First Test: 2010 Audi S5 quattro Cabriolet


If any engine puts the final nail into the coffin of the mainstream V-8, it's the new 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 in Audi's 2010 S5 Cabriolet and S4 sedan. Rated 333 horsepower and 325 pound-feet, it's 20 horses shy of the 4.2-liter V-8's power number and its match on twist. We got a quick sampling of the new engine in the cloth-lid S5.

The 3.0 TFSI features gas direct injection and the intercooled supercharger -- "T" typically means "turbocharged" in VW and Audi engines, but apparently SFSI doesn't seem sporty enough. While its sound is distinctively blown-V-6, Audi has tuned it to sound the part of a V-8 killer, but with a higher pitch. The brappy soundtrack is accentuated by back-pressure burbles during upshifts of the seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission, when you get aggressive with the throttle.

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