I thought the v6 really felt faster. That thing just hauls. I like the look of the S5 so much more than the S4 though, so I want the S5.
How do you think it compares to the pull of your SC NSX?
Some are saying the V6 is underrated at 333HP. What do you think?
There's been multiple dyno's of stock 2010 S4's putting 310 to the wheels (awd) stock. That puts the car closer to 360-370 crank.
The S5 Cabriolet has the 3.0 engine... beyond that, I can also tell you that the S5 is about $8k more than the S4. It sounds like the new S5's will all be 3.0's, but I'm not positive on that. Wait a year?
As for pull... you're talking about my 3800lb S4 with 310 hp at the wheels compared to my ~2900lb NSX with 373hp to the wheels. Off the line, the S4 feels wicked quick, but there's no doubt in my mind that my NSX would kill it. That being said, I feel pretty damn confident in the S4 as a daily driver...stoplight to stoplight, there isn't much that can take it, at least in the 4 door category. AWD and that much power/torque make it VERY quick to 60/80mph. Sure, you'll lose to other rwd cars eventually, but stout power with AWD makes it really bite hard off the line. On top of that, the car itself is really well balanced... very easy to drive and very confidence inspiring. Technology +1 in this case.
The one 1/4 mile time that I saw for the S4 was 13.2 at ~106... not bad without any mods. I believe the S5 does pretty close to the same... but remember, the S5 is basically maxed out, and the S4 has mucho mod potential... it also (with the 3.0) gets 28mpg on the highway. Something the V8 could never do.
My B6 S4 and my C5 S6 were both rated at around 340Hp with their 4.2 V8's. Every dyno I ever saw showed that to be around 260-270 hp to the wheels. That feels about right to the 310 the new S4 is putting down. (my new S4 feels much faster than my old modded B6 S4) Audi WAY underrated this car... and personally they OVERRATED their last RS4... or the carbon buildup is killing most cars. Do a search on that... the S5 I believe is FSI and may be prone to the same issues... it's a major one. Apparently Audi has fixed the carbon issue on the new S4, but honestly, it's still open for debate.
A used RS4 will run you close to the same price as a new S4. Mine came in at around $54k without tax. I've seen used RS4's in the mid 50's... After reading about the carbon issues, there really was no comparison. Plus the B8 is slightly larger and in general a better balanced car. (the smaller V6 sits further back and makes the car less nose heavy)
I hope that helps... I chose the S4 because I wanted 4 doors and I loved the engine. In all honestly, if I were say, single... and didn't need the 4 doors, I'd probably still get the S4 over the S5 based solely on the engine... it's that much of a gem.
