Article Comments - 2009 Audi S4 First Drive

13 messages, Last post on Sep 26, 2009 at 12:22 AM

You are in the Audi S4 Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens

What is this discussion about? Audi S4, Coupe, Convertible, Sedan

2009 Audi S4 First Drive - First Impressions: The right motor and fresh technology make the S4 the best-performing Audi that's not an R8.(more)

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#6 of 13 Re: August 2009 [gja] by thegripper Nov 05, 2008 (7:32 pm)
Replying to: gja (Nov 01, 2008 8:02 pm) Acura will have the American made 6 Speed MT TL, perhaps even under Type-S designation. It will out perform on track, in resale, and above all in value. The TL will have superior technology, the edge on performance, and all for thousands less (dare I geuss $10 thousands) Replies to this message: qfans (Nov 15, 2008 11:52 am) reality2 (Jul 31, 2009 12:49 pm)
#7 of 13 Re: August 2009 [thegripper] by qfans Nov 15, 2008 (11:52 am)
Replying to: thegripper (Nov 05, 2008 7:32 pm) I think the author is not very familiar with Audi S cars as the usual comments on when will they make a rear drive(where ya been since 1980 duh ! quattros win.) and it still understeers and the best one implying until now the line has been uninspiring. The 92-96 S cars with the inline 5 and single turbo may still be one the most over built dependable cars on the road,you can tweak it to over 500 hp with no driveline stress or keep it factory and run for a few hundred thousand k. I've got 190k on my 01 S4 Avant with minor maintenance which is still not cheap, but it gets the exact same mpg as it did with 15k on it. That version{really an RS4}won Speedvision(before sell out}GT twice running against porsches, vettes, bimmers and such no Acuras(see copy German technology at a discount price} in the crowd(they actually run in the Touring class see Mazda competitor}. S cars are made to be a rapid form of luxury transport in all-weather situations period. Bottom line the Audi S4 will allow you to compromise less features than most sporting sedans pushing the envelope for competitiors to build better cars , so no matter which brand we favor improving the breed benefits everyone. I applaud the use of a supercharger as the twin turbo version on mine averages 21-22 mpg and the V-8 version while sounding great was very thirsty. Sorry for the rant, drive one thru a storm, or over your favorite early Sunday backroad you'll understand my passion.
#8 of 13 I had to have it NOW! by ks4 Jul 26, 2009 (2:27 am)
The S4 has only just arrived in Australia. I went to the showroom drove it and bought it. The dealer did not even have the invoice. They are not expecting another one for at least 3-6 months and I had to have it now! Delivery is this week and I can not wait. This car is the perfect cross over with serious grunt a very smart interior and room in the back seat and a voluminous boot. It corners superbly and I love the quattro. It will be visiting the coast and the mountains by next weekend and most of my weekends, from here on in, will involve finding an excuse to drive it. An excellent choice for my first new car I think. This girl just wants to have fun!
#9 of 13 Re: August 2009 [thegripper] by reality2 Jul 31, 2009 (12:49 pm)
Replying to: thegripper (Nov 05, 2008 7:32 pm) Dream on. Acura's a poor man's Audi. Not even in the same league.
#10 of 13 2010 S4s 'on the ground'? by rayainsw Aug 19, 2009 (9:32 am)
I see a few 2010 S4s listed as being "in stock" at local dealers, here near Atlanta. And one Internet Guy says the one they have is 'in detail'... So - has anyone driven a 2010 yet? I am particularly interested in impressions of the 7-speed S tronic with this s/c V6... I am a bit surprised not to have seen a full road test published, here on Edmunds or elsewhere, with vehicles apparently now available. They must have been driven by now... - Ray Wonder when the embargo on the press is released...
#11 of 13 Owner by ks4 Aug 19, 2009 (1:31 pm)
I went into the show room in Australia 3 weeks ago, the S4 had just landed and they were hoping to take orders from people who drove it. However I drove it and bought it that day they are now waiting for another to land! The supercharged V6 is a total delight, I love the sound of it and its fuel consumption is so much lower than the V8 that one can drive and drive and drive and drive.........which is all I have been doing. This car is a total winner in every way. My only doubt was that it is not a full manual transmission (it is Tiptronic though) but the gear changes in the auto transmission are so smooth and so quick I am not missing it a bit. It takes off like a rocket and the Quattro holds the road so well that I will never wear out the brakes!!....although it performs superbly under brake as well. It is a much better feel than the equivalent BMW's and from where I am standing much sexier to look at. In short I am in love with my shiny black beast. My advice BUY one!
