Hello folks, with my wife's B5 A4 getting a little old in the tooth.. 235k miles! We are looking at getting a new Audi. Firstly, I am (was) a BMW guy. But given Audi's new cars, I must say that I have become a fan.

Anyway, we were thinking of getting a new 2.0T A4 and then chipping it with APR. OR getting an S4 straight out. Obviously, the S4 is much more money than a chipped A4. We were just thinking that since the A4 will be more of the "commuter car", that we would want the better gas mileage. We're not that interested in the A4 as being the "sports car" since we have the other dedicated cars for that.

Do you think the S4 is worth it? Or go with the A4 and chip it?

 

Go with the A4 and chip it. If it's just a commuter car save the money. And the S4 is strictly manual I believe, so if you drive in the 9am-5pm rush hour traffic it might be an annoyance for you and your wife I'm not sure. Car&Driver ask the same question after testing both cars and they picked the A4 over the S4.

 

Do you know which article in Car&Driver said this? I'd like to check it out. Thanks!!!

 

S4 is NOT strictly manual....you can definitely get it with an automatic (7-speed dual-clutch S tronic).

I subscribe to C&D and read it cover to cover (a couple times) every month...I never read, nor can I believe, that they picked an A4 over the S4.

Having said that, if you're not interested in all out performance and just want a good commuter car with decent gas mileage, get the A4.

 

Yea, like I said I wasn't sure about an AT option. And I do read car&driver cover to cover every month. And I know for a fact that car&driver picked the A4 over the S4. And now I must find it to show you guys. And honestly would this be the first time you were shocked at C/D deciscion? They picked it mainly because the a4 is cheaper, better MPG, not to far down on power



I couldn't find the one I was looking for but I think this link will help with the original post more. http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...est/index.html

 

C&D named the S4 to their 10 Best list, but left the A4 off. Seems hard to believe they'd recommend the A4 over the S4.
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...audi_s4_page_2

I understand the cost savings for a commuter car though...

 

anything i have ever read says the S4 is the best car you will ever drive. i'm also facing the same challenge you are. my TT is acting like any hot girl you have ever dated--looks great on the outside, but is behaving like a cat turd. i'm thinking i might go S4 if i can swing it.