GWN

Found out about this site too late....Here is the problem, I need current S4 owners advice:


I ordered an S4 (CAN) tiptronic but without the SD. After reading reviews, and opinions here, I think I should cancel the order (it is due to arrive next week!)

I am new to the brand and "slightly" po'd that my SA didn't tell me about this.....but I have to accept the blame ultimately....

For daily commutes to the office with hwy driving, is this as big a deal as I think it is or is this care still "safe"


Thanks in advance....

Reds4Phil

The car is Safe but the SD really adds to the car. The SD has features that change the feel of the steering, the shift points and gives you crazy cornering ability. In short it really adds fun to the car.

audi40

Assuming you're referring to the sport differential ("SD"), I think you'll be more than "safe" without it unless you plan on doing a lot of high-speed cornering, in which case you'll probably still be safe but the car will exhibit understeer.

WatchNut

Of course the car is safe. Do you really think Audi would be producing a $50,000 sport sedan that, unless you buy a $1,000 option, is rendered unsafe?

It's a fantastic car even without the SD.

GWN

No, of course you're right...I just needed to hear it from a driver.

rktskicar

The ESP is amazing, independent of sport diff. It will keep you safe. It is like driving an F16. You go flying into corners thinking "I'm going to die" and it will bail you out and things will be fine. This is a very safe car.

Bruce

riegerman

It is definitely safe but will it be as safe as one with an Sd is the question. The answer is no. The SD makes this car safer why? Answer it makes your car turn better. If you also like driving aggressively or might even track it then I would definitely cancel the order and order a new one if you can wait the 3 months. If you are leasing it then don't worry about the resale value but if you are purchasing one than I might reconsider if I was you because when time to sell it will be easier to sell one with the SD and it may also sell for a higher price than one without the SD.

WatchNut

If the safety issue is the only difference-maker, then the $1000 should be put towards a driver skills course, not the Sport Diff. I can pretty much guarantee you that augmentation of driver skill will improve overall safety more than the sport diff on a car that's already a great handler with an excellent all-wheel drive system. In my opinion, most of us (myself included) likely put more of a limitation on the vehicle than not having the sport diff would. I strongly doubt most of us drive this car close-to or at threshold.

I took a course several years back, and I can assure you it had far more of an impact on my driving abilities than any sport differential could.

I'd love to see someone characterize the safety differences in terms of some real-world numbers (not hypothesis and conjecture). I imagine this would be a VERY difficult task.

If the dealer had a car on the lot that had all the other options I wanted, but lacked the sport diff, I would have taken the car on the lot as opposed to waiting almost 3 months.

NWS4Guy

I agree that the 1K is worth more invested in driving and knowing how to, however no amount of driving will offer the traction benefit the SD gives especially in inclimate driving conditions - no driver can force the car up a hill half covered in ice, but the SD can by moving the torque to the wheel not on the ice (for example).

Without SD, you would be stuck at the bottom, as ABS would kick in and slow the spinning wheel (on the ice) to match speeds of the wheel with grip (which wouldn't be moving).

WatchNut

Fair enough....but a skilled driver is still going to be able to maximize the handling of the car in sub-optimal conditions. And I drove my friend's S4 this winter (he has the sport diff) on icy roads. Ice is ice. The SD did not make an appreciable difference. The car handled well...but not appreciably differently from the non-SD model I test drove earlier that same day.

Remember also....in the example you cite above....you're saying that the SD is going to send the power to the one wheel with traction, yes? And just how well is that car going to go up that icy hill with only one of the rear corners pushing? ;-)

All I'm saying here is that people on this forum talk about the SD as though it can make the car drive on water, climb the side of a building, and make the world's greatest hamburger. It's not quite there....yet.