Your input please!

[Pete.S]

Hi guys

Haven't posted on here for months, been busy abroad.

Anyhow, I'd appreciate some "long term" reports from any B6 S4 owners, as I'm now seriously considering purchasing one There seems to be a lack of such posts atm!

Specifically:

MPG
Rough mileage when servicing has become due
Tyre wear
Servicing costs
General impression of the car, especially if you've come from a B5 (as I currently own)

Be interesting to see what sort of attention you guys are getting on the road; one of the main reasons I bought the S4 was because of it's subtlety; is this still true of the B6? Are you getting left alone by the boy racer knobs?

Any info, as always, greatly appreciated!

[Scotty]

Mines still low milage so no info on tyres, servicing etc but my mpg is exactly what I was lead to expect - around 18 (mines average 18.5 over 4 months) and this is with the stage 3 mods.

I'd say it's very stealthy. I don't have any grief and mines bright red which is probably the most obvious as it hightlights all the brightwork (mirrors etc).

Excuse me quoting Top Gear but their report seems to sum it up well :

When the road streams with water - or the track, for that matter - the S4 argues a very convincing case for itself, but it's not that alone that has allowed it to close up on the M3 - after all the old S4 was also four-wheel-drive. The new S4 is a seriously good car in other areas, not just those of outright grip and traction; it's fast, civilised, well finished and appointed.

But it lacks that last little sparkle of sheer raw-edged excitement so evident in the M3, although remember, it is cheaper, and it is the more comfortable high-speed cruiser. Choose either and you won't go far wrong. The S4 is the best all-round all-weather, high performance, mid-size saloon at the moment. The much less comfortable M3 does not remain unscathed from this encouter, but if you want the best, pure driving tool, it is still the one to have.
When it rains, though. be sensible, pull over and let the S4 go by.

[Krammer002]

In addition to Scootys and Top Gear's comments I'd like to add the following:
Mine at 38K miles with 2 AVS services under its belt. Both became due just after 18K+.
MPG is currently 20 / 21 overall (up to 24 / 25 on motorways) as for tyre wear, I'm coming to the end of my second set (Original Conti - 17K, Second set Michelin PS2s - 22K plus, and a better tyre).
The servicing costs were as expected. Contact you local dealer for menu pricing.
One of the reasons for choosing the B6 S4 Avant was its understated looks, the benefits being: the ability to remain undisturbed by 'the boy racer Knobs' as you put it, but more importantly, the 'plod'.

Our current TT is still fun to drive but the S4 seems to ooze with effortless power, tenacious traction, and impeccable road manners.

[Nordschleife]

I asked a bunch of German car salesmen what they thought of the 4.2 V8 S4 when it was released:
First salesman: "Boring"
Second salesman: "The material and quality is not as high as the last model"
Third salesman:: "It won't interest my customers"

They were NOT happy campers.

I got to spend two days testing the car on a race track, the experience was underwhelming, the brakes soon faded and the clutch has an imminent use-by date when driven enthusiastically.

I believe that the Audi Driving Experience has reverted to the TT for their more performance oriented courses.

You might think this is rather a negative report, well the 2.7 V6 is a very hard act to follow.

R+C

[Scotty]

The Audi Driving Experience in the UK is 3.2TT DSG, S4 Tiptronic, RS6 Tiptronic.

[Pete.S]

Mmm, cheers guys, some useful info there

Scotty - did you purchase the car with the AMD work already having been carried out? If not, did it transform the car from standard? Looks like you're getting a drop of only a couple of average mpg, so does the increased performance etc justify the drop in economy?

Nordschleife - if you were looking for a new-ish (less than 2 years old)motor to cover great swathes of the country in all weather and at all times of the day & night as quickly, undramatically and safely as possible, wanted something reasonably understated, reliable, a little bit "special" and unique, what would you plumb for?

I too have seen reports mentioning the performance being slightly subdued or "boring" as your salesman contact put it, but I'm struggling to come up with alternatives that fit my criteria.

Not sure about the "quality" comment though: sat in a cabrio the other week at the dealers and immediately thought how much more comfortable and closeting the interior was compared to my B5. The seats, which I believe are fully electrically adjustable as standard, were superb I thought, and far more comfortable than my current Recs!

[Nordschleife]

Pete
For the driving you describe, an RS4 would be a great option. Otherwise, my list of possibilities would include 996 Turbo, A8 (old or new, Diesel or Petrol) and Nissan Skyline GTR.
Tired of compromises, I've switched to 2 Italian cars with a lot of Audi under the skin, one is small, mad and utterly beguiling, the other has 4 doors, an iconic front end and refuses to accept it's grown up. I don't think either of them quite fit your requirements!

R+C

[Pete.S]

an RS4 would be a great option. Otherwise, my list of possibilities would include 996 Turbo, A8 (old or new, Diesel or Petrol) and Nissan Skyline GTR.

