clau

I think it is time to do a short introduction of myself. I have been lurking around Audi World in the last 3 months. Members of this forum are awesome, much like the enthusiasts of the Planet-9 Porsche forum in which I frequently visit. I have learned so much of Audi from the passionate loyalists here.

I currently drive a Porsche Cayman S. This mid engine beast is marvelous and truly a blast to drive. But it only sits 2 people, often me and my canine child. My wife does not always want to have our dog sitting on her lap, especially when the drive is more than 30 min. I have been researching 4 door sedan that strikes a good balance between performance and practicality for about 5 months.

I short listed the candidates to S4, A6, BWM 335i, and MB C350.

After test driving all 4, the 335i ranks the lowest. It has grown so big that it is no longer as nimble as it used to be. The interior styling and material is also pretty mediocre. I have also read many complaints about the twin turbo engine reliability.

The MB C350 has a pretty potent engine with good low end torque. Handling is much better than I expect. However the styling is too blend to me.

A6 is a decent car. The ride is too luxurious to me. It just feels more like a luxury car. It is perfectly fine if that's what you are looking for.

Now comes the S4. I think Audi designs a nearly perfect classic sport sedan. At least 4 adults can sit comfortably in the car, low end torque never runs out of steam, and general handling is great. I feel totally confident making sharp 90 degree turn. Quattro is so good to drive.

I am totally convinced that S4 suits my need the best. I placed an order with my specification. Dealer said about 3 months wait time to get the car delivered to California.

The only thing I dislike is the limited choice of color for S4. I personally like the quartz gray color found in A6. But the only gray color available in S4 is monsoon gray. I ordered monsoon gray but I am still debating between that or the Glacier White. I don't remember seeing any S4 in Glacier White. I am not sure if it is a odd color to most people.

I look forward to learning more about Audi and S4 from the forum members.

bbmaster

welcome to the forum! There are Audi exclusive colors available for $2,500.

carguyrob

Congrats on the order of the new S4!

Why don't you do an Audi Exclusive color? You can then get just about any color you want! It is really cool that Audi offers this option.

I believe it could lengthen your lead time by a month or two, but you would get the exact car you truly want.

DrGP

I agree with you about the color selection. For $2500 you can order an Audi exclusive color. Unfortunately they are no longer taking orders for exclusive colors for the 2013 production run. Who knows when they will take them again for 2014. BTW, have you considered waiting a month or 2 for a 2014 model? BTW, Ibis white is very popular. For the life of me I can't understand why.

clau

My dealer also mentioned the custom color option. I don't think I am ready to fork out that much for a different paint. I am also more than 100% certain of a very big denial from my wife :-) I'll settle with monsoon gray. This is my first gray color car and I am hoping it is not too hard to be kept clean.

Since I am going to have the black / silver Nappa leather 2-tone interior, I am thinking the standard stainless steel look inlay may actually look better than the carbon atlas inlay that I order. I searched online and found pictures of carbon atlas inlay with the black/silver interior combination. I feel a clash of color. The standard inlay looks cleaner, less "busy" together with the black/silver seats. But these are all from looking at pictures. Unfortunately no dealer inventory in northern California has this combination that I can check out in person. Any suggestion is appreciated.

doobs41378

Welcome aboard... Here is a white one for you to see ( does not say if it is Glacier White though )I think it looks sharp....

http://www.iraaudi.com/new/Audi/2013...331b0e57a9.htm

isles1

Not to be biased, but did you consider Ice Silver Metallic? Monsoon Gray was my first choice until I saw the Silver in person. The black/silver interior looks great with the stainless inlays...not a perfect match, but you do avoid the color clash you'd get with the carbon inlays.

Bobby Kinstle

Welcome to the community! I ordered an S4 in February set to build the last week of March and delivery in early to mid May. I decided on the Estoril Blue with black and silver seats with CF trim. Make sure you get the sport diff for certain, and adaptive suspension is a nice option too. I plan to pull out the fake aluminum trim around the cluster and replace it with CF from Ocarbon.

clau

Greeting my fellow bay area friend. I ordered mine on 3/16 from Stevens Creek Audi. Which dealership did you order yours from ? I was told today (just 2 days later) that my S4 is tentatively scheduled to arrive at the port on May 14. I presume it is a port in the east coast.

The Estoril Blue is indeed a very cool color. I saw a S5 in this color at the dealer and it looks gorgeous. You are definitely going to be the stand out one on the road.

Thanks to the numerous comments from members of this community, I learn that the sport differential is a must have option. It is the second option I checked on the order sheet. Thanks for the advise of checking out Ocarbon. I'll take a look of their products.

CharlieG

Monsoon is a great color and doesn't show dirt nearly as much as I had thought it might (and that's coming from someone who drove a light sliver metallic B6 S4 for eight years). I also vacillated over color choices (with Sprint Blue & Imola Yellow no longer stock colors) but am very happy with the way things turned out.