Linkers

You have nailed it ghostrider990. I couldn't agree more. If one is worried about the mpg, they are in the wrong car and should be considering the Ultra models.

NHman

It's not always about fuel economy. I don't feel the need to drive my S4 aggressively but, at times, would prefer to limit the amount of stops between refills. Perhaps if the gas tank could hold another two gallons. In my opinion, fuel economy is not the issue. Rather it's range. This coming from my last DD that had an average of 16 MPG but had a range of 440 miles. Also it's not the operating costs but inconvenience of multiple stops per week for fuel.

Linkers

You are right NHman. I find the 58 litre tank annoying too. It would have been nice if we had a slightly bigger tank. But I would agree with you. I had an A3 and couple of A4s before and didn't go to the petrol pump as often as I have to do with my S4. I know it's a small compromise that you have to re-fuel it more often but as ghostrider990 suggested, when you start driving an S4, its magic makes you forget everything as it's a great fun to drive.

ghostrider990

I agree with you guys....would prefer to have a bigger tank as well. Gone are the days of 20 gallon Euro Sized Fuel Tanks in Euro-built cars. Why??

On the subject of the Ultra A4 model: I had the chance to put "a few miles" on one last year, and I can tell you that even with the STronic trans, premium fuel, and lots of highway miles - the b-cycle motor is VERY susceptible to higher speeds reducing the overall fuel economy ratings. The "sweet spot" was highway cruising in top gear, and driving UNDER 70 mph.
That's right: UNDER 70mph.
Personally, I could never achieve the 37+ mpg's that the EPA rated that motor, as I rarely drove under 80mph on the highway. So again, I think we are seeing some overly optimistic EPA tests for achieving the estimated fuel economy numbers of that platform. I think there's a common trend that has already been unearthed by others in this thread.

With that said -- SOME of my comments previously about expectations of fuel economy in the S4 were tongue in cheek.
Do I think the B9 falls short of mileage ratings and expectations? Sure, but the trade-off in performance and driving satisfaction is well worth it
to ME.
I fully understand and endorse each of us trying to maximize and optimize our driving experiences with this car, fuel economy and $$$ savings notwithstanding.

The ONLY thing I take exception to, is people complaining to Audi that their S4 isn't getting 21 vs. 16 mpg's in city driving. You are fundamentally barking up the wrong tree.

I can site a very REAL situation that happened with the A3 Etron, that resulted from owners collectively complaining to Audi about overall range and battery life while driving in 'ELECTRIC" mode:
For MY17, the ETRON ADS system was strategically given only 3, vs. 4 drive modes originally appearing in MY16. It would seem that Audi made a collective decision to appease owners by removing the CHARGE mode, rendering it no longer able to recharge the battery while driving the car in an effort to improve overall fuel economy - as CHARGE mode put an additional load on the engine and incrementally reduced fuel economy by about 15%. This, to me, was a huge mistake - as having the ability to charge the car WHILE driving gave the ETRON much more flexibility to avoid the dreaded "tesla anxiety" fear of worrying about how far you could drive on a single battery charge.
....i digress...
In summary: be careful what you wish for -- it may result in the opposite effect of what you REALLY wanted in your s4.

Now go Drive your S4. Enjoy it! It's amazing!

gr

Spartan-S4

I usually drive in 'D' since I'm going to work around the DC area. I just hit past 1K so now I'm starting to use S mode more but my MPG is still doing well at around 24-25.

I'm not flooring the car every chance I get but I'm still having fun with it.

And yes, it's a great number. I do think that unless you get the car warmed up for about 15 mins or so, the MPG is not good when the engine is cold, nor when it's cold out. I've noticed recently that on the below freezing days, my MPG suffers some.

I agree with you here, but I do want to kinda agree with where they are coming from. The problem with the reported EPA of 21 city is that it requires windows up, no AC, average temp and driving in D while not aggressively driving. I think the EPA tests need to be a bit more realistic when it comes to cars like these.

Also I do wonder if an update is coming because something happened overseas where the MPG was an issue & they had to do something with the programming.

Linkers

I have only done 400 miles so far and already getting 29-30 mpg with very aggressive driving mostly in Dynamic mode (80% motorway, 20% local) which I guess is not too bad for a performance care.

ShawnM789

Well Said. I feel like I'm always filling it. My 2008 A4 held 14 gal I believe. The range on the S4 is close to 350+/- for me. Maybe I drive more like an ******* or not. Mine usually in Auto D and S when I play a bit.

Also in NH... And it's fringing Cold

millersntx

Yea, but - 21 city in comfort/D. dynamic/S tends to drop things by quite a bit. I drive mostly city in Dynamic/S and my mileage is around 16. If I'm driving like an idiot, even less.
If I'm tooling on the freeway in D, then 31-32 is easily achievable.

millersntx

+1 - I want an ECU update with MORE power.

NHman

What do you mean. Temps hit 28 F today. That's a freakin heat wave compared to the last few days. Just remember those high temps we had in the months of October and early November.