TDIII

Hi All:

Wanted to get your opinions/experiences on SD only versus adding the full-blown ADS option. Yes, I have done a TON of research but I'm still confused on the various aspects of these two options.

I plan on ordering sometime in the next few months and will be coming out of a BMW 335i sedan. I've been driving BMW 3-series sedans for the past 5 years and absolutely love the heavy and communicative steering of the 3. Don't like some other things so it's time for a change. I have driven 2 different S4s but have not been able to test-drive one at all with either the SD or ADS. Can't find one anywhere within 100 miles to test-drive. I know I want the ability to "stiffen" up the steering so that it's closer to the feel of the 335i, but I'm not sure what other benefits the ADS will give me. I've heard of the SD being called ADS-lite.

Can you all give me some insight as to what additional benefits the ADS will offer versus just the SD? The SAs I've been talking to seem to know next to nothing. I'll be ordering the manual as opposed to the dual clutch so any additional benefits of transmission mapping and shift points will be meaningless to me. However, if ADS gives me more throttle response even in a manual, I'd be interested to know that. I'm not interested in starting another SD vs. non-SD thread, we know there's already been enough of those. What I'm looking for are owners of ADS-equipped cars who can help me, through their experiences, decide if the additional $2900 is money well-spent.

Thank you in advance for your insights!

NWS4Guy

Sport Diff: $1,100

Active rear end which torque steers the rear of the car to defeat understeer.

This comes with canned selection buttons:

Comfort - soft shifts on DSG, non-invasive Sport Diff, overly boosted steering, light throttle responses

Dynamic - hard fast shifts on DSG, aggresive Sport Diff, heavy 335i like communicative steering, very quick throttle response (REALLY eats into gas mileage).

Auto - a hybrid between the previous to, the ECU tries to respond to your inputs, softening things if you are driving easy, tightening things if you start to turn hard and accell fast.

Lastly, you get a personal selection setting

Individual
You can set these features:
- Sport Diff
- Steering feedback
- Throttle response/shifting speeds(shift only applies to DSG)

enabling you to set each of these 3 to either comfort, dynamic, or auto so give your own touch to how you like things.



ADS: ~$4000, includes Sport Diff
So you get all of the above plus you get:
- Ability to change the actual lock-to-lock steering ratio (comfort is lots of turns, dynamic makes steering very responsive and shorter lock to lock)

- Suspension dampening can be changed to be very tight for aggressive driving in dynamic, or very old man Buick like in Comfort mode.

koobah

Actually, it's the other way around. Comfort as in low speed parking maneuvers is performed with less steering wheel travel.

soljc

I also learned (belatedly) that if you get the Prestige package, the only way to get a backup camera is to opt for the ADS. Prestige + SD = no camera, which seems just silly when you consider those who opt for the Preimum Plus and add NAV get a backup camera.

NWS4Guy

Well it's speed centric to each setup, at speed the steering is much tighter lock to lock in dynamic, you don't want to go around the track having to crank the wheel around and around at each turn.

I'll amend it to this:

Dynamic - more turns are lower speeds, less at higher speeds.
Comfort - less turns at lower speeds, more turn at higher speeds.

Does this seem more accurate?

NWS4Guy

No longer accurate, now that there are only '11's being built, anytime you add Nav you get camera and backup sensors on both models.

drrick89

Dang it!

Needsdecaf

Even on Dynamic, the steering won't have the same weight as a BMW.

Do not confuse weight with feel and feedback....the Audi has plenty of both. IMO, BMW (which I used to absolutely adore) has gone too far...thick wheels for the sake of being the thickest, heavy steering for the sake of being heavy, stiff ride for the sake of being stiff....but all without commensurate increases in performance. Oh, there are improvements, but not as proportional as it should be.

rktskicar

Post a note in your local forum to see if anybody that has an SD or ADS will let you take theirs out for a test drive.

A number of people drove my last S4 from the local forum.

Bruce

Majorafro

Quick dumb question, if you don't have ADS or ADS lite, what fixed setting is used...something akin to Auto?

BTW, I have an awfully hard time not leavign it on dynamic, despite the 2 MPG that results in.