S4 dsg vs manual
Discussion
Jhart said:
10% discount sounds about par for the course. Supply of saloons is low, so you may have to wait for them, a few dealers in the southeast say all build slots for 2009 are now taken. If you are eager for a real beauty then go to Sheffield Audi where you can get a deal on the very low mileage demonstrator in Sprint Blue with 5 spoke 19in alloys, but no trick suspension (that ruled me out...)
Mine is pretty loaded on goodies too, with a lead time of 14 weeks. Interestingly the s-tronic did not slow down the build, but offered me better residuals (£600).
I got a chance to test drive the car for a few days due to a colleague who is a fleet manager. Definitely the way to test a car. I had tested a M3 the week before; 20mins around the crowded streets of Kingston and I am supposed to part with 60k of hard earned cash!? Yeah right.
The S4 did get a little caning in my hands. The only way to get a feel for the beast. What surprised me is how much more speed it carries without feeling like you are on edge. Some may miss the seat of your pants feeling, but I love the sheer cool of it all. Effortless and clinical but with Drive Select option in dynamic mode, I now have an Audi that steers like a BMW without the run-flats hammering my spin under hard breaking. The quattro does take away some of that shove in your back that gives you a sensation of speed in other cars, but this car is very very fast. I tested it from a standing start and also at 30 mph up to 60 vs a 335i; both with automatic gear boxes. No contest - I mean none at all!
Add the feel good factor the interior has, and I am now a born again Audi convert after 2 consecutive BMWs.
I am still keen to hear what people are getting MPG wise as I did not break 26 MPG with mixed roads but spirited driving.
Welcome other's views.
You are really selling it to me thats for sure. I couldnt afford a new one but would put this on the list of cars to look at when I do change the RX8. I sat in a fully loaded Avant 3.0TDI at the weekend and the quality of the cabin is excellent and just looks better than a 3 series IMO. I like the A5 but when I put the drivers seat into my postion there was less room behind me for the kids than in the RX8 which was a surprise. Mine is pretty loaded on goodies too, with a lead time of 14 weeks. Interestingly the s-tronic did not slow down the build, but offered me better residuals (£600).
I got a chance to test drive the car for a few days due to a colleague who is a fleet manager. Definitely the way to test a car. I had tested a M3 the week before; 20mins around the crowded streets of Kingston and I am supposed to part with 60k of hard earned cash!? Yeah right.
The S4 did get a little caning in my hands. The only way to get a feel for the beast. What surprised me is how much more speed it carries without feeling like you are on edge. Some may miss the seat of your pants feeling, but I love the sheer cool of it all. Effortless and clinical but with Drive Select option in dynamic mode, I now have an Audi that steers like a BMW without the run-flats hammering my spin under hard breaking. The quattro does take away some of that shove in your back that gives you a sensation of speed in other cars, but this car is very very fast. I tested it from a standing start and also at 30 mph up to 60 vs a 335i; both with automatic gear boxes. No contest - I mean none at all!
Add the feel good factor the interior has, and I am now a born again Audi convert after 2 consecutive BMWs.
I am still keen to hear what people are getting MPG wise as I did not break 26 MPG with mixed roads but spirited driving.
Welcome other's views.
The S4 will be up there when I do come to change thats for sure.
Jhart said:
With talk of vat going up in January I put considerable pressure my dealer to assure me of a build week. But you have me worried... Keep me posted as I will. Here is fingers crossed to us enjoying super charged thrills in the autumn!
Will do.Spoke to the dealer this morning who has spoken to Audi and confirmed there are no issues so hopefully it will be confirmed within the next week.
I was originally given wk33 but that split to wk39 quite quickly blamed on STronic availability. Obviously the summer shutdown will also affect that. I then changed the colour to Sepang exclusive and it moved to wk43. Came back a week about a month ago and hopefully will be built ok. Order to build will be 21 weeks.
mine's an Avant btw.
Jhart said:
I am still keen to hear what people are getting MPG wise as I did not break 26 MPG with mixed roads but spirited driving.
.
Right, this morning I waited until I hit the motorway, reset the computer, got up to 70mph and set the cruise control. I briefly hit 26mpg then it dropped back to an average of 25.2 over the 10 mile motorway run. I think Audi must have been sniffing glue when they quoted 30mpg .
