Post
by JamesB » Mon Sep 22, 2003 11:10 pm
Sorry to take so long - weekend was a bit more hectic than expected.
It seems like there is quite a lot of debate about the new S4 on this forum. I don't claim to be an expert but just add what I think after 4000 miles in mine (for what it's worth!).
Firstly, why a new S4? I was looking for a new saloon/coupe with a bit more entertainment than the Rover 75 that my company had given me for the past few months. Not hard, I hear you say. So I went out and did a lot of reading up and some test drives. After ruling out some slower stuff and deciding to bump my budget up to £40k max, I was left with the S4, M3 and even the S60R (I know, I know). The S60R was ruled out quickly by some absolutely hopeless staff at my local Volvo dealer who made me determined to never put business their way. I'm now glad I didn't decide to wait as the reviews have been poor to say the least. So I tested the M3 and an S4 Avant. I actually enjoyed the M3 more to drive but can't say I had a bad time in either of them. The M3 certainly feels quicker, which I guess is no surprise when you look at the power to weight ratios - and I was in the S4 Avant - but I tested the S4 on a wet day and found the 4WD came in handy.
I chose the S4 in the end for a number of reasons. 4 doors are very useful for me with one child and another brewing. The 4WD is a plus – firstly for the cornering and secondly for security because my wife will drive it and she isn’t as confident with that much power. The famous understated look is appealing and will answer anyone who asks why I didn’t look at an Impreza or an Evo (softer ride too, I’ve heard). The S4 is also that much cheaper. Although I hadn’t driven the saloon, I was confident that it wouldn’t suffer in comparison with the Avant in terms of driveability.
With a bit of hard negotiation, I managed to get £2000 off at a UK main dealer on a car to my spec, which I was quite pleased with.
Since then, I’ve had a lot of fun, apart from a sweaty two weeks after an incident with a GATSO – it must have been faulty, your honour! [img]images/graemlins/suicide.gif[/img]
The engine took a good 2000 miles to really start delivering. Does anyone know if there will be further improvement? There is acceleration from low down in pretty much all the gears but you certainly know where peak torque is delivered (around 3500 revs). Having said that, the torque holds up surprisingly well after that considering the engine is normally aspirated, although I’m sure not as well as on the B5. I wonder if a slightly smaller engine with one or two turbos might have made it the M3 beater that I suspect Audi had in mind to begin with (1 extra bhp can’t be a coincidence). There is a little bit of understeer but you have to push pretty hard for that and I’m probably being picky. The ride can be a little fidgety on A-roads. This however is more than compensated for by the stability and grip you get in return on the smaller roads. I only mention it because most of my driving is on A-roads. I also like the steering, the weighting seems to suit me. No strong feelings about the brakes. Nice interior. My only real complaint was the very high clutch, which took quite some time to get used to and probably proves that I’m never going to be Michael Schumacher!
I’m thinking about looking into modifications at some stage but don’t know very much. Can anyone tell me what impact it has on warranty, servicing and insurance? Would it also mean I’m obliged to run it on 98 RON? I only seem to be able to find 97 around where I live.
You can wake up now, I’ve finished.
[img]images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]
Last edited by
JamesB on Tue Aug 31, 2004 10:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
James
Former S4 and RS6 owner