come on audi. at least *try* to be competitive.

Still think Audi is 'sandbagging' those HP numbers.

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/1051/lopez_ferry.jpg"></center><p>
I never understood why people talked about BMW's handling until I bought one. I totally get it now. Don't get me wrong; Audi makes great cars, particularly the interior design and materials and Quattro. But as far as pure responsiveness, balance, and just being fun to drive, BMW is a half-step ahead. My 330 convertible puts a smile on my face in way that my 1998 A4 2.8QTip couldn't.

For me it wasn't about horsepower. The 330Cic has 225 horsepower and ~220 ft-lbs of torque. That's more than enough since I don't take this out on the track. I've certainly never felt a lack of power. I left Audi because the A4 cabrio was about 400 lbs heavier and didn't offer a manual transmission.

-James
Seattle, WA

PS: The photo's from the ferry to Lopez Island in the San Juans. Don't let Seattle's Californian-generated reputation fool you. This is definitely convertible country.

If they say the S5 is 5.1, it'll most certainly be quicker. Mid/high 4s easily

it'll be sub 5 easy

The Audi wins by a mile.

But yes the $55,675 MB C550 wil have quite a bit more power than the S5.

I think every one hoped that Audi would give the A5/S5 more power, but it won't happen now. Audi will have to develop a larger family of engine, or borrow Porsche's 4.8 V8 in the future.<ul><li><a href="http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/virtual/112_0702_luxury_sports_sedan_comparison_vrt/">http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/virtual/112_0702_luxury_sports_sedan_comparison_vrt/</a</li></ul>

Hopefully Audi doesn't make this car too expensive...as of now i predict it will be near e92 M3 pricing...

This car was clearly not meant for you. I will be delighted to pick up my S5... geez I must be crazy.

and Audi claims 5.1 while BMW claims 5.4

Throw a chip on that Beemer and this is all out the door though...

for the standard (non-fsi)4.2V8 so hopefully there will be something for the FSI at some point.

The S4 is claimed to have 340 crank HP yet it only makes between 230 and 240 wheel HP.
The 335i is claimed to have 300 crank HP yet it makes 270-280 wheel HP.

The 0-60 times you provided are far from accurate. Manufacturers claims are never near what the actual figures are. Example: Audi claims the B6 S4 hits 60 in 5.3 seconds. Most mags clock it between 5.0 and 5.2. BMW claims the 335i hits 60 in 5.5 while nearly all magazines i've seen clock it anywhere from 4.8-5.0.

I'm not trying to hate on Audi i am just tryin to provide unbiased figures.

Don't waste your time on A5/S5. I thought people who drives Audi should know AWD has a big power loss compared to 2WD. That is what you paid for to get AWD.

Those are the times posted on BMW's own website as well as Audi's quote, and I do agree that they are generally slightly conservative to compensate for variances in vehicles and conditions. Whether or not a professional car driver working for a magazine - under specific favorable conditions was able to shave .02 or .03 seconds is great but they are not always reproducable by the average person. I don't think BMW is going to post 5.3sec (for example) if the car does 4.3sec, and they are also thought to have supplied tweeked 335s for some of the road tests, which sounds shady to me and causes me to lose some respect for BMW as a manufacturer. Also where was that 30% drivetrain loss for the S4 taken from, it sounds a little high.

My point is, most of us here are not professional drivers working for a magazine and may have things packed into the trunk or have extra passengers, etc. We probably aren't going to feel a .01, .02. or .03 of a second in the real world.

I (like you)was initially disappointed that the S5 was rated at (only) 350bhp. I even had some reservations toward the exterior design of the car that I had to overcome. I would have liked to have seen 380-400bhp, but after seeing Audi's new released shots of the car, I can see the potential and I am sure it will be one of the best looking cars on the road today. I guess if having the fastest coupe on the road without regard to interior, aesthetics, and quality are concerned, I'd probably go straight toward the Corvette. With over 500bhp, there is no other car that packs such a good $/bhp value. Back to the 335. vs S5 - we already know that Audi leads BMW by a HUGE margin when it comes to interior design, and the handling of this new car will be better than any other Audi outside of the R8. There is a lot going for the A5/S5 and whether the car hits 60mph in 5.1 sec or 4.9sec is not the biggest issue for me. I have also kept the 335 and even G35 at the back of my mind but I can't stop thinking about what it will be like to drive an S5 - particularly after a nice break-in, coil-overs, throwing on my Forged 20" wheels, and a couple of subtle mods, I'm sure it will be a great car.

don't tell the Californians that it's a great (if not awesome) place to live...we northwesterners have worked hard to perpetuate a "it constantly rains in Seattle" to purposely keep them away...otherwise property values (and hence taxes) will skyrocket above their already inflated values :)

My bad... I moved up here from Palo Alto. But I moved to Palo Alto via Cambridge, MA, Princeton, NJ, and Long Island, NY so I'm not really a Californian.

Doesn't Sequim claim to have an average of 300 sunny days per year?