But hey, if I dwell on the mpg Im not going to have any fun, so....
Jhart said:
I had tested a M3 the week before; 20mins around the crowded streets of Kingston and I am supposed to part with 60k of hard earned cash!? Yeah right.
The S4 did get a little caning in my hands. The only way to get a feel for the beast. What surprised me is how much more speed it carries without feeling like you are on edge. Some may miss the seat of your pants feeling, but I love the sheer cool of it all. Effortless and clinical but with Drive Select option in dynamic mode, I now have an Audi that steers like a BMW without the run-flats hammering my spin under hard breaking. The quattro does take away some of that shove in your back that gives you a sensation of speed in other cars, but this car is very very fast. I tested it from a standing start and also at 30 mph up to 60 vs a 335i; both with automatic gear boxes. No contest - I mean none at all!
Add the feel good factor the interior has, and I am now a born again Audi convert after 2 consecutive BMWs.
My search started many months ago. I wanted to see what the fuss was about with the BMW 335 (both petrol and diesel). Went into my local BM dealer, asked if I could test drive both, to be told by an arsey salesman they didnt have either to test drive, and I had to make a decission over which variant and he would try to get one in. He refused to get me one of each. So I left in a huff.The S4 did get a little caning in my hands. The only way to get a feel for the beast. What surprised me is how much more speed it carries without feeling like you are on edge. Some may miss the seat of your pants feeling, but I love the sheer cool of it all. Effortless and clinical but with Drive Select option in dynamic mode, I now have an Audi that steers like a BMW without the run-flats hammering my spin under hard breaking. The quattro does take away some of that shove in your back that gives you a sensation of speed in other cars, but this car is very very fast. I tested it from a standing start and also at 30 mph up to 60 vs a 335i; both with automatic gear boxes. No contest - I mean none at all!
Add the feel good factor the interior has, and I am now a born again Audi convert after 2 consecutive BMWs.
Move on 4 months and I was sure it was to be the S4, but I'd heard such reviews of the 335i that I should give them one more shot. Luckily I encountered a more amenable salesman this time, but the best he could find me was a 335i convert, and only allowed me a 20 min run out in it. I was suprised it left me so underwhelmed and dissapointed.
Within 10 minutes of my S4 test drive I knew it was the better car. From engine, to flappy paddles, to cabin quality.
And that, as they say, was that.
OK, a quick update
With a few more miles on the engine, mpg rose this morning from the original combined of 20 to a slightly more pleasing 24. Im hoping that as the engine frees up the mpg will improve further
One for the officiandos.... Ive noticed that the S-Tronic (at least when in auto) tends to be a bit grumpy first thing in the morning/when cold. Is this normal? It is worst when rolling to not quite a stop (say at a roundabout) then giving the accelerator a squeeze to pull out...nothing, nothing then BANG. All back to normal once warmed through.
And finally, for those of you ordered/ordering an S4, if you havent yet, and can, make sure you tick the B&O speaker option. Having dug out an old Faithless CD this morning, and cranking it to max, the sound was bloody fantastic
With a few more miles on the engine, mpg rose this morning from the original combined of 20 to a slightly more pleasing 24. Im hoping that as the engine frees up the mpg will improve further
One for the officiandos.... Ive noticed that the S-Tronic (at least when in auto) tends to be a bit grumpy first thing in the morning/when cold. Is this normal? It is worst when rolling to not quite a stop (say at a roundabout) then giving the accelerator a squeeze to pull out...nothing, nothing then BANG. All back to normal once warmed through.
And finally, for those of you ordered/ordering an S4, if you havent yet, and can, make sure you tick the B&O speaker option. Having dug out an old Faithless CD this morning, and cranking it to max, the sound was bloody fantastic
Yep, I ticked the B&O system too. My girlfriend talked me into selling my high end home audio system, so car is all I get to enjoy a withering collection of 2000 CDs.
Hope Mpg figures keep improving, though as is said, one is not going to have a laugh watching the fuel gauge. I have a 100mile commute to work when I go to our HQ and was quitely hoping to get 2 runs at it without having to visit my local petrol forecourt... may be hopeful from the sound of it.
