C4 vs C5
Just put 1700 miles on my new to me C5 in the last 30 days. Traded my 95 A4 coupe for a 99 6 speed coupe. I bought the 95 with about 13,000 miles on it back in January of 01, 29,030 when I traded it in. The 99 had 20,000 miles when I bought it on 7-31-04.
Over all the C5 is a better car, but I still miss my C4.
Ride quality – The C5 wins hands down. After driving the C4 on any less than perfect road surface my teeth would feel the bumps. I really enjoy driving with the roof panel off, and on the C4 it makes a very noticeable difference in ride dynamics. The C5 ride does not seem to change with the roof panel on or off.
Even though the C5 rides much softer than the C4 it still gets around a corner just as fast. The C5 feels more nimble than the C4 did. After a long trip in the C5 I don’t feel as fatigued as I did in the C4. Taking the roof panel off in 15 seconds is real cool compared to using a tool to unbolt the roof of the C4.
Power / performance – My C4 ran a best of 13.4 and a consistent 13.5. It topped out at about 162. It may have gone a few MPH faster but I didn’t try it again. With the automatic it was a breeze to drive. The C5 feels faster but I need more practice with the 6 speed. If I switch off the ASR and roll out first gear and floor it, than shift to second quickly the rear will break loose and I will have to back off. The mid range and top end feels much stronger in the C5, 4th gear is good to 140, 5th to about 160. When I hit 162 in my C4 I really felt like I got away with something, my adrenaline was pumping. In the C5, my wife doesn’t even get ****ed until about 130, it’s almost anticlimactic to go really fast.
The brakes are better in the C5, less pedal effort for quicker stops. (I may have used up the brakes in the C4).
6 Speed vs. Auto – For me this will be the last stick shift car I buy. Unlike my old GTOs that were strictly weekend warriors, I go on some pretty long trips with the C5 and the 6 speed is just a pain in the balls. It has its moments, and it fun sometimes, but the gap in performance has been narrowed way down between the automatic and manual these days. I have mentioned in previous posts that I beat a few Z-06s while driving my 95 A4. By no means was my car faster, but my auto never missed a shift or hit the wrong gear.
Also, I find 6th gear almost useless. During my drive to Carlisle last weekend, I found the unless I am going between 75 and 80 on reasonable flat road the motor lugs as the revs are around 1500 in 6th. Wheel hop is a major issue with the C5 if you try to pop the clutch; maybe it’s just my car though. An aggressive shift into 2nd on less than a flat surface may also cause wheel hop.
The C5 is more complex, just looking over the service manuals (3) to find the fan relay wiring so I can run a fan switch was a chore. It’s a good thing I am a computer literate person with access to a scan tool. When my car tells me it needs to "Establish serial communication with right hand door control module" I know its time to consider that Mid-Years I have been wanting.
The finish on the C5 is more prone to scratches, as if the clear coat is thinner. The fiberglass on the hood, fenders, doors and quarter panels seems thinner on the C5. The clam shell hood on the C4 was thick and tough enough to press down on one side if it didn’t latch. Looking at the bodywork on the C5 in the door openings it just looks much thinner.
The stereo sucks in my C5, the rear speakers only produce muddled bass, the C4 stereo was fantastic.
More cargo room in the C5, though not having a spare tire takes getting used to. The tires that came on the C5 were very loud, I replaced them with Firestone Firehawk Sz-50, way better.
I got between 25 and 27 MPG with the C4, the best I got with the C5 was 25. That may be due to my driving. Also I did gain 1 to 2 MPG on the C4 by switching to a 160 thermostat and installing the manual fan switch and keeping the coolant temp under 190.
SO – overall is it worth it to go from a late model C4 to a C5? – My answer is – maybe. My C4 was mechanically as close to perfect as a 9 year old car could have been. It ran strong for its configuration (basically stock LT1, auto trans, 3:07 rear) and I still think the C4 is a better looking car (It looks good from every angle, unlike the C5 with its fat ass.)
Lastly, my wife loves the ride and the seats in the C5, so complaining is almost non existent.
