dbuxton13

I always appreciate your thoughtful and objective words, Mark. It's unfortunate that the engine sound doesn't come out the way most would prefer. I hope some enjoyment is still possible, because there are simply too many other boxes checked on this car versus everything else out there for me to land on a Merc or Bimmer. Your last comment is also my tipping point on the red leather. I have been back and forth deciding between red and gray, and if you think this version is the best you've seen yet then I'm sold.

JohnEnglish

Audi already said there will not be a RS4 sedan. However, they might explore other body styles like the sportback for North America and China because station wagons do not sell well in either of those places.

qwertyman

Waste of money. Slight increase in weight, but no additional feeling adds zero value. The ratio's changing also make you need to learn around the "dynamic" aspect of it. Clearly it's a way to add some sort of personality to an otherwise lemming like electric steering, but it'll take at least a few more generations of systems like this before they get close to replicating the sensation and feedback of hydraulic, or better yet manual steering.

The sport diff is an absolute must - but save you cash on the dynamic steering.

qwertyman

The point of reference isn't the R8 and I was careful to on numerous occasions reference prior generations of S4, which I have driven extensively. The point of mentioning the R8 was to offer some glimmer of an olive branch to show i'm not a troll. When your first post on an Audi forum is "5 things I hate about my 2018 B9 S4" - I think it begs a little background info, so folks reading it know the intent of the post isn't mere bashing for trolling sake - but to help provide feedback to potential owners - and those folks who have the B8/7 models who are looking at the B9 as a potential upgrade. There are quite a few great things about the B9, and it'll certainly outrun any stock B8/7 - but there are some flies in the ointment worth mentioning, which are disappointing in a $65K performance sedan.

qwertyman

No, the V8 in the S6 is very subdued and quiet in any mode. The S6 leans much more on the luxury VS sport side of the spectrum. The Virtual Cockpit is an incredibly gimmicky feature. Don't get me wrong - it's undoubtedly cool, but after a week - it adds little to no value if you have a heads up display - which will give you your speed and detailed directions in color, so you'll find you rarely look at the Virtual Cockpit. Not just that, but you'll likely find one mode you prefer in the virtual cockpit, and leave it in that mode - and i'll bet dollars to doughnuts the mode you leave it in, will look like a traditional dashboard, which is what I use. Why would you want small RPM/Speed gauges and a giant map on your dash - when you don't look at the map much, and when you need it - it's already telling you what to do on your windshield without having to look down? Again - cool feature, and if it's an option on a car you're considering, it's worth buying if money isn't an issue - but if I could do it over again, i'd be inclined to purchase a B8 S4 with a few thousand miles on it, where someone else had taken a big hit on the depreciation. The B9 is undoubtedly a better car, but the B8 (just one man's opinion) is more fun and engaging - and i'll forgo some of the cool tech too dads for that every day of the week. I don't regret getting the B9 - but after spending some quality time with it, I miss the B8.

1.) The R8 doesn't make the S4 disappointing - and it's important to note there's nearly a 10 year gap in terms of technology between the R8 platform and a B9, so the "cost difference" in my opinion only goes so far. The mere fact that Audi has proven they can build cars with good feedback with the R8, shows they know what it is, and how to do it. Feedback through the wheel isn't expensive. I owned a Lotus Elise that was less expensive new than this B9 S4 and it had superior feedback/steering (I'm not comparing the two - i'm merely stating $ has nothing to do with driving experience). Same goes for a Mazda Miata, which also has superior steering feel, feedback and driver engagement than the B9 S4. I don't feel this was as much the case with the B8.

2.) Agreed on the sound. I have the individual mode setup to be dynamic on all modes save for the exhaust set to comfort. Even in spirited driving the sound in dynamic is an annoyance.

3.) Agreed - CarPlay sucks. I immediately turned it off.

