Being a B5 owner I am naturally biased so I will try to refrain from anything other than a pure review from my short test drive of the B6 S4.

I realized yesterday night that my local dealer (from which I purchased my current B5 S4) had two 2004 S4s listed on their website. Blue, and Black (As stated on the website). I figured I would swing by the dealership to see them and maybe sit in one to see how/if I like the interior. As I pull up to the dealership I see the black one is sitting outside, and inside there is a Nogaro Blue, and Imola Yellow side-by-side. After spending some time chatting with a salesman I ask if the black one is the test drive car. As usual the clueless salesman doesn't know. He mutters out something like "we don't test drive those cars" and says he will look into seeing what he could do. Mind you I purchased my car from this exact dealer less than three years earlier. Matter of fact, sitting at the exact same desk, as my then salesman is now gone. Needless to say they had no record of me whatsoever. The salesman states all dealership records are deleted after two years. Very sad since most popular leases extend 3yrs+, so having no record after two years seems silly to me. Anyway, he put all my information into their computer, took my drivers license, and amazingly came back with the keys. Now, don't get me wrong, this was a very nice salesman, but that's where it stops. He just didn't know a damn thing about the car at all. At one point he stated "You know more about the car than me." LOL.

Now onto my impressions. I'll steer clear of impressions on looks, as that is always in the eye of the beholder.

Many things felt a lot "lighter" to me. i.e. The clutch, shifter, and steering all just plain felt light when compared to the B5. Is it good, or bad? That would be a subjective review, and would vary greatly by each individual.

The seats. They felt nice. Where they insanely nice? Not in my opinion, but they were nice and comfortable.

The engine. Very nice exhaust note. A little noisier than expected from the inside... not the exhaust, but just engine noise from the engine bay. It felt powerful and smooth, I liken it to the MB 4.3L V8 of a friends CLK I drove. Very smooth power. However, I must say I was not blown away by the power. It was just nice and smooth. I would even go as far as to say a simple chipped B5 would have nothing to worry about in the power comparison department.

Sticker was at $50k w/o GG tax for all three. Gas mileage was 15/21 on the sticker. None of them had alcantara so I was a little disapointed by that. Overall a nice car, but perhaps not what I was expecting.

 

Nice review, thanks. :-)

 

Doesn't sound favorable. I will try to test drive one next week and give a review.

 

I agree... especially about the "light" comment.

 

and my impressions are almost the same as yours.....but i will be more rude than you....i would NEVER pay that kind of money for that car.....i really think the price for that car would have to be more like 35k for me to even consider it....is it a great improvement over a STOCK b5 s4? i think so.....is it worth the extra $? no way...looks like i'll be in my b5 till the rs4 comes over.....i still think audi screwed the pooch on this one....

 

I had the same impressions about the power. Here's a couple more things I'd add to the review though, and I might be able to say this since I didn't have to bring a salesman with on my test drive... ;-P

The brakes are no improvement over the B5 HP2 system, and I've already talked to Stoptech about it. I'd hoped the new S4 brake system would reflect somewhat more of what was on the S8 and RS6, no luck.

Handling & suspension I liked, very nice improvements! Comparisions between the B5 A4 to the B6 A4 had basically the same improvements.

I'd originally thought the B5 S4's would drop in value once the B6 version was released. Now I don't think so. We'll see how they are after a few track/x-cross sessions, eh?

 

Isn't $35k significantly less than the MSRP on a B5S4 when it was new?, I know it was on my 2001. Also, if you think $50k is bad, wait till you see what an RS4 is gonna cost.

Regardless, comparing stock B5 to stock B6, the B6 is still faster, and not by just a tenth or two. I know its not really acceptable to say this here, but some of us don't mod our cars much. Ooops, I wasn't supposed to admit that.

 

I've had two B5 S4's, and traded in the latest on my B6 S4 Avant. I couldn't be happier.

"Lightness." Yes, the steering is very light at slow speeds. It firms up considerably as speed goes up, and is definitely heavier than the B5 was as higher speeds. I'm still getting used to the sensation, but I think it works very well. The clutch seems lighter, and the shifter is more positive - less rubbery - than the B5. That's an improvement in my book.

Seats are of course in the eye (or other anatomical part) of the beholder. I think they're terrific. The length of the seat cushion is adjustable, which is great for my long legs. The lumbar support now adjusts up and down as well as in and out, and to me that's a definite improvement as well. The seats are better bolstered than before, making for a more secure driving position. A person with a heavy build might well find them too constraining.

The power is, as many have said, pretty deceptive. No turbo rush, so you think it's not that powerful. I'm still holding my car to 4K rpm (400 miles so far) and even shifting at 4K it accelerates quite briskly. I can't wait to see what it will do WFO. My initial impression, and car tests seem to confirm, that 0-60 is pretty comparable to the B5. Audi website lists 0-60 for the sedan at 5.3 secs, and I think they claimed 5.5 for the B5.

OTOH, I think there's a significant difference in "roll-on" acceleration at higher speeds. I couldn't care less about 0-60, but what does interest me is 60-90, which is what it takes to pass trucks on a 2 lane highway when I'm going skiing. The V-8 feels absolutely great in that neightborhood, and again I haven't even tried full throttle yet.

I'm sure the V-8 will be harder to modify that the bi-turbo engine was. But I'm not willing to modify the engine and risk all the attendant warranty issues. Comparing stock B5 to stock B6, for my money the B6 is a clear winner.

DMoore
'04 S4 Avant

 

I had all the same impressions when I drove one - I was even dissapointed with the no alcantara. Nice review and it is a nice car, but not what I expected and not something worth over 50 thousand dollars IMHO.

 

Of course stock to stock the B6 is an improvement. However, I think it is safe to say many here mod!