gunsmoker

We are Audi enthusiasts so what else would you expect from fans of high-end automotive engineering, sport stuff, big wheels, loud stereos, etc.
I guess we didn't try to sell you the S-line because you are looking into more value oriented propositions such as the TSX.
Keep in mind that going into Prestige territory will get you less value for the money - you can see the residuals in the leasing info thread.

I have the premium plus myself. By adding the B&O audio, MMI, and the 18" sport package you will be very close to a Prestige, minus autodimming exterior mirrors and driver seat memory as far as I can tell from the Audi site.

Is the A4 sportier than the TSX? I haven't driven a TSX, but I have driven cars at half the price of my A4 that weren't less sporty. Perhaps most people can see the difference only on a track and many will never experience that. One thing is obvious though and that's the quattro advantage in the winter.

Sumo.wong

I have a a4 premium, no s-line(or sport package) and I can tell you the TSX is more sportier then the a4. (atleast in my opinion.)

if you are use to honda clutches the audi is definitly different...I wouldnt say worse, just different.

the thing that sold me is the quattro (I live in Edmonton Alberta where winter is half the year!)

good luck in your decision!

JonDeutsch

Ha -- that brings up something else that I wanted to ask: what's the difference between the various Audi forums? There seem to be a few... are there different types of people in each? Is this the motorhead board?

I started out with a top-end goal of $35k. Now I'm up to $39k. And if I add sports suspension, I'm topping $40k. I guess I'm just a cheap-y, because that sounds like a whole lot of money.

The reason why I desire the Prestige is solely for the SmartKey. The dimming mirrors, memory seats, and thermo cup holder would be nice additions that come along with SmartKey in the Prestige package. But, no, I did not know it depreciates faster than a P+ A4. That's fascinating.

JD15

I thought that the the MSRP for the cheapest Prestige model was well above $40k?

JonDeutsch

It is. But I can get a Prestige w/o any other packages for about $39.8k So, a hair under $40k. But really, it's kinda nutty to think that way. $40k is not a magic number. It's just a number.

(And a rather large number for a car purchase based on my prior cars, I might add!)

gunsmoker

I don't think that we are motorheads here. Thinking aloud, there are three kinds of people typically on the product forums:
- People that look for information prior to the purchase and once they buy, they go off the radar.
- People that a looking for a solution to a problem with the product and once they have the problem resolved, they go off the radar.
- Enthusiasts that stay on for the sheer interest and attachment to the product. Most questions get answered by these people so it's natural to see a bias in their answers.

The smart key is a nice thing and I wish they had it below the Prestige level, but I don't really miss it. It's a thing you use twice in each trip for 2 seconds and there are other things that come to your attention muiltiple times while you are in the car or looking at it from the outside - exterior and interior styling, comfort, ergonomics, handling, build quality, etc. I'd rather not compromise with those things and forget about the smart key since I can't justify to myself the cost of having it.

JD15

If you're concerned about the 19" wheels on the Prestige Sport Package and want to limit the price, you could order Premium Plus with navigation, B&O, and Sport Package, and forgo the Smart Key. That is what many people, including me, did; I didn't think that Smart Key, memory seats, and auto-dimming exterior mirrors were worth the over $1500 price difference between Prestige and loaded Premium Plus.

JonDeutsch

Nice overview of this forum. Do you belong to any of the other A4 forums? I did some research to see what the diff was, but it wasn't clear, other than the fact that clearly some are more highly trafficked than others. Why do you guys choose this forum vs., say Audizine.com and Audiforums.com?

FWIW, if I do decide to go Audi, I won't go off the radar. I'll be wanting to max out the utility and awesomeness of my vehicle -- just like I did on the TSX forums for years. However, on the TSX forums, there were some modders who did things that I just wouldn't do to gain some performance/stylistic improvements.

re: SmartKey. There are two things about this that make the decision tricky for me:

1. There have been plenty of times when I've been holding things, and the last thing I want to do is dig in my pocket for the key. Granted, it's not life or death, but it's a nice little convenience that I've been aiming for in my next car!

2. The non-smartkey isn't really much of a key as it is this odd push-button quasi-key. I basically disliked it in my few experiences with it in test drives. Esp. when removing it... I felt like there was an unnatural pause between turning the car off and having the ability to remove the key-fob. True? Untrue?

Yet, I agree that $1500 for SmartKey + Memory Seats + Dimming Side Mirrors (+ Thermo cup holder, right?) is a lot of coin. Not much of a value-add package, that Prestige. Audi is holding SmartKey hostage. Not cool.

One of the rumors I've heard bandied about was that SmartKey would be promoted to Premium Plus in the 2012 model year. Is that coming soon, or is that a Fall thing?

BTW, now that you've cast me as one of the profiles mentioned above, you've made me a bit self-conscious. The forum folk here have been very cool in your responses and advise for a newbie, and I appreciate it. I'm asking a lot of questions to the sages here (and I'm likely to ask more -- I'm a knowledge-type guy; I prefer knowing what I'm buying before I buy), so feel free to ask me back anything you might want to know... about anything!

Thx.
Jon

JonDeutsch

Yeah, this makes a lot of sense (unfortunately). I suppose there are always compromises in life. I'm just not willing to give in just yet.

Presuming that I can actually get a test drive of a sports package A4 -- and love it -- here are the options as I see them:

1. To your point, forgo SmartKey and configure P+ with 18" SP + B&O + MMI = $42k MSRP

2. Or, go with the SmartKey A4 (ha) + 19" SP = $43.7k MSRP

And both of these prices do not include me having to buy all-season tires and selling the stock summers. What a PITA. If a dealer will work with me on making that process painless, they'll get a gold star. Let me shift that up: any dealer worth its salt SHOULD make this painless for me. Buying a car that I want should not require me working -- I'm the one paying!

And, can I take a quick break and just say that one of the things I loved about Acura's packaging was that there was just 2 ways to configure a car: With Tech Package and without Tech Package. That's it! Made buying so much easier!

OK, back to the key point I was trying to make:

Is there a market for the 19" rims & summer tires that would come on the Prestige SP? If so, then I could sell them for more than I could buy new 18" rims & AW tires, right? If so, wouldn't the cost of getting a SmartKey be less than $1500?

j0nx

I agree Jon, but unfortunately I am running into the same problem with the tires. A dealer about 20 miles from me has a car with sport package but he said they will not put the all season rubber on the car for me until after I buy it and then take delivery. THEN they will order the tires for me which would require me to make another 40 mile round trip to get the tires installed when why on earth would I EVER want to do that when I could just get the tires from the audi dealer up the street from me and have them install them? The entire point of me asking the dealer to put the all seasons on for me upon delivery was so that I wouldn't have to run around doing it on my own afterward. This dealer is supposedly the highest rated dealer in the area too...

I told him lastnight that I am NOT buying the car unless the all season rubber is on the car when I get there, smooth and balanced and ready to roll with no shimmy issues. If they can't do that for a customer then they don't need my business and imo don't deserve the rating they get. I also asked him to put the chrome exhaust tips on it too and once again he said no. The guy's attitude so far basically seems to be very polite but in a manner of you buy the car as is or you don't buy it at all and take care, nice knowing you sir.