markoos11

So here's my situation. My only 2 cars thus far have been the B5 S4 (2001-2008) and the B7 RS4 (2008-now). I'm strongly considering ordering a 2015 RS7 now that I'm getting older, starting a family, etc., and would like more space, *slightly* smoother ride, and 2014 technology -- not to mention 560hp which is amazing. A non-Audi is out of the question, so it's RS7 or bust -- years longer in the RS4 until the next best thing comes out.

I'm not in a rush so I can wait for a 2015....the 4G MMI alone in will make it worth the wait. But with the aftermarket value of the RS4 of ~40g, I'm looking at about a $100k upgrade after tax. My back and forth is whether the RS7 is worth a whole *$100k* more than the RS4. I only have 35k miles on the RS4 and it's in great shape, but after 6 years I think I'm ready for a change.

I test drove one tonight....Panther black with air suspension and carbon optic.

My questions are:

- has anyone here gone from an RS4 to an RS7? Thoughts? Did you miss the 6sp and the overall engaging driving experience of the RS4, or were the benefits of the RS7 more than worth it?

- I *thought* I wanted a much softer ride, but on the test drive with the air susp when we started in dynamic mode I honestly thought it was in comfort mode. The driving experience was just too fluffy. I guess coming from an RS4, my opinion of 'stiff' is somewhat skewed. For anyone with DRC, do you find it to be the best balance of engaged and stiff when needed, but not too bouncy and harsh when not? I guess my question is, how adjustable is it really? Before the TD, I was sure I wanted air. Now after the TD, I'm sure I want DRC, even though I have no plans to track the car. I am in NYC, but 95% of my driving is outside the city so I'm not too worried about the harsh NYC roads. I guess I want less of a migration away from the RS4 than I thought.

- Our test drive was really tame....6:00 traffic on busy roads without an opportunity to do any real acceleration or sporty turns. Maybe this is why the car felt disengaged. In dynamic mode in lame conditions, do the electronics dial down the driving experience? If you open up the throttle and start cornering hard, do the car's electronics dynamics adapt the experience?

-This car I TD had the comfort seats (with exclusive red stitching which was cool, but an $$ upgrade). They don't look nearly as good as the standard seats, but man are they comfortable. And the cooling/massage was definitely cool. Is it worth the loss of looks and RS-coolness to get the comfort seats?

- B&O -- worth it? I would be using sirius/bt streaming mostly and love good sound quality, but don't need to spend endlessly if it's not worth it. Thoughts?

My current config thoughts are panther black/carbon optic (not sure about w/ or w/o the quattro), 21" TI wheels, innovation, assist, alcantra, dynamic, B&O (maybe), and comfort seats (maybe).

Just looking for some real-world opinions of current owners. Thanks very much in advance.

-Mark

DrivenHardS4

Well I can tell you I owned a 2000 B5 S4 for 13 years...heavily modded 6 speed...370hp....
Blew a turbo so decided to get a new car and use the S4 for track purposes when fixed - love THAT car. I decided to pull the trigger on the RS7. I was a bit reticent about not having manual transmission. My wife wanted me to have a sedan to drop off / pick up the kids if needed from bus stop. Well the RS7 is FANTASTIC. I get looks and "thumbs up" everywhere! I always received positive comments on the S4 as I kept it in great shape. The RS7 is in totally different plane. The power, elegance, quality are unmatched. I am happy I bought the car 4 months later... I don't regret buying the car in the least - would do it again in and instant.

Driven.

grogs4dogs

I had an A7 with the Bose and went with an S7 with B&O. It is so worth the upgrade. But if you are going to use it mainly for Sirius, don't bother with the upgrade. Sirius compresses their music and the B&O, because it is so good, actually makes Sirius sound even worse. However, if you stream Pandora on your B&O, you will be astounded at the sound. Plus, a commercial-free Pandora account is $3.99 a month compared to $14.99 for Sirius.

markoos11

Thanks, I do have pandora and spotify accounts so would stream those often. Thanks for your input...I think I will go for B&O. Also because if I don't, I feel like I'll have buyers remorse on not adding it.

markoos11

ok thanks for your input. Glad to hear someone who's a 6-sp fan not having any regrets about the auto.

MARKNMTT

See the post above on several of us who just picked up our DRC Dynamic package equipped cars. You will be very happy with it. It has a wide range of adaptability that I did not expect so you can get it as soft or as hard as you want it but it certainly is not 'fluffy'. Like you I did not at all like the ride of the air suspension cars and I am more than pleased with the suspension in my car. It reminds me of my old RS6 which is very similar to the RS4 in suspension feel so trust me you will find it fine. Yes the car wakes up based on how your are driving it, but sport mode is a flick of the shifter away and the car is immediately alive. Yes this car is a significant jump over your RS4 at this point (significantly faster and much much better tech) but is a heaver package obviously. It sounds like you should do the B&O. I don't care that much so saved the $$ on it. I do just listen to Sirius rather than stream anything so my listening I'm ok with the Bose.

markoos11

MARKNMTT: thanks very much for your input. You're confirming my choice for the DRC....I'm happy to hear that it's widely adaptable. There's a big difference between a sporty solo drive through the back roads and picking up the family from the airport, so I'm glad to have that flexibility.