Senner Tuning Audi S5 is Supercharged and Super Fly
Of the three entry-luxury German two-plus-twos available today – the Audi A5/S5, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe and, the new kid on the block, the BMW 4 Series – we think the Audi wins the beauty contest hands-down. And classy coupes from Ingolstadt have a lot to offer with regard to powertrains, too; the S5’s supercharged 3.0L V6 and quattro AWD serve up spunky and sure-footed performance regardless of what season it is.
However, compared to the C63 AMG Coupe and the recently retired M3 Coupe (and the upcoming M4), the S5’s 333 horsepower is rather tepid. Yes, you could step up to the 450 horsepower RS5, with a considerably higher price tag and considerably more limited availability (at least in this country), it’s not an option for everybody. But if quattro GmbH’s V8 super coupe isn’t an option for you, perhaps Senner Tuning’s take on the “underachiever” S5 is.
Senner Tuning starts with the facelifted (2012-and-up) version of the S5, which is already quite the looker. However, the company replaces the slats on the front brake cooling ducts, the exterior mirror caps, and the rocker panel molding with red-tinted carbon fiber equivalents. There’s also a subtle rear spoiler atop the back window, and a new rear diffuser and tailpipes ensconced in the bumper. Finally, a KW Version 3 adjustable coilover kit drops the ride height just enough to keep the 20” Work Varianza T1S wheels (featuring red centers to match the body trim) wearing Vredestein tires from getting intimate with the inner fenders.
Inside, the S5’s smartly-appointed cabin gets even smarter thanks to a heaping dose of carbon fiber trim. The woven composite is splashed across the door panels, center console, dashboard, and the custom steering wheel rim. Senner also added stainless steel pedals and custom floormats, and removed the blocking software that prevents you from watching a DVD on the in-dash player while the transmission is in gear (We’re betting Senner Tuning “strongly advises” that only passengers take advantage of this modification.).
All these appearance improvements are nice, but it’s the underhood improvements that really excite us. Senner’s spanner spinners added an Injen cold-air intake kit, a modified RS5 exhaust system, and a reprogrammed ECU to the supercharged 3.0L V6. These parts elevate engine output to a considerably healthier 440 horsepower and 377 lb.-ft of torque. The company isn’t making any acceleration or top speed claims, but it did disclose it has removed the stock S5’s 155 mph speed limiter chip.
Now, there’s no word on how much these modifications will cost you, but Senner Tuning has attached a number to the car pictured here: It’s on sale for 64,900 euros (or about $88,000). Oh, and it already has just over 3,000 miles on the odometer. We’re totally sure they’re gentle, break-in miles…
Source: Senner Tuning