I need a stick: A5 vs Ecostang edition

"Averyrm - GTI YUP" (averyrm)
12/12/2016 at 09:38 • Filed to: None

So I tried a dsg with my GTI. It’s definitely better on paper, but I miss a stick. So here’s the current dilemma:

2014 Audi A5. 2.0t, Quattro with 50k miles

Vs.

New 2016 Mustang Ecoboost (leftover on lot).

Both can be had for 23k, with similar options. I have an excursion as a second vehicle, and will have a project car later on. This will be a daily driver, with possibly an autocross or two for fun. It has to fit a toddler in the back seat with a 5'2" wife as well.

What say you?

DISCUSSION (33)

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Averyrm - GTI YUP
12/12/2016 at 09:40

Murdderstang is the obvious answer.

bob and john > Averyrm - GTI YUP
12/12/2016 at 09:40

I’m thinking the A5 will be a better Day to day car, and easier to sell to the wife. IDK if the A5 can be had with AWD and a stick though.

As the realBicyclebuck said, 2 doors are going to SUCK with a kid. Why not look into a A4? its basicly a 4 door A5, can be had with stick and everything.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Averyrm - GTI YUP
12/12/2016 at 09:45

I wouldn’t buy a coupe if I expected to use the back seat regularly. Even with my kids being old enough to climb in and get buckled up by themselves, everything is so much easier with an extra pair of doors.

Averyrm - GTI YUP > TheRealBicycleBuck
12/12/2016 at 09:46

The GTI is a 2 door, I haven’t had an issue. I actually prefer it to my wife’s car which has 4 doors

Vicente Esteve > Averyrm - GTI YUP
12/12/2016 at 09:46

I’d say get the easiest one to put the toddler in the back seat.

Averyrm - GTI YUP > bob and john
12/12/2016 at 09:47

They’re rare, but they exist.

bob and john > Averyrm - GTI YUP
12/12/2016 at 09:48

Edited my reply

DipodomysDeserti > Averyrm - GTI YUP
12/12/2016 at 09:52

I have two kids and have only driven coupes. It’s not hard, especially compared to everything else parenting involves.

I’ve also dragged my kids all over the world, so my definition of hard might be different than most. I found the EcoBoost Mustang I rented pretty tame. Might be better with a stick, but my wife’s X1 felt more sporty.

*edit, just saw you drive a coupe now, so you know the deal

DipodomysDeserti > Vicente Esteve
12/12/2016 at 09:53

So a convertible Mustang?

DipodomysDeserti > TheRealBicycleBuck
12/12/2016 at 09:54

Yeah, folding the seat forward really drains me by the end of the day. Might as well stick with the auto too, as shifting through all those gears will just waste me.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Averyrm - GTI YUP
12/12/2016 at 10:16

I’d go for the A5.

Tripper > Averyrm - GTI YUP
12/12/2016 at 10:17

The Audi is a much nicer place to be especially when considering a daily driver, so that would be my choice.

Future next gen S2000 owner > Averyrm - GTI YUP
12/12/2016 at 10:20

I vote A5.

Jayhawk Jake > Averyrm - GTI YUP
12/12/2016 at 10:27

I can actually talk about this pretty well. I have driven both extensively: I own a 15 Ecoboost and I’ve probably driven 1000 miles or so in my mother’s 2014 A5 2.0T Quattro (actually hers might be a 13? doesn’t matter).

Her Audi is an auto, so no opinion on the transmission. Both cars are very good. The Audi feels pretty quick, but I’m pretty confident the Mustang is faster. With the Ford Performance tune that I have it’s not even close. The Mustang is significantly more fun to drive. That’s not to say the Audi isn’t fun, but RWD vs AWD, much more responsive steering, better handling...I like the Mustang more.

The Audi’s cabin is a quite a bit more spacious. I can comfortably sit in the backseat at 5' 8" 220 pounds. The Mustang’s rear seat is basically just for appearances. I think a child seat and a 5' 2" person would be fine, but anything beyond that and heads hit glass.

I prefer the Mustang’s interior styling, and when it comes to Sync vs MMI frankly I think Sync is better. MMI’s navigation is done well, but the actual interfaces kinda suck.

Comfort wise both are about the same. The Audi is softer, but the Mustang isn’t uncomfortable by any means. Both make great cruisers.

Personally I prefer the Mustang, but I don’t have a wife or kid to worry about. It’s a great daily but so is the Audi. Do you want a “sports car” that works as a reasonable daily, or a daily driver that dresses like a sports car sometimes? That’s what you’re looking at.

Jayhawk Jake > bob and john
12/12/2016 at 10:33

They’re pretty similar day to day. A5 has a bigger trunk and the back seat is usable, but if you’re alone day to day they’re basically the same.

Jayhawk Jake > Averyrm - GTI YUP
12/12/2016 at 10:34

Something to keep in mind with both of these is the doors are very long. Getting them open enough to access the back seat in a tight parking lot will not be fun.

Jayhawk Jake > DipodomysDeserti
12/12/2016 at 10:35

Folding the seat is the easy part. Climbing in, getting a kid settled in a cramped back seat, and doing all that in a tight parking lot when the doors are approximately as long as a city bus is the hard part.

Averyrm - GTI YUP > Jayhawk Jake
12/12/2016 at 10:43

This is excellent. Thank you.

DipodomysDeserti > Jayhawk Jake
12/12/2016 at 10:43

I have two kids and have only driven coupes. Never noticed it being difficult. I’ve backpacked through Europe a few times with them and hike/camp in remote locations with them on a regular basis, so maybe what I and the average sedentary American view as hard are two very different things. To each their own. More fun cars for me I guess.

