Post
by tombs » Tue Mar 20, 2007 1:53 pm
Hi Matt, having both owned the S4 (B5) and a S6 (C5) here’s what I found owning both cars. The S4 is a fantastic very modifiable car, even in its standard guise it’s a great car for road use. The biturbo engine is great fun and as you can see from the many many postings on here there is so much you can do to the car. There are quite a few around and prices range from as little as £6.5k for a high mileage with no options to £14-15K for a tuned low mileage well looked after specimen with all the extra’s and top spec.
I loved my S4 but found (and like all B5 A4 variants) the back seats and back space was terrible, impossible to sit 4-5 adults in the car in comfort and particular made worse if the front seat occupants were over the 6ft in height. If the car had a sunroof and you were 6ft or over again it was uncomfortable and slightly claustrophobic with the roof lining being quite low. I wouldn’t recommend the car for family use; it will make life very cramped on the move. The fuel tank I thought was also a pain as it held such a small amount for such a high consumption of fuel, at best the range could be as little as 225miles with around town driving. But, all that aside the S4 is a very powerful exciting car and a lot of fun to own and drive. As for turbo failure I wouldn’t be to concerned, the car in standard form and regularly serviced will be fine with little or no big bills. I’ve always felt that forums all though extremely informative and a great resource for researching certain subjects etc on the flip side can also create paranoia as some content can be just speculation with little or no facts. My point is, don’t be put of buying an S4 if it’s just the thought of the turbo’s going pop. The turbos’ on both the S4 and the RS4 are good for many many miles and years providing the car has been serviced accordingly. And I’m sure there is a poll on here somewhere that backs my opinion up on this.
The S6 (C5) on the other hand is a completely different car, a very very rare (even then B5 RS4!) version of the A6 family. The S6 is a slightly higher spec version of the even rarer 4.2 V8 A6, they both share their shape and lightweight aluminium chassis and body with their big brother the mighty RS6 which are distinctive by their flared wheel arches giving all 3 cars a very aggressive stance. The RS6 of course has a lot more under the skin and few cosmetics on the outside!
The S6 as standard is nicely specced, 340bhp lightweight Aluminium Engine, 5 speed triptronic sports gearbox with integrated steering wheel controls (never made a manual for the UK market), Quattro, aluminium trim, ISOFIX child seat fitting, heated front Recaro Sports seats, Xenon headlights to name a few over say the A6 2.7T.
The options were very few but consisted of Sat Nav + with or with out TV, bose Audio system, Accoustic parking, Auto dip rear view mirror, sunroof, and few more toys…
As for owning one, well I would say they are about the same on insurance as the S4, probably no more in fuel and I say this because the S6 is an automatic refined drive cruising mobile, in the S4 you cant help but put pedal to the metal as the thrill from those turbos is so addictive so you will burn about the same amount of fuel anyway. Although the S6 does hold a lot more so filling up is more expensive…but you can go further! As for maintenance the S6 is cheaper, most are setup with longer schedule servicing are pretty reliable with only the front suspension and gearbox possibly the things to go wrong…if they go wrong. But again if the car has been serviced regularly and looked after this shouldn’t be an issue.
To drive they are lovely, luxurious motorway cars and happy to sit at high speeds on A roads and just as content to whip around town with no effort, after all autos are easy to drive. The S6 has a lot of punch with its V8 engine and nice growl to boot, has a ton of space in either avant format or saloon and will happily sit 5 adults with luggage. The S6 is a more “grown up car” compared to a (B5) S4, but the S4 has a huge fan base and is very highly tuneable exciting toy, it all really depends Matt on what you want from your next car. Good luck in your hunting!
