ptmdsharp

Folks, I'm in the market and I'm wondering if there are any updated views on these packages with manual transmission. There's a premium plus with nav and sport plus (Daytona grey appears to be the only color) that's available locally. This is the only car I've driven and has the dynamic steering and adaptive damping. It was pretty eager to go! I've not been able to drive the regular sport package A4. The latter car would save some money and open up a range of colors (but lose the flat-bottomed steering wheel that I love in my Golf R.) I really like the wheels on sport plus and am ambivalent to the alcantara. Any thoughts from owners of both cars? I'm looking forward to a sporty but livable sedan after the Golf R with 19-inch wheels (too firm for crappy roads around me.)

ajbutler13

In my view, Sport vs. Sport Plus is an aesthetic decision, more than anything else. Unless you plan to drive your car to its limits, you probably won't notice the adaptive damping or dynamic steering. I have the MT with Sport Plus (Glacier White) and love it...the wheels, the alcantara, everything.

This very question came up 1-2 weeks ago, and my advice to the OP was to ****** up the MT with Sport Plus (Daytona Grey, like yours), He placed a factory order instead, which was probably a great decision for his circumstance. Long story short, go with your gut. There's no right or wrong answer.

audi8k

I don't know the difference in a B9, but my experience with B8 is that the Dynamic Steering is the most obvious of the ADS options (I have also adaptive damping and sport diff). The required less turning of the steering wheel makes it possible to go through most corners and round-abouts without changing grip.

ptmdsharp

If you did it over again, would you go for those options? (And does yours have Alcantara?

tadd

I have the sport suspension with the 19" wheel option. Love the looks of those wheels versus the standard 18".
the sport seat is great.
i have manual transmission which for me is well worth it.
Handling tough to compare as I only drove a sport plus once and a couple of test drives with regular suspension.
the sport plus seem to be a bit tighter which I would have preferred but again not enough compare time behind the wheel.
i think sport suspension handles well but steering is just a bit numb. I recently came out of a 2007 BMW 3 series which pound for pound was the better handling vehicle but not dramatically different then the A4
i think at a minimum you should get the sport package. Others would have to weigh in on the sport plus
i also liked the flexibility of options with the sport package versus sport plus

smcmillen66

Guys, I've commented on this before: I've driven both and I believe that even in regular and semi-spirited driving scenarios, the sport plus package with dynamic steering and adaptive damping, makes a noticeable and, IMO, very positive difference. I notice the adaptive damping particularly with the driver select in "comfort" mode. I notice, and love, the dynamic steering at turn-in, where I believe you can feel a bit more bite and reduced radius on making turns.

NorthwestB9

Sadly, neither adaptive suspension nor dynamic steering are available on 2018 models. At least it isn't on the online configurator in the US. The sports package includes only a black cloth headliner, front sports seats with lumbar support, and non-adaptive sports suspension. There is no sports plus package.

I find it rather discouraging that Audi removed a lot of features that had been available in the 2017 model, such as all the above plus the warm weather package and comfort adaptive suspension, both items I would have liked to get. I could get ventilated seats, but you'd have to drag in the entire sports package to get the sports seats. 2017 > 2018. I don't know of any features that exists in 2018 model that did not exist for the 2017 model except for the black optics package.

ptmdsharp

Those options are only available in the sport plus package, and that's only available if you select a manual transmission.

Thanks to all for the feedback. I drove a sport plus and liked it, but I didn't spend much time in the car. I started wondering if the variable steering might be weird, so I'll spend some more time in one this weekend, and maybe compare to the regular sport package. Glad to see others liked it. I hope the additional test drive will confirm my original impression with both the steering, and the adaptive dampers (so much nicer than the ultra-firm suspension on my Golf R!)

smcmillen66

The sport plus package is absolutely available on 2018 A4s. It's always (since inception for MY17) been available only on the Premium Plus with 6MT.

Wesley Walls

I'm in the market for an A4 or S4, and suspension setups are important to me...it's been a while since I had an Audi (1998 A4 1.8T Sport, 6MT), so I apologize for my lack of current product knowledge...a few questions about suspension options on the B9 A4:

• Is the static "Sports Package" that's available as an option the SAME across Premium +, Prestige, Black Optics and First Edition?
  • ...and is the sure-fire way to tell if an A4 has the static Sports Package just confirming the seat type (with the wider bolsters)? I know the wheels are no guarantee.
• Regarding the "Sport Plus" package...I've always driven manuals, so I'm very much drawn to this option. Is it "performance" oriented vs. the 2017 standalone "comfort" adaptive suspension (i.e. it's not the same)?
  • Drawback to me is that I HATE the wheels that come with it
• Is the only way to get the flat-bottomed steering wheel in the USDM getting either the First Edition or Black Optics?
• Lastly, what's the deal with the First Edition? I actually really like the wheels...I understand it actually comes with cooled seats?

My big quandary is that while I like manuals, it's becoming more problematic for my family (shared cars, etc), so in my mind, if I get an auto transmission, I REALLY want adaptive cruise (Prestige). I hear this option is quite good.
[I understand that technically, you can get adaptive cruise with the manual, but that would be a rare bird: Prestige + Manual...I haven't found any yet]