Jayhawk Jake > Tripper
12/12/2016 at 10:44

It’s a little nicer. I don’t agree with “much” nicer. The materials are nicer, but cabin noise, design, creature comforts (if the Mustang is a premium) are all similar. The Mustang’s “toys” are actually better and I prefer the design. Road noise is comparable.

Textured Soy Protein > Averyrm - GTI YUP
12/12/2016 at 10:47

I know other folks have brought up the coupe back seat and baby issue but just want to give you some hands-on experience. I have a 2011 335xi coupe. I’m 5'11" and I can actually get in the back seat as long as the front seats aren’t too far back. It is halfway decently roomy and my head has at least a small bit of clearance with the ceiling even though I have a sunroof which eats into the headroom.

That said, it does take a fair bit of maneuvering to get back there, and it’s not somewhere I’d want to spend an extended amount of time. Getting a car seat in and out of there would be pretty annoying, based on my experience trying to put other large items in the back seat. Plus then you need to get the kid in the seat.

Fully accessing the back seat requires the doors to be open nice and wide and in many parking spaces this is impossible. The doors are long to help access the back but there are many times where I can’t even open the door to its first detent and instead have to hold it open enough for me to wiggle out while not whacking it into the car next to me.

Day to day, aside from the bit of inconvenience with the doors it’s no big deal to me as an able-bodied adult male who rides in the front. But kid in the back? Ehh.

The A5 would probably be a relatively similar experience and I’d wager the Mustang would be worse. Either way it’s really far from ideal.

Jayhawk Jake > DipodomysDeserti
12/12/2016 at 11:37

Have you considered sharing this opinion in a way that makes you sound like less of a dick?

TheRealBicycleBuck > DipodomysDeserti
12/12/2016 at 11:51

Your sarcasm is dripping all over the place and making a mess on the floor.

I owned a two door from the time my kids were born through 7th grade. It was always a pain in the ass. Four doors is so much better when your kids have to get in and out on a daily basis. I didn’t realize it until I bought a car with four doors. So convenient!

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > DipodomysDeserti
12/12/2016 at 11:53

Kinja'd!!!

Jayhawk Jake > Textured Soy Protein
12/12/2016 at 11:57

The A5 is similar to what you describe. The Mustang has the same problems with the added bonus of the backseat being significantly smaller.

DipodomysDeserti > Jayhawk Jake
12/12/2016 at 12:12

If you took that as me being a dick, than that’s on you, not me. I didn’t disparage anyone or put anyone down. Merely stating that I don’t find placing a child into the back of a car at all difficult, but that my “difficulty threshold” might be higher than others based on my experience. Most people I know with kids make going to the store an ordeal, and I could definitely see putting a kid into a car as being difficult for them. Again, to each their own.

DipodomysDeserti > TheRealBicycleBuck
12/12/2016 at 12:21

Like I told Jawhawk, I think my “PITA threshold” is just higher. My wife has a four door and want me to sell her car and get her a coupe.

Vicente Esteve > DipodomysDeserti
12/12/2016 at 12:22

Of course.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > DipodomysDeserti
12/12/2016 at 12:44

Holy superiority complex batman.

Personally, the back seats of an S550 Mustang I’ve found to be mostly useless for anything other than tossing a backpack back there. Being in a parking lot or garage, opening the obscenely long doors with their nifty puddle lamps, and maneuvering your child-spawn into the back seat is an annoyance at the least and a recipe for bumping your door into the bodywork of the adjacant S-class at worst.

But, hey, I don’t backpack around Europe so I guess I’m just a sedentary American.

DipodomysDeserti > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/12/2016 at 12:59

More like, “holy inferiority complex batman”.

I never said I was better than anyone, and think the ease with which you can put a kid into your car a shitty metric with which to judge someone. I rate flying fourteen hours with two toddlers and then backpacking with them through Europe as somewhat difficult. It was a bit of a PITA the first time, but much easier the second time. I mentioned it as an example as to why something I find easy might seem difficult to someone who mostly sits at home. Things become simpler as you gain experience, and activities like getting in and out of a car stop becoming difficult. I didn’t place a value on either situation, you did. I also never said you were one of those people. If you think I was being a dick, or acting superior, that’s on you, as I never disparaged anyone for having different life experiences than myself.

I just had a Mustang rental for a week with two carseats in the back. You can definitely fit more than a backpack back there. We were also able to load up the trunk with enough gear to camp on the beach for a few days. With kids, it doesn’t matter how long your doors are. If you’re not holding onto the door, they’re going to throw it into the car next to you. A coup gives you less doors to worry about if you have multiple kids.

DipodomysDeserti > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/12/2016 at 13:11

I didn’t disparage anyone, and never said I’m superior because of my life experiences. The more things you experience, the easier things become. That’s not condescending. Most of my friends with kids don’t go anywhere with them, and I could definitely see them thinking I’m crazy for driving two-door cars. It doesn’t mean I’m better than them, it just means I find it easier.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > DipodomysDeserti
12/12/2016 at 13:20

A majority of your comments on oppo are very rude and condescending. just try and change your attitude a bit.

DipodomysDeserti > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/12/2016 at 14:00

In what way was that comment rude or condescending? I already reiterated the fact I wasn’t disparaging people who have different life experiences from me. I’ll admit I was being a smartass with my first comment to TheRealBicycleBuck, but I definitely wasn’t being rude or condescending.

Just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean they think less of you. I don’t think Jayhawk or The RealBicycleBuck are somehow below me just because we find it more or less difficult to drive a coupe with kids. That’s ridiculous. Looking back at my last twenty or so threads on Oppo, I don’t see any where I’m being condescending.