ZCD2.7T

Thanks for the post - good reading, and nice to know that at least ONE BMW driver wasn't completely brainwashed! ;-)

A few comments on your comments:

1) Your description of the M-DCT's operation tells me that it's exactly WRONG for a car like the S4. S-cars have always been smooth operators, and a transmission that slams shifts home (purely for effect, mind you, because slamming doesn't make the car faster) would fly in the face of that tradition. I really enjoy the fact that the S-tronic's operation is indistinguishable from a torque-converter-automatic 80% of the time.

2) One review I read of the S4 summed up by saying "this thing drives exactly how most people probably think an M3 drives", or words to that effect. The comment was aimed at the 3.0T engine's power delivery as much as anything else. The S4's torque, as you rightly pointed out, is SO user-friendly on the street. As a track motor, I have no doubt that the M3's V-8 has few equals, but its paucity of torque will always be a liability on the street or at less than 8/10ths.

3) The S4 IS the perfect compromise car. Does everything well, and nothing badly. If I had money for both a sporty sedan AND a sports car, I might have chosen something else, but for one car that does it all, the S4 is indeed tough to beat.

Enjoy your new car!

BTW, in my experience, the S4 gets parked right out front of hot restaurants and clubs, too! :-)

sdiver68

M3: No dry sump lubrication = NOT a track motor. Brakes that go away after a couple of laps = NOT a track car.

The M3 is not a great track car. For that matter, neither are Porsches shy of the GT series.

sdiver68

Hmmm, with CD's returning less than 1% thereby losing against inflation and 3 year loans at 1.9%...

BobbyJim

If I may be so bold: "... while correct, "funner" is more improperer"

lodaka

Great post OP. As a current owner of both, I share a lot of your sentiments. While I agree that M3 isn't a track car, you don't get to have the full experience of having an M3 unless you are at the track, i.e. don't think I drive around in a city at 8300rpm all the time... Someone will shoot me. I also agree with M-DCT really belongs in M3, and S-tronic belongs in S4. No complaints either way.

You were also spot on the interior comparison and MMI... I also am a former owner of 335i, and though a great car, I prefer S4 slightly over 335i nonetheless as well.

primetime

Yeah last fall... Pretty ugly for an M3 in a straight line... probably had 2-3 cars on him 0-80/90

ZCD2.7T

Sheesh - we're discussing STREET cars, not racing cars. It's all relative, of course.

High-rpm power = fast on a track.

Low/mid-rpm power = fast more often in normal street situations, but not AS fast on a track. In general.

sdiver68

Sorry it's a pet peeve of mine when people make excuses for the M3 as a street car based on some false assumption about its track cred. Most of whom have never actually been on the track.

Carry on I'll stop the M3 bashing now.

NS2000X

I'll preface this comment with the acknowledgement that by virtue of my sig, I must be a *****. That out of the way, I understand what the OP was saying regarding the M-DCT, however it has six (6) settings, that can be defaulted to the key, M-button, and altered manually. The behaviour is drastically different between each of these. In my view it is more how fast the gear changes, not really slamming. But as I said I understand his reference.

The S4 S-Tronic is what flipped me to dual clutch transmissions after having driven the earlier incarnations that were not nearly smooth enough, nor followed instruction well. The S4 S-Tronic is fantastic.

sor

Yeah, should have been more clear on that. The M-DCT can be as tame or wild as you choose. My point was that the transmission can feel impressively unlike a torque converter, and I didn't quite get that from the s-tronic even at its most agressive. Combined with the standard auto shifter it just felt like a step backward.