A Union

Hi,
I have an '08 Subaru legacy GT (turbo) that I had bought new as a daily driver, it has served me well, never required a repair, and is peppy and fun to drive.
I've always liked the look of the A5, so I thought it would be a good choice as a replacement. I'm also considering the G37X coupe, but definitely prefer the A5's styling.
Here's the thing; I drove a friend's '09 A4 stick, and to be honest I was kind of underwhelmed with the performance? I mean it wasn't awful, but certainly a let down compared to the Subaru and the Infinity?
So my question is to those of you who drive an A5, do you lament the lack of grunt in the day to day world, or do you just get used to it over time?

Many thanks,

Paul

ayap

I don't know what your budget is. If you want a fun peppy car, get an S5 instead of an A5. A slightly used S5 is not far from the price of a brand new A5, and you can get either the V8 or the V6 Supercharger. The growling sound of the V8 adds to the driving fun.

I have an allroad with the same 2.0 engine w/ turbo as the A5, I like it for long distance driving. It has decent power for highway cruising and mountain driving, but the 2.0 engine is not really meant to be performance-oriented, but it saves gas and you can go 0-60 in about 6.5 seconds. Go for a slightly used 'S5' instead of the A5 if you want a sub-5 second car.

mike at jb

My A5 is my daily driver, and it's great at 2 years old. The turbo and torque provide plenty of pep.
My new commute is more surface street than highway, so I am working the clutch more than I'd like.
The car is fantastic on the highway.

I am glad I bought the A5 over the Infiniti G37S.

fasteddy91

Take my comments with a grain of salt. I have only test driven Two A5's which were the 6 speed manual tranny versions and for my daily commute....its more than enough. My commute consists of driving 35 to 55mph with mild to moderate traffic. Acceleration from 0-40 or 0-60 is more than enough unless you need to beat a M3 or IS-F off the line. I used to have a Lexus IS350 for 4 years and on my commute I wasn't able to use all the power that was available. I either didn't have the room or ***** to risk a speeding ticket. For the last 3 years, my commuter car has been a 2002 celica gts with a 6spd manual and it does the job for the most part with 180 horsepower and 130 foot pounds of torque. The A5 has double the torque.

I think it all depends on what kind of traffic will you be dealing with. Are you willing to get caught speeding and if money is no object....then get the S5.

Bobm48

I test drove a 2013 A5 about 6 months ago, I think it had enough power, but slower than a BMW 328. I've since bought a 2013 S5. We also have a 2013 Q5, it has the 2L engine, and it does just fine.

fasteddy91

I just got my a5 and as long as you keep it above 3000 rpms you'll be good man.

lalith

I have a '12 A5 cab and thought it looked faster than it drove. So I got the APR ECU during their Christmas special and, WOW, what a difference a chip makes! I am still pretty lame from a stop light because of the turbo spooling physics that APR can't violate and the little ricearoni, bondo-boy racers always wonder why I don't even try but...from a rolling start or on a freeway, there's way more than enough grunt to keep up with virtually anything you ordinarily see. In a few secs, I'm at 100-120 mph off an on-ramp or can paddle down 2 gears and use the 300+ft-lb to get past almost anything within reason.

Of course there's no such thing as enough torque or enough HP :-). So I remind myself I get 22city and close to 30 hwy even with my zipping in and out...and decide to wait to upgrade to a Tesla convertible if it comes out ;-). Now that *is* seriously quick!

black2011silver

I agree with everything that's been said. It's great on the highway. I hate it when I'm trying to pull out into traffic. The CVT transmission feels like it doesn't want to grip and then the turbos haven't spooled up either. I've had to slam on the brakes a few times because the car just wouldn't go and didn't want to get t-boned. Now I don't pull out unless there's not a car in sight. The A5 I'm refering to is my fiance's 2014 Cabriolet. I drive a Chevy Silverado for my DD and I have instant power when needed so switching to her car for local driving stresses me out. I love it for long trips though.

lalith

CVTs may be a whole different ball of wax but don't get me wrong...with the regular 8-speed auto tranny and the APR ECU, it's got plenty of zip on on-ramps as I said and to also get sub-6 0-60 without any trouble. Sometimes I use the paddles to shift down when the tranny has shifted a bit early and that's enough to get it back on track. Without the ECU and being in D mode, I did notice the hesitation you mention, which is why I got the APR chip.

black2011silver

Like I said, I agree that once it's up to 5-10 mph, it's like a steady rocket. It's very smooth power. I was just pointing out what I would consider a flaw. Overall it's a fun car to drive. It needs something to help it launch a bit better. Hell, even some Fred Flinstone holes in the floor board would be better than the CVT. Haha! I kid.