I was surprised to be ordering the S4 in the end. My ability to compare it to a 335i was aided by having a 330 and the fact that my best mate has the latet 335i. Nice cars, but more scruff of your neck type stuff, and bloody awful run-flat wheels on most british town roads. I also have to confess (now that my BMW is 4 years old) that its interior is downright awful when compared to the Audi, and I could not face 4 more years of its dullness. However it was the A5 I was hankering after. I even worked to alter the car policy to include coupes so I could get one. But having sat in a A5, and driven one for a day, I was shocked at how little room there was inside for what is externally speaking, a sizeable vehicle. I am over 6 foot tall and my head rubs against the roof in all seat positions I had the patience to explore. And that is not to talk about the ridiculous rear seats. The fact that head room is useless if you are over 5'10 is one thing, but it is the poor leg room that came as a shock. You need to be a stick man to squeeze behind anything over 5 ft tall in the front! Then factor in the V8 (I think soon to be a thing of automotive museums in this day of eco-consciousness) with its extra mass and lazy revving and I felt somewhat let down by the car. The A5 sportback offered me hope, but I am not entirely convinced by its packaging, nor its hefty weight + S5 version is almost a year away. So S4 it had to be...
Judging by you guys who have one - I am likely to enjoy it. I do wish I went for Sepang Blue having seen it on a R8. Lovely but an expensive option for what is already a highly specced car for my blood! I opted for Sprint Blue for the distinct S-badge look. Also had to have those sports seats and the pretty cool Audi Assist. Those yellow strobes flashing at you when you have a vehicle in your blind spot is something to behold!
Will keep you posted on my order. What options did you others factor in as must haves?
Hope Mpg figures keep improving, though as is said, one is not going to have a laugh watching the fuel gauge. I have a 100mile commute to work when I go to our HQ and was quitely hoping to get 2 runs at it without having to visit my local petrol forecourt... may be hopeful from the sound of it.
I was surprised to be ordering the S4 in the end. My ability to compare it to a 335i was aided by having a 330 and the fact that my best mate has the latet 335i. Nice cars, but more scruff of your neck type stuff, and bloody awful run-flat wheels on most british town roads. I also have to confess (now that my BMW is 4 years old) that its interior is downright awful when compared to the Audi, and I could not face 4 more years of its dullness. However it was the A5 I was hankering after. I even worked to alter the car policy to include coupes so I could get one. But having sat in a A5, and driven one for a day, I was shocked at how little room there was inside for what is externally speaking, a sizeable vehicle. I am over 6 foot tall and my head rubs against the roof in all seat positions I had the patience to explore. And that is not to talk about the ridiculous rear seats. The fact that head room is useless if you are over 5'10 is one thing, but it is the poor leg room that came as a shock. You need to be a stick man to squeeze behind anything over 5 ft tall in the front! Then factor in the V8 (I think soon to be a thing of automotive museums in this day of eco-consciousness) with its extra mass and lazy revving and I felt somewhat let down by the car. The A5 sportback offered me hope, but I am not entirely convinced by its packaging, nor its hefty weight + S5 version is almost a year away. So S4 it had to be...
Judging by you guys who have one - I am likely to enjoy it. I do wish I went for Sepang Blue having seen it on a R8. Lovely but an expensive option for what is already a highly specced car for my blood! I opted for Sprint Blue for the distinct S-badge look. Also had to have those sports seats and the pretty cool Audi Assist. Those yellow strobes flashing at you when you have a vehicle in your blind spot is something to behold!
Will keep you posted on my order. What options did you others factor in as must haves?
Originally I went for Sprint as it was S exclusive, but i had it on my S3 so was really looking for something different. Once I saw Sepang Blue that was it! i removed the Black optic pack i had previously specced so the cost was a little lower (in my mind )
So my spec is:
Avant
S tronic
Sepang Blue
Black Milano Leather
Hill Hold
19" Alloys
Heated folding mirrors
Privacy
High Beam Assist
Adaptive lights
Ski load through
Tyre pressure monitor
Heated front and rear seats
Drive Select (Full)
Sports diff
Advanced key
Rear side airbags
Phone prep low
B&O sounds
DAB
Tech Pack
Park System Plus
)So my spec is:
Avant
S tronic
Sepang Blue
Black Milano Leather
Hill Hold
19" Alloys
Heated folding mirrors
Privacy
High Beam Assist
Adaptive lights
Ski load through
Tyre pressure monitor
Heated front and rear seats
Drive Select (Full)
Sports diff
Advanced key
Rear side airbags
Phone prep low
B&O sounds
DAB
Tech Pack
Park System Plus
Edited by worsy on Friday 25th September 08:21
Edited by worsy on Friday 25th September 08:23
Hey congratulations on the build date. You must be able to smell the leather now! I still do not have a date confirmed so following your experience paranoia is setting in.
