markcincinnati

Both of the new S4's driven had the "all-season" tire option and the standard 18" wheels. My only issue with this configuration is that Audi chooses NOT to put UHP W rated tires on the car when the all-season option is checked.

Also with the all-seasons, the car gets a speed limiter induced change of top speed to 130MPH. Real world, this should not be THAT much of an issue for most folks.

I went ahead and accepted the summer only tires on my new S4 and, this winter, I will switch to UHP all seasons from Pirelli or Continental. Currently the PZero Plus all season or the Extreme Contact DWS are on my short list. I have the DWS on both my '14 S4 and SQ5 and have nothing but love for them.

The two S4's were:

Prestige + Driver Assist
Premium Plus + Technology Package and carbon fiber exterior and interior upgrades (which add over $2,000 to the price of the car:

I'd opt for the Prestige if spending my own money, since the carbon fiber seems exclusively to be a cosmetic option.

From a "feel behind the wheel" the two cars were virtually identical.

The Prestige was even quieter than the P+ -- if that is even possible.

These cars are perhaps the quietest cars I have ever driven or ridden in. However, when pushed, the engine sounds (real or manufactured) are fantastic -- deep, throaty, ballsy.

The audio systems and apple car play are fantastic -- the 3D setting really opens up the sound to give the impression that the speakers are floating in space outside the doors a couple of feet.

There is a bit of body roll when taking a sweeping turn, such as the type encountered on some entrance ramps -- and when accelerating hard.

The ride is now much firmer AND much less harsh (compared to a 2014 S4). The word I'd use is "compliant." Taking curves that have a "washboard" surface, the suspension soaks up the bumps impressively. My '14 S4, by comparison is jarring, harsh even.

The massaging seats -- three settings -- are wonderful, I would think they will enable longer trips without stopping to stretch.

The 8-speed transmission feels "instantaneous" when used in S mode or when commanded with the steering wheel paddles.

The paddles are black plastic and look totally out of place in a $60,000+ car.

The "fart sounds" and rev matching as you slow down are there just as they are (or were) in the 2014 S4 w/DSG transmission. I like the addition of an extra gear -- there is no apparent lag during upshifts -- the power just keeps on coming and coming as the transmission steps from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 to 5, etc.

When cold -- the red line is retarded, as the engine warms the red line on the tach moves to higher and higher revs. Nice feature.

Brakes -- powerful, smooth and extremely easy to modulate.

Top view, corner view (front) and cross traffic rear camera effect, very useful -- very very useful in fact.

Heads up display -- won't work with polarized sun glasses (I specifically ordered new sunglasses from LensCrafter without polarization).

Auto pilot modes -- very effective and intially very scary. You set your "cruise control" at 45, for instance. You get in traffic and the car in front of you slows to 10MPH, and ta da, you slow too. Spooky. Then the car in front takes off -- you resume to 45.

Traffic sign recognition, however, works great but does NOT work with the cruise control. I had set the speed to 45 and the traffic sign recognition lit up that I was in a SCHOOL ZONE with a speed limit of 20, but the automatic cruise control just cruised on at 45 and no warning was issued. I would think a warning of some kind would have been prudent -- "slow down, bud, you;re 25MPH over the school zone speed limit" would have been nice.

Overall -- great power, suspension compliance is fantastic and much appreciated, excellent brakes. Silent -- especially the Prestige with the dual pane acoustic glass.

Great nav, dash, sound system, massaging seats -- and carves the road like the hot knife through butter analogy.

Wish it had stiff sidewall tires -- but in my case it will, so if you want the "H" rated Buick tires, you're welcome to them.

Trunk is huge -- back seat is a tiny bit larger than the prev generation -- still, if the front seat is pushed back, back seat cramped. The Audi drive select can be set to be controlled from the steering wheel (if winter package is NOT selected).

Due to the extreme silence of the car, speed is deceptive. 97MPH feels "about right" on an Interstate, even though that is 32MHP over the legal limit around Cincinnati on our Interstates.

Acceleration is "electric" due to the fact that the turbo's torque is available NOW (very low RPM's) unlike the Supercharged version of the engine which requires over 1000 higher RPMs for the surge of power provide by forced induction.

Lots of features -- even the brake based torque vectoring is amazing, but it is a compromise vs the rear diff version. If you've got the extra $2500, go for the sport diff option in the sport package (the only way to get it, this time).

