dabaTTman

Note: I moved this to it's own thread.

Wow, thanks very much for all the feedback. I got a chance to drive both a `07 S4 and an '08 335. I noticed a few of the factors described here immediately; the throaty growl of the V8 (it's pervasive and impressive), the "meatiness" of the V8, and the tightness of the 335 steering. Unfortunately, the only S4 on the lot was an automatic. To have a true comparison, I tested the automatic on 335, so I can't comment on the manual. Both dealers let me test drive in the Elfin Forest (a rural back-country area in north county San Diego with lots of twistys)

A few impressions from the layman's perspective on the S4:
- The car wants to go. It just begged to be let loose. The automatic clearly dampened the throttle response in normal drive mode. Manumatic was another animal entirely: much more responsive.
- Recaro seats were tight, but not uncomfortable.
- Back seat was about as tight as my old Jetta, definitely not ideal as a family car.
- Giant trunk.

and the BMW:
- The steering was tighter, but the throttle response was equally repressed in normal drive mode. Switching to manual also provided better throttle response, and demonstrated the differences in the two power plants: the turbo V6 is a great machine, the V8 is a beast.
- The back seat was much larger. I had my 6 foot friend sit in both and his initial reaction upon entering the 335 was, "Wow, this is much bigger."
- The BMW steptronic transmission uses the opposite layout than Audi. The manual mode is entered by moving the stick to the right and the gear positioning is also opposite in that downshifting is done by pushing the stick up and so on. Also, the paddles work differently in that both left and right perform the same function: push forward to downshift, pull back to upshift. Very different and it threw me for the first few turns.
- The trunk was smaller.

Bottom line, the 335 would make an excellent family car. It's practical, comfortable and easy to drive. I recently read a post that labeled the S4 a "German muscle car". I agree. It has a raw edge to it that, while hard to define, was clearly missing from the 335.The two cars are more different than I had thought.

At the end of the S4 drive, I discovered that the car I had been discounted as it was an '07 taking it from $55K down to $48K making the decision that much easier.

One last question for anybody who's driven both automatic and manual versions: did you find a significant difference in the experience? As much as I want a manual again, we get an awful lot of traffic down here and I frequently have to commute roughly 30 miles through traffic I can only assume will cause my left leg to develop fiddlercrab-like proportions with a manual.

ryanrS4

The manual S4 is a complete different animal. The tip, in comparison, gives the S4 a much more lazy and relaxed personality. The stick makes the car seem much more high strung and responsive. The clutch takes some getting used to but it has a nice release point and the shifter is very precise and has nice short throws. There is a ton of low down torque so the car has no problems coasting at 1k rpms in first. Traffic shouldn't be too bad in it. I would try to find a manual version to try somewhere, even if it is used. A B6 would suffice too as they have the same basic mechanicals minus a 40/60 torque split.

For driving in traffic, the S4 is one of the easiest manual gearbox cars you could get IMHO. The clutch is light and lots of torque for easy coasting. You will love being in control of that big V8.

tboned

LOL at "fiddler crab-like proportions" LOLOL !!!!

NSFWopenwaveMcLovin

ile driving with the extra free hand and weave in and out of lanes.

dabaTTman

Never! I can't stand those guys either.

dabaTTman

I drove from North County SD to Childrens Hospital for about a month (approx 30 miles) in my first TT (1.8T Manual) and could feel my knee getting bigger after a couple hours of clutch-ups.

Reggie

wrong forum this is not a B7 S4 forum