FWIW - Another 2018 S4 review
06-01-2018, 08:19 AM
#4
AudiWorld Senior Member
^^ Seriously, what a stupid way of measuring. Might as well compare how many Barn-megaparsecs of prepared strawberry-banana Jello the car can hold.
In all seriousness, I only care if I can fit a standard size Nalgene in them (answer: no, cubby too narrow) or a normal 20oz Gatorade from the gas station (answer: yep!).
In all seriousness, I only care if I can fit a standard size Nalgene in them (answer: no, cubby too narrow) or a normal 20oz Gatorade from the gas station (answer: yep!).
06-01-2018, 11:39 AM
#6
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OK, well, FWIW, here's my review of the review. I'm just going to go through the "lows" and "dislikes" and give my reactions. To those who say, "Who cares what you think?" I reply, "Cut me some slack, I'm procrastinating!"
In the "Overview" section, the "lows" are said to be: "Can hardly tell it from the last-gen version, no manual gearbox, excellent A4 is thousands cheaper."
Each section also has a separate list of "dislikes" but because these "lows" are in the "Overview" section, we may assume that the author and editors consider these three to be the most important. Personally, none of them move me a bit.
I like the styling of the car a lot. The S4 (and A4) strike me as very classy, obviously high quality, without any flashiness. As Tom Wolfe put it in another context, “rich and subdued.” I like it better than the look of any of its competitors.
I’m not going to go through them all. But to stick with the two most important, the BMW is overly aggressive and "look at me." The Merc looks to me both too "rounded" and too obviously "lux." Flashy almost. But the roundedness is what really bugs me. I don't like this trend of cars that look like a parenthesis lying on its side. That's what Honda has done to the new Accord and it looks like a hatchback, even though it’s not.
This is actually a common criticism of the B9, that the design is “evolutionary” not “revolutionary.” Personally, I find that a feature, not a bug. Audi hit on a great design for these cars. Why screw that up for the sake of change? That’s apparently what Honda did. After years of making attractive Accords that you could tell were Accords, the new Accord looks like a wholly new model (and one I don’t really like). No thanks.
I guess the point of “can hardly tell it from the last-gen” is that some people want it instantly known that they are driving the latest model. But to me that is one of the B9’s strengths. I like having the latest model with all the latest stuff, but in a package that doesn’t shout that.
OK, no manual. I can see why this disappoints some. Even if this car came with a manual, I don’t think I would have gotten it. I could have bought a P+ A4 with Sport Plus, 6MT. Great, fun car. But a bitch in traffic. Wife can’t drive it. Can’t get DAP. And all the systems won’t work together as well (or so I read). I note as well that when you get to the “Engine and Transmission” section of the review, the author explicitly states: “Also impressive was its eight-speed automatic, which had reactions that seemed so perceptive, we found the desire to shift for ourselves was virtually eliminated.” To repeat, “the desire to shift for ourselves was virtually eliminated.” So that sorta kills that particular “low” point.
The “excellent A4 is thousands cheaper.” Though once you start optioning it up, not so much. It’s not like anyone who might consider an S4 over an A4 would even give a thought to a base A4 with the Ultra engine and no Quattro. The gap quickly narrows as soon as you add the options that really make the car stand out. The gap between a fully loaded A4 and the base S4 is only a couple grand, and the base S4 is still way better. Admittedly, had I gone with an A4, configured how I wanted, it would have been $9K less than the S4 I ordered. Now, $9K is a lot. But look what you get: the better engine, better suspension, better seats, (arguably) better transmission, the cool sport suspension, differential, and steering (at least I did). Plus the nicer trim touches on the outside and a slightly spiffier interior. Each must decide if that is worth $9K, but it was to me. I don’t think that calculation is so obviously wrong that it deserves being called a “low.”
Onto the sections. “Engine and Transmission”: no manual, plastic paddle shifters, exhaust sounds artificial.
We’ve dealt with the first.