Audi keeps advancing this model -- but it is barey differentiated from the standard A4 in its appearance. I like this aspect -- others may want more "hey look at me" in terms of visual cues. Audi goes for understated performance cues. If you don't like this, there are some aftermarket options that can add some "zoom" to the car's appearance.

To each his/her own.

I was very impressed, glad that I ordered one. No regrets.

If I had ONE WISH, it would be to be able to drive the exact same car with the 7-speed DSG back to back with the 8-speed.

For the money, I'd take the Prestige, which was about 1000 more than the P+ due to the carbon fiber mirrors and rear deck lid spoiler and carbon fiber interior treatment.

I ordered Daytona Gray, Red Leather Interior and Driver Assistance Prestige, standard summer only tires on the 18" wheels, which, btw, look great.

I could be wrong, but the S4 seems to have upped the content and performance and held the price.

Spartan-S5

So neither of these had the Sports differential or damping?

aj6

Thanks for the review! Hit all the points I was interested in, and I feel very confident in my purchase now.

markcincinnati

Prestige had Driver Assistance package and Premium Paint.

P+ had technology package and interior carbon fiber trim and exterior spoiler and mirrors in carbon fiber trim and Premium Paint.

Period.

I had the "adjustable shocks" on a previous A4. I'd pay $500 for them, and not even sure why, the difference between Comfort and Dynamic was minimal.

I'd pay $400 for the red calipers.

I'd pay $1,100 for the sport differential.

The brake based torque vectoring was, surprisingly pretty good at reducing understeer.

Were I to track my car, I would want the mechanical sport diff -- I took a long test drive of an S5 (last year's) with the sport diff. It is almost magical, it is so good. But, to get the car in an "attitude" where it is perceptible, requires some fairly aggressive moves -- and your speed has to be high enough where noticeable understeer kicks in.

Part of the "fun" of having torque vectoring is the ability to enter into a corner at a speed high enough that you would know the car without the TV diff would PUSH and try to overrun its tires only to have the TV diff intervene to counteract the understeer. If you drive this way with passengers (and one of them is your wife), you become unpopular quickly.

Therefore, when I tried the exercise with the brake based TV, I thought, "even though this is brake based, the ability of the S4 to corner is already inherently high enough that you have to push it. Again, not popular with passengers and spouses.

I had SH-AWD on my Acura -- which really needed it more than an S4 -- and it kind of made sense on that vehicle. On the Audi it is, IMHO, nice to have, fun to have, but not MUST have -- now that it is bundled in a $2500 package. But that is my opinion based on my needs. I'm still kicking myself for agreeing to pay for paint (Daytona Gray Pearl). I'd rather the car was priced to allow "us all" to pick the color we wanted no extra charge. It just seems nutz to pay for paint.

But, look at me, I'm paying $1250 for red leather seats but that is because I don't like the mouse fur that comes standard -- I can just imagine how hard Alcantara is to keep clean.

So, Audi fans who want the TV mechanical differential will be forced to go ahead and buy three options even if all they wanted was the sport diff.

My dealer will NOT be stocking many (if any) cars with the sport diff -- but, that is because those folks who want the sport diff are willing to order their cars rather than have to have immediate gratification.

But then I got a lesson in why they stock cars in the first place. I was there at the dealer to take the test drives I commented on. The dealer closed at 6. I came back to the dealer at 5:40. Next to the dealer is a bar. Being thirsty after my test drives, I went over to the bar for ONE beer.

Just as I was heading across the parking lot a couple came in to see my rep who was trying to close down and get out of there (it was a Friday night).

But -- "duty calls" he said. When I came back from my one beer and one slice of pizza the lot tech was putting plates on a new Q7. Sold a $73K car in 25 minutes. Wife drove it off the lot, husband stayed to learn how to use the technology on another one on the showroom floor.

Wam bam thank you ma'm.

My wife and I would buy off the lot -- IF we could find EXACTLY what we want. I have had several dozen Audis since 1977. One time did I buy off the lot -- kept the car 11 months.

At these prices, why NOT get EXACTLY what you want is my approach. Dealer sales reps agree -- conceptually -- but say they need inventory because customers, today, won't order and wait 10 weeks.

Hard to imagine buying a "thing" that costs north of $50K unless it was EXACTLY the way I wanted it -- color, options, etc. I can wait 10-weeks, hell I waited 11 months for my first A8 -- I wanted it in Pearl White.

