Bobby Kinstle

I owned a C5 allroad. It cost around $3K per year just to keep the air suspension running. I will never own another car with an air suspension. Even if you gave it to me.

markcincinnati

We went ahead and ordered a 2019 SQ5 Prestige with the 18" wheels and the air suspension (sport bundle) about an hour ago -- we are not obligated to take it, in fact the dealership liked the configuration we put together so much that they said they'd love to have it for "inventory" if we decided we don't care for Florett Silver with Magma Red. We agree that there is a noticeable difference between the non-air and air suspension. We especially like the dynamic mode which, of course, lowers the suspension.

We all have different "butt" and "gut" feelings when we're driving. We all (likely) drive in different parts of the country and in different traffic conditions and different road conditions. The RS5 (and the S3 to a certain extent, too) provide a markedly different experience when their sport adaptive suspensions are switched from comfort to dynamic. The RS5 in Auto mode is the Goldilocks version for me -- and if we had smooth roads, probably the dynamic version would be acceptable. We don't have smooth roads unless you call a series of potholes surrounded by bits and pieces of asphalt smooth.

You know (or if you don't I'm going to tell you), I had an Acura TL SH-AWD (2012) for about 25,000 miles. The TV rear diff was "of greater benefit" than the TV diff on an S4 -- and here's why. Both cars are nose-heavy. The Acura left to its own devices is 95% FWD and 5% RWD. It can shift power to the rear, but it seems loathe to do so. However, when taking even an exit ramp at "full speed" (meaning at the speed limit of the Interstate, not the posted exit speed), the SH-AWD would for a few seconds send the power to the rear and the TV diff would send the power to the outside wheel -- that could be done with great effect given that the car did not had to be pitched into the exit ramp at "vomit inducing" speeds and angles.

I've noticed in my last two S4's (a 2014 and a 2018) that although they too are nose-heavy, they send at least 60% of the power rearward as the default. Moreover, they are not as nose-heavy as the Acura, that is to say the Audi (both models, actually) was/is better balanced than the Acura. The 2018 S4 has brake based torque management which although but a pale shadow of a true TV diff, does some of the same things in that when the car is about to understeer the inside wheel is braked (and sometimes BOTH front and rear inside wheels are braked) which tends to "manage" (mitigate would be my term, manage is Audis) the understeer noticeably. For me, in Cincincinnati with our pock-marked roads, the sport-diff (which for $1,100 I would spring for) is very helpful but at higher velocities. Velocities so high that my wife symbolically whacks me over the head while beseeching me to slow the F down. The thing is, the TV does permit cornering at higher speeds. Let me further clarify my positive statement regarding the brake based Torque Managment (page 146 of the owner's manual): some (correctly) may point out that it is impossible to go through a turn at a higher rate of speed if your understeer mitigation SUBTRACTS power (which brake-based torque management does) vs maintaining or ADDING power. There is no intent on my part to suggest that brake based torque management makes it possible to apply power that will, beyond a certain threshhold increase road speed. Certainly, however, it is possible to imagine that it is possible to enter the turn at a higher rate of speed in a vehicle with brake based torque mangement even though in performance of the understeer mitigation speed is scrubbed off.

And, one more thing -- the vehicles with the sport-diff do not lose the brake-based torque management feature. They're actually used in concert to provide the best understeer mitigation and maintenance of a higher rate of speed than is possible were these technologies unavailable. Of course, there is the argument that suggests a 50-50 weight distribution would bring even more added benefits.

If my wife's hypothesis that the main value (in Cincinnati) would be to provide understeer mitigation during our moderate precipitation winters (some snow and sometimes some ice), well that alone would be worth the price of entry despite its more limited contribution to "normal" day-to-day driving on dry pavement.

I do hope that the great marketing mavens who make marketing rather than performance decisions will unbundle the sport diff, so that those of us who find the adaptive sport suspension (in the S4, not the RS5 or the SQ5) bit nearly imperceptible in daily use can still option their NEXT S4 with the TV diff (and, of course, the red brake calipers which provide no tangible benefit other than to look cool).

At least that's how my butt and gut "see"/feel things.

markcincinnati

Our long-term sales rep suggested my wife might find the silver would look better with the black optics package. So, we visited the dealer and looked at the Quantum color as well as some other options.

Here is the order that my wife "settled" on:

2019 SQ5:

Prestige
Mythos Black Metallic
Magma Red Leather
Cold Weather
Air suspension w/ SD and red brake calipers
Audi First Aid Kit
Audi Beam Rings
20" not 21" wheels
Carbon Fiber Trim

DAP is now "included" with the Prestige configuration

Based on an estimated build date - we're thinking Merry Christmas!

jlarke

Getting back to Mark's original premise, I agree completely. I keep looking at the SQ5's air suspension and wondering if I don't want it enough to go with the SQ5, but then I compare the interior styling and I like the S4 so much better than I couldn't live with the SQ5. If I could pay an extra $1-2k for air suspension on the S4, I wouldn't hesitate to check that box.

nicotino15

That's weird, when I use the configurator online, DAP is an 1800 dollar option, even on the prestige SQ5, what was the total msrp on that configuration? I'm getting 67,315 with your same trip + all weather mats and +575 for moonlight blue.

markcincinnati

I've been getting "follow up" information that claims the Bilstein air bladders used on the SQ5 are a newer, more durable product and that while NOT invulnerable, are an improvement over the vendor Audi AG used for years. My personal rep said he bought an A8 (some time ago) and built a slush fund for the "inevitable" cost of bladder replacement. At 150K+ miles he sold the car -- with the original bladders and the new owner drove the car for more than a year before the first bladder died. The question is, how many miles did he put on the thing in addition to the 150K that were on it when he bought it?

It seems with the ability for these things to be CPO'd that Audi must be banking on 100K being a not unreasonable lifespan.

The SQ5 really benefitted from the air suspension -- as I said, my wife thought it was transformative. The SD she thought was most likely to be of benefit on ice since she didn't notice anything on dry pavement, even set to dynamic.

markcincinnati

There is no pricing information on the 2019's, but DAP is standard on Prestige versions of the B class including the S4 and SQ5 if you're trying to figure things out -- but again, there is as of today, no pricing yet.

Wesley Walls

My last two BMW's had run-flats...I cursed them for 12 years (expensive, rough-riding, limited options), all while never having an issue...i.e. I was never caught stranded.

I have my new S4 for THREE (3) weeks, and what happens? Blowout...on the side of the road in 100° heat changing a spare. First time in my 33 years of driving I've ever had a flat that stranded me. I was eating my words on the run-flats.