/her position quite a bit.
So, no, this is no TT - the backseat is actually usable on the A5/S5. But there are limitations, the sloping roof makes it a lot more cramped than say an A4 is, and the shorter length of the car makes legroom less than in an A4 B8. Otherwise the rear is quite nice with optional reading lights, third climate control zone, optional seat heating in some markets, all sorts of cupholders and armrest... and not to mention those beautiful (but not so powerful according to reports) B&O speakers in the side walls if the car is so equipped.
You mean the A3 Compact Coupé (three doors) of the A3 Sportback (five doors)?
From my limited experience (I have driven some and sat in the back of both A3s and an A5):
I would actually imagine A5 may have a better, more upscale back seat than the A3 Sportback for example has. A3 has "small car" seats, A5 is more "A6". But the sloping roof, harder entry etc. leave me with the nagging impression that A5 is probably more cramped even though it is a bigger car. A lot of the comforts in a A5 have (understandably) been placed on excellent space in the front. A5 is as wide as an A6, and this can be felt in the front I think. An A3 is smaller in the front and thus the general feel is that an A3 is probably more balanced in this regard, whereas A5 has a strong front bias.
But I haven't made any measurements.
Looking at the drawings, one sits higher than front in the A5 too - although my recollection is that the seats themselves are quite "deep" in an A5 so that helps a bit.
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Again, the drawings confirm the lack of headroom in an A5. A rear passenger in the small three-door A3 Compact Coupé actually has more.
Drawings linked from Audi.de.
Again, the drawings confirm the lack of headroom in an A5. A rear passenger in the small three-door A3 Compact Coupé actually has more.
Drawings linked from Audi.de.
Here's the deal... in my opinion. I think the A5 is actually living very well up to it's reputation as grand tourer:
- The car is actually as wide as an A6 (well, one millimeter less), and wider than an A4 B8, giving people sitting in the front a bit more breathing room on the sides and the massive doors won't come at the cost of space in front. This car will absolutely seat two adults (of practically any size) for any trip, be it to the grocery store or cross country.
- Its trunk matches the size of the larger A4 B8 (same dimensions except in height, but still, a very large trunk - larger than say A4 B6). This car will haul your daily stuff, but also your travelling gear. Comparisons to the A3 above show just how tiny the A3 trunk is compared to an A5 (although of course the A3 benefits from the wagon-like configurability).
The above attributes actually place it in competition with larger sedans, in my book. A4 B8, A6, VW Passat etc. are (by European standard anyway) quite large sedans and A5 has the ability to compete with them...
...in everything else but the rear seat space. This is where the compromise comes from that allows A6-like front space and A4 B8 -like trunk in a sporty car of only 4.6 meters long. Add to that the sloping roof-line, which is absolutely gorgeus design-wise, but terrible for the tall person sitting in the rear. (Not as bad as an Audi TT trunk door that would actually hit you in the head, but bad nevertheless.)
The A5 is a large, beautiful car that in my opinion pretty much comes at only the cost of the rear seat comfort, nothing more. Don't expect miracles for the rear. Otherwise this actually seems like a very sedan-like, versatile car when it comes to usability. And the looks win any sedan in spades, of course.
If your requirements for the rear are reasonable, say, one or two younger kids (that don't require massive back-facing-front Isofix/Latch seats or something), you'll have a very good everyday car in the A5/S5.
I wonder if a daily experience with this car would confirm my opinion, but so far this is how I see it. Feel free to comment.
- The car is actually as wide as an A6 (well, one millimeter less), and wider than an A4 B8, giving people sitting in the front a bit more breathing room on the sides and the massive doors won't come at the cost of space in front. This car will absolutely seat two adults (of practically any size) for any trip, be it to the grocery store or cross country.
- Its trunk matches the size of the larger A4 B8 (same dimensions except in height, but still, a very large trunk - larger than say A4 B6). This car will haul your daily stuff, but also your travelling gear. Comparisons to the A3 above show just how tiny the A3 trunk is compared to an A5 (although of course the A3 benefits from the wagon-like configurability).
The above attributes actually place it in competition with larger sedans, in my book. A4 B8, A6, VW Passat etc. are (by European standard anyway) quite large sedans and A5 has the ability to compete with them...
...in everything else but the rear seat space. This is where the compromise comes from that allows A6-like front space and A4 B8 -like trunk in a sporty car of only 4.6 meters long. Add to that the sloping roof-line, which is absolutely gorgeus design-wise, but terrible for the tall person sitting in the rear. (Not as bad as an Audi TT trunk door that would actually hit you in the head, but bad nevertheless.)
The A5 is a large, beautiful car that in my opinion pretty much comes at only the cost of the rear seat comfort, nothing more. Don't expect miracles for the rear. Otherwise this actually seems like a very sedan-like, versatile car when it comes to usability. And the looks win any sedan in spades, of course.
If your requirements for the rear are reasonable, say, one or two younger kids (that don't require massive back-facing-front Isofix/Latch seats or something), you'll have a very good everyday car in the A5/S5.
I wonder if a daily experience with this car would confirm my opinion, but so far this is how I see it. Feel free to comment.
This thread has made me wonder what coupe has the worst rear seat, and what has the best. I have sat in the back of many coupes, and one of the worst for me was the Lexus SC430, but that may have been because there was a 6"2' 300 lbs black guy sitting in front of me. So, I actually have to say that the least comfortable rear seat was in a coupe that acually may also have what I think is the nicest rear seat (the seat itself), but had the worst legroom imaginable. In fact, I had a petite, maybe 110 lbs and 5"5', woman in front who moved the seat as forward as she possibly could without crushing her legs, and I still was unable to put my legs in front of me, so I had to actually sit sideways with my feet on the other seat. That car was the Aston Martin Vanquish. Although I never sat in it, it looks as if the rear seats in the new Ferrari California seem much worse. It looks like it would be as uncomfortale as putting someone in the back of the current Benz SL, LOL. As for the best, I think that goes to the BMW 3 coupe, although I have not sat in the back of the new one.
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