I personally do not care about the second, and even if one did, it’s nitpicky. What are they supposed to be made of? The other levers on the wheel are plastic. The buttons on the wheel are plastic. Why is plastic OK there but bad on the paddles?
As for the exhaust, first it simply does not sound fake to me. But admittedly, I am not a connoisseur of exhaust noise. So what do I know? Exhaust noise for me would never factor into my decision whether or not to buy a particular car. I probably will have the exhaust for my car set on “comfort” to minimize noise. So, again, nitpicky at best.
Now, I think they do score a point in the “Fuel Economy and Driving Range” section. We’d all always rather get better economy, all other things being equal. Though the charts show that the S4 is actually right in line with its competitors. What peeves the author is that it misses its EPA estimate. But from reading this forum, the fuel economy improves over time and many have reported getting 30 mpg or more on the highway. The reviewer likely didn’t have the car long enough to find out.
It would be nice to have a bigger gas tank and thus longer range. But it’s not a factor that’s going to cause me to look to get a different car.
The next criticism is also common (not just against the S4 but against all Audis). The car is not “exciting.” I guess you have to be a car guru to think this. Lacking extensive experience, I find the S4 (and even the A4) plenty exciting. Dramatically exciting. I just can’t relate to this complaint.
Next, the car is said to have “tight front seat legroom.” I really do not get this one. I am 6’4.” This is the first car I can remember having driven in which I do not have to put the driver’s seat all the way to the back in order not to feel jammed. In fact, if I put it all the way back, I feel I am too far from the pedals. Then the sport seats are said to be “supportive but stiff.” Okaaay. I didn’t get that impression, but de gustibus.
The reviewer levels another frequent complaint about the dash display screen. I get why people think it would be cool to have the screen retract. However, in many hours driving variants of this car, the screen never bothered me. It’s not in the way. It does not impair visibility. I don’t even think it looks bad, though I realize others do. And I completely buy Audi’s explanation that most drivers simply leave the retractable screen up. I know I would.
The next charge is “deep menus are distracting.” This is not explained. In fact, the text says “the rotary **** on the center console is easy to operate and makes the deep menus easier to navigate.” So I am not sure what the charge here actually is. I admit that, coming from such an old car, I have yet to get used to all this tech. It still feels a little overwhelming. Time will tell whether I find the S4’s “deep menus … distracting.”
The car gets no complaints on cargo space and storage. One of the reasons I selected a B9 (instead of saving thousands on a used B8.5) was that I wanted the smallest possible four-door sedan with a real back seat. This delivers.
The next section is on the exterior, which we’ve covered. Except to say that “racy curb appeal that causes heads to swivel in a class where flash is king”—which the reviewer laments the S4 lacks—is exactly NOT what I’m looking for.
“Optional assists are reserved for the top trim.” OK. A quibble, but OK. But how good are those options? Very good, apparently. Perhaps Audi should offer them on the P+. But if they’re good, why not get Prestige? You’re going to pay for them either way …
Finally, they complain about the warranty. Like the gas tank size, all other things being equal, more is better. But also like tank size, this is not going to be decisive for me either way.
After all that, the car only gets four out of five stars. The Alfa and the Merc each get five of five. Even with some of the same “lows.” Not sure I get it. But I certainly didn’t read anything that made me question my decision to get this car.
In the "Overview" section, the "lows" are said to be: "Can hardly tell it from the last-gen version, no manual gearbox, excellent A4 is thousands cheaper."
Each section also has a separate list of "dislikes" but because these "lows" are in the "Overview" section, we may assume that the author and editors consider these three to be the most important. Personally, none of them move me a bit.
I like the styling of the car a lot. The S4 (and A4) strike me as very classy, obviously high quality, without any flashiness. As Tom Wolfe put it in another context, “rich and subdued.” I like it better than the look of any of its competitors.
