rikwynnpa

Just bought my first Audi. The comparison between the BMW 340/440 and the S4 was surprising. The BMWs are not even competitive. They are old designs with boring and cheap interiors. BMW has obviously been milking their profits and not investing in the product. Even the brand new M550xi is a boring car. Drove that too. The S4 slots between the 340 and an M3 and is better than both. The M3 is raw and noisy with RWD only while the S4 is smooth and fast and great in the winter. The interior of the S4 is miles ahead of anything BMW makes. I was a huge BMW fan for 10 years but not anymore. They want $70K for an X5 that's a 7 yr old design with only a 300HP engine. Yikes!

NHman

I now own a 2018 S4 Prestige and recently sold my 2016 M4 coupe. I also previously owned a 2013 M3 coupe (NA V8) and 2015 435i GC. While the S4 is a great car, to say it's better than the M3, don't take it personally, but that's crazy talk. It's a performance sedan that the S4 cannot touch (except for off-the-line traction). Also the S4 directly competes with 340i M-sport. Being a new model, the S4 should have an advantage in technology and performance. Wait until the G20 platform is released. At that time a fair comparison can be made.

In reference to the X5, try pricing a Q7. For the states, the most powerful engine "only" has 333 HP.

Welcome to the S4 owners club. I've enjoyed mine but it doesn't offer the luxury or performance of an M3/M4. Since Audi NA is not (yet) providing us with an RS model, this is best we can get within the B9 platform.

markcincinnati

You know, of course, that every car maker in this class goes through a product/model cycle that is approximately 8 years. I hear this is changing to 6 years, but that it will take time. Audi (and I assume BMW) offers what they call a mid-cycle refresh. There's a B8, B8.5, and B9 S4. One would assume there will be a B9.5 in a few years.

You just acquired a 2018 B9 car (assuming you got a new S4) -- as such it is in the second year of the B9. The B9 A4 -- as a 2017 model -- came out last year.

With the rapid advancements in technology, Audi will hopefully get to the B9.5 next year, or the year after at the latest. What would be great is if they would get to the B10 before the B9.5 gets stale -- which is what I took from your post about BMW.

Of course, Audi needs to bring more technology options to the US, including level 3 automation now that the A8 offers it.

We've had 3 BMWs and 33 Audis. We've been to 4 Audi driving schools in Seefeld, Austria and 1 BMW driving school in South Carolina. Audi has impressed us more than BMW.

Although it is good for BMW, it seems to me -- sometimes -- that BMW has used its reputation as the "it" car to its advantage (in marketing) thus it has rested on its laurels. Today, your evaluation of the BMW vs Audi, although subjective, strikes me as an accurate observation. But, remember, BMW is poised to bring their latest and greatest to market very soon (in calendar 2018) and it is at least possible the new Bimmers will -- for some -- leapfrog the Audi and Mercedes models within class. The S4 will be tough to beat -- but BMW will, one would imagine, attempt to do so via more power and performance. An Audi S4 Prestige will be difficult to beat financially for BMW (if history is any reliable guide), but the BMW will likely be seen as a "better" performer, but the Audi will allow longer stints behind the wheel and many more miles to be covered comfortably.

For my wife and me, Audis almost always impress as the "Goldilocks" choice. Plus with the S4 -- thanks to it's engine and transmission -- you've got a vehicle whose performance can legitimately be called relentless, hard-charging, impressive in its ability to easily and quickly attain extra-legal speeds with aplomb.

Our 2018 S4 and SQ5 are the best of three dozen Audi + BMW vehicles. Welcome home.

rikwynnpa

The 340M sport is no competition for an S4. In addition The M3 and M4 has been panned by almost every magazine out there and has lost almost every comparison test. The car was so poorly received that BMW had to rush a competition package to market to try to save it. I drove a few M4s at the dealer and it was marginally faster than my Dinan-tuned 335 for $30K more money. The car is too expensive, too heavy, too noisy and not very comfortable. Hopefully the next generation is more competitive.

James Cole

I had an M235i and also later a 16 M4... The M235i its a much more fun bare bones car compared to the S4 and performance is similar, I loved that car and got into an M4 hoping it would be "much better" I was mistaken.

M4 vs S4... well the M4 has all the potential its just so so poorly executed! Ride is incredibly stiff on the little stuff on the road, the whole car shakes and rattles, very loud as in annoying road noise and the engine/exhaust sound is not that good either and don't even get me started on the DCT, VAGs DSG is leaps and bound ahead in tech and faster shifting... The car is simply NOT usable, tires spin all the time and when using TC on the car is very very slow in order to maintain traction. Its a good car on paper but a let down in real life.

JC

visualguy

The B9 S4 has a nicer interior, some more advanced technology, and less tire noise, so it's better than the 340i in those areas. However, the 340i is superior in other areas. Better steering feel, better (more neutral) handling on twisty roads, better throttle and transmission response. This applies to the RWD version of the 340i - I haven't driven the x-drive version. Also, I haven't driven the S4 with the dynamic steering - maybe it's better than the standard steering. The 340i is more sporty, and the S4 is more luxurious. The B58 inline 6 engine on the 340i is a gem and sounds better than the Audi V6T.

I hope the G20 M340i will be competitive with the S4 on luxury and technology while retaining or improving the sportiness of the current 340i. BMW will be using a new version of the B58 engine (B58TU) with enhanced performance, so that will be another aspect to look forward to. I wouldn't buy that car during the first couple of years of production, though...

