carguyrob

I have had my S4 for about 18 months now and have just over 10K miles on it. I owned Japanese cars (Acura, Nissan, Honda) for the last 15 years so I was nervous about an Audi because of German car reliability. I have been pleasantly surprised at the reliability of the S4. Other than a thermostat recall, I have not had any issues at all. The car is far more fun to drive than my previous cars (last was a 6MT '07 TL type-S), drives great in the winter and gets respectable gas mileage. I would definitely buy another Audi!

TinS5

I just did the same exact thing last week.. traded my 2009 S5 - certified pre-owned with 45k miles (bought it with 33k) that i had for 8 months... for 2011 S4 with 20 k mikes.

I couldnt be happier - except i really miss a manual transmission. The reason why i went with DSG is because the clutch on the Audi was slipping at high rpm - indicating that it would need to be replaced within the next 2 years. This is a 2K or so job, and i didn't want to deal with it & potentially deal with it on the S4

Reasons why i went for an S4:
1 - waaaay more tunability and power out the box. The S5 can be modded - intake, exhaust, chip - but in the end you get maybe 20 whp - not worth it IMO. A $1200 tune for the S4 puts it in E92 M3 range with power increases of 60whp (approx 380 whp)
2 - clutch issues. My car had the sticky clutch and slipped @ high rpms. I dont really trust Audi clutches anymore, so i went with DSG this time which i think it still a pretty good transmission. but like i said, i do miss manual
3 - 4 doors
4 - After test driving it, i felt that the car drove 900000 times better. Suspension was softer and smoother over bumps, and at the same time the car handled better. Also, the engine overall is light years better - in terms of efficiency, tunability, and stock power.
5 - better mpgs. My MPGs havent really increased yet - they have been the same... but the big difference is that i am now beating on the S4 a lot more than i did with the S5, and getting the same MPG. the S4 is just more fun - and i'm sure that if i didnt have such a lead foot - it will be much better than the S5.

Overall, no regrets on my choice (so far) except for i kind of wish i got a manual - but then i think the "peace of mind" of not dealing with a slipping clutch and being able to drive the car hard makes up for that.

Big turbo TT

A DSG trans repair or replacement is WAY more costly than any MT clutch will be! I went with MT6 duto Audis long record of dubious electronics and problematic & complex designs in their auto trans.

StasisS4

Ditto

sakimano

I really want to address this because I have heard people say this about the B6/7 S4, the B7 Rs4 and the B8 S5 4.2. It's just flat wrong.

What you should say is 'if you buy **** mods, no matter what car, you'll get **** results'.

On a 4.2 S5 if you buy an APR tune, milltek exhaust and some crap intake that is worse than stock (like all the S5 'modded' guys did) you are out $4000 and are likely barely faster than stock. Agreed?

Same applies to the B8 S4. Buy an MTM piggyback, some intake and an exhaust that is a replica of stock other than being louder, and you're looking at $6,000 and you're no faster than stock. Ask voltron's head.

If you mod your car properly...you will get results. The S5 4.2 with JHM tune, a proper catback with an x-pipe and a decat will produce EXCELLENT gains.

The B7 RS4 is pretty much equal performance wise with the stock B8 S4. Well, two different B7 RS4s with JHM tune, full exhaust, clutch/flywheel ran 12.2 on pump gas...a.k.a. same as the fastest pump gas B8 S4s. What happened to the tunability of the 3.0T being WAAAAAAAY better?

There are huge gains to be had in the 4.2 cars...you just need to go about it properly.

StasisS4

Man I think everyone appreciates your input on cars here and there, but it seems like you take offense to anything semi-related to a V8 Audi. Everything you say seems to somehow justify you buying an RS4.

No offense, but I've been reading every forum on Audizine, Audiworld, Audiforum, and it's always the same argument from you.

akkordN2U

Thats happened to me and If it's the same issue then it only happens when the ESP is on. If you turn it off I'm positive you will have a hard time replicating the problem. My guess is that it's limiting your power until a decent level of traction is achieved in which the system quits interfering altogether. For me it almost feels like the engine bogs and then all power is returned within a very short space if time. It is likely hard to replicate even when the ESP is on because it depends on the level of traction you have and how much slip is occuring while launching. Now I'm not sure if it's an actual issue or we are just dealing with a sub par traction control system. You're the first I've seen mention the issue but then again I haven't researched it thoroughly.

TinS5

Not sure if you are correct (I assume u are) with the RS4. But where you are "flat wrong" is that the S5 4.2L is NOT the same as the other 4.2L motors. It's closest to the Q7 motor. Probably the biggest misconception about the S5 4.2L motor

sakimano

Let me ask you this...am I wrong? Or is the guy who said the 4.2does not respond to mods wrong? Newsflash...he is. And if nobody addresses inaccuracies that are thrown around on forums, they become a 'forum fact' (rarely the same as real world facts). Why are you offended by someone setting the record straight with facts...and not offended by the guy saying stuff that is just flat wrong? is it because it makes your B8 S4 look like less of a superstar? Do you hate that the 4.2 cars respond to mods? Are you jealous of the RS4 and S5's success, and trying to justify your B8 S4 purchase? See how stupid that sounds?

Someone with limited knowledge of the 4.2 cars might read his post and say 'damn, better not buy one of those'. Then he might read my post and say 'oh wow...so the 4.2 cars do kick some *** with proper mods'.

I just don't like bad facts to be floated around as gospel.

Or, I'm just trying to 'justify' my RS4 purchase. When I would make points like this in 2007 and 2008 while talking to uninformed B5 S4 owners, it was me pre-justifying my late 2011 purchase of an RS4 that I didn't even know I was going to make. When I'd make these points on the B8 S4 forum in 2009 and 2010, it was more of the same. All so I could fool myself into buying a B7 RS4. All the awards the RS4 got...all the performance achievements it has made (that the B8 is not even close to)...all of that was fabricated by me to justify my purchase. You've got me.

sakimano

where did I say the RS4 motor was 'the same' as the S5 motor?

Now...think hard about it. Also remember that I have read the study guide for both motors, and have owned 4.2 Audis and posted and read more on the car on this and other forums than anyone on the planet.

Knowing that...do you really think I don't know every single difference between the RS4 and S5 engine? And do you really think I'd say they're the same by accident? Also, knowing the best tuner in the Audi world personally...do you really think I don't know how the S5 4.2 responds to proper modifications? Knowing that I've been there when JHM pulled the motor out of an S5 4.2 FSI and tore the engine down, noting all the similarities and differences between it and the other 4.2 motors, including it's sister motor the RS4 4.2 FSI high revving variant...knowing that, do you still think I don't know what I'm talking about?