[REB_A5]

Hello,

I've signed up to these forums as I hope to get the following in time for Christmas - and I only ordered it yesterday, Tuesday 4 December!!

A5 3.0 TDi Quattro Sport

Ice Silver
Black Leather Interior

Options:

Black Headlining
Comfort Pack
Satellite Navigation System Plus
19" '5-spoke Y' Design Alloys - an absolutely stunning wheel
Mobile Phone Preparation - Low
Interior Light Package
Auto Hill Host Assist
Through Load Facility
Heated Front Seats
Advanced Key
Aluminium Hologram Inlays
Advanced Parking System Plus
Adaptive Lights
Cruise Control

I only popped into my local Audi dealer to have a quick look at the A5. Before I know it, I had bought one.

I am/was a seasoned BMW 3 Series driver and was looking at the 335d M Sport Coupé but by the time you add the required (& desired) options, it was getting into silly money territory. In comparison, the above specification A5 is an absolute bargain at under 40k and with it having very similar (if not better) performance to the 335d, it was really a no-brainer. The fact that the A5 is also drop dead gorgeous in comparison to the BMW coupé also helped sway me (and the wife).

The reason I am getting a new car so quickly is because the salesman found the car already built and in the system waiting for a new owner. It just needs to be shipped from Germany and prepped.

As I say, I hope to have it in under 3 weeks - just in time to put a really big on my face for Christmas.

So there you have it - a new forum member who will no doubt be asking lots of questions from you seasoned A5 owners. In fact I shall be starting a new thread soon with the first one.

Thanks for listening.

 

[AidenL]

Hello and welcome and congrats !

 

[crespo]

Congratulations! did you get to drive it? Great engine, that. Of course, if you've driven the 335d it should feel very similar. Either way, you won't be disappointed.

 

[Vin]

hello and welcome.

you are very lucky to get the car you want in only 3 weeks. some people on this forum have spent 3-4 months waiting if not longer.

sounds like a great spec, let us know when u get the car and take some pics.

 

[REB_A5]

Congratulations! did you get to drive it? Great engine, that. Of course, if you've driven the 335d it should feel very similar. Either way, you won't be disappointed.

Yes, I did get to drive the model - it was a brand new one that the salesman had to get prepped in order for me to drive it later that day (can't imagine local BMW dealer doing that). It only had 12 miles on the clock so I couldn't really boot it and it was dark and raining as well. Not being familiar with the car didn't help either as the steering and the clutch were both much lighter that my current 330d.

As for the 335d, I have never even sat in one never mind driven one. My local dealer had just sold their demo model and didn't seem too bothered about finding one for me to drive. His disinterest is BMW's loss and Audi's gain.

Vin, Aident, thank you for your warm welcomes. I am well aware that others have had to wait months for their new cars (I was also quoted 8 to 12 weeks for the A5), but I went for an (almost) off the shelf car that was available immediately. A case of being in the right place at the right time I suspect. I think this particular car was destined to be a dealer demo model somewhere.

Once again, thank you for the warm welcome and I will certainly post piccies once it arrives.

 

[REB_A5]

A5 Has Been Delivered.

I took deilvery of my new A5 at 5.00pm last evening - and I am well pleased so far.

Probably much to the annoyance of my salesman, I kept comparing everything to the 330D BMW I was stepping out of - the steering is a lot lighter, as is the gearshift and clutch. Hard to tell with the performance as I haven't opened it up yet - but initial impressions are promising.

The MMI system is so much better than BMW's IDrive - and light years faster. My old SE T630 mobile phone paired up OK and after a bit of pruning and adjustment, shows all the features (missed calls etc) of the phone no problem.

The only problem I have at the moment is getting in and out of it when in the garage - it is a somewhat wider than the BMW!

Anyway, I am about to go out with my son and find somewhere nice and scenic to take the mandatory photographs - even if it is raining a little.

Cheers for now ...

 

[TXcarguy]

Congratulations on getting your car! Glad to hear you are pleased with it so far.

And yes, we'll be looking forward to seeing some nice pics of it when you get a chance.