Just put 1700 miles on my new to me C5 in the last 30 days. Traded my 95 A4 coupe for a 99 6 speed coupe. I bought the 95 with about 13,000 miles on it back in January of 01, 29,030 when I traded it in. The 99 had 20,000 miles when I bought it on 7-31-04.
Over all the C5 is a better car, but I still miss my C4.
Ride quality – The C5 wins hands down. After driving the C4 on any less than perfect road surface my teeth would feel the bumps. I really enjoy driving with the roof panel off, and on the C4 it makes a very noticeable difference in ride dynamics. The C5 ride does not seem to change with the roof panel on or off.
Even though the C5 rides much softer than the C4 it still gets around a corner just as fast. The C5 feels more nimble than the C4 did. After a long trip in the C5 I don’t feel as fatigued as I did in the C4. Taking the roof panel off in 15 seconds is real cool compared to using a tool to unbolt the roof of the C4.
Power / performance – My C4 ran a best of 13.4 and a consistent 13.5. It topped out at about 162. It may have gone a few MPH faster but I didn’t try it again. With the automatic it was a breeze to drive. The C5 feels faster but I need more practice with the 6 speed. If I switch off the ASR and roll out first gear and floor it, than shift to second quickly the rear will break loose and I will have to back off. The mid range and top end feels much stronger in the C5, 4th gear is good to 140, 5th to about 160. When I hit 162 in my C4 I really felt like I got away with something, my adrenaline was pumping. In the C5, my wife doesn’t even get ****ed until about 130, it’s almost anticlimactic to go really fast.
The brakes are better in the C5, less pedal effort for quicker stops. (I may have used up the brakes in the C4).
6 Speed vs. Auto – For me this will be the last stick shift car I buy. Unlike my old GTOs that were strictly weekend warriors, I go on some pretty long trips with the C5 and the 6 speed is just a pain in the balls. It has its moments, and it fun sometimes, but the gap in performance has been narrowed way down between the automatic and manual these days. I have mentioned in previous posts that I beat a few Z-06s while driving my 95 A4. By no means was my car faster, but my auto never missed a shift or hit the wrong gear.
Also, I find 6th gear almost useless. During my drive to Carlisle last weekend, I found the unless I am going between 75 and 80 on reasonable flat road the motor lugs as the revs are around 1500 in 6th. Wheel hop is a major issue with the C5 if you try to pop the clutch; maybe it’s just my car though. An aggressive shift into 2nd on less than a flat surface may also cause wheel hop.
The C5 is more complex, just looking over the service manuals (3) to find the fan relay wiring so I can run a fan switch was a chore. It’s a good thing I am a computer literate person with access to a scan tool. When my car tells me it needs to "Establish serial communication with right hand door control module" I know its time to consider that Mid-Years I have been wanting.
The finish on the C5 is more prone to scratches, as if the clear coat is thinner. The fiberglass on the hood, fenders, doors and quarter panels seems thinner on the C5. The clam shell hood on the C4 was thick and tough enough to press down on one side if it didn’t latch. Looking at the bodywork on the C5 in the door openings it just looks much thinner.
The stereo sucks in my C5, the rear speakers only produce muddled bass, the C4 stereo was fantastic.
More cargo room in the C5, though not having a spare tire takes getting used to. The tires that came on the C5 were very loud, I replaced them with Firestone Firehawk Sz-50, way better.
I got between 25 and 27 MPG with the C4, the best I got with the C5 was 25. That may be due to my driving. Also I did gain 1 to 2 MPG on the C4 by switching to a 160 thermostat and installing the manual fan switch and keeping the coolant temp under 190.
SO – overall is it worth it to go from a late model C4 to a C5? – My answer is – maybe. My C4 was mechanically as close to perfect as a 9 year old car could have been. It ran strong for its configuration (basically stock LT1, auto trans, 3:07 rear) and I still think the C4 is a better looking car (It looks good from every angle, unlike the C5 with its fat ass.)
Lastly, my wife loves the ride and the seats in the C5, so complaining is almost non existent.