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Audi S5 review


Chris_B
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I liked the DRL LEDs, they give the car quite a mean look, especially on a black car at night. They're also quite good at "sweeping" the road in front of you when you're making a bit of progress, and even the most brain-dead numpty spots you a long way away, so they're safe.

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Had an up close and personal look at a lovely black bodied red interiored S5 this morning. Very impressed and not at all chavvy in my opinion, however that could not be said of the spiky haired oaf in a black B7 RS4 who came hurtling into the dealership car park in 2nd gear in the hopes of attracting some attention!!! Thats chavvy.... smashfreakB.gif169144-ok.gif

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I guess the point I'd make has been made above - why the need for them to be SO bright. They're extremely bright.

Furthermore, for a brand that owners tell everyone they bought because of it's more stealthy appeal...what the hell is stealthy about neon-Civic-like lights glaring in your rear view mirror?

As I say, nice car, but I don't see the need for such bright eyes!

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They look lovely. Yes attention grabbing - but chavy - how is a 50K factory specced german car chavvy exactly?

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It says don't look at me but I expect you to look at me and marvel at how much money I think I have as I can drive a £50k German car. For every enthusiast who buys one because they love the car and those who buy it because they are loaded, there is some chavvy middle class arriviste who wants the world to know he can afford one (or as likely can get the credit).

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As has been said loads, all cars will have bright DRLs soon. 169144-ok.gif

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No doubt someone will tell me it's a hare brained Euro directive but I sincerely hope not. While DRLs might be a good idea in Scandinavia etc in winter, there really is little need in the UK (plus it reduces the impact of the bikers running their lights and they actually might need them). If you can't see a ton and a half of car in conditions that aren't pea soup or monsoon then you shouldn't be on the road smashfreakB.gif

Surprise, surprise, this is a little bugbear for me. The other day I was coming back from the South in light conditions that were sufficiently bright for me to be safely wearing shades after 8pm and yet about 30% of people were running lights - FFS, get a grip SAUER0421.GIF

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Extra visibility can hardly be a bad thing though? It may help reduce the number of children killed each year, as you can spot lights out of the corner of your eye before you turn to see the car itself.

My theory anyway, and I'm sure it's shared by plenty of others.

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No doubt someone will tell me it's a hare brained Euro directive but I sincerely hope not. While DRLs might be a good idea in Scandinavia etc in winter, there really is little need in the UK (plus it reduces the impact of the bikers running their lights and they actually might need them). If you can't see a ton and a half of car in conditions that aren't pea soup or monsoon then you shouldn't be on the road smashfreakB.gif

Surprise, surprise, this is a little bugbear for me. The other day I was coming back from the South in light conditions that were sufficiently bright for me to be safely wearing shades after 8pm and yet about 30% of people were running lights - FFS, get a grip SAUER0421.GIF

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Don't see what your problem is with people running DRL's?

I have DRL's on all the time because it helps people see you. I'm sure you're an alert driver but most aren't and they need all the help they can get, especially on the motorways where people are glued to lanes 2 and 3. Fact is lights are a whole lot more visible in your mirror or coming towards you than no lights.

Those S5 lights look great, but they are very bright!

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I think one of the reasons they want all cars to have them is safety. In bright sunlight when car headlights / DRLs are on it can make a car far easier to see ditto when the sun is low in the sky shining in your face the lights can make all the difference.

I can turn them on in mine if I want. As yet I haven't but if more cars are going Volvo esk then I might just put my DRL's on as well. 169144-ok.gif

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I've got say I concur with D1MAC. I'm sure Chav is right in saying that they might prevent the odd accident, but I'd point towards a need for sterner driving testing and renewable licensing rather than adding DRL's to cars.

If you can't see a 1 ton plus vehicle of all shapes and sizes, in a variety of colours, closing it's distance, then surely we have an issue with the powers of observation rather than a need for lights during daytime.