The point is -- dealers think the sport diff is great -- but it is a hard sell for those who are not Audi "fans" already. And those folks WILL wait. The rest of the population just doesn't want to pay for something that is really difficult to "feel" that is invisible.

I'm of the opinion that I don't want to be dictated to. I'd go for the sport diff but not the trick shock absorbers. Bundling them together loses Audi a sale -- from me.

As I like to say: Drive it like YOU live.

Aj9103

Hi Mark- how do the 18" wheels look? Nearly all photos online have the 19's. I ordered with the 18's to get all seasons and a little more sidewall height on rough roads here in Denver, even though they look a little small for the car on the Audi configurator.

Any thoughts on those? Thanks for any info

Aaron in Denver

JD15

Alcantara is quite easy to keep clean. It is a durable, low maintenance material, and would be the better choice if you are primarily concerned about long-term wear.

markcincinnati

I thought the 18" wheels were great looking. I had the 19" on an A4 a few years ago and wheel damage was very easy to induce (here in SW Ohio, the spawning ground for potholes.)

Also, the noise level and harshness of the ride was somewhat more of an issue with the 19's. But, they look cool.

These are the nicest 18"s they've offered, IMHO.

My approach is to switch to UHP all-seasons here in SW OH where we have fairly mild winters -- little snow -- and fairly warm winters, relatively speaking.

I have used Continental Extreme Contact DWS with great success. They offer many of the summer only attributes, but can take colder temps and can also be used in light snow. My current choice would be the Pirelli Pzero Plus All seasons -- also UHP designated.

markcincinnati

The sales rep indicated the alcantara was "fairly easy" to clean but nowhere near as easy to keep clean as the leather. He also said, that in the long run the leather is more durable.

I have had over two dozen audis. Three of them did NOT have leather -- they were much more difficult (in my opinion and experience) to keep clean. A spill of a Starbuck's (with cream and sugar) coffee drink, left a section of the seats with a permanent "stain" in fact.

Also, we wanted another RED interior -- not available in alcantara.

The thing is, the alcantara seems too much like the mouse fur seat covers of yore -- but again, this is a personal preference.

I have no idea if the leather really is more durable -- that is the claim of the folks at the dealership. But, you know, the cynic might say the reps say that because leather costs more.

My personal experience with our Audi reps has been that they tell it like it is, not like they think you want to hear, though.

If you're happy with either alcantara or leather, I would think that is what is most important. Moreover, the interior was attractive.

One last thing -- I find a black interior shrinks (as in I think it is smaller) my perception of the size of the interior. I like the lighter and brighter interior colors -- light gray, beige, white even, red and that "baseball glove" color Audi does so well. I have had two black interiors and find they are depressing. But, again, personal preference -- I just can't see spending over $60K for a car with a black interior. Kill me now.

On the other hand, from a distance, there is certainly something about the look of the RS7 with the black seats and the red seams and the red seat belts -- until I get behind the wheel.

To each his/her own.

Drive it like YOU live.

Aj9103

Thanks Mark for thoughts on the 18's- can't wait to get the S4 this June (Florett Silver/Magma red). I still like the looks of the 19's, but I think the 18's are a better choice for all the reasons you mention. Glad to hear they look sharp.

Agree with you on the Continental DWS's- have had 2 sets of them on an Acura RDX and found them to be excellent in just about any conditions.

Thanks again for the info- post some pics of your S4 when you can, especially that red interior!

markcincinnati

My rep sent me an email and he "believes" my car has been built. It is scheduled to be here around April 25.

I have the red interior in both my S4 and in my wife's SQ5 -- the new 2018 red leather covers the entire seat. My seats have red center sections and black bolsters. The new red leather covering ought to be stunning since the entire seat will be red.

My wife, this time, ordered a RED exterior SQ5 and went with the rotor gray leather interior.

We didn't deliberately order our cars with the following in mind:

Hers Red Exterior Rotor Gray Interior

Mine Daytona Gray Exterior Magma Red Interior

Kind of "mirror" images of each other's cars.

Hers, last time was Black with Red, mine White with Red. She paid $1,075 for her paint -- I paid $0. She told me to "live a little" and order the extra cost paint this time.

I also ordered another white one with red as my "backup" car -- the dealer says it was helpful to him since ordered cars with a person's name on it (and it was a legit order) get pushed to the head of the line for delivery.

My wife's 2014 in Panther Black is very nice looking -- when clean -- but about an hour after we wash it, you can already start to see the dust settling on it. I'm hopeful the Daytona Gray doesn't share that trait.