rcronin96

I see the automotive world eventually going away from stick shift in favor of paddle shifting. The e-shift will be the new stick shift and automatics as we know it won't exist anymore.

PhilNotHill

I bit the bullet and got a B8 '14 S4. Afraid no manual tranny in the B9. My wife will only drive a stick.

A bird in the hand...

Best

Dilettanteque

What's the thinking on the new drive train in the B9. The current engine has won much favour as the (at the time) surprising replacement to the V8. I've heard chatter about new diff technologies, and did I see some electric diff discussions?

RedlumF

+1

I bit the bullet as well (although mine won't arrive until the end of June). The fact that 2015 S4s don't even offer the Rear Power Sunshade was what prompted me to find a dealer that could modify a 2014 order in the system, just in the nick of time.

JandS

I also decided not to wait and ordered a 2015 from my dealer here in Canada. Not expecting many changes from the 2014's but he couldn't find the color combination / options I wanted.

marnes

As for me, I've got a deposit down on the new B9 S4 in Canada. Apparently I'll be in the first batch of arrivals and it will become available in Nov 2016. Gives me time to save up and my current 2007 Honda Civic DX is perfectly fine. I feel the new S4 will be a step up for me.

I nearly bought a 2013 335xi a few months ago, but the new virtual cockpit and the announcement of the new A4/S4 really got me excited. I really like the new interior a lot. I've owned BMW in the past and loved them, but Audi really takes the cake on the new model comparisons. I am also diametrically opposed to RFT.

What I really like about the S4's in Canada is that they aren't a dime a dozen like the BMWs are. BMWs are also heavily leased here and they depreciate much faster than they should as there is a glut of used supply out there. S4's seems to hold their value much better for resales.

Of course, buying a first year model is scary. Meanwhile, Audi is now the 3rd most reliable car brand out there (Top 10 - The most reliable brands | TheAutonet.com), but that is due to having such longevity on their existing model lineup. I can only hope they iron out a few kinks in Europe before the North American models show up. I do take very good care of my cars.

I test drove a B8.5 S4 and it was slightly more fun to drive than a 335i, but I preferred the interior of the 2013 335i. Another factor for me is while 0-60 isn't the most important feature, having a car that is "fun enough to drive" is what it's all about. I'm not saying one is better than the other.

Also the new S4s will have significantly better fuel economy and that matters to me. 7.4L/100km (38 mpg) is quite amazing for a non-hybrid vehicle with a V6 with that kind of torque/hp. That's significantly better than my Civic and better than the 335 /340 cars.

If I had the money, I'd buy a Tesla, but they are just too pricey right now. Anyways, comparing B8 vs B9 consumption -- the B9 consumes about 2/3rds of the gas of the outgoing model, so that's pretty significant if the numbers are correct. Obviously switching from a supercharger to turbocharger is likely the biggest factor there. The future is bright for purely electric cars but we won't be there for another 5+ years.

Anyways, I'm happy and waiting for the new one.

eric strauss

… no manual transmission for the B9 S4. Please read below:

2017 Audi S4 Arrives in Frankfurt with 354 HP, No Manual Transmission

This may inform your decision…

Eric

marnes

Sorry, I represent the 98% on that one.

m444

There are still many of us, that are fine with the ZF transmission on the B9. Looking back 20 years ago, it was very difficult to find a nice sporty automatic transmission vehicle with a HP drive train. Many people that wanted an automatic car were left out of the choice (in the 1990s). Now the tables have turned & there are many nice sporty automatic cars with a HP drive train available.

Time moves on & things change. One day it will be very difficult to find a vehicle, that is Not autonomous, but by that time, I won't be driving anymore anyway.

marnes

Agree. I'm quite happy with the ZF transmission and given options for dual-clutch, I would opt for ZF anyways. I think it's a smart choice for longevity, as dual-clutch have had their very expensive issues.

While I'll definitely get the sport-diff, I'm still on the fence regarding adaptive dampening suspension. Trade-off is suspension customization at the much higher cost of replacement. Apparently they are 3x-4x the price to replace. The roads are pretty good here.