S5 vs RS4?

Triple.O.G

Triple.O.G

Registered User
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
1,112
Reaction score
5
Points
38
Location
Leeds
Hi guys, I've not been on here for a while due to selling my A4 and driving company cars ever since. I'm now looking at spending up to £20k on a car early next year and I'm torn between the S5 and the RS4, I wondered if you guys could shed some light on this for me.


its not so much about how they look it's more about running costs and smiles per miles.


i only do 26 miles per day on my commute so petrol is not too big an issue hence looking at V8's, I suppose what I'm trying to decide is:


do I get around an 08 plate S5 and have a nice looking, quick, fun car or do I get around an 06 RS4 and have a car that's a little older but more powerful, more fun and more expensive to run?


tia.
 
If it's smiles per mile then the RS4 wins hands down IMHO - I had a couple of V8 S4s but the smile factor went away within a few moths (they felt just too much like a boulevard cruiser to me), but the RS4 still makes me smile every time I drive it even after 7+ years.

I actually get better mpg from the RS4 than I did from the S4 - strange? Not really, the RS4 has direct injection and can go into lean burn mode (when you're not having fun) - neither of which are true of the S4 (or S5 as that's the same engine as the S4).
 
  • Like
Reactions: S321BAD
I think that you have answered your own question

I just had a S5 in the shop the other day where the customer had an APR exhaust fitted. He was very happy with it. Consumption was not that bad actually from a big V8
 
Thanks Dave that's really helpful, I started reading what people were saying about the S5's and talked myself out of it abit thinking it wouldn't be fun enough to outweigh the running costs and if that was going to cost too much then the RS4 would of definitely been out so I started looking at S3's. I'm very torn, iv driven the S3 and RS4's properly but only nipped round the block in an S5 so it's hard to say.

This may seem like a silly question but how much more awesome is the RS4 to live with compared to a tuned say 09 plate S3 DSG?

Lots of questions I know but I'd hate to make the wrong decision, I have always been so impulsive and worried about it later so I'm trying to be abit more cautious especially when considering petrol V8's. Is there anything likely to go wrong on an 8 year old RS4 with about 70k on the clock?

Kimhemm what do you call not bad?

Thanks guys!
 
Simple. RS>S. The only reason to go for an S5 over an RS4 is potentially insurance, or if you need a coupe rather than a saloon/estate.
 
the Audi V8s are pretty bulletproof engines.... it's the gearboxes you need to worry more about...IMO

and I would be careful with the 'RS' tax that Audi put on things..... the price for simple bits and parts is nothing short of robbery.

however... I still like my RS at the moment.... well I will once I hand over another £7k to get the gearbox fixed... again...

stupid, stupid, pointless cars..... lol
 
Wow £7k that must sting ha ha.

Well I work for Sytner and get discount on parts and half price labour so it shouldn't be too bad.

Iv heard the struts can go and an EGR valve I think they said? Is that true and how would I check?

Thanks again.
 
Triple.O.G said:
Wow £7k that must sting ha ha.

Well I work for Sytner and get discount on parts and half price labour so it shouldn't be too bad.

Iv heard the struts can go and an EGR valve I think they said? Is that true and how would I check?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

indeed... especially after it's £7k invoice last year, and £1.5k for brake disks and pads... :lol:

the fancy DRC type suspension is a bit s**te if it has that.... not heard anything about EGR valves... but the MAF and N75 ones like to break...

oh, I'm on tappatalkie.... didn't notice what section this was in... my RS is a C5 RS6
 
Triple.O.G said:
This may seem like a silly question but how much more awesome is the RS4 to live with compared to a tuned say 09 plate S3 DSG?
Click to expand...
Don't know about a tuned 09 plate S3, the last S3 I had was a tuned X plate 8L - which returned about 25 mpg, compared to about 20mpg (on average) for the RS4 - but for me the V8 soundtrack more than makes up for that.

Triple.O.G said:
Is there anything likely to go wrong on an 8 year old RS4 with about 70k on the clock?
Click to expand...
Mine's an 06 with around 55k on the clock - typical problems are DRC leaks (check that the later version 3 have been fitted), oil cooler corrosion, vacuum leaks (which can lose you around 60bhp) and (common with the S4/S5) auxiliary radiator corrosion.

Best place for good buyers information is the RS4 forum on rs246.com - there's a good sticky buyers guide there.
 
How about a V6 S5 with a remap
 
I've definitely got what I came for guys. Sounds like an RS4 might be the way forward, if I can just convince the mrs to buy a nice frugal diesel then I'm 100% RS4 no holds barred ha ha.

Mr-C would I be able to get a Supercharged for under £20k how much better are they fuel? I did think about it but thought the V8 was the one to have?
 
S5/S4 V6T with a map will beat the RS in a straight line, but they wobble about and you'll not get a good one for less than, or even the same money as, a decent RS4 (still looking just above £20k for average miles). There is an RS tax on parts, but there's also an added sense of occasion, and the RS kit as standard is well above the standard S kit. Also, not something I even consider as I'd hate to reason myself out of buying a car I really wanted, but the Ss are going to keep losing money while RS prices aren't far from bottoming out.
 