I’m not going to go through them all. But to stick with the two most important, the BMW is overly aggressive and "look at me." The Merc looks to me both too "rounded" and too obviously "lux." Flashy almost. But the roundedness is what really bugs me. I don't like this trend of cars that look like a parenthesis lying on its side. That's what Honda has done to the new Accord and it looks like a hatchback, even though it’s not.
This is actually a common criticism of the B9, that the design is “evolutionary” not “revolutionary.” Personally, I find that a feature, not a bug. Audi hit on a great design for these cars. Why screw that up for the sake of change? That’s apparently what Honda did. After years of making attractive Accords that you could tell were Accords, the new Accord looks like a wholly new model (and one I don’t really like). No thanks.
I guess the point of “can hardly tell it from the last-gen” is that some people want it instantly known that they are driving the latest model. But to me that is one of the B9’s strengths. I like having the latest model with all the latest stuff, but in a package that doesn’t shout that.
OK, no manual. I can see why this disappoints some. Even if this car came with a manual, I don’t think I would have gotten it. I could have bought a P+ A4 with Sport Plus, 6MT. Great, fun car. But a bitch in traffic. Wife can’t drive it. Can’t get DAP. And all the systems won’t work together as well (or so I read). I note as well that when you get to the “Engine and Transmission” section of the review, the author explicitly states: “Also impressive was its eight-speed automatic, which had reactions that seemed so perceptive, we found the desire to shift for ourselves was virtually eliminated.” To repeat, “the desire to shift for ourselves was virtually eliminated.” So that sorta kills that particular “low” point.
The “excellent A4 is thousands cheaper.” Though once you start optioning it up, not so much. It’s not like anyone who might consider an S4 over an A4 would even give a thought to a base A4 with the Ultra engine and no Quattro. The gap quickly narrows as soon as you add the options that really make the car stand out. The gap between a fully loaded A4 and the base S4 is only a couple grand, and the base S4 is still way better. Admittedly, had I gone with an A4, configured how I wanted, it would have been $9K less than the S4 I ordered. Now, $9K is a lot. But look what you get: the better engine, better suspension, better seats, (arguably) better transmission, the cool sport suspension, differential, and steering (at least I did). Plus the nicer trim touches on the outside and a slightly spiffier interior. Each must decide if that is worth $9K, but it was to me. I don’t think that calculation is so obviously wrong that it deserves being called a “low.”
Onto the sections. “Engine and Transmission”: no manual, plastic paddle shifters, exhaust sounds artificial.
We’ve dealt with the first.
I personally do not care about the second, and even if one did, it’s nitpicky. What are they supposed to be made of? The other levers on the wheel are plastic. The buttons on the wheel are plastic. Why is plastic OK there but bad on the paddles?
As for the exhaust, first it simply does not sound fake to me. But admittedly, I am not a connoisseur of exhaust noise. So what do I know? Exhaust noise for me would never factor into my decision whether or not to buy a particular car. I probably will have the exhaust for my car set on “comfort” to minimize noise. So, again, nitpicky at best.
Now, I think they do score a point in the “Fuel Economy and Driving Range” section. We’d all always rather get better economy, all other things being equal. Though the charts show that the S4 is actually right in line with its competitors. What peeves the author is that it misses its EPA estimate. But from reading this forum, the fuel economy improves over time and many have reported getting 30 mpg or more on the highway. The reviewer likely didn’t have the car long enough to find out.
It would be nice to have a bigger gas tank and thus longer range. But it’s not a factor that’s going to cause me to look to get a different car.
The next criticism is also common (not just against the S4 but against all Audis). The car is not “exciting.” I guess you have to be a car guru to think this. Lacking extensive experience, I find the S4 (and even the A4) plenty exciting. Dramatically exciting. I just can’t relate to this complaint.
Next, the car is said to have “tight front seat legroom.” I really do not get this one. I am 6’4.” This is the first car I can remember having driven in which I do not have to put the driver’s seat all the way to the back in order not to feel jammed. In fact, if I put it all the way back, I feel I am too far from the pedals. Then the sport seats are said to be “supportive but stiff.” Okaaay. I didn’t get that impression, but de gustibus.
