donaldp

I'm very disappointed with the performance of my V8 in my S5 and am infuriated with the vibration in my S5 clutch. I drove an S-tonic S4 today and was very impressed with the engine response and felt like I could move away from a manual to the DSG tranny. Has anyone moved this direction either in model and/or tranny? What feedback can you give me regarding your decision?

rktskicar

For what it is worth, my S4 6MT is excellent. Maybe you just had some sort of problem with your S5 clutch? They are likely the same tranny.

Bruce

johnz

I did. Had one of the first S5's. I loved the car. Great cruiser and no problems with clutch or any other issues. However, sitting in traffic with the clutch got to be too much. So I test drove an S4. Special ordered it, delivered in June. The DSG is fantastic and so is the 3.0 supercharged. I will never go back to a manual for my everyday driver. And this engine! My overall MPG has been averaging 24. The car drives smaller than it is. I couldn't complain about the performance of the S5 V8 and loved the sound. I felt it was deceptively fast. I think of the S5 more as a great GT. The S4 on the other hand feels faster with the DSG. Just drove back from Vegas. Want to pass somebody on that 2-lane? Couple taps on the paddle and your at 4000 RPM, pull out to pass and you're at 115 mph pulling back in....

BSBG

Not exactly the same, but I went form a B6 6MT with the V8 to an S-Tronic.

I occasionally miss the "driver involvement" of the true manual, but the rest of the time I love the transmission, and the rest of the car. As mentioned, it drives and handles like a lighter, smaller car.

drrick89

Maybe not faster than manual trannies and/or big V8s on a race track from 0-100 mph. But, in the real world; on city streets, in traffic, or jetting down winding highways - the S4's supercharger & S-Tronic, plus torque to four wheels - makes you quicker than most anything on the road. I can even hang with many motorcycles. That's pretty dang quick!

RVTS4

"I can even hang with many motorcycles."

The S4 is nice, but even a whiny 600cc bike with a decent rider should destroy almost any 50K car. Even my fat pig RC-51 could do that to a 911 turbo or a Masertai Quattroporte, same for my ZX-9 which embarassed certain red Italian sports car once and my ZX-10 which could annilate just about anything on the road. Go read the cycle magazine where they took the BMW 1000RR up against the M3. BMW versus BMW, it was quite a story.

Anand00x

I went to 2 Audi dealerships before I made my choice. I was going for a fully loaded Black S5 but both dealers actually talked me out of it. One of them said if I wanted performance the V8 S5 was definitely not what I wanted. After I drove the S-Tronic double clutch system I was sold. The V8 is very heavy and the balance on the new S4 is great.

Dads4

I've been a performance/sports car driver for all of my 62 years. I bought a used 2000 S4 in 2005 and loved it. Traded it in in November '07 for a 2008 S5 - totally different car. I loved the comfort and amentities, but it's nowhere near as much fun to thrash around - the greater weight and inertia diminish the handling and 'fun' quotient significantly. The 18 mpg didn't make me happy either. Disliked it so much I took a big loss to trade it in for a used A4 in October '08 to save on gas, etc. BORING!! Saved my pennies (and tens, and twenties) and bought a 2011 S4 in July of this year. I already have 6k miles on it and I haven't stopped smiling since. It has all the amenties the S5 had AND it handles like s aports car. Best buy I ever made.

donaldp

I'm wresting with moving away from what I feel is the better looking of the two towrads what I know is the way more fun of the two.

Did you purchase the S-Tronic or manual in your 2011 S4?

I wish I could get 18 mpg with my S5. Consistently getting 14-15 on combined driving.

Dads4

I got the 6 speed because I have always preferred sticks, but I hear the automatic is awesome too. I agree the S5 is better looking, but when I'm driving my S4 and see an S5 on the road i think 'poser'......the S4 is the real driver's car. And let's face it, it's a damn good looking car in it's own right.