rayainsw

NB: This is NOT meant in any way as “Audi bashing” –
Or as “S4 bashing”.

Since I have seen few comments here from anyone who has test driven a new S4, here are my impressions.

I was quite intrigued by the several instances [ in promotional material & ‘first drive’ reviews ] of reference to Audi addressing the fundamental front end weight bias & typical resulting understeer tendencies. And by the new Audi S tronic 7 speed trans.

So – I drove the only one currently available to test here north of Atlanta.
Executive summary:

Engine – very OK.
Suspension – ride was fine on the well surfaced roads I covered
\ handling definitely not stressed in my drive, but felt OK.
Transmission behavior in ‘manual mode’ – VERY not OK.
The new S4 has dropped off my “Short List”.

Details.

Car: 2010 S4 Prestige
S tronic trans.
Nearly loaded:
Driver select, silk napa, driver assist
MSRP: 60,075.00

I have great respect for Audi – I had an Audi Fox & and a 5000.
And I drove a couple of S4s when the time came for a change when I had a Passat - and VW \ Audi shared a dealership building.

More recently I have tended toward well balanced high performance sports cars [ 2007 Corvette ] and a string of RWD sport sedans. I appreciate both acceleration and well-balanced handling.

But again, the 2010 Audi S4 has dropped off my short list, primarily due to Audi’s implementation of the Manual Mode in the [ otherwise excellent ] S tronic 7 speed automanual trans.

In my [ not so humble ] opinion - having driven transmissions with both an automatic & a manual override function for almost 10 years now, the Audi programming model does not represent what I expect. And it certainly does not fit my requirements.

[ Neither does any current BMW, for the record. ]

In my view “Manual Mode”, means execute the commands I manually input – unless the execution would result in catastrophe [ over-revving the engine on a downshift, obviously ], or an engine RPM that would be too low to allow comfortable cruising or acceleration in the next higher selected gear – when upshifting. In all other conditions, do what I tell you.

The biggest flaw of Audi’s programming \ “Manual Mode” algorithm, in my view, is that the trans. ignores upshift requests when it pleases. When at [ or even near ] WOT, a command to upshift is simply ‘declined’. I tried this several times – commanding an upshift at moderate to full throttle & at 2,500 to 4,000 RPM. No dice.

For me, brisk & entertaining acceleration does not [ necessarily ] mean I want to run the engine all the way to Red Line. I often accelerate at wide throttle openings but “short shift” – upshifting well before the Red Line. The S4 simply will not do this. Surprising, to me.

The manually commanded downshifts were very quick & seamless.

Based on the first couple of miles, testing the trans. [mis-]behavior, I drove straight back to the dealership – I did not spend any time trying to develop a feel for the perception of understeer, for ride quality under more challenging conditions, etc. This one dynamic flaw is so fundamental to how I often drive [ briskly, but not usually pushing anywhere near maximum revs ] that I knew very quickly that this S4 would be unacceptable. As I stated above, all current BMWs I have driven display exactly the same fatal flaw – for me. The Caddy V6 CTS does as well. Though the CTS-v’s trans. works as I require. My Corvette did fine – and my current Sport Sedan does this perfectly well.

Briefly back in automatic mode, all seemed fine with the trans.
The upshifts & downshifts were very quick and the TQ management seemed well executed.
I expect that many will have no issues with this drivetrain.
If your expectations of “Manual Mode” are different than mine – or you always drive in fully automatic - this may be The Car For You.

I found the finish & materials used in the interior to be uniformly excellent and the interior styling very attractive. The seats fit me perfectly – both for comfort & support. The supercharged V6 provides excellent response.

An excellent car.
Just not for me . . .
- Ray
Somewhat disappointed . . .

Bada Bing

It seems you have a very particular requirement about how the manual shifting mode should operate. I think a manual transmission is just what the doctor ordered.

rayainsw

All due respect, but:
No.
I cannot drive a vehicle with a clutch –
due to severe bursitis.
Nor would I want to drive one in & out of
MidTown Atlanta on my daily commute.

Again – I am sure these will sell.
I just find the chosen ‘manual mode’ programming odd.
Or perhaps mis-named?
- Ray

250GTO

That is quite odd indeed. I have never driven a paddle shifter but I have the same expectations as you. In manual mode, it should shift when I tell it to unless its a) going to cause the engine to over rev or b) stall.

Disappointed. Hopefully there is a setting or something that you missed out on? Perhaps someone who has an S4 with s-tronic can comment?

rayainsw

I suppose it is possible, however:

I mentioned this concern to the
[ seemingly knowledgeable ]
Sales Associate who accompanied me on the drive.

And I shared these observations with him
in this form.

I neither case did he suggest any
setting[s] or alternative[s] that
might alter this behavior.

So – it seems unlikely.
- Ray
Willing to search a .pdf Owner’s Manual –
if someone can point me to one for the new S4 . . .

A5_4GP

How did you select the Manual Mode? Using Audi Drive Select? What was the Audi Drive Select setting for the Transmission? Dynamic, Auto or Comfort?

L0U

at full throttle, it will kick down like any automatic. If you are shifting oposite to what the car thinks is happening, it will be in the wrong gear preselected, and take a bit of time to go up, vs. the expected down. If the gear lever was moved over to the manual plus minus, it should hold a gear and not downshift unless given 80% throttle. If in full auto and you select a paddle shift, it will over ride auto and shift, but then after a time delay it will go back to auto.

I am guessing you were in dynamic mode auto, with paddle shift over ride. driving in a higher gear than the dynamic mode wanted, and with a delay it was shifting you back to a higher reving gear.

Like you shift up, and then it would shift you back after a delay. I think you need to try full manual with the shift lever vs paddle, and see if it fixes the problem.

rayainsw

I did not touch the paddles.
Immediately on start-up, I followed the procedure I have seen documented for the other Audi Tiptronic transmissions, to engage Manual Mode. The M1, M2, etc displayed in the lower left corner of the Info Display in the center of the dash.

Is there something else \ different that needs to be done in the new S4? Something that my Sales Associate might be aware of?
I cannot find any on-line source for electronic versions of Audi Owners Manuals, nor a comprehensive description of the Audi Driver Select settings and options. . .

“From position D, push the
selector lever to the right as far as the stop.
The gear which is currently engaged is highlighted
in the instrument cluster display.
Push the selector lever forwards briefly to
shift up a gear, or pull the lever back to shift
down a gear.” – Quick Guide Audi S6

I am quite willing to be proven wrong here – and that would be enough to warrant a re-test.
- Ray
Don’t claim to be expert in All Things Audi S4 . . .

DRPayne

I ordered the tiptronic after having driven stick all my life; this was the hardest decision to make when ordering the car. Hopefully there are optional settings that address the issue.

L0U

Looks like you were full manual then. I'll have a go in my dsg 6 speed to see just how much throttle it takes for a downshift in manual.