occam

Well, I finally saw and drove my first S4. Excellent.

Sitting.

Nogaro blue/Nogaro alcantara. Fully equipped with winter, convenience, Bose upgrade, CDChanger. I tried three CD's in the stereo while waiting in the showroom. The stereo definitely has presence... perhaps that mid-bass presence Bose is known for. I don't need audiophile in my car though, just something I can genuinely enjoy. My miata has a good (almost great, but volume doesn't go loud enough for a convertible) on which I enjoy several CD's more than anywhere else. The Bose S4 stereo seems about as good. I tweaked it using the base/mid/treble controls. That's very nice. Definitely, it likes to pump bass, but it can put out some pleasant highs as well. The controls give enough tweakability to balance the music I believe (fingers crossed). The head unit is laid out wonderfully. Reception seemed good. Volume goes high (salesperson showed me that trick... ow!).

Headroom in front seat with power seats is definitely close for a 6'1"er. If you're any taller, definitely test-sit first. At my height, I brush my hair on the roof. Not a problem for me, but could be a real bother for someone else. I think I understand the helmet complaints I've read on this forum now. Seat was comfortable. Alcantara was grippy but not overmuch so. I think the leather (very soft) will be fine for me. I just want simple colors, so I'm going all onyx interior (Santorin exterior).

I practiced the stick shift before leaving. I didn't notice the throw problems (long 2-3, 4-5) others mentioned. I'm sure they're there, but I didn't notice them. The stick worked well for me. I was a little surprised as my Miata has a short throw shifter. I was sure I'd be bothered by the new shifter. I won't say I shifted well (coming up...), but it didn't bother me. I just felt like I need to practice with the S4 shifter.

Driving.

Ahh, totally enjoyable. So quick, I barely remember it. Let's see. Spunky. I was the first... scheduled... test drive of the car (at Barrier Audi, Bellevue, WA). Apparently, the sales manager shanghaied the car for some VIP customer (who knows) before I got it, even though there weren't supposed to be any test drives before Monday (just got the car and so on). So I was #2.

Pull out of the showroom and onto the pavement. Double doors were tight, but my salesman, Admiral, directs me through. So far, the car is nimble and responsive. No unusually noticeable muscle. Admiral jumps in. We adjust stuff and buckle in. I decide *not* to punch it when I get on the road since I don't want to jump into the next lane by mistake (as I did with another turbo Audi --- doh). Instead I punch it after getting on the road. Good pickup but very smooth. No overt muscle car feel. Seems like it's worth doing again. Punch it. Smooth. Then I decide to punch it from a standstill turning the corner right. Still can't get it to chirp (not expecting it to at speed but...). Always keeps composure. (Definitely more experimentation due here. :-) Very controlled car and very enjoyable to drive. Lots of smooth power. I don't notice any turbo noise or excessive engine noise. Seems like driving my current car only the gears don't last as long (:-). Very nice.

The brakes are very similar to the power. Smooth. Powerful. Not really noticeable. I never had to brake hard and was afraid to do so for passenger safety. The brakes are really strong. From the outside, the front brake is very large and impressive --- tip-off that it's a sports car. Rear brake doesn't say any such thing... diminutive in comparison but still serious in look of hardware (brake caliper).

On the curves, I pushed hard. I was familiar with the route from previous test drives. I couldn't get the car to do anything noticeable. It just drove very enjoyably, so I saved up for the big two lane S curve. I accelerated into it fast and took the corners at speed. Nothing dangerous, but I wanted to get a feel for the car. I didn't feel any of the understeer reported earlier and the car responded agilely --- just like I want. I wouldn't say it felt like it was on rails (though perhaps it was, I just wasn't that comfortable with it yet), but I was able to turn it into the corner however I liked it seemed. The test corner was over too quickly for definitive results... more testing required :-).

Freeway.

Take it to the freeway. Accelerated 1... 2... 3... up a long uphill onramp. Totally composed. Much more satisfying than the A4 2.8 (to me) but very smooth as well. It's hard to notice the power even though the enjoyment of the car is there. I found the gears alright, but the car doesn't impose itself on you. You just get to control it and enjoy it as you will. A very selfless performance car. Enjoyable. I can see how it'd be excellent for long drives just to relax. I hope the seat is that comfortable.

The freeway jaunt was over quickly too. I got stuck behind a truck for a bit and decided to go around. The smooth power made it effortless to do. I was around before I knew and expected to be. Definitely not a grunt car, but very pleasurable and responsive to drive.

