Comments on: Audi A5 spotted with less disguise

By: enebled

enebled — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 17:29:28 +0000

Tiburon?

By: Renton

Renton — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 04:31:42 +0000

BMW uber Alles.

By: theshadow

theshadow — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 22:29:54 +0000

Audis are great cars as long as they can keep the quality up. Makes me wonder if they can manage that when they’re releasing so many models though.

BMWs will always likely have a handling advantage and Mercs will always likely have more cachet and power but you’d never really notice stuff like that in the real world – unless you are a keen driver – but what 80% of the world would notice is that BMWs look wierd and have (relatively) cramped and crappy interiors (not to mention I-drive) while Mercs (with the exception of the CLS and SLK) look boring on the outside and their interiors, although luxurious, are also uninspired in their design.

Basically, although other German marques have an edge over Audi in certain areas, the Audis have the definite aesthetic and tactile edge.

Of course if it were my money, I’d buy a BMW without blinking haha.

By: Saud

Saud — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 06:58:19 +0000

Sweet – but Bimmer pwns all.

By: Foster

Foster — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 20:56:59 +0000

A4 and Passat dont share the same platform anymore since 2006 passat came out. Witch is good now they are more of there own. Second A sedan with that much performance the RS4 has no competetors and There not 80k there more high 60′ 70’s witch the only sedans better and faster are The M5 ClS 55 amg and well thats it unless you want to get into the mid six figures. Really they do well and try to deliver a different buyer. I love the M3 but I like to drive a Sedan so untill bmw builds there New M3 Sedan for 09 Then I will stick with the S4 Rs4 . Really quite compareing the two untill there even.

By: Asher

Asher — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 19:38:27 +0000

Renton, I love the ///before the M! Yeah I was referring to US dollars – both the RS4 and new M might sticker for less than that, but you know how they go for 10-15k more upon arrival. Remember in 2001, the e46 M3 and M5 went for 10k+ over MSRP for YEARS until supply caught up with demand…

By: peter g

peter g — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 16:22:13 +0000

This is a BIG car, but it sure looks great.

And you do not in any way have to exhibit extraordinary erudition in a automotive dissertation to be well aware of he fact that AUDI and other European top-carmakers will soon be leading on the american market if they proceed in this way with quality, design and price and if US carmakers continue to insist on building big soon-to-be obsolete cars which, at best, will only sell marginally on the american market. And the fact, that European carmanufacturers actually make money on their product is also a deciding factor in the survival of the fittest. And then in a few years the chineese will be there…

Norby413 also has a point: Who really cares about 0 – 60 times? In this category all the cars more or less equal each other when it comes to 0- 60, horsepower and torque, what matters are less tangible things such as feel, branding, design

By: Renton

Renton — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 12:12:44 +0000

Asher — I don’t think the E92 M3 will be $80K, are you talking US dollars?

Me thinks the ///M3 will be around $60K, it will probably go up in price $5k from the E46. Loaded the new car should be just under$66K.

By: Asher

Asher — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 05:01:28 +0000

Maybe 66k base price but not with options or out the door – here’s a mildy optioned one for only $73,500 +TTL, they also have another for 77,500+TTL:
http://www.dupontregistry.com/autos/Search/DRauSearchDetails.aspx?itemid=343619

I agree its a great car but those numbers are starting to look more like telephone numbers than the price of a car. For about 80k, Id probably opt for the upcoming e92 M3 instead…

By: norby413

norby413 — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 03:23:19 +0000

Yourname,
Agree with you. While BMW holds the performance edge, Audi beats them in every other category. NOBODY touches their interior design and quality. Styling, exterior fit and finish, features, are ahead of the rest of the world. They ride better than BMW or Merc, and for some of us, AWD is a necessity and Audi beats everyone in that category too.
If all you obsess on are 0-60 times, your missing the point.
Now, I might change my tune after I drive a 335xi!

By: Dav is Dead

Dav is Dead — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 03:14:34 +0000

Asher- an RS4 is $66k, and i drove one for ****s a couple of weeks ago and its worth every penny. the S4 is not however, and its basically a car for someone who has the cash for an A6 3.2, and is willing to sacrifice room for power, because the 4.2 A6 is 60k. i know a guy with an 04 and he loves it and wouldnt trade it for anything. its just a scaled down A6 V8 for less cash. handles a lot better too. the A5 on the other hand will be incredible, at least visually. the CLK will probably eat it alive on the track, but its just too queer and dated a design to compare to Audi’s clean lines and flawless interiors.

By: anonymous

anonymous — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 03:00:00 +0000

i think the front will look like the A4 and the back is A6 and a little bit of TT

By: alfa_Romeo

alfa_Romeo — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 02:55:35 +0000

my vote is 4 the next clk

By: Detroit Dude !

Detroit Dude ! — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 02:27:59 +0000

Not bad. I hope the front end is still camoflaged, as it’s way too much plastic. Needs some work there…otherwise not too shabby.

By: autonutt

autonutt — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 02:01:28 +0000

ricklikescars – that c-pillar is disguised to look like the greenhouse will have that long, curved Mazda MX-6/Mercedes CL look that would link it to the Audi sedans.. but unfortunately, that is not the case. The side quarter window actually squares up at the c-pillar, very much like the shape of the VW Phaeton greenhouse.. yuck!

