Next to Audi's awesome R8, the S5 coupé has got to be the German brand's hottest-looking product.
Audi recently introduced an S5 cabriolet to go with it and it's not only the roof that differs. Under the cabrio's hood sits a three-litre supercharged V6 producing 245kW/440Nm instead of the 260kW/440Nm unblown 4.2 V8 used in the S5 coupé. Curious but, according to Audi SA, that's the way it'll stay.
I assumed, as one does, that dropping the S5's top could only take a gorgeous product and make it, er, gorgeouser, but somehow (and I know the whole looks-are-subjective mantra) I reckon the hard-top coupé on the sexy-ometer is still the business.
Top up, the cabrio's black cloth roof takes something away in the slinky department. Down, it looks hot, but not as hot as some proper two-seater cabrios. You'll have to make that call for yourself.
Either way I quite enjoyed the occasional swoon with the top down, more so in the late afternoon or evening when you don't have to listen to your last couple of brain cells frying in the direct sun. I did pick up some scuttle shake in alfresco mode, though, especially with the condition of our roads at the moment, but not to an uncomfortable extent.
Oh, and also very cool is the ability to drop or raise the top while leaving or entering your driveway (I can hear you sniggering). Audi reckon 15 to 17 seconds is all it should take but that can be an eternity when you're already parked - it somehow becomes timesaving to do it on the move.
The engine is not slack by any standards and sprint times at our test facility up here on the Reef seemed to endorse this wholeheartedly. I doubt you'll find a cabrio buyer unhappy with 6.1sec to 100km/h. That figure should ruin the day of just about any hot-hatch driver.
Pity, then, about the lethargic seven-speed S-tronic gearbox (manual not an option). I complained about it in the S4; it also does this S5 no favours. There's only one way to describe it - lazy. Unless you're in Mad Max, pedal-to-the-metal mode it always chooses the highest gear possible, which wouldn't be a bad thing if there was a Sport mode that would choose the optimum gear.
It can be frustrating to drive. Every prod of your right toe tends to send the gearbox into hunting mode. Manual mode, available by throwing the gearshifter to the left, is not a proper manual in that it will still change up at the limiter - which partly takes away from the point of the paddles behind the steering wheel.
Another little annoyance (not a new one to Audi) is the software on the climate control that, in non-auto mode, won't hold your selected fan speed. The key gets stuck in the fascia now and then, too.
Fuel consumption, at 14.7 litres/100km, is also not ideal but, with a price tag of R706 500, probably not the end of the world either. And that price, by the way, still excludes must-haves such as the R21 300 satnav, the R21 100 19" rims, the R12 200 sports diff and around thirty grand for adaptive shock-absorbers and drive select.
Eish!
VERDICT
I've mixed emotions about the topless S5. It gets the better engine in the S5 range but loses a bit of visual appeal with the soft roof.
The gearbox, depending on how particular you are, could be difficult to live with but for most, in cruise mode with the top down, it will probably be overlooked. If this engine were slotted into the coupé I think the choice would become more obvious. - INL Motoring