The point is, where would it stop. There will still be idiots who don't see DRL's. If you want proof of that then how many times do you watch someone completely miss a police car or ambulance that is blazing up behind them with sirens and lights at full chat?

It's overkill, and it looks naff. IMO.

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Nah - I like them. Glad its happening. Plenty of dodos don't put their lights on when it starts to get dark/dusky or there's heavy rain.

Visibility is everything. Ask a motorbiker! And its more important nowadays as modern cars are typically quieter. Especially when there will be more hybrids around soon.

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No and I'm one of your oh so dangerous drivers who actually thinks about the benefits of lights before switching them on - would you rather have me exercising the front fogs and side lights that have justifiably rarely/never seen 'dusk' (aka have to take ma shades off in slightly less than retina burning sunlight)

Visibility isn't everything - awareness is!!!

Plus, ask a biker what he thinks when every edjit and his wife is running DRLs or equivalent in sunglasses weather and when he/she is no different at a quick glance from a trundling Kia (for your ordinary driving simpleton), even if the resultant pain is sooo much worse - what do you suggest to make the bikers stand out then???

At the risk of repeating myself - If you can't spot a ton plus of car on the road without lights of some sort then you really shouldn't be on the road outside of a Sunshine bus.

To crib an argument from elsewhere, if indicators are often not necessary then why are silly ickle lights in fierce sunlight?

Answer - Myway code and lack of thought - or look at me aren't I so wonderful (well at least my credit line is ROLLEY~14.GIF)

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There are kids in the world too, and old people.

And unfortunately you don't need to pass an eye test to be allowed to cross a road in this country.

I find it pretty weird how you're complaining about DRLs to be honest. Not like people are asking you to slow down, or doubling the price of petrol. Just a few lights on the car to maybe help prevent the odd accident.

Driving in bright sunlight is pretty dangerous anyway eh. Plenty of accidents because of lack of visibility because the sun is so bright. Not convinced the DRLs will help with that, but its an attempt I guess. Would probably make more sense to have special auto-dimming windscreens though.

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I think, as suggested above, the real problem is auto-dimming drivers... tongue.gif

I have no real complaint against DRL's, partly because I do tend to think there are far too many drivers with no concept of when to use their lights - they think they're just to see with, not be seen.

But any kind of technology response to driving is simply papering over the fundamental problem - road users (drivers, cyclists, pedestrians included) need educating properly. DRL's are no benefit whatsoever if the other numpty doesn't even look in your direction. crazy.gif

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  • 2 weeks later...

Having driven about six thousand miles on fast European motorways in the last few months I can report that the Audi LED lights are not as bright as in the posted pics when seen in daylight. They are a real safety feature and make it much easier to judge the distance that fast approaching car is in your rear view mirror because the LED's are less blinding. I also happen to think they look very stylish but that's a different debate. I saw three S5's on my last trip and they look good on the road - A bit like a big Mk2 TT.

As garcon says, too many drivers need to be more focussed and aware but even very focussed drivers need all the help they can get. I have more chance of seeing a motorbike with its lights on for example - Surely that applies to all of us.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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I've got say I concur with D1MAC. I'm sure Chav is right in saying that they might prevent the odd accident, but I'd point towards a need for sterner driving testing and renewable licensing rather than adding DRL's to cars.

If you can't see a 1 ton plus vehicle of all shapes and sizes, in a variety of colours, closing it's distance, then surely we have an issue with the powers of observation rather than a need for lights during daytime.

The point is, where would it stop. There will still be idiots who don't see DRL's. If you want proof of that then how many times do you watch someone completely miss a police car or ambulance that is blazing up behind them with sirens and lights at full chat?

It's overkill, and it looks naff. IMO.

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I'm with Chav on this one. The rest of you are assuming that other drivers are the only thing that happens on roads, but if daytime lights stop one child running out or a dozy cyclist pulling out in front of you, then they're worth it.