I experimented with the high gears for a bit (5th and 6th). The power is there, but I didn't get to experiment with it much. I didn't feel the power strongly in those gears, but the car does pull ahead nicely, so who knows. I was also only going about 65mph, so... the RPM's probably weren't that suitable for the highest gears. I found 3rd most useful on the freeway, since 65+mph is too high for the downshift to 2nd. There are *so* many gears. It'll be fun finding uses for them all.

I did cut out the engine twice (I believe) via the rev limiter. I'm not used to the engine running through the gears so quickly (my Miata is not exactly a muscle car!-). The S4 is so smooth and effortless, that I didn't always notice the necessity of changing gears unless I was concentrating on it. I also popped the clutch pretty hard accelerating into 3rd, I believe. I guess I'm used to squeezing everything I can out of my 118hp Miata 4-banger, so I just popped into 3rd. The car kinda gave the sound of a nice solid konk somewhere in the transmission but only for a moment before it was back to business. I think that unsettled Admiral for a sec but only for a sec. The car is very solid and fun to drive.

Getting home was easy. Backed into a parking spot. No surprises. Very sedate at low speeds, and very responsive at higher speeds. Could not notice the turbos (did not even hear them consciously though I wasn't trying). The engine does give cues but does not impose them on you. The engine does have a pleasant sound to it.

Everything about the car (other than the nogaro blue of course ;-) looks normal and practical. Rear leg room is a little lacking. Normal A4 interior. I love the new stereo head unit layout and controls. I'm looking forward very much to the wood trim (haven't seen it yet, only aluminum in this car). Engine compartment is jam-packed. I hope the car's engine is reliable (knock on wood).

Very comfortable ride. Doesn't have the sports car jitters. The M3 I test drove was fun. Definitely. It almost demands to be driven though. It rewards being driven hard. The S4 is different. It just rewards. If you don't want the distraction, you can have the responsiveness without all the excitement. It's a comfortable yet powerful car.

Stereo sounded good running in the car too. No sign of the Nav System yet.

That's about it. Just another S4 story, but I hope someone enjoyed it. Can hardly wait for mine to arrive. :-)

= Joe =
Santorin blue/onyx "00 S4 (December'ish)

P.s., by the way, Admiral is an excellent salesperson. It sounds like Barrier may have a few unaccounted for S4's (I guess a lot have been ordered custom). If you're interested, give Admiral a call at Barrier Audi, Bellevue, WA. Tell 'im Joe sent you (can't hurt!-).

occam

Addendum.

1. When I said "drive home" at the end, I meant driving the car back to the dealership. It's not my car (doh). I'm waiting for December Santorin delivery.

2. I forgot a few promised (in parentheticals) anecdotes.

Shifting.

My shifting wasn't the greatest even though I wasn't bothered by the shifter. 1st gear from a standstill was my primary bother. I'll have to get used to the car before its completely smooth for me. Probably no big surprise, but the engine is a normal engine at that point (no turbos), so I just have to ease into it. I guess I'm used to my Miata but have to gauge myself from the standstill in the S4.

Understeer.

Well, I *was* able to find it!-) On the freeway interchange, I left (what I thought was) a lot of room between me and the car in front of me and gunned it. Needless to say, it wasn't enough room. Kudos to the engine. As for understeer, acceleration causes understeer (as far as I could tell) so when I let off the accelerator (to hit the brake before jamming up too close to the car in front of me), the car went into normal-steer (toed in a little). Nothing too surprising. I did get the tail end to swing out a little, but the car was nonplussed otherwise. (Surprisingly, Admiral seemed pretty nonplussed as well! :-) The car was running on fumes though, so there probably wasn't a lot of weight in the back. I was a little surprised by losing the back end (even for the little bit) but was pleasantly surprised at how controlled it was. I imagine a good set of tires and half a tank of gas would edge up the tail end grippiness a chunk more.

Actually, I'm pleased the car can swing out a little. The car is so well behaved (couldn't get a chirp out of it, even on a right turn from standstill; must be the quattro), it's nice to know you can play with it at least a little bit. Should be a blast to drive and plenty comfortable for long drives and commutes. Looking forward to it immensely.

Thanks Admiral for the test drive! :-)

= Joe =

steve l o

Was that you on 520?

occam

Yes, I guess so. It would have been around 1:30PM today between 405 and 148th exits. How did I look?-)

= Joe =

Mark

All highs, no lows, must be bose.