May 25, 2010S is for Sturdy, Spry, Stunning…Take Your Pick
S could also be for “speechless,” a condition that I’ve been caught in ever since I had my first opportunity to drive the new Audi S5 Cabriolet a few months ago. The experience of driving a real sports car, with a drop top, in the spring when the weather is beautiful, and turning heads everywhere (red has a tendency to be pretty eye-catching) is truly indescribable and hence my silence for so long.
But it’s time for me to muster the words and take a stab at describing what it feels like to press the gas pedal in the S5 and be pinned back into the sumptuous cinnamon leather sports seats while the warm sun quells the goosebumps that accelerating has brought about. Is there a greater sense of exhilaration that one can experience than that incited when looking in the rearview mirror of the S5 and seeing your sunglass-covered face against the gorgeous red rear of this perfect vehicle and the gleaming black asphalt trailing behind you? I really don’t think so.
While most cars tend to adopt just a few personality traits, the S5 has a rather multifaceted personality, with no single trait dominating at the expense of another. Below, I outline the most distinguishing features of the 2010 Audi S5 Cabriolet:
The S5 is fast. Press the start button to ignite the engine and watch the needles make make the rounds throughout the gauge cluster. You will feel like a pilot. With its turbo-charged 3.0 liter V-6 engine, the S5 generates 333 horsepower and blasts from 0-60mph in about 5.3 seconds. That said, the brakes are also highly responsive, a must given the drive to go fast in this car.
The S5 handles like a dream. Once you have driven the car for a little while and you recognize how smooth and precise the vehicle is, you will not be able to resist the urge to power through every turn or curve in the road. With its 7-speed Automatic transmission and its graceful transition from one gear to the next, the preceding statement is really not all that surprising.
The S5 is practical. You may thinking I’m being too liberal with the term “practical”, but consider this: the S5 has (i) all-wheel drive, (ii) sufficient space to comfortably seat 4, and (iii) a surprisingly ample trunk (with the ability to fold-down the back seats). Further, Audi’s Multi-Media Interface (MMI) is what the Mac Operating System is to the computer world: extremely intuitive relative to its competition.
The S5 is “tricked out.” Forgive my use of silly slang here, but it seemed the only way to convey what I was trying to say. A few additional options take the S5 from “cool” to “awesome”: a sick Bang & Olufsen stereo system, an iPod connector, Audi Side Assist (a light that goes on to let you know if a car is riding in your blind spot), and neck a/c or heat vents (to keep you cool or toasty when the top is down).
The S5 is stunning. Red paint, cinammon leather interior, and chrome accents come together in the form of serious beauty.
I really don’t have anything negative to say. The S5 is magic (“woah, oh it’s maaagic, you know…”). Check out some pics below.