Great spec, not much left to tick really though interested to see you have not gone for the tech package (sat nav). Mine is a saloon with similar spec. Noticed you too went for the trick suspension and diff. It is an absolute must to feel smug next to a BMW. I have driven audi's with and without. No comparison, it totally transforms the car.
By the way, does anyone know if it is possible to rev a s tronic at the lights? Never thought of it as an issue but is there a free revving neutral option? Come to think of that can a s tronic be pushed if it breaks down ( not that it would or course )?
Would also be great to see some pictures of anyones s4. I am three months away from sharing.
Great spec, not much left to tick really though interested to see you have not gone for the tech package (sat nav). Mine is a saloon with similar spec. Noticed you too went for the trick suspension and diff. It is an absolute must to feel smug next to a BMW. I have driven audi's with and without. No comparison, it totally transforms the car.
By the way, does anyone know if it is possible to rev a s tronic at the lights? Never thought of it as an issue but is there a free revving neutral option? Come to think of that can a s tronic be pushed if it breaks down ( not that it would or course )?
Would also be great to see some pictures of anyones s4. I am three months away from sharing.
There's some photos on my 'New S4' thread on here. Meeting a couple of PH phoographers tomorrow to get a photo shoot done, so hopefully have some better ones than the crapola I took
ETA: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... S4
ETA: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... S4
Edited by FUBAR on Thursday 24th September 23:37
Jhart said:
Hey congratulations on the build date. You must be able to smell the leather now! I still do not have a date confirmed so following your experience paranoia is setting in.
Great spec, not much left to tick really though interested to see you have not gone for the tech package (sat nav). Mine is a saloon with similar spec. Noticed you too went for the trick suspension and diff. It is an absolute must to feel smug next to a BMW. I have driven audi's with and without. No comparison, it totally transforms the car.
By the way, does anyone know if it is possible to rev a s tronic at the lights? Never thought of it as an issue but is there a free revving neutral option? Come to think of that can a s tronic be pushed if it breaks down ( not that it would or course )?
Would also be great to see some pictures of anyones s4. I am three months away from sharing.
Ooops forgot Tech Pack and Park System Plus. The trick diff was a must Great spec, not much left to tick really though interested to see you have not gone for the tech package (sat nav). Mine is a saloon with similar spec. Noticed you too went for the trick suspension and diff. It is an absolute must to feel smug next to a BMW. I have driven audi's with and without. No comparison, it totally transforms the car.
By the way, does anyone know if it is possible to rev a s tronic at the lights? Never thought of it as an issue but is there a free revving neutral option? Come to think of that can a s tronic be pushed if it breaks down ( not that it would or course )?
Would also be great to see some pictures of anyones s4. I am three months away from sharing.
Just keep in touch with your dealer, it may depend on how many he has sold and what number in the dealer queue you are. As I said previously mine went back 4 weeks because of the colour. The VAT increase was beginning to spook me too as it would have been another grand, I was going to ask to pay the invoice up front but I suppose it depends on how you are financing the car whether you can do that.
Edited by worsy on Friday 25th September 08:29
FUBAR said:
There's some photos on my 'New S4' thread on here. Meeting a couple of PH phoographers tomorrow to get a photo shoot done, so hopefully have some better ones than the crapola I took
ETA: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... S4
I went on to see your car. Wow! I have not seen many pictures of S4 saloons and, for an so-called amateur, pictures turned out pretty good. And further aided by what looks to be pretty impressive surroundings too.ETA: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... S4
Edited by FUBAR on Thursday 24th September 23:37
Time for mine to arrive can not come too quickly. It does seem silly to want to speed up time as I am sure I will come to think of it differently in the none to distant future.