#12 of 13 test drive by rayainsw Aug 22, 2009 (3:31 pm)
I was quite intrigued by the several instances [ in promotional material & ‘first drive’ reviews ] of reference to Audi addressing the fundamental front end weight bias & typical resulting understeer tendencies. And by the new Audi S tronic 7 speed trans. So – I drove the only one currently available to test here north of Atlanta. Executive summary: Engine – very OK. Suspension – ride was fine on the well surfaced roads I covered \ handling definitely not stressed in my drive, but felt OK. Transmission behavior in ‘manual mode’ – VERY not OK. The new S4 has dropped off my “Short List”. Details. Car: 2010 S4 S tronic trans. Nearly loaded: Driver select, silk napa, driver assist MSRP: 60,075.00 I have great respect for Audi – I had an Audi Fox & and a 5000. And I drove a couple of S4s when the time came for a change when I had a Passat - and VW \ Audi shared a dealership building. More recently I have tended toward well balanced high performance sports cars [ 2007 Corvette ] and a string of RWD sport sedans. I appreciate both acceleration and well-balanced handling. But again, the 2010 Audi S4 has dropped off my short list, primarily due to Audi’s implementation of the Manual Mode in the [ otherwise excellent ] S tronic 7 speed automanual trans. In my [ not so humble ] opinion - having driven transmissions with both an automatic & a manual override function for almost 10 years now, the Audi programming model does not represent what I expect. And it certainly does not fit my requirements. [ Neither does any current BMW, for the record. ] In my view “Manual Mode”, means execute the commands I manually input – unless the execution would result in catastrophe [ over-revving the engine on a downshift, obviously ], or an engine RPM that would be too low to allow comfortable cruising or acceleration in the next higher selected gear – when upshifting. In all other conditions, do what I tell you. The biggest flaw of Audi’s programming \ “Manual Mode” algorithm, in my view, is that the trans. ignores upshift requests when it pleases. When at [ or even near ] WOT, a command to upshift is simply ‘declined’. I tried this several times – commanding an upshift at moderate to full throttle & at 2,500 to 4,000 RPM. No dice. For me, brisk & entertaining acceleration does not [ necessarily ] mean I want to run the engine all the way to Red Line. I often accelerate at wide throttle openings but “short shift” – upshifting well before the Red Line. The S4 simply will not do this. Surprising, to me. The manually commanded downshifts were very quick & seamless. Based on the first couple of miles, testing the trans. [mis-]behavior, I drove straight back to the dealership – I did not spend any time trying to develop a feel for the perception of understeer, for ride quality under more challenging conditions, etc. This one dynamic flaw is so fundamental to how I often drive [ briskly, but not usually pushing anywhere near maximum revs ] that I knew very quickly that this S4 would be unacceptable. As I stated above, all current BMWs I have driven display exactly the same fatal flaw – for me. The Caddy V6 CTS does as well. Though the CTS-v’s trans. works as I require. My Corvette did fine – and my current Sport Sedan does this perfectly well. Briefly back in automatic mode, all seemed fine with the trans. The upshifts & downshifts were very quick and the TQ management seemed well executed. I expect that many will have no issues with this drivetrain. If your expectations of “Manual Mode” are different than mine – or you always drive in fully automatic - this may be The Car For You. I found the finish & materials used in the interior to be uniformly excellent and the interior styling very attractive. The seats fit me perfectly – both for comfort & support. The supercharged V6 provides excellent response. An excellent car. Just not for me . . . - Ray Somewhat disappointed . . . Replies to this message: bani (Sep 26, 2009 12:22 am)
#13 of 13 Re: test drive [rayainsw] by bani Sep 26, 2009 (12:22 am)
Replying to: rayainsw (Aug 22, 2009 3:31 pm) infiniti g37 trans will do what you want. get one of those.