4.) One more thing I hate about the B9 S4 - the heads up display doesn't show RPM in dynamic mode. In 2005 I bought a C6 Corvette Z51 with a heads up display that had multiple options for showing RPM gauges in the heads up display. How can you have a sporting sedan you toss into a turn - which will show you the speed limit on the road you're in, how badly you're violating it (your current speed) the status of your lane keeping system, the next direction/turn you need to take.... but not tell you it's time to shift? For that, you have to take your eyes off the road and look at the virtual cockpit. This is impossibly stupid and an embarrassing oversight from the product team.

markcincinnati

This is the best red interior, period. The 2014 S4 was very good, but this one really is stunning.

I just drove from Cincinnati to Columbus, so I now have put, in total, 150 miles on the new S4. The sound profile is improving -- I have decided to leave the sound in COMFORT mode.

Under 1/3rd or greater throttle, the sound is acceptable. But when mildly accelerating, there is a droning sound that is muffled, slightly, by setting ADS "individual" to COMFORT for the exhaust sound.

I have the setting:

Dynamic for Engine/Transmission
Auto for Steering
Comfort for Exhaust
Auto for Adaptive Cruise Control

Also, have changed the voice prompts to short -- so she doesn't go on and on; and I went through the voice training.

I must say, I have been working with the Audi Car Play (apple) -- it is the worst feature, thus far, of the car, as it disables the MMI and bluetooth and means, far as I can tell, you essentially turn over many functions to Siri and when you can't use Siri, you're forced to crank the MMI ****, press enter, stand on one foot while reciting the alphabet backwards (in German, no less).

It is, relatively speaking, easy to conflate the two systems with somewhat funny results.

I was using BT, then I was stopped for a moment and plugged in my lightening connector (to keep the charge on the phone up) and I said "Play Moody Blues" and the thing tried to navigate to Moody Blues, Ohio.

Then, I pressed the talk button (being used to my 2014 S4 MMI), and said Dial Number. The response was the phone was not yet set up.

The car itself is unaware there is a phone hooked up to it -- although Siri knows otherwise.

The same voice command button for the MMI is also the Siri button, but, you have to hold it until you hear the familiar Siri tone, then you can access the phone, which the MMI function can't find.

I am sure some folks will think the system is "****," but I think it is "*****" -- the MMI system (to me) is better (when you're driving) since it is fully integrated with the car and is hand and eyes free.

There are times when using the Audi Apple Car Play implementation, that you have to look at the center screen while rotating the round **** and/or pressing it left, right, up, down and depressing it "to click to accept whatever is on the screen."

No such machinations are required if you stick entirely with the MMI. I happen to like "Google search Morton's of Chicago, Cincinnati Ohio" as a command. And, there is a cool new command called "Drive me to. . ."

Now, being able to say "Play Alabama Shakes," is a great feature -- and as far as I know, I can't do that when I am using bluetooth to stream my song library from my Apple 6S. But, so far -- and I've been watching every damn YouTube tutorial I can find -- you give up some of the great MMI features that I have been enjoying with consistent improvements since I picked up my new 2005 A6, way back when. The 2014 S4 MMI has been again improved upon in the 2018 S4, and if -- somehow -- the two "smart" guys could work together without a "conflict of interest," well, I'd say, by jove they've got it!

Unfortunately, the two systems are pretty much NOT on speaking terms with each other.

I was driving to Columbus with my iPhone plugged in for battery charging and was totally unable to use the familiar MMI commands to make a phone call -- the damn thing kept telling me there was NO PHONE SET UP IN THE CAR.

When I finally got to Columbus, I took the phone out of the car and when I got back in it later, I did NOT plug the phone back in and "ta da" the phone icon lit up and all was forgiven. Later, I re-plugged the phone in and son of a gun, the phone icon went dark and it took me a half an hour to figure out that I had to use Siri to make a damn call.

The voice command system RECOGNIZED the legitimacy of my commands, but it really was frustrating to keep hearing the thing tell me "the phone isn't set up."

I was reminded of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation where Clark Griswald couldn't make his 25,000 Christmas lights come on until someone flicked a switch ON in the garage (and didn't tell Clark). He was elated -- until they turned the switch back off in the garage.