And even with other drivers, it's not about whether lights make a difference when nobody makes mistakes, it's whether they make a difference given that people do make mistakes. If there is a rate of accidents then it makes sense to reduce that rate, not sit tight saying "well it should be zero anyway".

I really don't see the point of saying "well they should see you, so why bother making it easier?". If everyone was perfectly observant and drove as they were supposed to (i.e. slow enough and well-spaced enough to be able to stop the minute you slow down or turn unexpectedly in front of them) then why bother with indicators either ?

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Visibility isn't everything - awareness is!!!

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1 - Awareness is having knowledge and perception of a situation.

2 - Perception is the ability to see through the senses.

Are you getting my drift?

Visibility is a major part of awareness when driving. QED.

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'Tis indeed and I would never dispute that. I just worry greatly on 3 fronts.

1] We seem to want to take any thought whatsoever out of the procees of driving and prefer to find ways of working around stupidity, rather than making an attempt to stop it at source. To me, the enforcement or drive via popular opinion & peer pressure of DRLs at all times falls into this category, along with speed cameras and others.

2] At least part of the move towards this is down to the whims of designers and the follow the herd mentality.

3] What about the longer term effects of conditioning and where do we go from there?

If DRLs are in place for all vehicles and in all conditions then how long before the average Joe's brain filters the information and no longer makes a quick and useful distinction (benefits at least reduced or gone for bikers, other road users and pedestrians).

Silly next steps might be to use main beam, full beam or what about painting all vehicles in a fluorescent colour scheme with variations for vehicle type? Might also make vehicles emit different noises by type at a certain volume.

The last point is extreme but that will indeed happen to at least some degree.

Far better to enforce a higher standard of driver education in order to engender a higher inherent level of awareness of the wider internal and external environment than to try and attack individual elements/issues with the stick (big or small).

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....I agree wholeheartedly that we need to have a higher standard of driver education. Unfortunately, just in the same way that some people don't do well at school, there'll be plenty that need all the help they can get and no amount of education will increase their awareness. They're simply born dumb.

So I think we need driver education and DRL's. But whether LED DRL's become widespread here or not, I like them, especially on the Audi S5.

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If DRLs are in place for all vehicles and in all conditions then how long before the average Joe's brain filters the information and no longer makes a quick and useful distinction

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My wife has this as an argument for exactly why only motorbikes should have xenons, do you agree with her out of interest?

I think you're still missing the point on other fronts, FWIW. If the added visibility of lights means that a car draws extra *attention* (it's not just about visibility, but attention) from a pedestrian about to step out, this outweighs all arguments about conditioning.

Also, the conditioning argument would claim that nobody should use indicators, because then everyone would be more alert for unexpected turns and there'd be less accidents when somebody does turn unexpectedly. True or false?

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Quality of driving is irrelevant though...

DRLs increase the visibility of a car to pedestrians and especially kids!

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I find the first sentence a little worrying. Quality of driving encapsulates quality of observation (near and far field of vision) and from that reaction to and readiness for potential hazards.

Combine better driving standards with reinforced education on Green Cross Code (or whatever you want to call it) and it will do just as much, while also improving things in many other areas.

People, especially children, are going to run out into the road without looking at all regardless of whether everyone has DRLs or not and I personally would prefer to have drivers aware & ready to react than placing rather too much of their faith in the pedestrian noticing a few LEDs.

You obviously feel differently but each to their own 169144-ok.gif

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Yep I feel differently....

Accidents always happen: People sometimes don't notice cars. And drivers sometimes don't notice pedestrians.

Cars have features built in nowadays to help reduce injuries if they hit kids/pedestrians etc. But in an ideal world, cars could have broken glass on their bonnets as no-one would ever be hit by a car.

Same logic for DRLs. In an ideal world, everyone's perfect and we don't need them. But it's not an ideal world....

It really baffles me how you can even attempt to argue the fact that increasing the visibility of cars to pedestrians is a bad thing!

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