SLUSH

I got my new S4 about 2 weeks ago to replace my previous winter car (BMW 325xi). I have a 2008 M3 sedan for summer driving - I have about 37,000km (approx 23,000 miles) experience with it.

Comparing the 2 cars for driving experience is difficult for me because of different driving conditions (summer vs winter) but I thought some of you might be interested in my impressions.

M3 - 2008, sedan, Jerez Black, Fox red interior, Tech package, Executive package, manual 6 sp., Michelin PS2 19's

S4 - 2010, Brilliant Black, Silk Nappa Magma Red, S-tronic, Nav. (no ADS nor diff.), Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 18's

M3 is a track beast. Engine sound is intoxicating. However engine only really comes alive over 5,000 rpm (ie in daily driving it is much like a regular 3 series). Breaks are awsome. Manual transmission is somewhat notchy (although seems to improve over time). First gear is a bit too short. Some yet to be explained rattle at around 3,000 rpm. Seats are excellent with adjustable side bolster.

Keep in mind that I am still in the break-in for the S4 (1000 km/600 miles) and that today we got a blizzard bringing about 1 ft of snow...

S4 is an excellent compromise between sports and luxury sedan. Torque is impressive. Take off is better than with M3. Engine sound is much more subdued (this is a plus for longer drives, lower rpm at highway speed while in 7th). S-tronic transmission is excellent for daily driving with lightning quick shifts although I agree with other posts that it is not as responsive as one would expect with a true manual. Interior finish is excellent. I love the 2-tone seats and the rear buckets. Quattro system is life saving on days like today here with blizzard and snow covered roads. My initial impressions is that it is superior to BMW x drive system. I love the LED lights! In Canada we get auto dim mirrors standard - great for winter driving (it's dark 18 hr out of every 24!) I didn't get the ADS because I didn't find I used the equivalent option (M drive) on the BMW.

Nice surprises with the S4 (my first Audi): heated seats don't need to be reset at every start-up, wipers do an additional swipe about 5 seconds after windshield wash is through to wipe off any leftover drops (!), trunk opens automatically with remote. 18 in wheels for Canadian model (in my opinion look much better than the 19's), HD based Nav system is much superior to the DVD based system on my 2 year old M3.

Slight disapointments with S4: Nav does not default to map, with audio files you need to reset the "suffle"option at every start-up, as per previous posts the cheap silver plastic around the dash instrument cluster.

NWS4Guy

Gorgeous thanks for sharing the impressions, it means a lot from someone who owns both, I had expected to read this as someone who test drove both and was comparing apples to kumquats

Li'l Penny

I'd love to hear your impressions after you've had significantly more time in the car. It would be great if you updated this thread 6 months from now.

Kraven99

+1

Well done synopsis of your brief time with the S4...looking forward to more down the road (no pun intended)!

kyee

That was one of the main reasons I went with the S4 rather than the M3 (which could have been had for just about the same price with the 0.9% financing and blowout pricing a month ago) - which was low end torque vs. high revving.

AvantB8

Beautiful car.
The S4 and M3 shoudl not be really "compared" but probably shown side-by-side. Different categories of the cars.
Nevertheless, a nice write-up on both...

canucklehead

Thanks for your impressions on both as an owner. I love the M3 but quite frankly at this point for me the low end torque and Quattro are what I want because my driving will be entirely on the street.