Yeah that's a good point mate. I'd probably not lose too much on an RS if I maintained it properly. I don't do many miles like I say, maybe 10k a year if that.
 
Triple.O.G said:
Yeah that's a good point mate. I'd probably not lose too much on an RS if I maintained it properly. I don't do many miles like I say, maybe 10k a year if that.
Click to expand...

you'll be a bigger man than me.. I only do 2k miles a year.... I don't even know how much to spent on these things...they are a f****g joke....

black hole springs to mind... and they are not worth it, I'm just trying to get mine 'fixed' to sell it on... and I know it has been looked after, and had the best of everything before I got it, I done all the checks, made sure it was 'correct'.

I can't express what I ****ing waste of time and money an Audi RS is... to me, and put me off any more cars from the whole VAG brand....
 
Yeah I'd expect an RS6 to cost much more to run though, a friend of mine had 2 RS4s (not at the same time) then ought an RS6 and he didn't keep it very long at all!
 
the_cueball said:
black hole springs to mind... and they are not worth it.
Click to expand...
Just checked my bills for the S4s and the RS4 - if you take into account inflation, the RS4 is costing me less than 10% more to run, service and insure. For the huge extra enjoyment I get from it I reckon that's a remarkably small price.

Of course an RS6 is going to cost a whole lot more than an RS4 - it's thirstier, heavier (so it will use brakes and tyres harder) and more expensive to insure.

It sounds like you've had a very bad experience, but that's the exception and not the norm if the comments on the (many) RS owners sites I'm a regular on is anything to go buy.
 
Mr-C said:
How about a V6 S5 with a remap
Click to expand...

I really like the V6 S5; it's a newer looking/feeling car and with a remap is very quick.

Interesting debate but out of the two cars you are looking at and after driving an RS4 I have to say it is a lot of fun and sounds amazing.

Only downside can be the maintenance costs. If you can live with them, definitely go for it.
 
I have run an S4 for the past 16 mths, runnings costs have been interesting but nothing I didn't expect up front. The costs may have been a little more with the RS but in the long run I reckon the car would be even more fun and residuals are much better (RS4)

As for the S5, my friend has a brand new black edition V6 S5 and loves it in a straight line but it is very poor in the corneers compared to any RS4 on the road. My S4 has an uprated RARB and he prefers the drive of mine even though they are 10 years apart.

I would swap out my S4 for the RS4 as soon as I find the right example and will do as soon as that moment comes up, and I do upto 20k miles a year.

As a point of note, I ran an E46 M3 for 2 years and it cost me a fortune, the guy with the S5 also did and it cost him the same. Audis do have lower runnign costs.

The bottom line for me and what is totally my opinion is that I have an S4 and I will change as soon as I find the right example of an RS4, I wouldn't touch the S5 as the one I have experience does not drive as well as either the S4 and is a long way off the RS4.
 
Triple.O.G said:
Thanks Dave that's really helpful, I started reading what people were saying about the S5's and talked myself out of it abit thinking it wouldn't be fun enough to outweigh the running costs and if that was going to cost too much then the RS4 would of definitely been out so I started looking at S3's. I'm very torn, iv driven the S3 and RS4's properly but only nipped round the block in an S5 so it's hard to say.

This may seem like a silly question but how much more awesome is the RS4 to live with compared to a tuned say 09 plate S3 DSG?

Lots of questions I know but I'd hate to make the wrong decision, I have always been so impulsive and worried about it later so I'm trying to be abit more cautious especially when considering petrol V8's. Is there anything likely to go wrong on an 8 year old RS4 with about 70k on the clock?

Kimhemm what do you call not bad?

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

He was getting around 26-27 MPG from what I remember.

A tuned S3 will be fast, but not as fast and fun as a RS4
 
the_cueball said:
the Audi V8s are pretty bulletproof engines.... it's the gearboxes you need to worry more about...IMO

and I would be careful with the 'RS' tax that Audi put on things..... the price for simple bits and parts is nothing short of robbery.

however... I still like my RS at the moment.... well I will once I hand over another £7k to get the gearbox fixed... again...

stupid, stupid, pointless cars..... lol
Click to expand...

Are you going to audi for your repairs??

And i'd personally get V6 SC S5.. remap and its pretty special.. I like the RS4 but the amount of cars with the infamous carbon build up for me doesnt do it! Still gorgeous and a real head turner!
 
audi upgrades
not a chance, I take them to people that know the cars... Audi main dealers don't have clue about them (IMO)

I haven't took my S8, S4 or RS6 anywhere near a stealer.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Terminator x
B9 RS4 vs RS6
Replies
9
Views
5K
cosmicblue
cosmicblue
WHITEY_1
M3 vs RS4 Video
Replies
5
Views
2K
ad3crk
ad3crk
J
RS4 vs S4 vs A4 suspension differences (Help!)
Replies
2
Views
3K
jcb
J
T
BMW M3 vs Audi RS4 vs Mercedes C63
Replies
0
Views
4K
trev0006
T
T
B8 rs4 19s vs 20s
Replies
2
Views
1K
TaylorB8
T
Top
Back