alcohen

Hi:

I've owned an A4 (1998) and S4 (2000) an Infiniti G35x, 2004 (mistake car), an Alfa Romeo GTV, 1973 and a '66 Mustang, 289. My favorite two were the S4, 2000 and the Alfa, GTV.

I'm replacing the Infiniti G35X and am looking at the new A4, a used S6 (2014, 35k miles, certified and almost perfect). I live in San Francisco, but frequently drive 100 miles in a day, mostly on freeway and make 10-20 trips up to Tahoe (snow, 7,000 foot pass, etc) to Ski and haul ski gear a lot.

I was not considering a 2916 S4 or A4 until i saw the 2017 A4 (the new S4 is delayed and I can't wait). I'm driving it tomorrow. Pricing is similar as I'd get the A4 loaded.

I really like cars with great balance and spirit!

Thoughts?

69Firebird400

While I've not driven the 2017 A4, I have driven the B8.5 S4 and A4 several times. I own a 2013 S6 that was my daily driver for almost 55,000 miles until I got a new job that has me driving 120 miles per day, so now I only use it one day a week most weeks.

The best thing that you can do is drive both cars. You'll find that the S6 is ridiculously fast and comfortable. It's the fastest, best car I've ever owned, and its speed will shock you vs. your previous cars. On highway trips, it gets ridiculous fuel efficiency for a ~450 horsepower car (25+ mpg). Also, the car has suffered the worst of its depreciation already, which you can't say about a new car. Cons: maintenance costs, expensive repairs as it gets older.

The A4 will have newer technology, but I don't use factory navigation anyway (I use Waze) and CarPlay would be nice to have. I imagine that it will still be pretty quick and comfortable, and also cheaper to operate than a three year old S6. Cons: will depreciate more percentage wise after your purchase, less comfortable, no "getaway" power (as I call it in my S6).

The giant brakes on the S6 have great feel - but at 45k miles, my dealer quoted me $2,100 parts + labor to replace just the front pads and rotors. I shopped around, bought rotors online and pads from an AudiWorld member who replaced new stock pads with aftermarket ones, and paid a local German car shop to do the work - and escaped for just over $1,000 for all four brakes (both rotors and pads). I'd imagine such a replacement would be far less than $2,100 for an A4.

I just paid over $700 for my 55k service and a new battery. The big S cars are incredible vehicles, but not for the faint of heart. My old 2007 D3 S8 came with a folder of receipts for its first 160,000 miles totaling over $32,000.

alcohen

Great review, thanks! My sensible wife is pushing for the new A4. But I drove an S7 earlier in the week (amazing drive!!) and will drive the S6 tomorrow.

What do you think between the S7 and S6 (I know the cars a mechanically almost the same)?

bean town

Keep us posted.

Tinbad

Get the S6, you won't regret it.

m444

Besides the lower S6 weight, lower cost and the S6 having a real truck (with fold down seats), the main feature I would miss on the S7 is the top view camera, which is available on S6, but not on the A7/S7. This really helps for parking in tight spaces.

m444

Another possible consideration is the A6 3.0T, new price starts at $59k

69Firebird400

I like the cargo utility and more special shape of the S7 vs. the S6, but some (most? all?) S7s have only four-place seating in the back. Not that I've ever carried more than four people in my car, but it's nice to know I could if I wanted to.

The biggest downside of the S7 to me vs. the S6 is just cost - they charge a serious premium for that shape. With either S6 or S7, you'll almost never see the same car on the road, which I kind of like. That's not true for a more mainstream car like an A4 or Q5.

I love when people hear that I have an Audi and ask if it's an A4 or A6, and I tell them an S6. Most of those people don't really know what that means, except that the S car is special.

alcohen

This is the S6 I'm looking at -- Thoguths?
Used 2014 Audi S6 For Sale | Palo Alto CA

MikeS6

That S6 looks amazing.


It's funny that you bring up the S6 / S7 comparison. I had a post about it just a few days ago, and I have to agree with both m444 & 69Firebird400. I'd miss the top view camera a lot, I use it all the time. And after kind of looking over all of the differences, Audi does charge a premium for just a body-style difference. Kind of like Trump says about Boeing and the new Airforce One, I think they should make a lot of money on it, but not that much. The body style difference should be like 5K higher not almost 10K. If there were some better real world differences in the S7 over the S6, I might be more convincingly swayed. It's been said in reviews that the S6 seems to feel more "visceral" and delivers a little bit of a better driving feel. And it is true, the S6 is a rare car, but the S7 is truly a rare car.


As far as the 4 vs. the 6 The A4 / S4 is "all new" so I'm not sure if the pricing is as competitive value-wise to that S6.