The reviewer levels another frequent complaint about the dash display screen. I get why people think it would be cool to have the screen retract. However, in many hours driving variants of this car, the screen never bothered me. It’s not in the way. It does not impair visibility. I don’t even think it looks bad, though I realize others do. And I completely buy Audi’s explanation that most drivers simply leave the retractable screen up. I know I would.
The next charge is “deep menus are distracting.” This is not explained. In fact, the text says “the rotary **** on the center console is easy to operate and makes the deep menus easier to navigate.” So I am not sure what the charge here actually is. I admit that, coming from such an old car, I have yet to get used to all this tech. It still feels a little overwhelming. Time will tell whether I find the S4’s “deep menus … distracting.”
The car gets no complaints on cargo space and storage. One of the reasons I selected a B9 (instead of saving thousands on a used B8.5) was that I wanted the smallest possible four-door sedan with a real back seat. This delivers.
The next section is on the exterior, which we’ve covered. Except to say that “racy curb appeal that causes heads to swivel in a class where flash is king”—which the reviewer laments the S4 lacks—is exactly NOT what I’m looking for.
“Optional assists are reserved for the top trim.” OK. A quibble, but OK. But how good are those options? Very good, apparently. Perhaps Audi should offer them on the P+. But if they’re good, why not get Prestige? You’re going to pay for them either way …
Finally, they complain about the warranty. Like the gas tank size, all other things being equal, more is better. But also like tank size, this is not going to be decisive for me either way.
After all that, the car only gets four out of five stars. The Alfa and the Merc each get five of five. Even with some of the same “lows.” Not sure I get it. But I certainly didn’t read anything that made me question my decision to get this car.
Last edited by MarkWayneClark; 06-02-2018 at 09:02 AM.
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06-02-2018, 08:55 AM
#9
Do you think that at some point reviewers will stop reviewing the car for something that it's not supposed to be? It seems in almost every review of Audi and BMW's S4 and 340 you see comments of them being numb, subdued, lacking excitement, but amazing performers for the price. In fact, it seems the only way the reviewers would be happy is if the cars were on race-tuned suspensions with hydraulic manual steering and non-resonated/muffled exhaust. But you can't daily drive a car like that, or at least I don't want to spend 60k on a car which is completely un-enjoyable driving on a daily basis to work and back like that.
Yet, I do still put the car in dynamic and have a ton of fun driving it in the evening or weekends, and to me at least, its quite exciting to drive in that way. I mean, stock the S4 runs a 12.7 at almost 110 in the 1/4, that is way too fast to use anywhere except at the track and obliterates 90+% of other cars on the road, the braking performance and skid pad performance blew every other segment competitor out of the water. I find it hard to believe anyone who tells me the car is "numb" and lacks excitement.
It gets just a bit old, and again, it's not just Audi reviews, it's most of the other cars in the segment as well.
Yet, I do still put the car in dynamic and have a ton of fun driving it in the evening or weekends, and to me at least, its quite exciting to drive in that way. I mean, stock the S4 runs a 12.7 at almost 110 in the 1/4, that is way too fast to use anywhere except at the track and obliterates 90+% of other cars on the road, the braking performance and skid pad performance blew every other segment competitor out of the water. I find it hard to believe anyone who tells me the car is "numb" and lacks excitement.
It gets just a bit old, and again, it's not just Audi reviews, it's most of the other cars in the segment as well.
06-02-2018, 01:42 PM
#10
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You are right when talking about the new Accord. The last new design was wonderful and was unmistakably an Accord. Now it looks like the Civic had a love child with a Hyundai or something..not good.
Your review of the review was spot on. You really must be procrastinating from something big! LOL
Your review of the review was spot on. You really must be procrastinating from something big! LOL