Time to say goodbye to my G37 coupe
Time to say goodbye to my G37 coupe
Never in my life have I sold a car that I've had for such a short time, but after my brother let me use his Audi A5 for a few days, I really wanted to have one of my own. I didn't want to lose my shirt on my G37, so any thoughts of selling the car were nothing more than just that--thoughts.
Then I mentioned this to a friend at work who owns a G35 coupe 6MT. He's looking to replace his G35 and when I mentioned how I thought about selling my car, he offered to buy it on the spot. We worked out a price that seemed fair to both of us. And then I went down to the Audi dealer and ordered a new A5 with a 6MT. It should arrive end of June or beginning of July, at which point I'll turn my G37 over to its new owner and drive away in my Audi.
For anyone wondering about comparisons of the two cars, I'll say this:
1. The A5 will not match the G37 in all-out acceleration. However, the A5 engine is a torquey little monster that makes a solid 258 lb. ft. of torque at just 1500 RPM and it maintains that torque right through 4200 RPM. This makes the engine extremely flexible and it pulls strongly at low RPM in any gear. The car never feels like it is lacking power, despite the fact that it's not a car that I'd drag race.
2. Clutch engagement in the Audi is just right. It grabs much lower than the G37, which is something that has bugged me since day one with the G37.
3. Fuel economy is quite a bit higher in the Audi. The EPA ratings are 22 city and 30 highway and those numbers seem to be very realistic. I wouldn't buy either of these cars strictly for their fuel economy, but it is a plus to be able to get 30 MPG on the highway in these times of $4/gallon gasoline.
4. Styling. I just love the low, wide stance of the Audi. It is an amazing looking car from any angle. I've never been a big fan of the grilles on the newer Audi vehicles, but it just seems to work on the A5. I always loved the looks of the G37 too, but when I see the two cars parked side by side, I find myself staring at the Audi. And the interior? No comparison. 'nuff said about that.
5. Reliability. My G37 has been rock solid so far (although it's still new and the mileage is low) so I have no complaints. I can only hope that the Audi is comparable to my G37. I realize that I'm moving to a brand that has lower overall reliability ratings than Nissan/Infiniti, but I think the additional risk will be more than worth it to own a car that I like so much.
6. Ride & Handling. The A5 I ordered has the 19" sport package, which comes with a sportier suspension, sport seats, and 19" wheels with 255/35 tires at all four corners. It feels similar to my G37S, in terms of handling, but it feels a bit smoother over bumps. What I mean is the Audi seems better damped and gives less harshness over bumps, despite the low profile rubber. It gives the car a more "grand touring" feel on roads that are less than perfectly smooth.
7. Exhaust sound. That's one thing I'm definitely going to miss. The G37 sounds great and the Audi is just too quiet. I might have to upgrade the exhaust on the A5 to give it a better tone or at least make it so I can hear it. lol
Overall, the A5 just hits all my buttons. It just feels right in every sense. It's a perfectly balanced car--it looks fantastic, it performs well, it gets decent fuel economy. What more can I ask for in a car?
Then I mentioned this to a friend at work who owns a G35 coupe 6MT. He's looking to replace his G35 and when I mentioned how I thought about selling my car, he offered to buy it on the spot. We worked out a price that seemed fair to both of us. And then I went down to the Audi dealer and ordered a new A5 with a 6MT. It should arrive end of June or beginning of July, at which point I'll turn my G37 over to its new owner and drive away in my Audi.
For anyone wondering about comparisons of the two cars, I'll say this:
1. The A5 will not match the G37 in all-out acceleration. However, the A5 engine is a torquey little monster that makes a solid 258 lb. ft. of torque at just 1500 RPM and it maintains that torque right through 4200 RPM. This makes the engine extremely flexible and it pulls strongly at low RPM in any gear. The car never feels like it is lacking power, despite the fact that it's not a car that I'd drag race.
2. Clutch engagement in the Audi is just right. It grabs much lower than the G37, which is something that has bugged me since day one with the G37.
3. Fuel economy is quite a bit higher in the Audi. The EPA ratings are 22 city and 30 highway and those numbers seem to be very realistic. I wouldn't buy either of these cars strictly for their fuel economy, but it is a plus to be able to get 30 MPG on the highway in these times of $4/gallon gasoline.
4. Styling. I just love the low, wide stance of the Audi. It is an amazing looking car from any angle. I've never been a big fan of the grilles on the newer Audi vehicles, but it just seems to work on the A5. I always loved the looks of the G37 too, but when I see the two cars parked side by side, I find myself staring at the Audi. And the interior? No comparison. 'nuff said about that.
5. Reliability. My G37 has been rock solid so far (although it's still new and the mileage is low) so I have no complaints. I can only hope that the Audi is comparable to my G37. I realize that I'm moving to a brand that has lower overall reliability ratings than Nissan/Infiniti, but I think the additional risk will be more than worth it to own a car that I like so much.
