New 2014 S4 is Home
04-07-2014, 08:47 AM
#11
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Brake squeal has been an issue with these cars as well as large quantities of brake dust. Many have chosen to replace brake pads with ceramic type. Akebonos are good if you have interest. Glad you are enjoying the car.
04-19-2014, 06:19 PM
#12
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Driving home today the "Low Fuel" alert came on and asked:
Would you like to find a gas station close by?
I was already at CostCo.
You gotta love it!
Would you like to find a gas station close by?
I was already at CostCo.
You gotta love it!
04-20-2014, 10:10 AM
#13
Banned
After logging 750 miles in a week my impressions are:
S4 is way more car than I surmised after a half hour test drive in an S4 and an hour in an S5. I was much better able to put the car through its paces. And I do not know whether the test cars had sports differential and adaptive damping. the test S4 had a 7 spd DCT and the S5 had a 6 spd manual. As you can see I opted for the manual which holds the car back nicely on steep Colorado mountain roads. the torque (even at altitude... 8k ft above sea level) is great and passing is absolutely no problem.
As stated previously, DYNAMIC MODE on twisty mountain back roads is a joy and corners almost as well as our beloved 2011 Boxster S. the Audi has more body roll in the corners and there is some torque steer when under hard acceleration.
the electronic gadgets are way ahead of the 2011 Pcar. Much easier to use in general. We love the 20 GB hard drive. And the Nav and Sat Radio are much improved over the Pcar. Surprised at how much the trunk holds with the seats up.
Some very minor disappointments (not deal killers):
-Brakes squealed one time on a cold night. Pcar never did this.
-TPMS just says you have low tire pressure. Pcar gives the tire pressure for each tire.
-Rear parking sensors only...no front sensors.
Love the rear camera (not availble on the Boxster S) and that it shows you where the car will go with the wheels turned. Genius.
Love the Prestige package where just about everything is included. Only additional options were: sports differential, adaptive damping and all weather radials (NC) as this is primarily a winter daily driver.
Like the fact that the nav shows you the speed limit on major roads. I tend to get so involved in driving that I can't remember what the speed limit is.
The S4 is very comfortable and quiet. the seats are not too hard and do not kill my back like the Boxster S does. the B&O stereo system is superb.
COMFORT MODE makes going through my neighborhood with its speed dips and irregular pavement a pleasure. the Boxster S has no such feature.
The Lane Assist feature is very handy. (I hope this is standard on all cars some day.)
Keyless entry is fantastic.
The reason why I keep comparing the S4 to the Boxster S is that they are both under the VW corporate umbrella. One would think the cars would be much more similar that they actually are. We have 18k miles on the Pcar and have had no warranty issues...just regular maintenance...oil, gas, brake fluid flush, tires, etc. I hope the Audi is as reliable. If so, I see more Audis in our future.
Again, thanks to everyone on this forum. Your knowledge really helped me in picking just the right Audi for my needs.
Best
S4 is way more car than I surmised after a half hour test drive in an S4 and an hour in an S5. I was much better able to put the car through its paces. And I do not know whether the test cars had sports differential and adaptive damping. the test S4 had a 7 spd DCT and the S5 had a 6 spd manual. As you can see I opted for the manual which holds the car back nicely on steep Colorado mountain roads. the torque (even at altitude... 8k ft above sea level) is great and passing is absolutely no problem.
As stated previously, DYNAMIC MODE on twisty mountain back roads is a joy and corners almost as well as our beloved 2011 Boxster S. the Audi has more body roll in the corners and there is some torque steer when under hard acceleration.
the electronic gadgets are way ahead of the 2011 Pcar. Much easier to use in general. We love the 20 GB hard drive. And the Nav and Sat Radio are much improved over the Pcar. Surprised at how much the trunk holds with the seats up.
Some very minor disappointments (not deal killers):
-Brakes squealed one time on a cold night. Pcar never did this.
-TPMS just says you have low tire pressure. Pcar gives the tire pressure for each tire.
-Rear parking sensors only...no front sensors.
Love the rear camera (not availble on the Boxster S) and that it shows you where the car will go with the wheels turned. Genius.
Love the Prestige package where just about everything is included. Only additional options were: sports differential, adaptive damping and all weather radials (NC) as this is primarily a winter daily driver.
Like the fact that the nav shows you the speed limit on major roads. I tend to get so involved in driving that I can't remember what the speed limit is.
The S4 is very comfortable and quiet. the seats are not too hard and do not kill my back like the Boxster S does. the B&O stereo system is superb.
COMFORT MODE makes going through my neighborhood with its speed dips and irregular pavement a pleasure. the Boxster S has no such feature.
The Lane Assist feature is very handy. (I hope this is standard on all cars some day.)
Keyless entry is fantastic.
The reason why I keep comparing the S4 to the Boxster S is that they are both under the VW corporate umbrella. One would think the cars would be much more similar that they actually are. We have 18k miles on the Pcar and have had no warranty issues...just regular maintenance...oil, gas, brake fluid flush, tires, etc. I hope the Audi is as reliable. If so, I see more Audis in our future.
Again, thanks to everyone on this forum. Your knowledge really helped me in picking just the right Audi for my needs.
Best
04-20-2014, 09:03 PM
#14
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04-28-2014, 02:19 PM
#15
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2500 Mile Report...Halfway to First Service
Took the S4 to Sedona, AZ. About 450 miles each way.
Really got to use the nav and it was perfect. Really enjoyed using it. Took the Garmin just in case as a backup but did not need it.
It was two lane driving 90% of the time. the car passed slower traffic with ease. Had some very twisty roads from Flagstaff to Sedona. the car handled beautifully. It snowed the last day on the way home. the roads were wet but the snow did not stick. S4 handled it with ease.
Auto wipers and auto lights worked great. No complaints. Seats were comfortable. No back problems.
the car was quiet at every speed. B&O sounded great. Used Sirius 90% of the time, the rest HDD.
We stayed at a place where you had to valet. No problem except the valets just had to stick the key in the slot on the dash. They just did not get the "hands free" feature. LOL
We put the rear seats down so we could easily get all our luggage and wine in with plenty of room left over. No room for hitchhikers on this trip!
The more I drive the car, the more I like it. Still getting used to the ins and outs of using voice commands. working on it.
Best
Really got to use the nav and it was perfect. Really enjoyed using it. Took the Garmin just in case as a backup but did not need it.
It was two lane driving 90% of the time. the car passed slower traffic with ease. Had some very twisty roads from Flagstaff to Sedona. the car handled beautifully. It snowed the last day on the way home. the roads were wet but the snow did not stick. S4 handled it with ease.
Auto wipers and auto lights worked great. No complaints. Seats were comfortable. No back problems.
the car was quiet at every speed. B&O sounded great. Used Sirius 90% of the time, the rest HDD.
We stayed at a place where you had to valet. No problem except the valets just had to stick the key in the slot on the dash. They just did not get the "hands free" feature. LOL
We put the rear seats down so we could easily get all our luggage and wine in with plenty of room left over. No room for hitchhikers on this trip!
The more I drive the car, the more I like it. Still getting used to the ins and outs of using voice commands. working on it.
Best
04-29-2014, 01:47 PM
#16
LOL. My dad did the exact same thing thinking the key had to go somewhere! Imagine not having to use the key.
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