DRIVEN + VIDEO: One Of The FIRST Video Reviews Of The All-New Audi S5 — Does It Take Down The 440i And C43?

re "Does It Take Down The 440i And C43?" -- I don't get this whole "war mindset" of "takedowns" and annihilation and such. It's just a car. Buy what you want, and I hope you enjoy it.

As for the best 0-60 times, or highest top speed, or most horsepower, they're just numbers, of which fewer than 0.01% of drivers can take advantage. Do you love your ride? Yeah? Then congrats, and good on ya! This applies equally well to the driver of a Mustang, a Prius, or F-150.

You're in the wrong place then, or a vocal minority.

Many buyers still care about which vehicle reigns supreme. Some measure that by how comfortable the seats are, others the respective zero to 60 times, others whether or not it has a standard transmission.

That's who we're speaking to.

We're all for people buying whatever it is that tickles their fancy. We're just trying to help them get there.

I completely agree. The "takedown" stance is neanderthal, tuner-boy, or overcompensatory bull crap.

The Sagaris LS9 I'm working on (reproduction chassis and body) will take virtually anything down when I'm done with it, but it will be an unruly mess. It will be stunning fun, but nothing that you'd want as a daily driver...assuming you could.

I will concur. No point in over stating things, using click bait headlines or making everything about who is #1. Facts and information are great as are comparison tests and opinion pieces. It doesn't have to be a fight. And the Beaver is a proud and noble animal.

We could just simply ask: "How does A compare to B and C?"

Absolutely silly headline; "does it take down...??" implies that the vehicles compared actually holds some kind of fictional crown or championship. So what crown are the 440i or C43 defending? sales volume? most magazine awards? lap time? 0-60 only? power to weight ratio? G force? Seriously, the A5-440i-C43 are all such wonderful vehicles that the objective differences are insignificant, and all that's truly left is subject preference: infotainment, stereo sound, seat comfort, ergonomics, style, leather texture, etc.

A more appropriate topic for this sort of subject heading is the Indy 500 or F1 racing.

It's too bad the A5/S5 coupe and sportback look so awfully generic nowadays. On the coupe, the front-end completely falls flat while the too-familiar side profile is already dated, and the rear-end appears styled by cloistered nuns. On the sportback, there really is very little distinction between it and a Ford Fusion, which may actually look better. Would styling simply be a deal breaker for me? When all else maybe considered fairly equal, i.e. price, performance, driving experience, then yes, styling might be the deciding factor.
The reality is, the "AMG 43" cars are proving to be quite engaging to drive with gorgeous interiors and nicely styled exteriors. Even BMW's 440i's coupe/gran coupe still look beautiful today and more expensive than their current MSRPs, albeit with somewhat cold interiors.
In this category I'd easily go with a C43 Convertible. I've seen many of these on the road and it might be one of the most perfectly designed and beautiful convertibles on the market at any price point, even moreso than the S-Class Convertible.

Dude's wearing red pants and got the name of the car wrong...can't trust him

I would buy the Giulia Ti "Q2" with Sport Package over the Audi S5 and the Giulia QV over any RS5 or M3/4 Competition Package cars.

The 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia arrival has been a seismic event in the Audi/BMW former reign.

;-)

Are you shooting heroin? This isn't remotely true: "The 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia arrival has been a seismic event in the Audi/BMW former reign."

The Giulia has been a complete failure for sales in its segment and the quality control and reliability problems have been epic.

The Germans are pissing themselves with laughter.