markcincinnati

Here 'tis.

7/11/2018 release; US Retail version.
Note: DAP "standard" on the Prestige -- not even called DAP anymore. Prediction, next year, standard on the P+.

MarkWayneClark

Doesn't look they changed much of anything. I would have gotten my car exactly the way I did.

daniel1113

Exterior styling aside (which I assume is similar to what's being changed on the A4), the only change that caught my attention is the addition of USB charge ports for the rear seats and DAP standard for prestige. Anything else I missed?

India Whiskey Charlie

Quantum Gray and NAV standard on Premium Plus.

rocko76

Looks like Premium trim is now an option on the S cars, and P+ now includes all the stuff in the 2018 Tech Package (VC, Nav, etc.). Will be interesting to how inclusion of more previously optional features will impact price.

MarkWayneClark

Am I reading this correctly? No more manual on the A4 and no more Sport Plus package?

tuxdude

Looking at the PDF, I see the following changes:

- There is a lower trim level Premium (which I'm guessing should bring down the starting MSRP for the S4?) which doesn't include Convenience Package, Virtual Cockpit, 8.4 " MMI, NAV, etc. which are standard on Premium Plus now.

- NAV / Virtual Cockpit is now standard on Premium Plus
- Phone Box seems to be a new feature standard on Premium Plus

- B&O is an Option on Premium Plus and Standard only on Prestige

- "Quantum Gray" exterior paint color seems to be a newer choice for 2019.

Is there any info out regarding the base MSRP for the different trims?

JD15

Several observations:

• The BO package includes 19" wheels for the S4 and 20" wheels for the S5. For that reason alone, I would have to skip BO if I choose to go with an S5 sportback.
• DAP is now included with Prestige, making the decision to go with Premium Plus an easy one for me.
• The increase in standard equipment for both Premium Plus and Prestige will likely bloat the base price of both, necessitating the inclusion of the new Premium line, which appears to have roughly the same feature content as a B8 Premium Plus.

ARamze

markcincinnati

The following may only be applicable to those of us living in a circle with a 100-mile radius with Cincinnati at the center.
We stopped by our dealer (as we are wont to do several times per year) and we saw our rep finishing up with a customer so we waited and then sat down in front of him to discuss the SQ5 air-suspension and the upcoming A6 and Q8. During the conversation, he mentioned that he had given (yesterday) a new S4 to his wife to replace her 24-month old A4. He listed all of the features/options he configured and he made a point of stopping when he got to the wheels/tires -- he ordered the car with the 18" all-season option.

I asked him about this (in the context of the larger conversation we were having about the SQ5 air-suspension.) Hold this thought (about the tires/wheels) for a moment. When we ordered my wife's 2018 SQ5 he suggested we stick with the steel suspension for two reasons: #1 Reviews where the comments were "we prefer the steel suspension"; and, #2 A replacement cost of $3-4,000 per axle (out of warranty) when the "airbag" air-suspension breaks down. My wife drives 25,000+ miles per year. His comment was he has been selling cars long enough that he knows what features/options tend to make customers NOT be repeat customers.

Tops on the list of "ticks off customers" is the +size wheels and tires with summer only rubber. The tires don't last to the second oil-change interval. The wheels bend (and are expensive). The interior noise of the cars equipped with the +sized wheels and tires is greater. The wheels get a rash more frequently on the cars with the +sized rims and shoes.

When spending his own money, therefore, he uses his learnings and does not go for the larger wheels with shorter sidewalls because of our pot-hole riddled roads in the above-mentioned geography. The Interstate from Cincinnati to Columbus is -- for about 25% of the distance -- BRUTAL. Killing tires and bending wheels (especially the +sized versions available on German cars) is as the phrase says: "Easy-peasy."

But the killer for the sales rep is the very short life of the summer only tires that come on the cars equipped with the summer-only shoes.

Customers come in "hot" when they find out that by 15,000 miles they need $1,000 worth of tires PLUS a set of all-season or winter tires even though our winters are moderate.

So, the rep -- with his own money -- options an S4 as many of us do here, but kept the 18" wheels and specified the A/S option. Remember he can get new cars at a "dealer" discount every 24-months (and he does). He simply didn't want to replace the tires and/or incur the expense of a new wheel or two, an all-wheel alignment and so on and so forth.

He also eschews the sport diff -- for those customers who are "high mileage" drivers due to the repair costs once the thing is out of warranty.

Been selling these things over 20-years, sells about 200 per year (2017). Heading to Munich for A6 and Q8 training. His advice to my wife, "the optional SQ5 suspension seems, now, to be more reliable, but there is the issue of the "rubber" airbag replacement cost that "time will tell" regarding durability. Reliable yes, durable maybe.

I would, therefore, argue "ask the salesperson" what he/she actually spent their OWN money on.

Then, be guided accordingly.

20" 35 or 30 series tires probably look great and ARE great for their 15-minutes of fame lifespan.

Low mileage drivers are probably good to go with these (in MY geography, to be clear via repetition). The rest of us (over 12,000 miles per year) may find: House payments, car payments, wheel/tire payments are just not the lifestyle we bargained for.