Glisse

^^
If you are happy enough with the suspension on a B8 S4, then I suspect you are going to be even more happy with the fixed suspension on a B9 S4. I have not read any reports re. how the standard suspension on an S series car feels, not have I actually seen one without adaptive suspension. But the B9 is more refined, quieter and smoother than a B8, so stay with what you have. Particularly given your wife's comments, and she now has no right to complain after the fact!

I always order heated rear seats, but my kids were never much interested in turning them on

plat27265

glenner, Audi Queensway in Etobicoke has a used S4 with adaptive suspension for sale. I suggest that you test drive it this weekend or at your convenience so you can finally decide whether you want it in your B9 S4 or not.

glenner

plat27265, that's a good idea. You may have found the only test driveable S4 in the city with adaptive suspension. As I said, I think it's a relatively rare bird, at least in Canada. I've checked the other local Audi dealers and could not find any.

Which is weird, as Glisse says he has never seen an S4 without it... at least the 2018 version.

I wish there was a review of the B9 fixed vs. adaptive suspensions online... Could not find anything... and it seems like youtube reviews of the B9 are all based on fully kitted B9s.

Anyway... I will try to head over the Queensway Audi next week to drive this car, and ensure I get my build right. A few weeks delay if I redo my build should not be a big deal.

plat27265

Let us know your driving impressions of the B8.5 S4 with Adaptive Suspension compared to the same car you drove with the fixed suspension.

Before I forget, when you test drive the car, make sure the tires are not over or under inflated. Otherwise, it may give you a false impression of the driving experience.

For Canada, the B8.5 S4's adaptive suspension is a selectable option. All dealers order these cars for their stock while a few are special ordered by their customers. When I was looking at S5's back in 2015, I noticed several dealers in my area order in S5's all with similar configurations including color. Most of them came without adaptive suspension, I believe to keep the cost of the car down. They obviously order particular configurations that are in-demand. Adaptive suspension wasn't one of them, it seems. Dynamic steering which my car is equipped wasn't one of them either. There were some S5's with Sport Diff but not all of their stock had it, too.

adg44

Don't compare the B8 adaptive suspension to the B9. The B9 S4 adaptive suspension is more performance oriented than the B8. I have driven both and the difference is night and day.

The adaptive suspension should not been seen as the comfort suspension. Yes, it can be more comfortable than than the fixed suspension when in comfort mode, but it is designed for performance. Hence the S sport package.

plat27265

OP has already placed an order for a B9 S4 but is still on the fence on adaptive suspension. But I don't think he has the luxury of time to wait until the first B9 S4's to arrive in his locality. In the absence of a B9 S4 to test out adaptive suspension, the next best thing is to see if he'll be happy with the adaptive suspension on a B8.5. If he's satisfied with it, no question the adaptive suspension in the B9 S4 would much better as you mentioned. OP is more concerned in finding out if comfort mode is much comfortable than the ride/feel of the B8.5's fixed suspension he tried out.

glenner

Hey.. so reporting back.... I did test drive the used 2015 B8 S4 with adaptive suspension shown here: Used 2015 Audi S4 For Sale | Etobicoke ON

Last week I test drove a 2015 B8 S4 with fixed suspension at another dealer.

So I would rank my preferred suspension setup in this order:

1. 2015 B8 S4 fixed suspension
2. 2015 B8 S4 adaptive suspension in dynamic mode
3. 2015 B8 S4 adaptive suspension in confort mode

The fixed suspension setup I tried last week I think felt more "right" to me. It was a firm but comfortable ride where I can feel the road without grinding my teeth... It felt more in line with my current E46 ride (with obviously a fixed suspension).

While I was able to appreciate the difference between dynamic and comfort on the adaptive suspension, I did find the comfort mode too soft for my tastes... It felt to too much like I'm floating on air. And likely my wife would not really care either way, as she generally likes the E46 ~firm ride as it is. If I had the adaptive I would assume I would mostly drive the suspension in dynamic mode.

If the B9 comes with a fixed suspension that feels like the B8, I think I'll be pretty happy... save $1000... and in my mind, this will somehow simplify the car and perhaps simplify suspension maintenance issues later (I'm not actually sure about this last bit, but the engineer in me assumes that must be the case).

adg44, there is a big difference between the adaptive suspension on the B8 and B9 models? can you quantify that somehow? is the dynamic more more dynamic? Have you tried the B9 with a fixed suspension? Which B9 suspension setup would you opt for?

One thing I've concluded is that on pre-B9 S4s so far sold in Canada, the adaptive suspension is more rare. Maybe <25% of Technik (top trim) cars have that. But more than 75% of S4s get the sport diff...

I am likely going to reorder my build tomorrow, as I want the rear heated seats anyway... I'm going to take one more day to decide on the suspension option and then done!

Still kind of on the fence... Please someone kick me off, and help me land softly on either side. :-)

plat27265

Great report! At least, you're close getting off the fence. adg44 and Glisse may have more insight on how the B9 adaptive suspension compares to the B8 version.

Glisse

The initial B9 S4 pre-production run cars made by Audi for media functions all had S adaptive suspension. Audi obviously like it! The initial order car(s) arriving in most parts of Europe also had adaptive suspension. But we are now, at least in my market, on the second wave of dealer orders and customer orders coming through, and most of these have standard suspension, standard steering, etc. My dealer, from whom I have ordered an S5 Sportback, now has more basic model S4's in stock. But all Avants, as sedans are not very popular outside NA.

As it is now much colder here than when I drove earlier cars, current cars are all on winter tyres, which makes a distinct difference. But my thoughts are:

• The standard suspension is not as stiff as S adaptive in Dynamic, so adg44 was quite correct in his last post. The B9 adaptive system provides the most sporty ride / handling balance, whereas in the B8 it was the opposite.
• The spring rate didn't feel all that different between the two systems, what is most noticeable is that the S adaptive system in Dynamic really stiffens up the chassis in cornering. I preferred the standard fixed suspension mode to Comfort mode in the adaptive system, but then I was driving on decent roads, wasn't on highways, and was pushing the car on a fairly challenging route.
• In pure ride comfort as opposed to handling, any type and any setting of suspension on the B9 models was better than the B8 fixed suspension.
• As I said earlier, if you want the "maximum attack" S4, get Sport diff, S adaptive suspension, and Dynamic steering. Although I should qualify that it was the S5 that I drove with all three options, and that has slightly stiffer (and lower) springs than the S4.

But I did get a sense from driving all these versions that the S adaptive suspension (and for me, only in Dynamic mode) and the Dynamic steering work together. So feel that Sport diff with fixed suspension and standard steering would be my second choice as a harmonious "team".

adg44

A couple things. The springs on the adaptive suspension will be a lower spring rate than the fixed suspension as this allows the dampers to do their work. But yes, this is more performance oriented than the previous B8 system.

Also, the ride height between the S4 and S5 are the same. They are both -23mm lower than their "A" counterparts. The S5 is not any lower from a suspension standpoint than the S4.