Dr. F

This thread is timely since I'm a BMW owner and recently posted a thread about considering an S4. Everyone here makes valid points (mostly) on the S4, BMW 340, and M series. This weekend I will be choosing a 2018 340 xDrive or an S4 as my new car. I agree 100% with visualguy about what BMW gets right; they really are "The Ultimate Driving Machine" from a feel and response perspective. Audi on the other hand has the killer interior and technology. That said, I'll take the the better driver over technology any day. All in all, my biggest complaint with Audi is that the exterior design is far more dated than BMWs. If we're honest, the general look is stuck in 2008. The BMW design while also old, has sharper and more aggressive lines. Still, I like both cars. Time will tell what I choose.

frankrockford

I absolutely love my Audi S4 and consider it the best luxury sports sedan I have ever had. That said, I have an older Audi A4 3.0 and a BMW 328xi and the steering on both of those cars is simply amazing, better than the new Audi. I used to have a 2000 528i and the steering on that car was the best of all the luxury cars I have ever had. (But not quite as good as the faded orange Fiat 124 hatchback I drove in high school whenever it actually felt like working, but that was not a luxury sedan.) My new S4, when in Dynamic S mode, steers quite well and the acceleration on the car is so perfect! The steering is great in S mode, but it is not the same as my old 2000 BMW 528i, and probably inferior to the 340i. I took delivery of this S4 on September 29th and I have around 975 miles on it. I put 20 of those miles on the car tonight, because after being in my office all day I went on a few "errands" to have an excuse to drive it, and now that I am closer to 1,000 miles I got a little more aggressive with it. Wow does it get up and go!

The S4 feels like a car from the future, it is extremely modern, the virtual cockpit is such a pleasure to behold in front of you as you fly down the road. I love setting my "view" to the large single speed/tach dial in the middle. I now realize I've been stuck in that cockpit view for about 2 weeks! Getting in my other cars is like going back to today.

The only point to my rambling above is that there is no "Dark Side." We are, as I tell my kids, "living large." We actually can choose what car we want, order it from the factory exactly like we want it after at least 50 online virtual builds where we fuss over the color of the car and the limited wheel options. Then we get to drive the car we built!

As noted by markcincinnati above, BMW will in fact come out with some amazing models very soon. But no need to wait. The Audi S4 is here now so we will enjoy the latest and greatest. Tomorrow who knows? I don't want to be like the guy who says "I've always been a [insert brand name here] guy." I like guitars, including Fender, Gibson, PRS, etc. A 16 year-old recently told me, "Well I'm a Fender guy! that's what my dad plays and that's what I play." I had to laugh. I said "Dude, instead of being a Fender guy, how about you become a Tone guy? Seek the Tone that will satisfy you, not what your daddy likes. You're too young to know what you actually like and don't like, you haven't earned the right to come to a conclusion!"

I'm down to one more kid at home, so I have 4 cars with 3 drivers and a 3-car garage. Once he is gone to college next year perhaps I will get rid of the older Audi and the 3 series BMW and get something to fill the 3rd space! Then swap out the wheels for BBS's, add a Millitek exhaust, get more carbon fiber....

NHman

I would like to hear your reasons for why the 340/440i M-sport is not competitive with the S4. By every account the performance numbers are close. Advantage to one or the other depending on the track or road conditions. Some buyers would prefer a RWD layout vs. AWD. BMW fails by not offering a true sport suspension with their X-drive system. The B9 S4, being a current model, does have an advantage on interior layout and materials. In my opinion, BMW has an advantage with their user interface and HUD. No wrong pick here. Just a preference.

I agree and as been stated by most major magazines, the suspension setup and DSC settings from the Competition package should've been in the original base car. However, most reviews with the Competition package have been very positive. It's safe to assume that the B9 RS5 is a better performing vehicle vs. the B9 S4/S5. With that as a reference, Evo recently reviewed the RS5 vs. M4 vs. C63 S. In short, they found the M4 to be the better and faster car. Read it here Audi RS5 vs BMW M4 vs Mercedes-AMG C63 S - Supertest review | Evo.

Sorry but more crazy talk about a Dinan tuned 335i is marginally slower vs. an M3/M4. You do realize the M3/M4 is about overall performance and not just a straight line. The 335i doesn't have the option of a DCT, better suspension, aero, DSC settings and most important, superior cooling system. If straight-line speed is paramount, there are numerous vehicles that can be tuned to be faster than a 335i, M3/M4, C63 S, etc. If you had owned an M3/M4, I would take your comments a bit more seriously. A test drive (or several) does not account for much for real world experience.

Am I a BMW fanboy, no. Do I appreciate some of their cars today, yes. I sold my vehicle due to lack of a visceral experience. While slower, my older 2013 M3 provided a greater level of enjoyment. Do I appreciate and enjoy my current B9 S4, yes. Though if I lived in an area with less snow and if I didn't enjoy skiing, I would opt for an M3 as my DD.

nicotino15

I still just think that you can base the majority of your decision off of which car style fits you better, and maybe a little bit of brand loyalty.

For me, I felt like Audi was a sharper more aggressive look, but others would think the other way. I owned an B7 S4, and so I was comfortable with Audi components, even though they've evolved, a lot of concepts are very similar to how they did things 10 years ago, and I liked that.

I've driven my brothers 440i x drive and it wasn't as sharp as my car, I blame that on the centurato run-flats, and the off-road suspension (it's bad on x drive), and so it didn't feel nearly as aggressive as my car in dynamic/sport mode.

I also think it's funny that when I was researching, all of the BMW (bimmerforums) were complaining that the new S4 had so far exceeded the 340i in performance and technology. You read the same thing here, and I see it on all the forums, I think it's a grass is always greener mentality that creeps in sometimes.