glad you are loving the car!
250 mile update:
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2004
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250 mile update:
For any potential buyer out there who is concerned that the S4 is just an A4 with a V8...strike that notion from your mind! There are so many differences between the two--both on paper and in feel--that it drives like a completely different (and much more refined) car. I continue to be impressed with the ride quality of this car. Its ability to absorb small, sharp impacts surpasses every sporting car (and even heavy hitters like the Merc CL600) that I've driven.
The gearing is short...the difference between 3rd and 6th gear (manual trans) is only about 800rpm! I skip gears a lot and it feels and sounds happy doing so. And how exactly does the EPA test City Cycle MPG? I can match the 14MPG rating, but only if I use 2nd, 4th, and 6th gear exclusively AND drive as if the is an eggshell between my foot and the gas pedal. I'm not complaining about the car--the EPA just needs to realize that most cities have stoplights, and that occasionally they are red.
Those who don't know what the car is stare at it, not believing what their ears are telling them. Those who do know jump up and down, yell, smile, and drool at the same time.
This car has exceeded EVERY expectation by a wide margin.
The gearing is short...the difference between 3rd and 6th gear (manual trans) is only about 800rpm! I skip gears a lot and it feels and sounds happy doing so. And how exactly does the EPA test City Cycle MPG? I can match the 14MPG rating, but only if I use 2nd, 4th, and 6th gear exclusively AND drive as if the is an eggshell between my foot and the gas pedal. I'm not complaining about the car--the EPA just needs to realize that most cities have stoplights, and that occasionally they are red.
Those who don't know what the car is stare at it, not believing what their ears are telling them. Those who do know jump up and down, yell, smile, and drool at the same time.
This car has exceeded EVERY expectation by a wide margin.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2004
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Okay okay...I'm going to ask a question that I've wanted to ask for a long time:
What the hell does "teh suck" mean? I thought people just mispelled "the" a lot, but that wouldn't make much sense either. Please don't laugh at me guys! :- )
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Joined: Jun 2003
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GG is the stupidest tax ever....
on cars but no SUV's. Come on idiots. My friends hummer get 8MPG on a good day but they dont gotta pay the tax...................................... "Thats crazy, Im Brian Fellows...."
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Re: 250 mile update:
How do you compare the ride quality of the S4 to the A4? I currently drive a A4 3.0 w/ no sport package and am going to move up the S4. During the test drive, the ride felt like a perfect balance of handling and comfort with no punishing jolts. i am a little concerned by the Car and Drive review which said it had a punishing rock hard ride. I have to say that on my test drives it did not feel this way.
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Thread Starter
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I can say for CERTAIN that the ride is less harsh than the two A4's I've driven.
My dad has an '03 Avant with the Sport Package and I've borrowed it for weeks at a time. I also drove an '04 Avant with the Sport Package as a loaner for about a week before my S4 came in. I've driven both of those cars over the same horrible San Francisco wagon-ruts-that-we-call-roads that I drive my S4 on now. I can say with confidence that compared to both of the A4's, the S4 has a more comfortable ride by a wide margin.
You're spot-on about the punishing jolts--they're just not there in the S4. My car came with Dunlops instead of Conti's and that *might* have something to do with it, but not very much. I also have not driven an A4 w/o the Sport Package, so I cannot compare directly to yours. I can't explain Car and Driver's comment unless they were comparing the ride quality to that of a Lexus.
You're spot-on about the punishing jolts--they're just not there in the S4. My car came with Dunlops instead of Conti's and that *might* have something to do with it, but not very much. I also have not driven an A4 w/o the Sport Package, so I cannot compare directly to yours. I can't explain Car and Driver's comment unless they were comparing the ride quality to that of a Lexus.