Seems like you have pretty much the full kit on the car too. I notice the brochure talks of a raised rear spoiler. Is there any difference between the boot of an S4 and that of a standard A4? I have still to see any S4s with the 5 spoke 19 inch wheels (I have ordered them on mine), wonder if people are not liking them too much... (cost relative to other 19in options certainly does not help matters).
Avants seem to be the most popular choice for the S4 to date. I am still to see a saloon in the flesh.
Ooops forgot Tech Pack and Park System Plus. The trick diff was a must
Just keep in touch with your dealer, it may depend on how many he has sold and what number in the dealer queue you are. As I said previously mine went back 4 weeks because of the colour. The VAT increase was beginning to spook me too as it would have been another grand, I was going to ask to pay the invoice up front but I suppose it depends on how you are financing the car whether you can do that.
[/quote]
Glad you share my view on sports diff. I bet cars with this option will command a premuim over those without in years to come.
Is the Park System Plus the option with the reversing camera? If so, it is on my list. I felt a little decadent speccing it, but how cool to 'see' out the back of the car...
Will keep hassling dealer. By the way, did you go for a bluetooth connection with or without phone cradle? Mobile phones seem to change every 6 months, but I can not be doing with a cigarette lighter charger littering the dash...
Just keep in touch with your dealer, it may depend on how many he has sold and what number in the dealer queue you are. As I said previously mine went back 4 weeks because of the colour. The VAT increase was beginning to spook me too as it would have been another grand, I was going to ask to pay the invoice up front but I suppose it depends on how you are financing the car whether you can do that.
Edited by worsy on Friday 25th September 08:29
[/quote]
Glad you share my view on sports diff. I bet cars with this option will command a premuim over those without in years to come.
Is the Park System Plus the option with the reversing camera? If so, it is on my list. I felt a little decadent speccing it, but how cool to 'see' out the back of the car...
Will keep hassling dealer. By the way, did you go for a bluetooth connection with or without phone cradle? Mobile phones seem to change every 6 months, but I can not be doing with a cigarette lighter charger littering the dash...
Jhart said:
Glad you share my view on sports diff. I bet cars with this option will command a premuim over those without in years to come.
Is the Park System Plus the option with the reversing camera? If so, it is on my list. I felt a little decadent speccing it, but how cool to 'see' out the back of the car...
Will keep hassling dealer. By the way, did you go for a bluetooth connection with or without phone cradle? Mobile phones seem to change every 6 months, but I can not be doing with a cigarette lighter charger littering the dash...
Yup i agree, at least they will be easier to sell on.Is the Park System Plus the option with the reversing camera? If so, it is on my list. I felt a little decadent speccing it, but how cool to 'see' out the back of the car...
Will keep hassling dealer. By the way, did you go for a bluetooth connection with or without phone cradle? Mobile phones seem to change every 6 months, but I can not be doing with a cigarette lighter charger littering the dash...
No, it has the graphics but no camera, that was an extra £400 and i had spent enough!
With cradle in armrest, which i'll never use as they never have the right cradles.
Jhart said:
Seems like you have pretty much the full kit on the car too. I notice the brochure talks of a raised rear spoiler. Is there any difference between the boot of an S4 and that of a standard A4? I have still to see any S4s with the 5 spoke 19 inch wheels (I have ordered them on mine), wonder if people are not liking them too much... (cost relative to other 19in options certainly does not help matters).
Avants seem to be the most popular choice for the S4 to date. I am still to see a saloon in the flesh.
You really have to see a normal A4 and an S4 side by side to notice the spoiler. It is, shall we say, subtle Avants seem to be the most popular choice for the S4 to date. I am still to see a saloon in the flesh.
I havent been wowed by Audi wheels of late, but I have to confess, the more I see these wheels the more I like them
worsy said:
Post arrived today with a letter stating mine is now confirmed build at wk 43. 22 weeks from order.
Hey, took your advice and hounded my dealer for a confirmation of build date and have now been told I have a week 44 build. We should be receiving our rides within a short time of the other. I am getting rather excited about this now. Let us know how you get on, and do share a picture or two when your stead arrives.Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff