Pworld

I honestly had to get sports diff for the ADS-lite, what i cared about and see myself using the most. Once i saw i could change the cars personality with a button during my lengthy test drive. i was hooked.

Evo8twoS4

i don't have the sports differential...it wasn't important to me bc I wouldn't be pushing it to the limit. but bang for the buck seems like a great deal. When i had the evo I didn't have the fancy settings ( (tarmac snow etc weren't offered in 04 models) and didn't have a problem with handling in any condition.

NWS4Guy

I actually think that is likely not the case.

aalui

I dont have the SD, the car is still a blast to drive. To be honest i havent driven my car to the limit where the SD would be necessary. Only those who often track their cars and take hard corners would notice.

riegerman

IMO if you are going to order a car than the SD is a must. The reason is it is fairly reasonably priced and when it comes to resale you will have a wider audience than without it. So you can recover some of the cost while being easier to sell the car, not to mention that in the mean time you will have more fun. Any fast speed corners you will notice the SD. When my SD was not calibrated properly and went disabled I noticed the difference immediately.
The S4 with the SD is a totally different car than one without it after I experienced the SD system off. If you are purely a drag racer of course you are not going to notice a difference but if you like taking your corners fast or tracking the car or some that are in cold weather climates will appreciate the system.

BdAsS4

No SD and still lovin it. I've driven both and didn't notice a difference with my driving style. I can still take highway on-ramps at 60-65mph...

DLAB

Sorry to beat a dead horse, but the sports differential is a must.

You don't have to push the car to it's limits to take advantage of it... I can feel it on 90 degree turns in everyday traffic.

If not for performance reasons, then get it because an S4 with the differential will hold it's value much more than one without. It will essentially pay for itself if you ever decide to sell your car.

turr520

When I was shopping for my S4, most S4s on dealer lots were not equipped with sports differential. I ended up getting a car that has it and I'm happy with it. But that shopping experience gave me the impression that sports differential is not a very popular option. *shrug*

asm777

I'd agree. It's popular as the "must have" option for enthusiasts on forums such as these. So, what percent of S4 buyers are on these forums and for those that aren't, how many of them are not missing the SD? I'd say the S4 is a great car w/o and for many, the S4 as a DD is fine w/o the SD. =)

Nicky_do_it

I don't regret it.

MY s4 is my daily driver. Auto and Nav were a must. SD and MT and forget the NAV if this is your weekend racer but that's not what an S4 is about IMO.

Non SD handles great. Test drove one with sport differential but without nav. I chose the nav without sport differential. While I do feel the steering in the non SD is a little light, I think it can be adjusted through the VAG software. The sport different felt artificial and a little unpredictable on the street. I simply preferred the nav over sd and didn't feel strongly enough about the SD to wait for an order.

Regarding resale, I think most S4 enthusiasts will prefer to have SD. Everyone else will be indifferent. Ask the average BMW guy if he has heard about the sport differential. At trade in time through the dealer (Audi or non Audi), you will be better off without the SD. Look at any used car value book, you will get much less back then you pay. Dealers simply use the check boxes. All other things being equal, an SD vs non SD will be worth a few hundred dollars more. Not $1K more and certainly not more than that. Agreed, selling privately, I think SD will be more marketable today as the few S4 guys will be seeking it. 4 years from now, nobody will care. Still an S4 and great car.