That was me -- Clark, er, Mark Griswald.

I'm sure this is part of a learning curve. But, I'm the guy who bought an Amazon Echo and a bunch of devices (light bulbs, switches, thermostats, etc, etc) and programmed my Alexa to turn my lights and appliances on and off via voice. Hell, I even order Pizza to be delivered via Alexa.

Yet, me, a computer programmer and system's engineer since 1976 can't make my damn Audi MMI and my iPhone live in harmony.

My wife said she wondered how someone who is not a "technologist" could make this work smoothly.

Well, I don't know about that -- but the system is anything but "intuitive" and defines "user UN-friendliness."

Give me a week -- if I can't make it work the way it OUGHT to work, I'll just go back to the bluetooth / MMI system, which works fine as wine.

If you look up Cluster , , , , in the dictionary there is a picture of Apple Play and an MMI screen with a hatchet smack dab in the center of the "fake iPad looking" screen stuck on the dash.

The car drives like a dream, however.

superswiss

I haven't even driven the new B9 S4, but what you are saying is exactly how I expected things to be. I had a B7 S4 and I couldn't get excited about the B8/.5 S4 and from everything I read so far about the B9 it's just more in a direction that is not my cup of tea. I fear that I will be equally disappointed with the new RS5. Like you, I'm not about specs, but I'm looking for emotion, character and a connection when driving a sports/sporty car. The current RS5 delivers that for me.

I know a bunch of folks around here and other forums go ape about turbo engines and low end torque, but I'm like you. It just makes for a boring driving experience. There is no reward in playing with the gears and revving the engine, because there isn't anything more to come. I've seen the torque curve of the new RS5 next to the S4 and it's unfortunately the same story. Just more torque and more horsepower. As sad as it is, but that's where it's going nowadays. It's all about efficiency real or artificial. Everybody currently chases artificial dyno numbers until both the EU and EPA mandate real world driving cycles.

I'm in total agreement with the MMI/Car Play/Android Auto. It's a horrendously disjointed experience. I have had several B9 A4 loaners and I find the new MMI control layout/placement and UI several steps back from the system in the B8. There are some improvements and some cool new features, but overall I'm very disappointed. Funny thing happened. I had my RS5 in for the 55k service and they gave me yet another B9 A4. The moment I got into the car, I was like, you know this is not really a nice place to be and I felt already tired of the virtual cockpit and I haven't even owned one yet.

I'm inclined to skip the current generation. I generally buy after the mid-cycle refresh. I bought my RS5 outright, but it's out of warranty now. So far the car is rock solid, but the last thing I want is the transmission or sport differential going bad. There are no signs of that so far, but there is always the possibility. I'll see what I'm gonna do next year. My plan is to rent an RS5 through Audi on Demand (only San Francisco so far) and take it out to the canyons for a day and see if it tickles me, but for the first time I might go Merc. The C63 S looks awfully attractive at this point. Still turbo, but at least a V8.

Somebody asked about the S6 and it was already answered, but I have to echo. Despite having a V8, the S6 bored me to death when I was driving it. It's equally subdued, at least it doesn't have any unpleasant sounds and drones like the new S4 seems to have.

bpp

While I will neither agree nor disagree with your "S4 hate", to each his own. I do agree with your "what's great about the b9S4" though and to each his own as well. .02

heisnuts

Thank you, Mark, for starting my day off on a happy note. I learned early on not to be drinking anything when reading one of your posts because there is a good chance I will be laughing out loud by the time I am done reading it...

dbuxton13

I started typing up a bullet paper on how everybody is wrong, but then I remembered I don't give two flips what anyone else thinks. Except maybe Mark. He's too cool for school, but is the kinda guy that would still go to school, and help you with your homework. After researching this car and it's closest competitors at the same price point for the last 18 months, I'm still settled on the B9 S4. So stuff it, or whatever. Go buy a track-centric car, or a more expensive car, or a car that plays 'La Cucaracha' when you press the horn. It is your money, and you are you. So be you, and do it well.