Willco

Hey everyone,

My wife is fixing to move from a Volvo to 2014 A4 with sport package, but it will also be my car for long trips and when I give up my own 2001 A4. But moving up to the S4 would not be an impossible jump so I'm planning to drive them both and see.

I should say that I'm not (by this forum's standards!) an aggressive driver. I did put a GIAC chip and sway bars into my A4 and really like the improved performance, but that's about as far as it goes.

Since I don't quite understand the concept of the sport differential anyway, I'm tempted to skip it to get the S4 closer to the A4 in price, but there's a long and helpful youtube review which mentions the sport differential as one option that's really worth it.

But of course he's a car reviewer, not me, so I wondered what people thought: would I notice the sport differential if, as it were, I stick to the speed limits?

many thanks,

will

GRMick

Yes. The sport differential is a defining feature of the S4, IMO.

It is very noticeable in even moderate driving. The fact you chipped your A4 and improved the suspension indicates to me you value handling and performance, and the S4 may be the better option for you. However, being you wife's daily driver, she has to be happy with the firmer ride of the standard S4 suspension. An alternative may be to get the adaptive suspension option where you can change between the softer ride of the comfort setting and the sharper handling of the dynamic setting.

Run a search for previous sport differential posts. There are many excellent technical explanations, including videos.

I hope this helps.

slasher016

Nearly everyone on this forum is going to say you need to get it. My advice? Drive both and see if you really do need it. It is definitely noticeable, and worth the money, but you may not feel you need it.

DrGP

DO NOT BUY AN S4 WITHOUT IT! IT IS THE OPTION THAT MAKES THIS CAR SPECIAL. It can't be added afterwards. It is not only a performance featue but also a safety feature. Unless you drive like an 80yr old grandmother, GET IT!. However, if you don't get it, and never drive an s4 with the sport dif, you rerally won't know the difference since the S4 is still a really good car without it. Check this out:

RickFLS4

It is a pretty inexpensive option and you can't retrofit later if you regret not getting it. I think it makes a difference for driving through curves (think on / off ramps). It will also make a difference at resale time. Cars with it will be more desirable than those without and I wouldn't be surprised it the SD is an option that holds most of its value in this respect.

I think you will find a huge difference in driving the S4 vs. A4. I also recommend adaptive damping as in earlier post by GRMick, particularly if this will be your wife's DD. My wife has a Q5 2.0T and loves to drive my S4 when we switch cars. I hope your wife isn't as friendly with curbs as mine is.

Willco

Thank you all: I'm sold. I'm sure if it didn't exist I would be fine, both of use are total believers in anything that helps tracking. A couple of years ago I had to do a really shart left/right turn to avoid a car that decided to ignore a stop sign, and my A4 did it beautifully; I'm pretty sure (though maybe it's just an illusion) that in the Volvo I would have crashed.

Plus it sounds cool!

Will