Greetings,
While I have been planning on purchasing an A4 AWD Quattro 4DR Sedan Premium +, I have been considering looking at a Prestige w/ Audi Drive Select. I enjoy the drive of the car as is, but I also loved the feel of the BMW328i- that felt sportier to me.

The ADS sounds fantastic in theory, folks in this forum happy with their ADS? Does ADS open the door for more maintenance issues? How would the drive of a Premium Plus (no sport) compare w/ the ADS options?

Regards,

plA4keeps

I have drive select and I love it. No idea about long term reliability though, but it's definitely awesome while it works.

I have not had the opportunity to test drive a car with ADS. Are the differences dramatic? What settings do you usually use? How sporty is the sporty setting? How much smoother is the smooth setting?

Thanks.


I have drive select and I love it. No idea about long term reliability though, but it's definitely awesome while it works.

Did you try one with the sport pack instead of drive select? You get the good seats with it.

I love it, I have 19" sport package + ADS on a Prestige model.

The switch from Comfort to Dynamic is instant, everything gets more responsive and firmer -- I use three settings.

Auto, Comfort and Individual, mainly.

I have individual set up as -

Engine/Transmission Dynamic
Steering Dynamic
Suspension Auto

I am very glad I have it -- I have no idea regarding its durability and reliability.

Finally, it costs too much by perhaps $500. But, considering what I said above, perhaps it is better to say, I wish it had been $2495 or $1995 rather than $2995. But I would order it again in a heartbeat.

I test drove cars with and without ADS and came to the conclusion that I wouldn't want it even if it didn't cost extra. I ALWAYS want the suspension firm and the throttle responsive, which is why I installed an aftermarket coilover suspension and plan to have the engine tuned. The car already comes with adaptive steering, which seemed perfectly suitable to me and definitely not worth spending all the extra money to change. I suppose if you like a plush ride or you share the car with your significant other, it might be a worthy option, but it's definitely not for me.

I didn't get it with the sports package and somewhat regretted it. I do miss the nicer seats now. The sporty setup is a totally different car, throttle response is excellent, and I can feel everything on the road. I suppose you can get the responsiveness from personal tuning, but what makes it worth it for me is the ability to drop to comfort mode when I feel like relaxing on long trips, which I do quite often.

I have P+ with 18" sports package. I am fine with it even on rough roads. However I rode in the back seat recently and it sure was harsh back there. I rarely have a back seat passanger. It might be something for others to consider. We have 2 A4s to choose from anyway.

I don't have it on my MY2009 (S-line/Sports with 20mm drop) but I've ordered it on my MY2010 (S-line/Sports with 20mm drop).

With a 4 year old kid and a new born baby it seems to give me two cars in one.

3 months later, I wouldn't change a word of it.


Even if you never press a button, you'd be using it continually.

<HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fff; COLOR: #fff" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->ADS defaults to "Auto" everytime the car is started.

In "Auto" mode, steering, suspension dampening, throttle response and transmission shift programming (with the Tiptronic) continually adapt to your current driving conditions. It's quite responsive and functions very well.

Now, personally, I actively utilize the preset modes of ADS. If the road is rough, I select Comfort mode and ADS dampens the bumps much better than the non-sport suspension can, yet body roll is significantly reduced from the stock non-sport. I also use Comfort while cruising on the highway.

For those times that I need my car to be most responsive, I select Dynamic and my car is transformed. In Dynamic, the suspension is capable of dampening rates significantly tighter than the stock sports suspension, throttle response is immediate and the steering tightens up dramatically. Frankly, it's tons of fun but it's way too aggressive to leave it in Dyanmic for daily driving (unless you're a sadist).

The bottom line is that ADS is not just an option that sounds good but that you'd probably "rarely use". It's part of the car. If you're driving the car, you're using it.

ADS is a very pricey option. I'll be the first to admit it.....I was a skeptic. I didn't intend on buying it on a new car becuase of the price.

But I bought my car used for a fantastic price and it had ADS and now I'd never look back.

The A4 without ADS is a great car. But any A4 with ADS is simply a better car.
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I am also pondering on the ADS-or-not dilemma. My considerations, however, are whether ADS comfort mode gives additional comfort over standard suspension. To put it in another way is it worth it if additional sportiness delivered by dynamic mode is not a pritority ?

^ What the guy with the red car said.

I test drove cars with and without ADS and came to the conclusion that I wouldn't want it even if it didn't cost extra. I ALWAYS want the suspension firm and the throttle responsive, which is why I installed an aftermarket coilover suspension and plan to have the engine tuned. The car already comes with adaptive steering, which seemed perfectly suitable to me and definitely not worth spending all the extra money to change. I suppose if you like a plush ride or you share the car with your significant other, it might be a worthy option, but it's definitely not for me.

Adaptive steering comes only with ADS. There is a lot of confusing buzzwords in marketing but it basically comes to 3 things:
1. Power steering
2. Changing the power steering boost with speed (speed sensitive assist)
3. Dynamic steering ratios

The first two are standard on pretty much any car made in the last decade (or at least I would expect so). The last one is only available in dynamic mode of ADS. The best way to describe it is that the steering becomes "telepathic". Also dynamic mode reduces power steering assist at low speeds.

When I test drove the a B8 A4 for the first time (it was a Premium model) I was a bit disappointed by steering and suspension. ADS fixes these issues for sure. You can get a sport package but it doesn't change the steering and I didn't want summer tires on 19'' rims - that's why I went with ADS.

Very interesting (and probably not the typical) question. Can others comment here as well?

--plA4keeps

I am also pondering on the ADS-or-not dilemma. My considerations, however, are whether ADS comfort mode gives additional comfort over standard suspension. To put it in another way is it worth it if additional sportiness delivered by dynamic mode is not a pritority ?

Very interesting (and probably not the typical) question. Can others comment here as well?

--plA4keeps

I was recovering from a minor surgery and used the following settings for a week:
Suspension: comfort
Drivetrain: auto
Steering: dynamic

At the time, I thought it was more than worth the price. In other words, it's the same deal as with GPS Nav: when you need it it's really worth it (or you really wish you had it).

I am also pondering on the ADS-or-not dilemma. My considerations, however, are whether ADS comfort mode gives additional comfort over standard suspension. To put it in another way is it worth it if additional sportiness delivered by dynamic mode is not a pritority ?

Yes, theoretically ADS can offer a more comfortable suspension than the standard suspension (see below graph):

http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/14154/a4_ads_suspension.jpg

However, you have to temper this expectation with the fact that any ADS-equipped car will have a 20mm-lower suspension (and an associated reduction in suspension travel to absorb bumps). Lower profile tires will also be less compliant to road imperfections.

I have ADS and love it. While I enjoy Dynamic mode, I really value ADS most for its Comfort setting, which is great on road trips or when I'm trying to let my wife sleep undisturbed.

This is also true when I'm trying to cruise at slightly higher speeds. Sometimes an overly cautious passenger would complain at that speed, but with Comfort, all the bumps and vibration is dampened, and they no longer realize we were travelling at speed.