By: C-Hole

C-Hole — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 23:50:06 +0000

It will beat the hell out of the CLK.

By: SSTRFSTR

SSTRFSTR — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 22:25:29 +0000

gsh, a properly optioned 3.6 Passat 4motion approaches $38,000 and still lacks in many features (including a manual transmission). The 4motion Passat also uses a cheap Haldex AWD setup and is built on a streched GolfV chassis. Meanwhile the A4 is all Audi and uses the trusted Torsen Quattro AWD system.

So the A4 cabrio is dead and we’re instead going to get an A5 cab?

By: moogleii

moogleii — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 22:11:44 +0000

The selling point for audi’s for me has been the interior. I personally prefer them over bmw’s interior. But if I’m looking for performance, then I’d rather go Bmw.

By: deantj gives great head

deantj gives great head — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 22:01:06 +0000

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME. Why can’t american cars look and be built like Audis?

By: gsh

gsh — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:51:32 +0000

its funny VW gets the 3.6 V6 which more power than the 3.2 V6 that Audi gets. add 4motion on the passat and you have a bigger, more powerful, cheaper car than the A4!

By: Me

Me — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:20:27 +0000

I like it already.

By: A4

A4 — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 19:54:18 +0000

even though i know it wont

By: A4

A4 — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 19:41:31 +0000

mmmmmmmmmm

it does look alot like a 3er coupe in that pic though

By: Asher

Asher — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 19:16:02 +0000

I agree 100% with YourName – whereas every other manufacturer has questionable styling, the Audis just keep getting nicer and nicer, smoother and cleaner…a better product overall each time and much more reliable than when they initially came to the States in the 80’s with all the nightmare electrical issues…and I can assure you the finished version of this car will leave no one yawning or disappointed(note the R8 spy shots vs the R8 finished product)…

…I must agree however with the Pricing argument regarding performance as they do seem to offer less performance for the money compared to its rivals…I saw a beautiful gray RS4 last week and it was SWEET however 80k seems a little expensive for it! I remember shopping the 2004 S4 against the same year M3 and they were totally different cars – I felt the M3 was superior in almost every respect but they were still priced about the same…I felt the S4 was superior only from 2 angles: AWD and more daily drivability. BUT those 2 features happen to make the difference to many…

By: ricklikescars

ricklikescars — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 19:04:21 +0000

It looks like a cross between my ‘72 Toyota Celica (curving belt-line) and my ‘93 Mazda MX-6 (C-Pillar and how the hood merges at the side and A-Pillar).

By: YourNameHere

YourNameHere — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:21:36 +0000

simply..audi sells cars on interior and exterior styling.

By: YourNameHere

YourNameHere — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:19:54 +0000

someone shopping for a sedan is not going to buy a Corvette. Audi has been growing by leaps and bounds in the last few years. Someone is buying the cars. my guess is the BMW and MB and Lexus have there buyers. BUT the new buyers are driving the Audis and loving it. remember 98% of the population couldnt give two ****s about 0-60 times. all they want is a nice ride that looks good. im not going to deny the performance/dollar disadvantage. buts its harder to measure what makes audi stand out.

By: Don

Don — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:19:28 +0000

yawn

By: Endurancevm

Endurancevm — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:18:02 +0000

6ix, it doesnt matter. Those are getting really expensive and for that much money i want performance, not a lumbering, nose heavy sedan.

By: meanpants555

meanpants555 — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:15:17 +0000

There is something funky with the space just ahead of the C-pillar; they are trying to trick us into thinking that C-pillar is thin. Sneaky. Looks like a honest four seater though.

By: audiot

audiot — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:09:39 +0000

The issue is, Audi is too expensive at every price. There is a better alternative. You can look at them all day, but they don’t perform and Audi thinks they’re worth BMW money.

This one looks like the previous-generation Passat, IMO.

By: 6ix

6ix — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:08:46 +0000

Comparing an S4 to a Corvette? Are you on crack? NOT the same type of car, period.

This A5 is going to be beautiful.

By: Endurancevm

Endurancevm — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:59:45 +0000

Yeah but then again, if you are going into the 50k+ range of cars, then the S4 is too slow. In that realm i would be looking for performance and the Corvette delivers much, much better performance than the S4. I dont believe that the S4 has too large of a market. If Audi made a high performance V6 powered A4 that would compete with the 335i and IS350 and make it look like an S4..I would buy that instead of the other two.

By: YourNameHere

YourNameHere — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:54:59 +0000

agreed. but if you can afford to play in that range of cars i dont think you would really be looking for a bargin. more based on, what looks best, who has the best interior…and in that department audi owns everyone out there…i love going to car shows just to sit in the audis

By: Endurancevm

Endurancevm — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:45:47 +0000

YourNameHere, this would be only be true if the fast version of their cars were affordable. For example, the 3.2V6 Audi A4 is really expensive and not really fast. The next up S4 is too expensive. I think that the IS350 and the 335i are better choices, although i do like Audi styling.