imported_kane2k

Last weekend I took a new Audi S4 out for a spin and I must say I was very impressed. It was a brand spanking new one in an awesome royal blue colour with a matching inset in the Recaro seats.

The dealership guy piloted it out onto the open road to show us some tricks before handing over the reins. First off, the V8 sounds like it should. Intimidating and high tech. You sit in the front Recaro's and it's really comfortable but you can tell that you're not going to be moving around much either. Which is a good thing, because the car can produces some serious g's in any direction.

The Quattro system is pretty impressive. The sales guy pulled off the road so that 2 wheels were in the gravel, then he just punched it. The ESP and Quattro combined to make the car just pull off in a straight line with reduced throttle. Then he disabled ESP and with wheelspin being allowed, the car rocketed off, the only indication that there was gravel were the pinging noises from the rear wheelwell.

Now we're out on some open roads and it's my turn. I hopped in and adjusted everything. I'm 6'4" so getting everything perfect is hard but in the Audi I had the pedals and steering wheel in just the right spot and I was sitting upright too, which isn't so good for my head in the Civic. So I start driving. Damn.

First off, the gearbox is awesome. The throw is nice and short but it's very smooth, felt so natural. This car has 340 hp but you can't actually tell how fast it is unless you look at the speedo climbing. Oh, by the way, it's fast. I did a full out allwheel launch and ran through some gears and I'm like holy ****, we're doing <censored>. The number is not something I'd mention specifically, but the amount of time between a standstill and it was far too short.

The Quattro system makes the S4 feel like a FWD car when you punch it through turns. I was pushing the car in 2nd around 90 degree turns with full throttle and it felt as stable as my Civic, except with a sick rate of acceleration and the grip and stability that comes with the heavier car using all 4 wheels to propel you around a corner. The suspension was toight like a toiger and I was impressed with how smooth it was even though the car rides on 235/40/18's(IIRC). The braking was equally impressive. I absolutely hammered the brakes on a stretch of open road at high speed and the car just stayed in line with just a touch of ABS stutter.

This is definitely a car I could drive with a permasmile on my face for quite a long time but I won't completely swing from its nuts. First off, the thing is heavy and you can tell. You can tell in good ways, such as the stability of the car. The bad ways include quick swerves, like dodging potholes to save your lowpros, where subtle body roll showed up abit and you could feel the car hesitate as the weight shifted. There is, after all, a 4.2L V8 up front and Audi's are pretty solidly built. Even with the roll though, the car was fairly nimble, you would just need a bit more reaction time than with my suspension modded Civic for the quick swerves where car weight really comes into play. The other problem that I had was all the black plastic in the vehicle. This did nothing but reinforce my opinion that Audi's are just VW's dressed up a little. This was a $73k car and all i could say about the dash was that they used a nicer plastic than in my Civic. WTF is that about? Also, the stereo and climate controls are not very intuitive or accessible to the driver while you're looking at the road, again, I have a substantial problem with a car worth 4 times what mine is not having better ergonomics than mine.

All in all, I liked the S4 a lot. It turns out I could actually afford to finance it too, if my insurance didn't skyrocket, which it just might. I don't think, however, that this car is worth $73k because although it's fast and handles well, it feels too heavy and doesn't have the appropriate finishing touches. So I hopped back in my Civic and with a look of disgust at my slowly moving speedometer needle, drove off.

imported_Thrill_House

Audi's and VW's are the same thing, when they run they run great....when they run. Oh and when they break (which they will) just prepare to pay big out of pocket for them once the warranty runs out.

Gunmetalef

new S4... best car. i love it.. so perfect

Import Racer

I would skip on the 2005 and go with a 2004. It'll be cheaper cuz they're gonna wanna clear them out for the 05's. Cheaper means you can spend that little extra on a chip and you'll have even a bigger smile for a longer period of time. Extra 100 hp and 100 lb/tq.

