NABS4

First Drive: 2018 Audi S4 | Driving

letS4nicate

Nice to see some new information coming and the first "review". I would hope he is quoting Audi's overly conservative 0-60 numbers otherwise this would be a big disappointment from a performance standpoint. Car and Driver tested the B9 A4 at 5.2 seconds so I was expecting that the S4 would be in the low 4's. I look forward to more comprehensive reviews with independent testing.

NABS4

He's quoting Audi's "official" 0-62 mph time. 0-60 would be a couple of tenths faster. Audi is always conservative, so I expect C&D to be able to do it in 4.1-4.2.

JD15

Please tell me that the gray sport seats will be available in the US.

dbuxton13

Can someone please tell me how it makes any sense at all for a car to be MY2018 in the VERY FIRST MONTH of 2017?? Like 365 days before the actual year 2018? I thought model years only started during the fiscal year roll over in the autumn (2018 models should start around Oct 2017).


Is this a mistake/type, or are things actually this bat **** crazy in the US/Canada?

dbuxton13

*typo


Now that's some irony for you.

arU4ic

I believe that was a Canadian review, I don't think it necessarily means US delivery will be in Jan.

The first one to post an order guide get's a 6 pack on me.

Glisse

I have always assumed (from afar) some marketing guy in NA came up with an idea many years ago to move forward the model year number so that consumers thought they were getting a more modern car: a car from the future. Unbelievably, it must have worked. And so everyone has followed suit to avoid being dismissed as selling old version cars.

Unfortunately for those in the US, it doesn't bear any relationship as to when Audi actually starts global production on new models, whether these are new platforms or updates. They can't design/manufacture/release everything at the same time. Audi America try to shoe horn these production changes into their NA MY system - sometimes it works ok, sometimes it leads to a delay before NA get the model. So ironically, the "car of the future" model year game can be self-defeating in practice

More reviews are appearing:

Review: the newly turbocharged Audi S4 Avant | Top Gear

Audi S4 review

Some care / experience needs to be taken interpreting UK reviews

Also, Dutch "Autoweek" has published a video review, using their own footage rather than the Audi supplied stuff. So even if you can't speak Dutch (which is just about everyone except the Dutch), you can hear the engine in real life (the Audi footage sounds faked to me), and he manages a pretty good demonstration of the sports differential on a hairpin bend on a wet road!

Video: Rij-impressie - Audi S4 - AutoWeek.nl

He did say, as much as I could work out, that it is pretty close to the perfect car, that the steering remains a little detached in terms of road feel, but it has immense grip. I couldn't work out what he was saying re. the engine.

This would have been a prescribed drive day event which prohibits journalists driving to the nearest racetrack and strapping on timing gear. That will have to come later. But Audi have already stated that in 0-100kph/0-62mph, the B9 is 0.3 seconds faster. So take your favourite B8 figure (although some of the claims seem ridiculous), and subtract 0.3 seconds?

I am looking forward to some comparison reviews with the Mercedes C43, as these are quite closely matched in many ways. BMW, not at all.

SYMAWD

In the US, car manufacturers are allowed to have the model year one year ahead of the actual year, so a 2018 could be released on 1/1/17 but not 12/31/16. Most manufacturers don't release that early though.

dbuxton13

Thanks, Glisse. Wonderful country you have there, I was just at Interlakken and Brienz last week on holiday (I live in Deutschland, but am American Air Force). Impressed with how many languages seemed to be understood by most people in Schweiz. So thanks for having a crack at the Dutch in that video, I think I understood about 5 words! (The ones that sounded German or English).