6. Ride & Handling. The A5 I ordered has the 19" sport package, which comes with a sportier suspension, sport seats, and 19" wheels with 255/35 tires at all four corners. It feels similar to my G37S, in terms of handling, but it feels a bit smoother over bumps. What I mean is the Audi seems better damped and gives less harshness over bumps, despite the low profile rubber. It gives the car a more "grand touring" feel on roads that are less than perfectly smooth.
7. Exhaust sound. That's one thing I'm definitely going to miss. The G37 sounds great and the Audi is just too quiet. I might have to upgrade the exhaust on the A5 to give it a better tone or at least make it so I can hear it. lol
Overall, the A5 just hits all my buttons. It just feels right in every sense. It's a perfectly balanced car--it looks fantastic, it performs well, it gets decent fuel economy. What more can I ask for in a car?
Last edited by MSCA; Apr 16, 2011 at 12:26 PM.
Congrats man! Don't be a stranger. Let us know how ownership is overall.
Actually, it's not easy to find many new A5s on a dealer lot....so no specials, lol. They just don't make many of these cars, so most people have to place an order and wait. This is especially true if you want a manual transmission A5. I don't mind though because the A5 and S5 are rare cars to see on the road, and that's a good thing in my mind.
I'm lucky that my neighbor is a GM for the Prestige Collection (dealership network of high end car dealerships in my area) and he was able to hook me up with an invoice deal on my new A5.
I'm lucky that my neighbor is a GM for the Prestige Collection (dealership network of high end car dealerships in my area) and he was able to hook me up with an invoice deal on my new A5.
Congrats bro. My friend also has an A5 and it is definitely one sweet ride. He loves it as well and I never hear him complain about fuel economy as much as I do 
Those audi headlights are just so sexy too
Those audi headlights are just so sexy too
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Good luck with the A5. It's definitely a very nice car. I did the exact opposite of you. I had a 2010 A5 2.0T 6MT with the S-line package fully loaded. The car was white. The car had so much presence on the road and the interior was top-notch quality. But, compared to the driving experience of the G37, that's where the G overtakes the Audi by a large margin. From acceleration, to braking, to handling, to overall feel behind the wheel, the G wins hands down IMHO.
Make sure to get an APR chip...it really wakes up the 2.0T engine.
Make sure to get an APR chip...it really wakes up the 2.0T engine.
I'm paying $42,797 for my A5. It's a premium plus model with sports package and navigation package. And I honestly have no interested in the S5 because I have no desire for a V8. For me, the A5 is a better balanced car than the S5 for several reasons...
Good luck with the A5. It's definitely a very nice car. I did the exact opposite of you. I had a 2010 A5 2.0T 6MT with the S-line package fully loaded. The car was white. The car had so much presence on the road and the interior was top-notch quality. But, compared to the driving experience of the G37, that's where the G overtakes the Audi by a large margin. From acceleration, to braking, to handling, to overall feel behind the wheel, the G wins hands down IMHO.
Make sure to get an APR chip...it really wakes up the 2.0T engine.
Make sure to get an APR chip...it really wakes up the 2.0T engine.
I'm actually a big fan of small displacement turbo engines. I used to own a first generation Eclipse Tsi AWD. Increasing the boost made a huge difference in the performance of that car. Then I eventually swapped in a bigger turbo and the car was running the quarter mile in the high 12's. Those days are behind me now and I just want a car that has decent power and is nice to drive. I'm not interested in drag racing anymore. If HP were a big concern, I'd probably be swapping my G37 for an S5, not an A5.
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That's funny...exactly the opposite. I have no plans to chip my A5 because I think it makes enough power without chipping. But it is nice to have a turbo car that can see big gains with a chip (thanks to easily increased boost pressures) if I change my mind in the future.
I'm actually a big fan of small displacement turbo engines. I used to own a first generation Eclipse Tsi AWD. Increasing the boost made a huge difference in the performance of that car. Then I eventually swapped in a bigger turbo and the car was running the quarter mile in the high 12's. Those days are behind me now and I just want a car that has decent power and is nice to drive. I'm not interested in drag racing anymore. If HP were a big concern, I'd probably be swapping my G37 for an S5, not an A5.
I'm actually a big fan of small displacement turbo engines. I used to own a first generation Eclipse Tsi AWD. Increasing the boost made a huge difference in the performance of that car. Then I eventually swapped in a bigger turbo and the car was running the quarter mile in the high 12's. Those days are behind me now and I just want a car that has decent power and is nice to drive. I'm not interested in drag racing anymore. If HP were a big concern, I'd probably be swapping my G37 for an S5, not an A5.
I agree