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

I poop on everything german, yes I said it!

imported_kane2k

I got the dealer to check if there were any 04's available but apparently they are all gone.

imported_cet_civic

IMO I love it, but a little over the top on the price

punkindrublic

i've been thinkin about an a4 purchase for a bit now... s4 would be nice but i'm not that rich :cry:

Import Racer

Why?

kwikb16a2

cus the quality just aint there anymore......the older ones i wouldnt mind owning but anything new thats german, not a chance in hell

Import Racer

I think the quality got better.

kwikb16a2

how? the build quality is jus so cheap.....my buddy worked at carguide and told me that for the past little while audi/vw have had to design there cars under a tighter budget than before. I think they can definetely make it better but like most other car manufacturers, they'd rather make a "disposible" car rather than something that'll last 20 years. Who cares how well a car is built if there leasing it for 3 years?

Import Racer

Put it this way. If you close a door on a 7 yr old japanese car, the door sounds like it's gonna fall apart. If you were to close the door on a 7 yr old european car, the door still sounds solid. Interior quality (leather) is better quality than japanese cars. I'm not stereotyping japanese cars, cuz I used to drive them also. As for american cars...well, I have no comment on those.

imported_Thrill_House

I dont know what **** box japenese cars you have been driving but the door on my nearly 15 year old civic close like brand new, no shakes, rattles, nothing, and they take very little effort. Plus come on who really gives a fawk on how the door closes any way? I will judge a car overall but what it comes down to is the way it drives and I dont drive a car by opening and closing the door all day. I agree with you on the leather though.

Import Racer

ummm....relax there buddy. the **** box japanese car that I've been driving before isn't a 15 yr old civic. So before you start using the words **** box, check your ride first. I have nothing against Civics cuz I use to drive one and I've been posting on this site almost when it first got launched. You? You've been on here for a couple of months. Honestly, if your Civic doesn't rattle or shake, then it's one of a kind. I have not seen a 15 yr old Civic without any kind of rattle or shake.
I'm not here to put down the Civic cuz like I said, I use to own one and I loved it. Sorry to all those that may be offended, especially the EF owners. Don't mean to put any ones car down, but this guy just comes out talking ****. So please don't take it personally.

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

oh oh did I hurt someone's feelings?


is that for real how you judge the "quality" of a car?? I don't know what to say. You must really love ****-tanks then.

I judge quality by the amount of time/money I spend fixing **** that I shouldn't be fixing... things that are direct results of design flaws or build quality. Go ahead, ask me how much time I spent under my brother's Jetta 99.5 and my dad's Golf 00?

I doubt I'll own anything other than Hondas.

My broke-*** 1990 Civic drives better than my dad's 2000 Golf. I wouldn't trade him if he paid me.

bronx

its true, the body quality of the japanese cars needs improvement...but we all know that you cant beat reliability of a japanese engine.....thats why we all drive civics....cuz they keep on goin like the energizer bunny

kwikb16a2

i had a lady at work kick her 03 beetle so hard because the door handle fell off

Import Racer

No you didn't hurt my feelings? Me asking why is cuz I'd like your input on it. That's all
I used to own a Civic and sold it for an A4. Honestly, I'm extremely happy I made that choice. Also, why did you come in here and start bashing?


I agree with you 100%. Body and comfort quality does not beat a european car, and yes, engine reliability it not as good as Japanese cars. But then it's also luck.

Finally, somone that has something smart to say and not sound like a spokesperson for Honda.

imported_kane2k

Holy crap, what's with the door thing? I can tell you exactly why a Civic door doesn't give the hefty clunk of a leather coated, sound deadened, German cruiser. Because it's lighter. The door is lighter, the whole car is lighter. That way you can have a smaller lighter engine and quicker handling. If I put 20 lbs of dynamat in my door it would close with a solid clunk for 10 years.

The door noise has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with weight and its associated damping effect. It gives the illusion of quality to those who know nothing about the way a car is put together so many manufacturers put time and effort into the door noise to hide the shortcomings of the cars build quality.