Test drove the Audi S5: How it stacks up against the BMW M340i

If you really need a sports sedan for daily runs and comfortable as a family car then S5 is the right thing to choose.

BHPian Sanidhya_Patel recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Reviving this thread after a long time. Today, I got the chance to drive the Audi S5, a vehicle worth driving! Till today I was believing that it was the only sports sedan in the segment, no doubt at the price-point which it is being offered at has no competition but the Audi S5 is worth to give a look at! Due to personal time constraints I couldn't take much pictures of the beauty but will share what I snapped!

Looks (Exterior)

There is no doubt Audi's design team has put in great efforts to design the vehicle but it really stands out of the crowd with striking design elements and looks. BMW has sharp creases and lines denoting the rush of the speed whereas the Audi S5 has smooth lining contours denoting the elegance.

Notice the Quad Exhaust tips at the rear!!

Interiors: The typical Audi Affair!

The interiors follow the typical Audi Design and the MMI is the same with similar controls the music and climate. Feels like derived from the younger sibling A4. Where BMWs are moving to all touch and integrating controls into the screen, I am kind of a button-liking guy. So didnt't feel the S5's controls cumbersome to use when compared to the M340i (facelift).

The Flat-bottom wheel helps you in-out easily for a 6ft 2in tall guy like me!!

The cabin is neat and not clausterphobic. The vehicle which I drove had black Interiors.

Now the biggest part, again due to time constraints didn't got a chance to sit at the rear, but don't know whether its me or its really that way, I found the seats in the S5 more comfortable than the M340i. It doesn't hug you that tightly but has proper supports for the entire body in a cushiony way. Really Loved the comfort.

Drive: Power, Dynamics, Comfort, Agility!

Here the M340i breaks the deal with being the most powerful in the segment with 374 horses on the tap with a 48V Mild Hybrid System at the backup and the most aggressive with the most tuning potential (Perks of B58). But the BM feels laggy in the bottom end in the ECO PRO mode and the throttle is just so dull. M340i is aggressive because there is the silence-before-the-storm situation. One feels like driving a normal petrol BMW till 3500-4100 RPMs but post that, it becomes a totally mad machine in the SPORTS mode.

Here the Audi S5 has a 3.0L Turbocharged V6 producing 349 BHP taking the car to a ton in 4.8s mated to a 8 speed Torque Convertor. The Power delivery is very linear in the Efficiency and Comfort Mode and doesn't have any black spots in the rev-range and the turbo-lag is near to 0. It doesn't scare you off like M340i. The transmission of the M340i is a ZF sourced unit so it is always on the verge on upshifting, but here the case is vice-versa, Audi's TC Unit shifts not that lightning fast like the M340is but gets job done. Gives you the downshifts whenever you want but doesn't hold on to a gear and upshifts automatically near the red line.

The heart!

The BMW's suspension setup is tuned for track like performance by being heavily stiffer than the S5. M340i's ride is always busy but S5 is having a comfortable suspension (dampers), can be easily used as a daily driver. The bumps and the undulations, patches and bumps on the road weren't felt that much like M340i.

The Efficiency mode is not that dull as the M340is but also helps to extract you good fuel efficiency numbers. With moderate traffic and not that heavy foot I managed to get the highest of 13.7 km/l (MID) on the Sachin Hazira Highway with car in 4th/5th gear cruising around 60-65kmph due to traffic.

Verdict:

If you really need a sports sedan for daily runs and comfortable as a family car then S5 is the right thing to choose but you want sharp Dynamics, sheer power, raw feel, striking elements with a car for just weekend runs then M340i is good to go!!

Hearty thanks to Mr. Rafique and his colleague from Audi, Surat. They promptly arranged the vehicle for the drive for me despite my busy schedules and explained the vehicle clearly with both of them having sound knowledge of the vehicle! One should try out the vehicle at least once!

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