 

[houseofg]

Congrats, Reb! I am very nervous about going from a B5 A4 to an A5 in terms of my small garage!

 

[crespo]

I was very happy with how the phone worked in the demo car. I'd love to see how the Aluminum (Aluminium for you Brits) Hologram trim looks with the black interior.

*awaiting pictures*

 

[REB_A5]

It Didn't Take Long...

.... for it to get filthy

Anyway, I've taken plenty of photographs - out in the rain . I have put the best of them on my Flickr Site.

As requested by Crespo, I have taken some of the interior showing the contrast between the Aluminium Hologram surround trim against the black leather etc. As I say, it was raining and I didn't really want to spend too much time letting the water in etc.

Anyway, have a look and enjoy.

 

[scratch113]

Reb,
Congrats on getting the car - and some great photos of the interior.

I have a similar problem with a narrow garage, and the A5 is a good bit wider than my old S4 (and the doors are sooo much longer too!) However I find the convenience open for the windows a very useful feature - unfortunately it always opens both windows, but if you're in a garage then it's not a problem and it makes it that much easier to get in with the door only just open one "notch". Don't think I'd use it outside if it were pouring with rain though!

 

[REB_A5]

Thanks Scratch.

I have a piece of rubber fastened to the garage wall which will protect the door as it hits it (no other choice - my garage really is narrow compared to this car) and yes, I am opening the window to assist with entering and leaving. I mentioned in another thread that a BMW coupe that I owned about 6 years ago had a feature that opened the driver's window with a double press of the unlock button (I think) and closed it again once you were tucked up inside and closed the door.

I also need some outside assistance to keep an eye on the passenger side as I enter the garage. I used to use my mirrors on the E90 BMW as a guide as even folded, they were still at the widest point of the car. Not so with the A5 - with the mirrors folded, the widest point is the wheel arch and having scratched one on the BMW I ain't keen to do it again

 

[scratch113]

Sounds like a much better system on the BMW as you have to hold the unlock button with the Audi system, and it does take a good 5-6 seconds or so. Just a double press would be much more useful, and it would be great if the car knew you wanted the window closed again once you shut the door - maybe something Audi could look at for future mods through the MMI...?

I've also got the rubber mat glued to my garage wall - I put it there when I bought my S4 back in 2003, and it's still there - very useful!

 

[houseofg]

Yep - that garage photo says it all. Mine isn't a whole lot wider! I was laughing when I first saw that window trick in another thread, but I won't be laughing when I'm using it!

 

[REB_A5]

Yep - that garage photo says it all. Mine isn't a whole lot wider! I was laughing when I first saw that window trick in another thread, but I won't be laughing when I'm using it!

That's the thread I started a week or so back when I was wondering if Audi had the same feature as BMW.

The garage photo is a bit deceiving because the car is about 5-6 feet back from the door frame - making it look narrower than it actually is.

Just got back from the supermarket and tried the Hill Hold Assist feature and I quite like it although it can bring you to an abrupt stop when stopping and it engages the handbrake. I'll get used to it though.

The Advanced Key option is neat - no need to do anything with your key fob apart from ensure you have it with you. I teased my neighbour's 18 year old son this afternoon by inviting him to open the door whilst I stood back to one side. Of course he couldn't and he was well confused when I stepped up and just opened the door without a key in sight. Very childish - but fun

I do need to find a dark & winding road somewhere to check out the adaptive headlights as it's a bit hard to see them functioning in street lighting.

I also burnt an MP3 CD and contrary to what I read elsewhere, it doesn't use Playlists. You can just store the tracks in a folder structure like Artist/Album/Tracks and it reads the tag data direct from the file. Oh, and the B & O audio system is brilliant - it really does sound good.

After some 25.5 hours I ownership, I am still wearing a huge smile and keep finding excuses to pop outside to check/test something. I'm sure it will wear off eventually

 

[crespo]

Great pictures, thanks. I'm nearly convinced on the all black interior thanks to your pictures. We'll see what I decide to go with tomorrow