Another S4 vs A6 thread.

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01-23-2014, 10:03 AM

#31

~~feralc~~

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Homer1946

Weird conversation and a little annoying. Many (most?) people who get manuals choose them because for them they are more fun to drive. More fun to drive is a bigger priority to them then edge case performance numbers. Why should that totally reasonable choice be disparaged more then any other choice, like whether to get a 2 door or a 4 door. Also we are all standing on unstable ground. In 20 years most cars could be self driving. Look forward to nearly identical conversations with some people claiming they prefer driving there own cars most of the time with others pointing out that such as desire is stupid because it was extra work, less efficient, etc. We all bought these cars for fun, at least a little. Different people find different things fun.

Exactly!
and I will say more like 10 years vs 20 for self driving cars, look at the technology in cars, cellphones 10 years ago.

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01-23-2014, 11:29 AM

#32

TB1000

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Zatoichi

October 2014 I need to change vehicles.

I keep going back and forth between 2013/14/15 S4 with a manual transmission and a 2012/13/14 A6 3.0.

There is NO WAY I'd own an S4 with an auto (even though by all accounts it's an excellent transmission) but if I end up going the pre-owned route it is very unlikley that I will find an S4 with a 6MT that is not in a colour that turns my stomach (like white which for some reason is super popular in North America)

Well if I have to go auto then I may as well go A6 as a full-on highway cruiser. I'd have to get an ECU upgrade to bring it up to the S4 in terms of acceleration but I do a lot of long drives so the softer ride may be a good compromise.

The other option is of course to order a new S4 exactly the way I want it, but paying an extra 9 grand for the privilege of breaking the car's cherry conflicts with my frugal upbringing.

I have plenty of time to mull it over and change my mind but any advice would be accepted with gratitude.

In April last year I traded in my 2013 S4 6MT for a 2013 A6 3.0T (20" sport package, Prestige) so I can offer up some worthy insight.

The S4 was incredibly fun to drive and the true manual experience is the best driving experience hands down...as long as you live somewhere to make it enjoyable. Unfortunately, I live in Atlanta and traffic here can be downright brutal in addition to lights that are not synchronized so the manual daily driver got old fast. The S4 also left me wanting a larger car because it gets small fast.

So far I love the A6. The power and performance is solid but it's not quick like the S4 is. At times I miss the manual, especially when downshifting, dropping the hammer, then whipping around and shaming someone for not getting out of your way while they ride the speed limit in the left lane.

I have tried to use the auto manual in the A6 but just cannot do it. After driving a manual for so long and being used to the feel of when the engine hits certain RPMs, I just couldn't get there on the A6 so I don't mess with it. That said, the paddle shifters are pretty good and shifting is solid and quicker than I expected but it is not the same and often times I would forget to shift but luckily the car handled it for me. It's just not fun to me.

I guess it depends on what you want. The A6 isn't going to give you the snappy quickness the S4 will but it holds its own on the open roads and has better tech options along with being a bigger car.