Thinking of buying 2016 S4 manual, currently have 2018 STI

[Nooftron]

Hello All,

I'm new to the Audizine forum and am looking for some advice. My wife currently drives a 2018 STI limited as her daily driving kid mover (we have 7 and 4 year old daughters). She loves the car but it is too loud and bumpy for our kiddos (and me). She wants a car with a manual transmission, lots of power, and all wheel drive (we live in Colorado). I have found a low mileage 2016 S4 manual with sport dif. and am wondering if this would be a good fit. We have never owned an Audi but had a 2010 BMW 535i xdrive manual wagon that gave us nothing but problems so we are a bit wary of getting another German car. Any advice or ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Nathan

[ZGskibum]

I went from newer STi to older S4 (6MT & sport diff). The S4 is a much better car. Better ride, better handling, better comfort, more fun. Tons of low-end torque. [Slightly] more rear seat legroom. Aside from both having 4 doors, awd, and manual transmissions, the two are worlds apart and barely belong in the same conversation.

Buy the S4. You’ll never regret it.


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[AlaskanAudi]

I think a 2016 S4 would be a worthy upgrade for you and your wife. My roommate has the latest STI and I would agree that’s it’s a bit more bare-bones and has less creature comforts.

The 2016 is the last model year for the B8.5 and most if not all of the problems should be engineered out of an already reliable car. The key with these German cars is keeping up with maintenance.


2010 S4 Prestige DSG Deep Sea Blue
2015 S3 Premium Plus Florett Silver

[barthez]

I almost bought 2018 STI but ended buying 2013 S4, I would never buy an STI after owning S4. My buddy ordered a 2015 STI and he was one of the first ones to get it in Illinois, he lasted a little over a year and bought 2012 S4 :D He said the STI was the worst car he ever owned.

[Envy187]

A 2016 S4 as a 6MT, equipped with sport differential is a realistic purchase option for you? Jump on that opportunity immediately.

You (and your wife) will forget you ever even owned that 2018 STi. Incredibly well-rounded car in all departments.

[Dr GP]

A natural upgrade. The B8 S4 will provide a level of luxury and sophistication not found on you current STI. Plus the performance will be as good if not better as well. German cars,especially Audis, are not known for their reliability, The B8 S4 has been a remarkable exception. Long term reliability has been vastly better than anyone could have imagined, even with higher mileage . Dont expect it to be bulletproof. But repairs should be minor and less costly using an independent shop ather than an Audi dealer. These are great cars.(Ive had 3) It sounds like you found one with MT and SD which are not common Your wife will be happy with the upgrade.. Buy the car before someone else does.

[m1k3d3]

A 2016 S4 as a 6MT, equipped with sport differential is a realistic purchase option for you? Jump on that opportunity immediately.

You (and your wife) will forget you ever even owned that 2018 STi. Incredibly well-rounded car in all departments.

This. Seriously. 6MT is hard enough to find on its own, let alone a 2016 with a sports diff. It took me months to find my 2015.

[Nooftron]

Thanks for everyone’s response and insight. Is it better to find a really low mileage one, like under 25k, or one with under 50k miles.

[RowdyAudiS4]

I am in a very similar boat as you, currently looking to sell my 2012 sti hatch and move into a B8, or preferably B8.5 S4. I have always been a manual only type, but I've now test driven a 2014 S4 w/DSG and am thinking I could give up the manual for that. The amount of commuting I do makes this decision easier for me since commuting with a manual car can quickly get annoying.

I will agree that the S4 has a crazy amount of creature comforts over my 2012 Sti, unsure about a 2018 but I know the Sti has always been more of a raw drivers car with minimal extras thru the years.

I think you would be very happy with the change.

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[jsh139]

Thanks for everyone’s response and insight. Is it better to find a really low mileage one, like under 25k, or one with under 50k miles.

Honestly, 25K vs 50K is pretty negligible for a manual. If it has 50K, just be ready to replace the spark plugs and the supercharger belt when it hits 55K.

[AlaskanAudi]

As with any used car purchase, previous abuse is an unknown. A 50k mile could have been babied and the 25k mile could have been romped on. Before purchase you should bring the car in to an Audi dealer to have a pre purchase inspection performed to find out if it’s been tuned, also find out if all recommended service intervals have been followed (15k mile, 35k mile, etc)


2010 S4 Prestige DSG Deep Sea Blue
2015 S3 Premium Plus Florett Silver

[jygesq]

2016 is probably the most reliable S4 out there. MT cars are hard to find.No issue wth timing chain rattle. MT cars can have problems with starting when clutch pedal is pushed, but there is an easy fix. Is it Cpo car bought from dealer? No matter were you buy the car be sure to have it inspected before purchase. If you know where car was serviced, ask to see service record and check VIN for any recalls. ENJOY, after driving a 2000 BMW 528 MT FOR 15 years, my S4 with DSG & sports diff is a really great experience every time I drive it!

[Jamen]

As with any used car purchase, previous abuse is an unknown. A 50k mile could have been babied and the 25k mile could have been romped on. Before purchase you should bring the car in to an Audi dealer to have a pre purchase inspection performed to find out if it’s been tuned, also find out if all recommended service intervals have been followed (15k mile, 35k mile, etc)


2010 S4 Prestige DSG Deep Sea Blue
2015 S3 Premium Plus Florett Silver

If it’s under 50k, You may want to have an independent mechanic check the MMI/ODBC first as if the Audi dealer checks for past tune and finds it they will flag it as TD1 and you’ll be out of warranty. If no tune history found then take it to the dealer for the inspection

[AlaskanAudi]

If it’s under 50k, You may want to have an independent mechanic check the MMI/ODBC first as if the Audi dealer checks for past tune and finds it they will flag it as TD1 and you’ll be out of warranty. If no tune history found then take it to the dealer for the inspection

Good point. Or they can also call the major tuners out there (apr, uni, epl, etc) to see if they have any history with the car’s VIN


2010 S4 Prestige DSG Deep Sea Blue
2015 S3 Premium Plus Florett Silver

[s4hype]

I came from an STI, its a completely different car. The STI handled much better but the ride kills you, the amount of grip it has for the street (for me at least) was overkill and I've used it for 2 track days and probably 100s of passes at the drag strip (dead reliable). The S4, on the other hand, is MUCH more luxurious, at first it was boring but the ride is better for daily driving. My car has the timing chain rattle and reliability scares me. The tech pack isn't all that on the B8.5 and I only use it for the radio.

The cabin is quieter when the useless soundaktor fuse is pulled and its much nicer to look at. Maintenance is killer on the S4 unless you do it yourself. I also came from a fully bolt on E85 STI, the S4 with only 2 grand in mods is already faster than the Subaru. The displacement helps immensely, another thing that killed me was the lag from the turbo, it litterally took seconds to spool.

[rrated]

My brother in law has a 2018 STI, everyone is definitely right about the Audi being better in all aspects, just don't expect it to feel much faster- the torque curve is much flatter on the S4 than you're used to in the Subaru.

The Audi is likely faster but it's less of a spike once the boost kicks in and more of an available on-demand kind of power.

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[Dr GP]

The S4 never feels like it is going fast even when it IS going like hell! The idea of trying tho find one with real low mileage is not reasonable. You could wait for months/years to find a low mileage one. And it probably wouldn't have MT or SD . You cant just order or find a used car that meets all your desired specifications. You can only buy what is available at the time,No guarantee that the perfect one will ever be available.

[edyco]

Hello All,

I'm new to the Audizine forum and am looking for some advice. My wife currently drives a 2018 STI limited as her daily driving kid mover (we have 7 and 4 year old daughters). She loves the car but it is too loud and bumpy for our kiddos (and me). She wants a car with a manual transmission, lots of power, and all wheel drive (we live in Colorado). I have found a low mileage 2016 S4 manual with sport dif. and am wondering if this would be a good fit. We have never owned an Audi but had a 2010 BMW 535i xdrive manual wagon that gave us nothing but problems so we are a bit wary of getting another German car. Any advice or ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Nathan

Well, 2010 535i had N54 engine, which is notoriously unreliable.
As people said here, S4 proved to be very stout platform and IMO less problematic than A4. Now, you will still need to address some problems. I can give you info for guy in Colorado Springs who is specialist in Audi’s. It is bit drive from Boulder, but he has customers from all over CO.



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[CrownSeven]

2016’s have the crec motor right? Are those ‘tunable’?

[audigsr]

Had a '07 sti limited, stage 2. Thing was an absolute blast to drive. Also had a stage 1 n55 335i that was also plagued with problems. Thing I hated with the sti was the turbo lag between shifts, but the above 3k rpm power band.. Even in 6th gear passing power was great. You won't feel the top end pull as much on the s4 compared to the others, at least stock for stock. But around town, the supercharger and torque of the s4 will bring smiles to your face. S4 is definitely the more comfortable car. You won't be disappointed.

[TITAN738]

I turned down a brand new STI Limited (the sky blue one) for a then brand new '15 S4 6MT.......best decision I ever made!!! Now I am APR Stage 2 and love every minute of it......then again I just moved to Germany a few months ago so.........LOL!!!!

[Silver Streakin]

S4 definitely

with even a flashed tuned, these cars are fun.

Female with a manual S4? you don't see/hear that too often. My wife drives "my" cars from time. She really liked my S4 DTM, but hasn't driven my B8...yet.

[SouthernBoy]

On June 30, 2015, I ordered a new 2016 Audi S4 Premium Plus with a manual transmission and some other nice options. I did not order a sports diff. While waiting for the car to get built and shipped, I started hearing rumors that Audi was going to stop offering manual transmissions in the S4 line. My car was built in August and it came in on September 25th, which was the same day I took delivery. I asked my salesman about the rumors and he said they were true and that I most likely got the last production run with a manual. Good thing because I probably would have refused the car and demanded my deposit back had it been shipped with an automatic.

Unless you plan to track the car or like to push it a bit hard from time to time, the sport diff is not going to make any real difference to you. The car handles better than just about any other sedan on the road and far better than most people have been accustomed to before getting an S4. The manual is a bit notchy when cold but once the tranny and its fluids warm up, it’s good to go. My car has 22,201 miles on it now and never needs to have engine oil added between changes, which for me works out to once a year. In a word, the car begs you to take it out and enjoy it. I do not run my car hard, track or race it, or abuse it in any way so I expect it will last quite a long time. Currently it is box stock (still have several years remaining on the warranty).

Can’t speak for how it does in snow as it has never seen snow. It’s a garage queen and I don’t even take it out in the rain (I have a truck that fills in these times quite nicely).

I have never driven nor have I ever been in an STI so I have no point of reference there, other than the knowledge that they can be made into interesting pocket rockets. One the other hand the S4, and in particular one with a manual, can easily serve multiple roles. You will not be sorry.

So in a nutshell, I would consider finding one with a manual to be significantly more important than finding one with a manual and a sport diff, the manual being the more significant item to have if you are so inclined. And look at it this way. If someone happens to look in your car when it is parked somewhere and sees a manual shifter, that will raise a few eyebrows.

[jungy4]

The S4 will be a more refined and mature car.

Coming from the STI, you will probably find the engine and the exhaust way too quiet. You might want to mod those soon.

[734jeant]

Female with a manual S4? you don't see/hear that too often.

I am a female who drives a manual WRX AND a DSG S4. I love them both. That being said, please consider an after market warranty for the S4 if it is not a CPO car.

[vdubjetta02]

Living in CO as well and this is my (6th Audi) never a single issue with exception to small items such as Coil Packs going out or clutch slipping due to adding additional power. They are very reliable cars.

I once sold an Audi and had a stage 3 built WRX, sold it 11 months later to get back into an Audi. No comparisons. Shut a hood, trunk, door on an audi and feel the interior products. Its a HUGE step up going from a subaru to an Audi in regards to comfort. Your wife will thank you

[DOCEVG]

Even more CO here. Never driven an STI so can't give you a comparo, but am on my second and third S4s (both 6MT). The first was a 2011 with DSG.
They are great cars for CO.
My B8.5 (2015) has been bulletproof and, except for needing to replace the clutch, the B8 has been as well.
I think the S4 you're looking at is likely to be a good fit, but get a PPI done on it.

[Nooftron]

Update:

Still tryin to sell the STI, not easy as there is a lot of them on the market. Especially with low miles as people don't seem to enjoy them as daily drivers. We did test drive an S4 manual that popped up on the market here and only lasted a couple days before it sold. It was only a test drive so my opinion is limited. The ride is completely different as you don't feel every bump and the S4 is so solid. It really makes the STI feel like a tin box after driving the S4. The road seems slower when going 45mph compared to the STI, although I didn't really get to lay into it since it was a test drive. I'm still going back and forth on the decision as the STI is so fun to drive but for now the STI Is still for sale and I will keep you all posted. Many thanks for all of the great comments.

[vdubjetta02]

Update:

Still tryin to sell the STI, not easy as there is a lot of them on the market. Especially with low miles as people don't seem to enjoy them as daily drivers. We did test drive an S4 manual that popped up on the market here and only lasted a couple days before it sold. It was only a test drive so my opinion is limited. The ride is completely different as you don't feel every bump and the S4 is so solid. It really makes the STI feel like a tin box after driving the S4. The road seems slower when going 45mph compared to the STI, although I didn't really get to lay into it since it was a test drive. I'm still going back and forth on the decision as the STI is so fun to drive but for now the STI Is still for sale and I will keep you all posted. Many thanks for all of the great comments.

This is why I keep coming back to Audi, I've ventured off quite a few times and always find myself back in one