When Audi’s S5 coupe debuted for 2008 as the first model built on the company’s B8 architecture, we demonstrated little restraint in praising its sexy sheetmetal and the 4.2-liter V-8 nestled between its front fenders. Styled by Italian-born design chief Walter de’Silva, the S5 and its slightly less potent A5 stablemate ushered in a new era of Audi design, one that has seen exterior aesthetics elevated among company priorities to a position alongside performance and technology. The duo was joined shortly thereafter by a sassy pair of cabriolet doppelgängers—albeit with a 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 in the S5 droptop rather than the S5 coupe’s hearty V-8—followed by the 2013 U.S. debut of the ultimate manifestation of performance within Audi’s 5 lineup, the quick but clinical RS5.
Strength in Numbers
Aligning with its droptop analogue, the 2013 S5 coupe has dumped its 4.2-liter V-8 for the increasingly ubiquitous 333-hp supercharged six. (This despite wearing “3.0T” badging that implies the presence of a turbo.) Down 21 ponies to the 354-horse V-8, the V-6 manages to hold the line on torque, equaling the eight-holer’s 325 lb-ft. C/D testing confirms further parity: Our six-speed-manual 2013 S5 exactly matched the 4.8-second 0-to-60-mph and 13.4-second quarter-mile times of the last six-speed manual V-8 S5 we tested. (Just for a point of reference, our 2013 RS5 kicked out 4.4- and 12.8-second figures.) And the V-6 delivers serious fuel savings, with the S5 now earning EPA ratings of 17 mpg city/26 highway versus 14/22 for the V-8. In real-world driving, we averaged 20 mpg, an improvement of 5 mpg over the thirsty V-8’s 15 mpg.
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