Discussion
First thread for me in quite some time, first readers' cars thread, despite this being my second PH-worthy car.
The first being the Evo IX I traded in to get this.
I moved to the US back in 2006, so this and the Evo are both US spec.
In the case of the Evo, mine was an 'SE', which meant a 5 speed GSR with with an oddly pared down, yet pimped up interior, with a quoted 286bhp, although most people who dyno them out get figures that indicate 300+ bhp.
After 61k miles in that, with the standard rock hard suspension on standard (crap) Colorado roads, on summer and winter tires, depending on the season, (I tried the summers in winter, ONCE - somewhere in one of the numerous winter tires threads, there's a review from me explaining quite how suicidal this was, and how I occasionally still have nightmares about it), it was time for a change.
At least, that's what my spine and kidneys told me, when faced with an increased distance, though reduced frequency commute.
Having considered pretty much every car available in the US (and trust me, there are some fearsome s
tters available here) a few things met most of my criteria for increased comfort without sacrificing too much performance. I was prepared to wait for the A45 AMG, or the infiniti Q50, but after a lot of reflection, decided neither really fit the bill.
So I eventually decided on the S4. The US model year convention means that mine is a 2014 model year version, despite it being ordered in May. Go figure.
US spec cars from pretty much every manufacturer differ from Euro spec cars in that they tend to be specced by packages, rather than individual items. Makes it a little difficult to compare between the US and the UK.
Anyhow, what my $ got me was the equivalent of a uk model with these options:
Super sport seats
Through load facility
Technology package high
Audi parking system plus
Electric slide and tilt sunroof
TPMS
Carbon atlas inlays
Homelink
3 spoke steering wheel
Convenience package
Heated front seats
Damper control
Audi drive select
Sports diff
Advanced key
Mobile phone prep high with connect
B&O speakers
And, I think 'Hill hold lite'.
Which is about 7500 quid in options!
Some crappy pictures, because I've not taken many:
The DSG 'fart' is providing endless amusement!
It's a heavy car, even after the lardiness of the US spec Evo, which has additional anti-intrusion beams, but it's impressive how quickly it can get away and change direction. It hides its weight well.
Homelink programming was quite comic, as I managed to delete all the other remotes off the system and had to reprogram them again, in addition to the Audi (which itself is a bit of a pain).
The first being the Evo IX I traded in to get this.
I moved to the US back in 2006, so this and the Evo are both US spec.
In the case of the Evo, mine was an 'SE', which meant a 5 speed GSR with with an oddly pared down, yet pimped up interior, with a quoted 286bhp, although most people who dyno them out get figures that indicate 300+ bhp.
After 61k miles in that, with the standard rock hard suspension on standard (crap) Colorado roads, on summer and winter tires, depending on the season, (I tried the summers in winter, ONCE - somewhere in one of the numerous winter tires threads, there's a review from me explaining quite how suicidal this was, and how I occasionally still have nightmares about it), it was time for a change.
At least, that's what my spine and kidneys told me, when faced with an increased distance, though reduced frequency commute.
Having considered pretty much every car available in the US (and trust me, there are some fearsome s
tters available here) a few things met most of my criteria for increased comfort without sacrificing too much performance. I was prepared to wait for the A45 AMG, or the infiniti Q50, but after a lot of reflection, decided neither really fit the bill.So I eventually decided on the S4. The US model year convention means that mine is a 2014 model year version, despite it being ordered in May. Go figure.
US spec cars from pretty much every manufacturer differ from Euro spec cars in that they tend to be specced by packages, rather than individual items. Makes it a little difficult to compare between the US and the UK.
Anyhow, what my $ got me was the equivalent of a uk model with these options:
Super sport seats
Through load facility
Technology package high
Audi parking system plus
Electric slide and tilt sunroof
TPMS
Carbon atlas inlays
Homelink
3 spoke steering wheel
Convenience package
Heated front seats
Damper control
Audi drive select
Sports diff
Advanced key
Mobile phone prep high with connect
B&O speakers
And, I think 'Hill hold lite'.
Which is about 7500 quid in options!
Some crappy pictures, because I've not taken many:
The DSG 'fart' is providing endless amusement!
It's a heavy car, even after the lardiness of the US spec Evo, which has additional anti-intrusion beams, but it's impressive how quickly it can get away and change direction. It hides its weight well.
Homelink programming was quite comic, as I managed to delete all the other remotes off the system and had to reprogram them again, in addition to the Audi (which itself is a bit of a pain).
SaucyBoy said:
The states always class their model years 1 year ahead of us for some reason. Not sure why but have noticed it on most cars.
Yes, I think it's part of an ongoing case of oneupmanship that's slowly getting more ludicrous each year. It can't be long until you'll be able to pick the next model year up in January.... aspirated said:
Just noticed - were you playing Need for Speed Underground tracks? 
Yes! Coincidental, and I didn't notice until I pulled the pic off the phone, though it made me smile when I saw it. Small prize to you for noticing as well. GaryST220 said:
Nice car. Look's a nice part of the world too.
Thanks on both counts! Give it a couple of months and it'll be brown and dreary, then white and bloody cold. May to September-ish here is an attractive time of year, though usually too bloody hot.Jimmy No Hands said:
aspirated said:
Looks nice, but it's amazing how 'soft' the US spec S4 looks compared to the UK spec, is it just me or does the UK spec look much more aggressive?
Agreed, the alloys look a bit 2.0 TDI to me, looks toned down slightly. Still a very nice car!The UK model might ride a little lower, perhaps?
Scary, isn't it? First of all, the standard really is that low here. Second, because of that, and because they drive on the wrong side, they do unexpected things, often the reverse of what people would do in the UK.
Once you learn what they are likely to do next, it gets less scary.
You do see some impressive st though. A few months ago I saw someone drift into the central concrete divider, throw up a huge cloud of dust and ground off car, then drift back into his lane and carry on as if nothing had happened....
Once you learn what they are likely to do next, it gets less scary.
You do see some impressive s
t though. A few months ago I saw someone drift into the central concrete divider, throw up a huge cloud of dust and ground off car, then drift back into his lane and carry on as if nothing had happened....Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff