Finally here...

[altecdell]

After nearly a 3 month wait, my S4 finally arrived. Took a sneak peek yesterday and it looks amazing. Can't wait to take it home today. Will take pics. I ordered the premium trim, Ibis White, S tronic, nav, B&O, carbon and sport diff. Hoping I don't regret my color decision though as I developed a liking for meteor grey after I put the order in...

[Blarg]

Congrats, your waiting is going to pay off!

[B_Boy]

congrats!

[altecdell]

Here are the picshttp://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3682.jpg
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3683.jpg
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3684.jpg
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3685.jpg
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3686.jpg
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3687.jpg
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3688.jpg
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3689.jpg
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3690.jpg
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3691.jpg
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3692.jpg
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3693.jpg
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3694.jpg
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/IMG_3695.jpg

[altecdell]

So my impressions are:

Dealer was great. I scored some free rubber mats, chrome license plates, and cargo net. The ibis white is actually an amazing color and the pearl silver seats work great with it. I'm glad I went with the carbon atlas. It complements the seat color nicely.

MMI is ridiculous. There is a ton of functionality and I was able to hook up the Ipod touch 2nd gen (v3) flawlessly. Also synced my blackberry contacts and bluetooth works amazing off the B&O sound system. I played some movies and the screen has a great resolution. You really need to download good quality songs as the B&O processes the sound quite meticulously. You can hear the difference. Nav is easy enough to use and voice command is intuitive. You can voice dial and voice nav easy enough.

I ordered sport diff without drive select but was extremely surprised to see that the "Comfort, Auto, Dynamic" switches were still there. Only thing I could adjust obviously was steering and gearing. Woulda been nice to fiddle with suspension and in retrospect should have sprung for it. Suspension is not too hard but you can certainly feel road imperfections. Definitely harsher than my prior Lexus IS350 which handled like tofu.

The steering is amazing. Tight turning radius and very easy to maneuver at slow speeds but tightens up at highway speeds. The stronic shifts seamlessly and gear changes are very quick. Downshifts are very smooth. Only complaint so far is there is a "stalling feel" at very slow speeds (i.e. when inching forward in traffic). Will have dealer check out. Not a huge problem but noticeable.

You can feel the power of this engine. Gobs of torque. Can't wait to fully break in and let this car loose. The cabin is quite well insulated from road noise but you can hear the supercharger once you give it good throttle.

Seat has great side bolsters and quite easy to find a good driving position.

These are my initial impressions until I get some more miles in.

[audi_noob]

Nice pics. [hail]

Hope to hear some more impressions once you get to breaking it in a bit.

[orlandosk2]

is it ok if i want to have sex with your car?

[cory_can]

everytime I see another S4 it angers me even more that I can't get an S4 Avant...[headbang]

[orlandosk2]

everytime I see another S4 it angers me even more that I can't get an S4 Avant...[headbang]

i really dont see why people like avants... they look like shittt

[orlandosk2]

So my impressions are:

Dealer was great. I scored some free rubber mats, chrome license plates, and cargo net. The ibis white is actually an amazing color and the pearl silver seats work great with it. I'm glad I went with the carbon atlas. It complements the seat color nicely.

MMI is ridiculous. There is a ton of functionality and I was able to hook up the Ipod touch 2nd gen (v3) flawlessly. Also synced my blackberry contacts and bluetooth works amazing off the B&O sound system. I played some movies and the screen has a great resolution. You really need to download good quality songs as the B&O processes the sound quite meticulously. You can hear the difference. Nav is easy enough to use and voice command is intuitive. You can voice dial and voice nav easy enough.

I ordered sport diff without drive select but was extremely surprised to see that the "Comfort, Auto, Dynamic" switches were still there. Only thing I could adjust obviously was steering and gearing. Woulda been nice to fiddle with suspension and in retrospect should have sprung for it. Suspension is not too hard but you can certainly feel road imperfections. Definitely harsher than my prior Lexus IS350 which handled like tofu.

The steering is amazing. Tight turning radius and very easy to maneuver at slow speeds but tightens up at highway speeds. The stronic shifts seamlessly and gear changes are very quick. Downshifts are very smooth. Only complaint so far is there is a "stalling feel" at very slow speeds (i.e. when inching forward in traffic). Will have dealer check out. Not a huge problem but noticeable.

You can feel the power of this engine. Gobs of torque. Can't wait to fully break in and let this car loose. The cabin is quite well insulated from road noise but you can hear the supercharger once you give it good throttle.

Seat has great side bolsters and quite easy to find a good driving position.

These are my initial impressions until I get some more miles in.

you can play movies on it?

[cory_can]

i really dont see why people like avants... they look like shittt


LOL....that's funny....I think the same thing when I see another boring looking sedan.

[Rockst8r]

Does it come with N2 in the tires or did you just put the valve stem caps on?

[Ryan_T]

LOL....that's funny....I think the same thing when I see another boring looking sedan.

I think they both look boring. Only coupés are fun to look at.

[blrs25]

What exterior color do you all think would look best with that black/silver interior ... after seeing these pics of that interior I really like that color combo. I think it would look good with the Brilliant Red. Agree/Disagree? I was suprised to see how well it goes with the Ibis, very nice. [up]

[vwong]

Ibis White....nice!!! [up]

[UmIsThisThingOn]

you can play movies on it?

Only the prestige level on the A4/S4 have the dvd player.
You can only watch the video while the car is parked.

Unless you do the hack ;)

[MiracleWhips]

everytime I see another S4 it angers me even more that I can't get an S4 Avant...[headbang]

+1 [up]


i really dont see why people like avants... they look like shittt

-1 [down]

[naveen]

your color combo is excellent!!![hail]

[altecdell]

Does it come with N2 in the tires or did you just put the valve stem caps on?

Comes with N2 from the dealer...no need to pump air at gas station anymore!

[altecdell]

What exterior color do you all think would look best with that black/silver interior ... after seeing these pics of that interior I really like that color combo. I think it would look good with the Brilliant Red. Agree/Disagree? I was suprised to see how well it goes with the Ibis, very nice. [up]

Sprint blue, meteor grey, deep sea blue, the two blacks and quartz grey. I've seen the demo with the Red and it doesn't match well. Silver works too although I don't like the Silver b/c it doesn't allow your aluminum mirrors to stand out

[ProgMetalHead]

Looks amazing, dude! I am so jealous of you B8 S4 owners... seriously, my dream car!

Btw, I also do not understand the Avant craze either. I find them tremendously less appealing than the sedan. Whenever I see them on the road, I am completely disinterested... I don't know why.

[ranch]

If you have never driven a VW/Audi DSG based transmission, I can understand where a person might feel the car is stalling. Rest assured, it won't. You have to remember that the computer is literally controlling a clutch, and is attempting to give a smooth start with minimal power. It will never have the instant go that a torque converter gives. My GTI & R32 felt the exact same way as the S4 does.

[ProgMetalHead]

It's funny that you guys say this... with my current car (B6 A4), I notice that when slowing down on the highway due to traffic, and I start to accelerate again, my car kind of jolts to a start (a small jolt), and it seems like no matter what, I can't get a smooth acceleration at that point. Other times, it's perfectly smooth... I don't get it. Seems like before it jolts, it moves up 1000rpm or so and finally kicks in, and my car starts moving. Weird... is that what you're feeling? I know it's a diff tranny, but just curious.

[altecdell]

Yes I think that's the feeling! My Lexus had similar issues. Probably the smoothest transmission was my BMW

[macuser]

i will trade you my president for your car...deal?

[charliemike]

i will trade you my president for your car...deal?

How about you just move to Canada instead. Because he's my President too and I'm not interested.

[Latin Audi]

God that interior is sexy

[ChrisC]

So my impressions are:

Dealer was great. I scored some free rubber mats, chrome license plates, and cargo net. The ibis white is actually an amazing color and the pearl silver seats work great with it. I'm glad I went with the carbon atlas. It complements the seat color nicely.

MMI is ridiculous. There is a ton of functionality and I was able to hook up the Ipod touch 2nd gen (v3) flawlessly. Also synced my blackberry contacts and bluetooth works amazing off the B&O sound system. I played some movies and the screen has a great resolution. You really need to download good quality songs as the B&O processes the sound quite meticulously. You can hear the difference. Nav is easy enough to use and voice command is intuitive. You can voice dial and voice nav easy enough.

I ordered sport diff without drive select but was extremely surprised to see that the "Comfort, Auto, Dynamic" switches were still there. Only thing I could adjust obviously was steering and gearing. Woulda been nice to fiddle with suspension and in retrospect should have sprung for it. Suspension is not too hard but you can certainly feel road imperfections. Definitely harsher than my prior Lexus IS350 which handled like tofu.

The steering is amazing. Tight turning radius and very easy to maneuver at slow speeds but tightens up at highway speeds. The stronic shifts seamlessly and gear changes are very quick. Downshifts are very smooth. Only complaint so far is there is a "stalling feel" at very slow speeds (i.e. when inching forward in traffic). Will have dealer check out. Not a huge problem but noticeable.

You can feel the power of this engine. Gobs of torque. Can't wait to fully break in and let this car loose. The cabin is quite well insulated from road noise but you can hear the supercharger once you give it good throttle.

Seat has great side bolsters and quite easy to find a good driving position.

These are my initial impressions until I get some more miles in.

There's nothing wrong with the tranny. Mine does that as well but it's completely normal. I've got a Gti w/6-speed DSG and it's exactly the same. The tranny in my S4 does feel 'tighter' and to be a more sophisticated unit.

Love the stormtrooper colour combo! Congrats!![up]

[ProgMetalHead]

Canada FTW [drive]

[macuser]

How about you just move to Canada instead. Because he's my President too and I'm not interested.


um... sorry if you took this the wrong way. it should have been translated as wow you have a great car. obviously i cant trade our president for an s4...

[B_Boy]

i love the color combo.....doesnt it jus make u horny??

[altecdell]

Here are some more impressions after some solid weekend driving:

Coming from a Lexus, I didn't notice a perceptible increase in road noise. Still very comfortable at highway speeds and certainly audible engine noises when you drive more aggressively. I played around with the paddle shifters and they are amazing. Shifts are quick, seamless (and no choppiness), and accompanied with engine feedback sound (during kickdown with the throttle blip, or a nice pop sound as you're upshifting aggressively).

The stalling effect I mentioned in my earlier post is less prevalent now. Probably as I get a better feel of how to operate this car and as it breaks in more I'm assuming?

The handling is tremendous. This is my first Audi and there is just endless grip. I entered some highway roundabout exits at high speeds and it was certainly confidence inspiring. In corners and downshifting, there is a lot of power that comes on early to accelerate through quickly. No body roll to speak off during lane changes. My only regret is not getting the full ADS (only ordered sport diff). The suspension is fairly good at absorbing bumps but it would be nice to have a softer setup to accommodate other passengers when necessary.

Interior wise, the leather is a bit hard to the touch. My Lexus had much softer leather that held up well over 3 years. I wonder how this nappa leather would hold up over time. Sat in the back seats and this is by far the best positioned headrest I've experienced. They protrude out from the seats so that you're head rests on them comfortably without having to tilt back. The interior design is very thoughtful, from the grocery bag hooks in the trunk to the pen holder and IPOD net pouch in the glove box. I love how everything stores away neatly. The MMI is by far the most fun. The voice recognition to dial and operate nav is very neat. I did the individual voice programming so it can more easily understand spoken commands. Also, was able to store different seat settings and features to the 2 different master keys. So when the other driver unlocks, everything changes to that setup.

Exterior wise, the Ibis White is a very attractive color but certainly gets dirty easily. The brake dust has already built up quickly. I'm going to have to be diligent in keeping this clean.

[equ]

I love that interior.. Congrats.

I wouldn't worry about ADS if I were you. I test drove one briefly and the ride was acceptable, why have all that complication? Some of what you are feeling are the 19's.

Any thoughts on the sport diff? I ask because there is a car on the lot as I want minus the sport diff. Does it really make difference to the feel of the car at any pace short of tearing around?

[altecdell]

Question:

What do you guys do to keep your new car clean? I'm assuming the majority of people clean their cars at home in their driveways but for me, I live in a condo so don't have ability to do the same (nor do I want to go through that labor). In the past, I've taken my cars through touchless car washes at gas stations and then get a more thorough hand wash done by parking lot car washes every now and then. Are these good ideas or should I invest in getting some more professional detailing done? Is the latter necessary this early on in the life's car or more for something like 6 months down the road?

[altecdell]

From what my salesman told me, unless you take it on a track, you won't feel the sport diff quick in. However, other reviews suggest you can feel it on a rainy day or even in some high speed turns. I can't say I've felt it yet but I'm also still in breaking in stage so haven't tossed it hard. Will let you know.

On the subject of the 19s, I think you're right. Higher profile tires will certainly be more forgiving. I'm thinking about winter tires soon. Will be going with the smaller 245/40/18 setup but don't plan on buying OEM rims for the harsh winters here. I'm thinking of some Audi replica rims with winter performance tires. Any thoughts out there?

[sakimano]

sport diff : hard to feel it unless you drive an S4 without it immediately before or after...but just be glad you have it as it's probably the best performance option you could have added.

ADS: from most comments, the 'soft' ride isn't soft enough, so you're not missing anything. I think you ordered the car perfectly...right down to Ibis White which is a really special colour on that car. I grabbed an Ibis B8 Avant, and I was a little unsure about the colour, but it's fantastic.


p.s. how come there aren't more Americans posting 'just got my S4' threads? Seems they're all Toronto guys (although I haven't seen one on the road yet)

[sakimano]

Dealer was great. I scored some free rubber mats, chrome license plates, and cargo net. The ibis white is actually an amazing color and the pearl silver seats work great with it. I'm glad I went with the carbon atlas. It complements the seat color nicely.


what dealer?

[altecdell]

Downtown toronto

[vwong]

p.s. how come there aren't more Americans posting 'just got my S4' threads? Seems they're all Toronto guys (although I haven't seen one on the road yet)

I wish I can post that "I just got my S4" thread. Last Sunday, I went to my dealer to check to see if they have any S4 in the lot, which they do. I went for a test drive, which I love very much. Then he checked on the status of my order. It appears that the ETA has been pushed back another couple weeks. So now, I'm looking at an early October delivery instead of a September delivery. [=(]