I've spent a little time pricing some vehicles and am considering a few different options. Two of the options would be adding another Audi to my stable. Another may be an IS350.

One train of thought for me is to get a fully loaded 3.2 Quattro A4 with the S-line package. I don't think I've seen the S-line package in person on the B7 platform yet so I'm wondering how similar does it look to the S4? Is it worth the extra pennies? By reading the details in this forum's "Model Guide" above it sounds very much like the S-line is creating an S4 clone sans the nice V8 engine :-)

In addition to this package I'd of course be getting the premium package and sunroof package as that is a requirement for S-line if I remember correctly. Nav+ could very well be thrown into the mix as well as I like it on the A3.

Now, the other consideration is a minimally spec'd S4. Well perhaps at least the premium package. A bit more money compared to the fully loaded A4 above but there may be good and bad points for both.

What are your thoughts? TIA!

The S-Line on the B7 is essentially the S4 body kit -- the differences are that the S4 has quad exhaust, different side mirrors, and of course badging. Otherwise I think they are exactly the same on the outside. Inside it has much better seats, the S-Line A4 just has standard A4 seats.

I was torn between S4 and 3.2 when I bought my car and ended up getting the 3.2. I just couldn't justify the additional expense, not just on the sticker, but gasoline costs and insurance costs. I plan on keeping the car for 7 years, so over that time the extra cost of ownership would be substantial.

I am totally happy with my 3.2, no regrets at all. You get the smooth, substantial, deceptively fast feeling of a naturally aspirated engine that the S4 has, a great exhaust note, and there is no reason to mod it at all beyond cosmetic stuff.

I've got an S-line....definitely worth it. The front grill and lip and the other upgraded bodywork looks awesome....very close to an S4. The upgraded suspension is great as well. I went for the 2.0T with a 6 speed myself....I prefer the modability of the turbo engine to get more power out of it in the future. I own a new IS as well and I got the IS250 so I could get a manual tranny....the IS350 has good power but the automatic transmission with the paddle shifter is just terrible....I could never buy one until they put a proper shifter in it. I prefer my A4 S-Line to either of the IS cars by a pretty large margin.

...There is no other 3-series like the M3 and there is no other A4 like the S4 (the RS4 is a totally different animal, what with the manual rear roll-up windows and all...).

If I had the money I would have bought an S4.

Jon.

Agreed. I also owned an e46 M3 and there's just no comparison to a 330. I guess same can be said as you pointed out with the A4 and S4.

Cost of Ownership is substantial however. What I absolutely hate is the Gas Guzzler Tax!!!

Lol, probably true. You can bet the Bimmer boards are full of discussion on that topic. I'm eager to see a V8 spec'd M3 myself.

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it.

Did you get the RWD or AWD IS250? Just curious. With the IS350, I definitely was interested in the powerful engine at 306. Supposed to be a great powerplant. I too was concerned about the feel of the tranny however. I don't mind not having the option of a 6-speed manual as my last two vehicles have been auto, including the current DSG spec'd A3 I drive which is a great little car actually. I do miss rowing the gears every now and then, especially when you've got a high strung powerful engine like the one in the e46 M3..lots of fun :)

Btw, do you find the interior space in the IS and A4 pretty similar. I've heard both are pretty tight in the rear.

Good points, thanks. Are you driving manual or Tip?

I had one of the first 3.2's -- I bought my car in April 2005, so tip was all that was available at the time. Plus I had the dreaded wife factor to deal with. Funnily enough, my wife still hasn't even driven the car yet, after 9 months!

To be honest, I actually like the 6 speed tip, definitely the best auto I have ever driven, besides the DSG A3 I test drove. I even like it better than the Maserati Cambiocorsa coupe I drove (the transmission, definitely not the engine, haha).

The performance difference is minimal anymore (Audi claims one tenth of a second difference 0-60 between manual and auto in the 3.2's) -- and the convenience factor is off the charts, especially here in Seattle where traffic is just brutal. FWIW, I have a G-Tech accelerometer and I regularly run 6.0-6.2 seconds 0-60 in my car, about a half second faster than Audi claims for the 3.2 tip. This is on stock 17" wheels with all season tires. I should easily be under 6 if I had some performance rubber. Suprising.

The only downside is that you do miss the visceral, total control feeling of a manual gearbox, which I am sure would be jaw dropping paired with this power plant. But the manual mode in tip does a pretty good job estimating that IMO. In the 3.2 FSI 90% of the max torque is available between 1800-5900 RPMs, so the tip really does ok.

Hey I'm from the Seattle area so I know all about that climate...ugh. Actually if I were still there having Quattro would've been a no-brainer. Now that I live in sunny SoCal it's really not that big of deal but given the choice I think I'll go for it. It does rain every now and then here too :-)

That is indeed pretty surprising with your 0-60 times, especially with the all-seasons. Seems like Audi is extremely conservative with their listed performance numbers.

up the ante with their best effort only to drop the hammer with the newer iteration of the M3. Great to have choices. I like the looks of the S4 and having 4 doors.

I have the RWD IS250. Also the paddle shifter auto tranny is nowhere near DSG....just think of the slowest automatic tranny you've driven and the one in the new IS is just a little slower than that. The A4 has much more room inside everywhere....especially headroom and the back seat. I'm really tall so my drivers seat actually almost touches the rear seat in the IS so when we have people with us we always take the A4.

The A4 S line is basically the S4 car with the A4 drivetrain.

If you debadge an S line A4, it looks exactly like the S4 aside fron the rear valance (its not fully painted on the S4) and the rims on the S4 are 6 spoke.

The S line package makes the car in my opinion.
If not for the S line package, I never would have bought an A4. The subtle differences add up to a huge difference in visual impact.

When I first went to look at the A4's, I walked past the S line 3 times, thinking it was an S4 I could not afford.

Th S line package is worth the money to me.
The interior trim, door sill plates, lip on the trunk, different grill, steering wheel and front end, sport suspension and 18" rims.

Granted, you can get the sport suspension on a regular A4, but none of the rest.

Wow, the IS definitely sounds tiny. Something to consider. Thanks.

There seems to be more Audi cars per capita here than anywhere else I have ever been. On the plateau (eastside suburb) it seems like 1 out of 5 cars is an Audi of some sort.

But the cool thing is you see all sorts of old 4000's and 5000's on the road too.

that way you dont have to click every single post to see what it says

But sometimes when I have too much to say I can't be bothered trying to summarize it all into one line :-)

so i know if it's a "yes" or a long answer