Gs450H V Audi S5 Comments Please

[DJP]

If you read my other post you'll know I going to change my lovely IS250, for either a newish GS450h, new 300h or used Audi S5.

I haven't driven the S5 yet but by all accounts it will impress me, AND it's 4 wheel drive for when I'm in trouble at the top of the 2nd highest point in Surrey. The "snow" button, well, the less said about that the better. But the GS is just as fast and a hybrid, so what's a boy to do?

I love the Lexus customer service which in 5 years + has never been anything except superb, but I've never bough the same make car twice in over 30 years of motoring.

So what are your experiences of the GS 450h (it will be the new facelift model) and any pointers or info based on your ownership would be gratefully appreciated.

Thanks in anticipation.

[Silver Arrow]

I reckon you'll end up with a Lexus again lol

The Audi is superb, and very well made (that doesn't mean it's reliable). The IS250 and the Audi will have a similar ride (Audi firmer in S5 trim), but I think the S5 is slightly bigger inside.

The 300h? Whilst toyota and Lexus do make the best hybrids, I'm not a fan of CVT's from Toyota/Lexus. They seem to squeal too much when you hit the gas - the revs soar and you get too much of sense of "noise but no momentum" which you don't with diesel CVT's from the germans....hopefully the 300h will be better....

Finally the GS450 - if it's the 4GS then I think you'll love it - especially in F Sport/Premiere trim with the variable suspension. My 250 feels quite floaty and I'm not sure how well a GS450 Luxury would drive with all that extra weight of bigger engine, motors and batteries etc. Might feel a bit bargish.

Either way you have a good problem!

[wendle]

CVT’s do squeal a bit when you floor it, but lets face it
how often are you actually going to drive it like that, if I floor mine I hit
60 in less than 6 seconds,

so on a 30 limit I hear the squeal for 3 seconds,

on a 40 limit I hear the squeal for 4 seconds

and on a 70 limit I hear the squeal for 8 seconds,

anyway you cant hear the squeal above the sound of the police sirens..lol

[Silver Arrow]

When you put it that way...!lol

[messi]

A few things you should know about the Audi, first Audi are nice cars, but don't buy a car just for the way it looks or for the badge, secondly when something goes wrong with an Audi, when you walk into the dealers, all they see is pound signs on top of your head, and thirdly, never ever buy an Audi that's an automatic, as I'm not sure if you know, they have major issues with their automatic gearboxes

[DJP]

A few things you should know about the Audi, first Audi are nice cars, but don't buy a car just for the way it looks or for the badge, secondly when something goes wrong with an Audi, when you walk into the dealers, all they see is pound signs on top of your head, and thirdly, never ever buy an Audi that's an automatic, as I'm not sure if you know, they have major issues with their automatic gearboxes

Thanks for this. It would definitely be an automatic, so your comments worry me. Can you expand a little?

[DJP]

I reckon you'll end up with a Lexus again lol

The Audi is superb, and very well made (that doesn't mean it's reliable). The IS250 and the Audi will have a similar ride (Audi firmer in S5 trim), but I think the S5 is slightly bigger inside.

The 300h? Whilst toyota and Lexus do make the best hybrids, I'm not a fan of CVT's from Toyota/Lexus. They seem to squeal too much when you hit the gas - the revs soar and you get too much of sense of "noise but no momentum" which you don't with diesel CVT's from the germans....hopefully the 300h will be better....

Finally the GS450 - if it's the 4GS then I think you'll love it - especially in F Sport/Premiere trim with the variable suspension. My 250 feels quite floaty and I'm not sure how well a GS450 Luxury would drive with all that extra weight of bigger engine, motors and batteries etc. Might feel a bit bargish.

Either way you have a good problem!

Thank you for your comments, appreciated. I drove the 4GS and boy is it quick! That's the way I think I'm leaning as gas as the Lexus option is concerned, still haven't driven the Audi yet though.

[messi]

Hi yes

Audi have an issue with their automatic gearboxes, most of the time before they hit 90,000 miles you will need a new gearbox or a reconditioned one, then when you get that done, it will happen again, BMW have the same issue, first problem will be the gearbox ECU will fail, you will see red lights flashing on the dashboard to notify you of this, then when you put it into D for drive, it will either go into reverse mode or won't move at all, Audi know about this issue, yet they still won't fix the problem, stay away from the automatics, you will get issues with the ABS module which is quiet expensive too, nice cars, but if your made our of money buy it, if not then stay away from the automatics, it's around from what i remember £5500 for a new gearbox, if you don't believe me, google it

[Silver Arrow]

The gearbox issue on Audi, from my understanding, affects the multitronic (CVT) boxes (I did a lot of research on this last year when I was looking at Audi's). If you go for a quattro, you avoid the CVT and get a pukka s-tronic that I understand is bullet proof.

So if you do go down the Audi route, get the quattro, but make sure you replace all four tyres at the same time, and if you buy an older one, and the tyres have been changed, just check that they are always all changed together. The Quattro has an intelligent AWD system, and if it senses tyres rotating at different speeds (which can be caused by tyres with different tread depth) then it over-works the systems.

This isn't unique to Audi....

I've had several BMW auto's, some have covered high miles - the ZF's have never failed.....

[ColinBarber]

The Quattro has an intelligent AWD system, and if it senses tyres rotating at different speeds (which can be caused by tyres with different tread depth) then it over-works the systems.

That doesn't sound like my definition of intelligent ;)

[DJP]

The gearbox issue on Audi, from my understanding, affects the multitronic (CVT) boxes (I did a lot of research on this last year when I was looking at Audi's). If you go for a quattro, you avoid the CVT and get a pukka s-tronic that I understand is bullet proof.

So if you do go down the Audi route, get the quattro, but make sure you replace all four tyres at the same time, and if you buy an older one, and the tyres have been changed, just check that they are always all changed together. The Quattro has an intelligent AWD system, and if it senses tyres rotating at different speeds (which can be caused by tyres with different tread depth) then it over-works the systems.

This isn't unique to Audi....

I've had several BMW auto's, some have covered high miles - the ZF's have never failed.....

Thank you for this, very interesting. It would be the Quattro for sure as I want a vehicle that can cope with the snow and ice that even the sunny south east now seems to get every year. The IS is a disaster, and I'm sure the 450 will be much the same, at the moment I'm hoping my wife will opt for something like the CRV or Tiguan so I'm not so tied into a Quattro.

[DJP]

Well, just to complete the thread, I test drove the Audi S5 and OMG it's the fastest thing I've ever driven. Rapid in normal, pop it into sport and it's away like a rocket. However, I had one eye of the fuel issue (hence considering the hybrids) and just couldn't justify the spend and the increased petrol bill over what I shell out now.

So, I have decided, and purchased this:

I just don't need the size of the 450h and was struggling with the financials (well, Mrs DJP certainly was ).

IMHO the car looks absolutely stunning and I can't wait to take delivery on 2nd September. Thanks to those that contributed to this thread.

Healthy motoring!