dus10r

Finally made the jump from Bummer W to Audi and boy is it a better car. Got rid of my 335Xi and picked up a 2013 S4 and the Audi has the Bimmer beat hands down. Interior is light years ahead of the BM and so is the ride quality. The BM had a wonderful engine if performance is your standard but it was absolutely the most problematic motor I've ever come across. I've never seen a motor that starts to degrade after only 50,000 miles, until now...

If Bummer W keeps spitting out the sub-par quality vehicles they have been the past few years, Audi is going to get tons of converts.

I've had Audi friends for years trying to convince me that Audi had much improved over it's electrical gremlin days of the early 2000's. Well after the BMW, I'll take electrical gremlins anyday over motor gremlins.

So '13 S4 sitting in garage now and my impression thus far is that it's a much nicer vehicle than the BMW.

*The dual clutch trans is nothing short of awesome. Rev matching perfectly on downs, and almost seamless on ups, you can't beat it even if your skilled at heal toe.

*The Driver Select is interesting... I left it in Auto one day and I must say I'm not a fan of the car changing the steering ease on the fly as the pace picks up. It steers easy and then all of a sudden about mid corner the steering gets hard... So I learned, either set it to Dynamic or Comfort. I did mess around with the personal setting and set everything to Dynamic except the steering and I set that to Comfort and it makes the car steer a lot easier. As this system doesn't change the steering ratio just the feel at the wheel, you can get away with it. The dynamic setting is friggin hard and is a pain in very slow corners.

*The suspension works pretty well, not as noticeable as the PASM in my Porsche but there is slight difference in the taughtness from Comfort to Dynamic it's barely perceptible but it's there. The PASM system in the Porsche makes all other systems feel lethargic because it is so noticeable and instantaneous.

*The Sport Diff works great. No noticeable understeer like Audi's of old, in fact it's a very neutral car considering, or maybe I've just been programmed to expect tons of understeer and I don't get it so it seems neutral to me.

*Engine is great... very smooth. Not as Torquey as the 335 but more linear power delivery. Was kind of bummed that you can't hear any supercharger whine but the engine sound is good with some funny exhaust barbles upon shifting.

*Seats are friggin awesome. About time Audi put the good seats in the US cars. Not all of us Americans are fat. The Alcantara is the way to go if you like to stick to the seat. They grip very well and you never find yourself fighting to stay in them.

*Interior quality is unequalled. Mercedes, BMW and even Porsche can't match it. I watched a 335 vs S4 review the other day and the tester said the BMW interior was nicer...huh!? No way! I've had them all and the Audi has them beat by a mile. It's a much nicer place to be.

*Love the new LED DRL's... they look stunning from the front and you can see people staring at them when you drive by.

*New MMI is pretty awesome, but I'm a Porsche guy and used to the bare minimus so it seems like a bunch of stuff you don't really need. Wi-fi? sounds cool but will never use it. Voice control... it understands very well but reacts kind of slow, and there's a ton of commands to remember but it will practically cook you dinner if you ask nicely.

* Overall... I'd say I'm impressed. This is a trial run with the Audi. If it goes well I may end up being an Audi fan for life. Hmmm...trade in the 911 for a R8? guess well just have to wait and see.

*oh yeah, sorry this is so long... AND Add me to the "I want a RS4 mesh grill" list.

Excelsior7

On the sound issue, an intake like the one from Roc-Euro will give you that supercharger whine back. Here's a demonstration I recorded.

ZCD2.7T

Good to hear that you like your new ride.

The S4 is a special car - just incredibly capable in all respects.

Have fun with it!

ni4ni

That sounds like a jet engine. I like it.

bbmaster

Nice and mean sound!

DrGP

Isn't it great to become enlightened. Unfortunately, there are still so many dyed in the wool BMW fanboys who will never know and keep on drinking the corporate Kool-Aid. I had on 07 335i and had few problems. I thought and still believe it was far superior to my 04 S4. But Audi has hit a home run with the B8 S4. I have also notice a big increase in the number of Audis that I see on the road. Others must be finding out about Audis as well. BTW, Audi outsells BMW in Germany.

Kugs11

BMW makes great cars and I'm sure I would enjoy driving one. I prefer Audis for many reasons, particularly their dedication to AWD. Most BMW drivers that I encounter simply wanted a BMW because they like the prestige of it. They have no concept of the engineering or driving prowess of their car. They typically go to the BMW dealer and get the best car they can afford for a given lease payment. That is not true of all BMW drivers as I also know many who are die-hard car guys and have respect for the car (most such people buy Ms), but it definitely is the majority at least in my area. Audi is less that way.

Audi does not have the same prestige for whatever reason, so those who seek to own Audi's tend to be more savvy drivers and consumers. Perhaps that explains why Audi outsells BMW in Germany, as Germans tend to have higher automotive IQ than the average US driver.

dus10r

Love it! Now thats what a supercharger is supposed to sound like...
Thanks for the heads up.

mah1688

congrats on the purchase!