Audi S5 vs. BMW 435i: something special - sports cars
SOMETIMES IT SHOWS THAT THE WORLD HAS GONE MAD. Electric cars that work wonders, traditional cars with too much technology (we need Speed nine gears?) ...
This means that the automotive landscape is changing rapidly and is a little confusing in some cases.
But today is a new day, a day that brings with it a soothing sense of closeness. In fact, before us is BMW 435i M Sport (ok, the name is new, but the basic idea is always the same) and Audi S5... Both have traditional engine to fire, which burns gasoline with an unpleasant odor. As always, BMW has a front engine and rear drivewhile Audi combines a front engine and four-wheel drive... And, as always, we guide them along the most winding and bumpy roads to see how they feel. If we now had to bet on the best, we would bet everything on BMW. As always.
La S5 however, it is a truly formidable vehicle. All-wheel drive and V6 with compressor from 333 hp and 440 Nm, sharp and noisy, they are the same as those of excellent S4 sedan. The sample we are testing also has sport differential с torque vectorization optional. There is also true torque vectoring to transfer more power to the outer rear wheel and thus reduce understeer instead of just braking the inner wheel as many other systems do. In addition, our S5 has modest equipment, it doesn't even have electronically adjustable dampers and dynamic steering. Based on our past experience, especially with inconsistent and artificial dynamic steering, this is better. But even with such modest hardware, the S5 costs € 63.950.
However, on the road, they couldn't be more different. Despite similar performance and the same top speed, the two coupes share a dynamic chasm. One is much better than the sedan it is based on, and the other is much less impressive and manageable.
The challenge starts well forAudi... Although the highways are full of A5, for almost all TDIs, the S5 is always a beautiful sight. IN interior but they have not aged. Audi seems to have been equipping the same Recaro for ten years, and while they are excellent, when combined with a dashboard that has undergone minor changes over the years, they give the cockpit an all too familiar look. Compared to Audi, sculpted interior BMW 435i M Sport they boldly and tastefully mix different materials and look far ahead.
But S5's secret weapon is engine... At low frequencies it is as deep as the V8, but at high frequencies it is very harsh and feels very well aspirated. When moving quickly from second to third high school graduation crackles in release and the S5 is truly special. On the other hand, the 435i, despite the fact that the smooth and perfect engine is almost overpowered, seems to have been tamed to the point of losing all traces of character.
Unfortunately, these first few moments are the most that Audi is capable of. In fact, a few hundred meters on a difficult road is enough to make the charm of the S5 disappear. It's a little shocking since we've always been fans of the S4, but the S5 doesn't even come close to its sister. Apart from the engine, this is a very complex machine. The S5 won't have dynamic steering, but it still has various levels of assistance, from comfortable to dynamic, and neither setting is sensitive enough, so much so that steering You don't understand: why is it so light / heavy / viscous? How can a system with such low feedback be so terrible on bumpy asphalt? Instead of helping you drive better, it gets in your way.
If the steering is poor, then the handling is worse, judging by how much the car shakes, rises and falls heavily on suspensions... The steering, wheels and body of the car don't seem to interact with each other and makes you slow down and ask yourself why the sports version of the car is so reluctant to drive with pleasure. Apparently with the S5 adaptive dampers they are required. Without, as in our sample, 1.750 kg go wherever they want. On the S5, the sport differential is almost inaudible, and on the S4 it was always possible to slightly deflect the car out of corners.
La 435i M Sport it's on another planet, but it takes time for you to know. The first things you notice are the soft dampers, the tight and snappy shifting of the automatic transmission, and the precise and intuitive feedback steering, especially when compared to the Audi. There BMW it's neat and fluid, but too serious. For example, it lacks the liveliness and responsiveness of the M135i.
But if you push it to the limit and go in search of emotions that are an integral part of the real disconnected BMW, don't be disappointed. Various settings frame и broadcast the 435i models are well thought out and change the behavior of the car sufficiently without distorting its identity. Even in Sport Plus mode, the 435i remains smooth and stable, and its balance is more gripping and controllable than the 3 Series sedan, which is slightly understeer. On the other hand, the 435i has understeer very low as you pick up speed, the four wheels are firmly on the ground, oversteer from time to time, precise and progressive. The superb engine seems to get bigger and bigger as the rpm rises. It doesn't have V6 S5 torque, but it's clean and precise. Behind the wheel, the 435i feels low and wide, with a combination of stability and agility. In my opinion, it is more satisfying than the livelier and noisy M135i and outperforms the Audi S5 with a XNUMX: XNUMX score, which confirms our initial bet. Perhaps, in hindsight, the world is not changing so quickly.
