Used 2018 Audi S5 Hatchback Consumer Reviews
One big problem made me sell after 9 mos
New technology for crash avoidance in this car is flawed. It was extremely intrusive and on three occasions nearly caused me to have an accident when it suddenly stopped in the middle of an intersection. If a car came opposite in a common left turn lane, for example, the Audi would anticipate having a head on collision and stop my car suddenly when I was trying to cross traffic. I had a 2016 S5 and I thought the technology worked just fine. The 2018 update changed this technology dramatically. I hated it.
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If Only the Windows Work
It's been about 10 years since I last owned a German car and with great trepidation I bought the S5. I had such a terrible time with my Mercedes (every time I drove past the dealership, I got charged $1,000). It had everything I wanted: horsepower, handling, all wheel drive and it looked awesome! My friends said quality and reliability was unbeatable. Well, let's just say that the windows don't really work when it gets cold. It seems that moisture gets into the window mechanism and freezes during the winter. When that happens, the window does not seal properly (it is a frameless window, so it has to come down a little to release pressure for the doors to open easily). This means that road noise is terrible. Took it to the dealership twice. First time, they said it was a software upgrade issue. The second time, they couldn't replicate the issue. It is frustrating to spend $60K for a car and the windows won't work. Waiting for the lease to complete and I can go back to the reliable Acura.
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- Prestige quattro 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $27,993In-stock online
- Premium Plus quattro ConvertibleMSRP: $32,998In-stock online
- Prestige quattro 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $34,998In-stock online
Love this car!
I love the way this car handles and the quality and technology are excellent. I previously owned a Lexus and this is my first Audi. His car has exceeded my expectations!
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I want to like it but..
I have owned this car which was a certified pre-owned ( should have been a hint that it was back at the dealership within a year of original sales date ), for about 4 months. When nothing is malfunctioning and it is kept in “s” mode it drive really nice and is much faster than I would have expected. It has been back to the dealership for several problems already and the service department seems willing to resolve most of the issues, but for a car this new (only 12k miles) and as expensive as it was these problems shouldn’t be there. The worst thing that causes me to want to get rid of it is the incessant rattling of things in the dash and the creaking, popping and groaning sounds when I leave my driveway that is somewhat steep or hitting bumps in the road. The roads are pretty good where I live but it sounds like I am in a 20 year old car that has had a rough life. I expect some banging from the firm suspension but this goes far beyond that, especially for this level of a car. update 11/20/2019 Some of the rattling has been resolved in working with the dealership but inevitably some of it doesn't occur when I leave the car with them. Days where the weather has shifted dramatically will be days that the car has lots of unusual sounds inside. However outside of the rattling this car really does perform well. You wont find many other AWD cars that perform they way this car does. It also looks really good inside and out. I still stand by the fact that this car should not have any rattles for the amount of money it cost but it is a decent sports sedan/coupe. Then you add super intrusive safety features that will actually slam on the brakes if you are moving through close traffic and the systems over sensitive sensors (Audi pre-sense) think you are going to have an accident, it’s just too much. I have lost track of how many times accidents were almost caused by this safety feature, it’s too intrusive. I really like the way the car looks both exterior and interior but for the money I expected way more. Audi if you are reading this there are complaints all over the internet about these problems too.
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I want my old S4 back!
Stay away from this vehicle. It's gorgeous to behold and if you floor the pedal it flies, but in day to day driving it's simply awful. Mine has less than 9K miles on it, and it's been to the shop for no less than six different repairs. Airbag failures, engine thermostat failure, dash electronics failures, and more rattles/squeaks than I can count. It's also been back multiple times for buzzing speaker covers, which appears to be a very difficult problem to fix as the sound system is simply too powerful for the cheap plastic speaker covers which resonate at different bass frequencies. But the absolute worst thing is the laggy throttle response, which is barely even acceptable in the sportiest of modes. Low end throttle response in city navigation is just numb, and you can find countless people on the Audi forums complaining about it. I loved my 2014 S4 and it was superior to this lemming of a vehicle in every way except design/electronics. Oh yeah, and despite the laggy throttle you'll average about 17mpg in 50/50 city/highway driving.
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