Do I need the S package?
 

Have an awesome lease deal on a blue S4 at local Audi. Didn’t think I’d like the blue but now I need it. It doesn’t have the S sport package though - worth waiting for one that does?

If you're not going to push the car to it's limits on a track or back roads (which is dangerous in itself) then I doubt you even know you didn't have it. I didn't get it and I drove one with it and couldn't tell the difference on normal roads....same with the adaptive suspension...I don't notice any difference on the roads around the NOVA area and personally I like the stiffer ride.

There are plenty of threads on this subject and Mark has a big read on it if you search for it. I also had a short write up on it in my order thread...2nd part of this post here.
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/s4-.../#post25022126

Thank you, I’ll take a look. I drove it tonight and it was so awesome, hard to imagine it being better.

I had a 2014 B8.5 with the rear sport diff. This came after a 2013 B8.5 which did NOT have the rear sport diff. After I got the 2013, I owned it for about a year and half and purchased it without the diff on the advice of my salesperson who said I would never know the difference unless I tracked it. Not having the sport diff subsequently began to eat away at me and I wound up trading it in early for the 2014, and the difference to me was night and day. You could almost feel the rear of the car pushing around a turn taken at speed. I am 100% not of the opinion that you don't enjoy it unless taken to the track or driven at the limit. After owning both cars in a short span of time, I would never buy an S car without the sport diff. I currently own a C7 S6, which also has the sport diff, but I miss the driving dynamics of the S4 with the sport diff so much (the C7 is so much bigger, that even with the sport diff it handles like a boat) that I have factory ordered a B9 to replace it, due in January.

Get the sport diff. That's one of the biggest reasons to buy an Audi S car, in my opinion.

An S4 Owner does not need to take the car to the track or go off-roading with it for it to deserve having the S Sport Package. I definitely do not take my car to the track or off-road trails. I equipped my '16 S5 with the Sport Diff and Sport Adaptive Suspension because I like my car's characteristics to change from time to time. If you get tired of the way your car drives over time, having the S Sport Package allows you to change some of its dynamics and characteristics depending on road conditions. The Sport Diff, I have to admit, is one whose performance cannot be felt unless you are doing a bit more spirited driving through curves and corners. I enjoy taking the car around curving on-ramps and the turns are very quick, like its is on rails.

If you want to add a bit more dimension to your driving, I recommend splurging for the S Sport Package. I believe that an 'S' model deserves it. If you are the type of driver that just does the daily A to B commute and see a car as a convenience and utility with no passion for driving at all, skip the S Sport Package and spend your money elsewhere.

There are several other threads on this as pointed out. It has been discussed many times. I'm starting to adopt the opinion that if you have to ask, then you probably don't need/want it. However, a few thoughts to consider. The adaptive suspension allows you to adjust the comfort level of the car. That generally is useful in any kind of driving. You can put it in comfort if the Misses/Significant Other is sensitive or you hit up some rough roads and later you can stiffen it up if you happen to find yourself on something more fun to drive.

As for the sport differential. If you have any understanding of why gear heads prefer a car that oversteers over one that understeers, then your mind should be made up on the sport differential already. Sports cars are RWD or rear bias in order to give them oversteer characteristics as it is more dynamic and fun to rotate a car with the throttle around a corner than having to lift off in order to control understeer. You don't have to drive like Mario Andretti to feel this difference in driving dynamics. A RWD or rear-biased car drives different even around town from a neutral or forward biased car, but you need to understand how to take advantage of it. When going around a corner instead of making adjustments with the steering wheel to control your turning radius, you use the throttle to fine tune your exit line. Give it more throttle to tighten up the line or less throttle to loosen it up. That's called throttle steering and is a lot more fun than a car where the front end tends to go wide around a turn.

Now the standard quattro system in the S4 is already rear biased. Under normal conditions it puts 60% of the torque to the rear and 40% to the front. It also employs torque vectoring by using the brakes to slow down the inner wheels and effectively sling shot the car around a corner. This system has limitations, though, as it is passive. The sport differential enhances this by actively directing more torque to the outside wheel so that the car is literally pushed around the corner. It's a fun experience and kind similar feeling as rear wheel steering that's popping up on more and more sport/performance cars. One other aspect of the sport differential is that it can stabilize the car w/o the ESP having to intervene. It basically acts as an inverse ESP and helps keeping the car stable on the road by directing the engine torque to the wheel that can make most use of it. It makes the car more dynamic overall and you will feel ESP intervene much less than w/o it as most of the time the sport diff stabilizes the car before you even know it was becoming unstable.

Isn't not being like this a prerequisite for wanting an S4??

One would think... but there are plenty of dentists who buy a C7 Corvette just to take to work on Fridays.

This again. Those that really understand how it works will want it. Those that don't will rationalize not getting it. The cycle continues. However, in the interest of getting correct information out there and squashing the falsehood that these systems are only for "pushing the limits" here are all the salient points straight from the Audi engineers, contained in earlier posts addressing this. Read and make up your own mind if it is worth it.

--The sport differential takes effect not only under load, but also on the overrun; its torque distributing action even enhances the car’s agility when the clutch is disengaged

-- Depending on steering angle, lateral acceleration, yaw angle, road speed and other signals, the control unit calculates the most suitable distribution of torque to the wheels for every driving situation

--The difference in tractive force between the left and right wheels also exerts a steering effect, so that the usual corrections by the driver at the steering wheel are no longer needed

--The sport differential redistributes the power input continually with great rapidity and counteracts any tendency for the car to understeer or oversteer before either of these effects can build up. For the driver, this means reduced effort at the steering wheel and higher maximum lateral acceleration

--Since its reaction time is extremely short – less than 100 milliseconds – the sport differential takes effect even more rapidly than ESP

--ESP can only react to a discrepancy between the car’s steering angle and its actual body rotation, whereas the sport differential influences the car’s dynamic behaviour before any such discrepancies occur

--Actual road dynamics and those sensed subjectively by the driver are both enhanced, and driving pleasure benefits too, since ESP comes into action much less frequently

--It is capable of completely eliminating the classic load-reversal reactions when the accelerator is lifted or the brakes applied suddenly while cornering... if the accelerator pedal is released, torque distribution between the wheels is adjusted almost instantaneously

--Is just as effective when the engine is driving the wheels as it is on the overrun or when the car is coasting freely

--The computer obtains the information it needs from the steering angle, wheel speed, lateral acceleration and yaw-rate sensors and from current engine data... twin yaw-rate and lateral acceleration sensors are installed for the sport differential

-- The system has extremely high reaction speed: data from both sensors are continuously compared in the control unit, so that reliable results are available more rapidly

***Combined with the sport suspension (electronic damping control):

--At a cycle frequency of 1000 per second, the control unit computes the optimal damping force... the electromagnetically controlled valve selects a damping characteristic to match the current driving situation at any given moment

***Combined with dynamic steering:

--Can correct a small to moderate angle of float as rapidly and effectively as a rally driver could ever react, by automatically turning the wheels slightly in the opposite direction... brake applications are normally only needed if the angle is greater, and then in most cases only to exert a damping effect

--The dynamic steering system, damping control and sport differential work closely together with the ESP. They reduce the burden on the stabilisation program because the corrections take place considerably earlier via the input torque, the damping force or the steering angle. These rapid, efficient interventions avoid the need for brake applications in many cases, so that the car can be driven more dynamically and smoothly

Relax brother. Don't understand all the nuance but I like to drive and want to make sure I maximize my purchase.

Thank you for the notes though. I'm going to get the S package because if I don't, I'll obsess over what I'm missing... which is so freaking sad when you think about how nice the car is even without it...