Most recent consumer reviews
My very last car for keeps
I hunted the entire country for my SE S5 Prestige Cabriolet Convertible. I had purchased one in Miami, but it was so popular that the dealer re-sold it for an even higher price and issued a refund. The overall design of the car is stunning & the features are everything a Handicapped driver could ever wish for. With the exception of braking; All the controls are right on the steering wheel. During my search, I found 2 for sale in the entire country. 1 was up North in Michigan (snow, ice, & road salt territory) and the other was in Houston Texas. I had it shipped to a local business just off the interstate, where I got my 1st ride in my last car As I do with every vehicle, I made my 10 year old car look like a 3 year old with a change to the newer RS rims, black drilled & slotted rotors and all black chrome emblems. I have made it a sleeper by toning down the flashy appearance but it still draws compliments everywhere I go. The features like the blind spot detection, automatic stabilization, 7 speed dual S-tronic transmission allows incredibly fast shifting or automatic if desired, while alerting you to other cars that are close, or if there is a change in the road conditions. The rear view camera with park assist makes it easy to back up with instant alerts if something enters the area behind. The top can be lowered and raise with the key fob or windows can be opened or closed without even getting in the car. with the top down, there is still plenty of trunk space, and the noise level has been designed to be minimal interference to conversation or music. Handling is a dream and it can be driven with one finger at 100 mph which is unbelievably easy to do without trying. There are 2 things that lowered the reliability rating that, in my opinion, should have been corrected. The harmonic balancer & main dive pulley are 2 pieces, bonded together with rubber. When it comes apart, it shreds the accessory belt and appears to be a clutch pulley to the (even seasoned) mechanic. It still provides plenty of torque to avoid throwing any error code, but it will shred belts until it is replaced, That belt is behind the belt for the turbocharger and the is no clearance between the radiator and the tensioner adjustments to change the belt, unless you put the front end of the car in service mode. The other setback is in the turbocharger iself. The inter-cooler elements themself can crack and leak coolant into he rear cylinders causing a low coolant condition with no evidence of a leak anywhere (mimics a bad head gasket). it would be nice if these 2 crippling conditions were made a little more well known to improve dependability and save a ton of money getting unneeded replacement parts. Overall however; this is the only car that came stock, with all the features I ever wanted and then a couple more. The governor comes on at 165 mph while the speedometer goes to 200 and it is clear that there is more power available. If you were to get racing tires, the computer will remove that limit. I've driven 1000 cars & owned 50 or more & this one is tippy top dog. It is a ton of fun and though plain, remains very attractive and catches everyone's eyes.
- Comfort 5.0
- Interior 5.0
- Performance 5.0
- Value 4.0
- Exterior 5.0
- Reliability 4.0
- Purchased a Used car
- Used for Having fun
- Does recommend this car
Beautiful car, when it worked
Loved my 2012 S5, kept it perfectly maintained and it was low mileage for the year. Ended up needing an engine replacement at only 65k miles, this was after spending over $10k on it to keep it running in the previous year.
- Comfort 4.0
- Interior 4.0
- Performance 3.0
- Value 3.0
- Exterior 5.0
- Reliability 1.0
- Purchased a Used car
- Used for Commuting
- Does not recommend this car
Solid performance matched with 5 star comfort
Solid sport performance - All seasons - Quality materials, engineering, and design.....definitely a head turner....Exhaust tuning will turn heads..... Best in class! Best in Value!
- Comfort 5.0
- Interior 5.0
- Performance 5.0
- Value 5.0
- Exterior 5.0
- Reliability 5.0
- Purchased a Used car
- Used for Having fun
- Does recommend this car