Yes, I was thinking seriously about an RS4, but the newest ones are 51 plate (and very rare), and hence out of original warranty, plus from reading the RS4 forum I see they're due cambelt changes every 40,000 miles (my annual mileage), plus bigger discs, clutch liable to fail quicker than on S4, higher servicing costs, lower mpg etc etc. Most worrying of all are the posts about cars being nicked forcefully from owner's houses....as I mentioned, I can often be driving in the middle of the night through pretty undesirable areas; don't fancy becoming another crime statistic tbh!

996 turbo: never been a fan of Porsches, too "flash bastard", plus not 4 wheel drive and I would have imagined very expensive to run

A8: too big, not quick enough (apart from very expensive S8 )

Nissan Skyline: fantastic motor, but a little too "steroid" for me, poor mpg

You know what, I might just wait 'til the BMW 335d comes out next year: BMW sources are quoting 6 secs 0 - 60, 155 tops, 40 mpg! Working out the difference between that and a new S4, doing 40k miles a year, saving of £7200 PER YEAR on fuel!!! And that's working on today's fuel prices, which judging by today's news, are set to increase even bloody more

But, I just love the styling, poise, characteristics (apart from mpg) and overall image of the S4. Oh man, decisions decisions...

[viffer]

996 turbo: not 4 wheel drive

Yes it is.

You know what, I might just wait 'til the BMW 335d comes out next year: BMW sources are quoting 6 secs 0 - 60, 155 tops, 40 mpg

And that's before you chip it ... should be a very quick car in the real world.

I had a B6 A4 (cabriolet). Now have an RS4 (B5 obviously). I think the interiors are pretty much on a par. New one has slightly nicer (more modern) styling and very good seats. Old one I think has better materials. Both very good though (IMHO) compared with pretty much anything else.

If you are getting a B6, do a long test drive on some non-smooth tarmac. My cab had really crap damping, and while I imagine the S4 is much better, there was someone on here who got rid of his B6 S4 because he didn't like the way it "porpoised" on undulating roads. He bought an RS4.

BTW RS4s are pretty Ok on fuel. 22 mpg is very achievable. I occasionally get over 25 on long runs.

Cheers, Richard.

[Nordschleife]

I did drive a C Series AMG 3.7 Diesel, which was very impressive. However, the very high performance diesels produced by MB, BMW, Audi can be quite noisy at the kinds of speeds you are limited to in the UK.

Do not make the mistake of thinking the A8 is not quick enough, in practice, A-to-B its very efficient. It has a quiet 4 litre diesel and is roomy and economical, its systems are better than any other manufacturer.

You will find that a lot of cars need cambelt changes, if buying a used one, negotiate the cambelt service in with the purchase.

In my experience, they quite like good cars in 'bad areas', and there is always somebody to keep an eye on it for you. If you live in an area where you worry about being held up at home for your car keys, I would have to think you live in the wrong place and I'd be worrying about finding somewhere safer for everybody. You make living in Britain sound most unpleasant!

R+C

[waitey1]

I replaced the B6 S4 with the B5 RS4 absolutely no regrets, the RS4 needs better brakes but that will be sorted shortly. In the S4 i was looking for 7th gear the gearing didn;t seemed suited to the torque of the engine but as mentioned the main fault was the "porpoising".
cheers Iain

[Krammer002]

Hi Iain
My switch from a B5 to the B6 S4 chassis did give me a little cause for concern with regard to the "porpoising" effect and the overall road handling. Several thousand miles later (38K now), the car's suspension has 'settled in' you could say, and with the change from the supplied Continental tyres to Michelin PS2s , all my road holding and handling concerns have been laid to rest.
I would agree that a 7th gear would be useful, or even something like 'overdrive' (for those of us with a few years under our belts).
One of my wishes would be an S4D (4.2 Twin Turbo Diesel DSG) with 35+ MPG.

[Nige_RS4]

What's this 'porpoising' effect all about then - never heard of it ????

[Gareth]

like 'overdrive' (for those of us with a few years under our belts).
One of my wishes would be an S4D (4.2 Twin Turbo Diesel DSG) with 35+ MPG. [/quote]




I'd be up one of those "dream spec" S4's too

Who know's in 5 years from now we might have these kind of uber Diesel Saloons/Coupes etc

[waitey1]

Diesels will win Le Mans soon, so they were saying, when the ACO have ruled again on the size of the fuel tank!
Porpoising---- when the dampers mainly work in one direction, downwards, so the road spring throws the car up unchecked. Like being in a speed boat on choppy water, it unsettles the balance of the car My old S6 did it, cured by Bilstein inserts, problem was the B6 S4 was too new for aftermarket "bits"----- so disappointed that as you have seen I swopped it for an RS4. So if your in the market for an S4 try a good example RS4 ( bought the third one I tried) there really is no contest.