eschw999

are people satisfied with their manual transmissions? I test drove a 2005.5 s4 yesterday and felt the transmission was sloppy and the clutch, while light, difficult to modulate in first and second gears. Does the transmission and stick improve over time? also what is the mpg you guys get after breakin? can mpg be improved? thanks,
evan

jhsu

I think it is just a matter of getting used to it. I had the same impressions on my test drive, but now I have no problem shifting.

Tbandido

I have had mine for almost a week now and the modulation and drive-by-wire take a little getting used to...

I just switched from a 98 A4 with a TOTALLY different clutch feel. My car only has ~1500 miles so I cannot comment on fully on break-in, but mine feels pretty solid. If you were cruising in 1st gear, on and off the throttle, there is "some slop", but not too different from other cars I have driven...

Todd

Schadenfreude

Some of it is the trans and clutch wearing in but it's probably more being comfortable with the car. Don't judge by the test drive. The DBW has to get used to you too.

As for fule econ. You will be the biggest factor in that equation. I get about 16mpg for mixed street/highway use. I think on a mostly highway trip I may have gotten close to 20mpg. If you accelerate leisurely and don't do alot of downshifting on the highway, you might be able to get better but for that sort of driving, there's no need for an S4 : )

eschw999

Re: manual transmission

eschw999

thanks for the responses,
do you any of you feel that the accelator pedal is in an uncomfortable position, like to far the right, it felt odd to me....is that something you get used to. I am in an m3 right now, and am moving to nyc from miami and i am thinking that it would be nice to quattro and a car that is easier to drive...the clutch on the m3, while better than porsche, is still a pain in traffic, the s4's clutch is much lighter...but the stick was weird and the accelator felt like it was oddly placed...m3 has better gas mileage too...i don't know, just my musings....it was a very nice car though, and the nav iterface was really cool. i also like how the s4 is much stealthier than the m3...sometimes i feel like an a$$hole driving around in an m3...
evan

jhsu

I do feel the accelerator is placed too far back which makes it a little more difficult to heel-and-toe, but just like the clutch, I got used to it and now have no problem. I just shifted my foot more to the right on the brake pedal. As for fuel economy, I get about 16 mpg in mixed driving conditions. Not very good, but hey, you get to have a V8 under the hood. I have never driven an M3 but I hear the S4 is a more comfortable daily driver. My only complaint would be with the nav system which doesn't seem to have many points of interest and the interface is horrible compared to my Acura.

Schadenfreude

Results seem pretty positive. I agree that the throttle is positioned funny but you get used to it. As far as heel-toeing, I vaguely recall a post about the DBW interfering there and relocated pedals won't change that.

I think the heel-toe posts were by jet jockey/a4 pilot if you feel like searching

CarbonFibre

press the gas and brake pedal at the same time.

DrGP

to master it. I have been driving stick shift exclusively for 39 years and I still mess up the footwork on this car occasionally even though I have 18K miles in nearly 2 yers of driving. BTW, many think the shifter on this car is great, but for those that don't, the Strat. SS kit seems to give them the improvement they are looking for. Mileage after break in IS 14-16 city/20-22 highway AT BEST! Anyone telling you they are consistantly getting better than that is either lying or deluding themselves. I would expect the lower number in the range I posted especially if you have the lead foot that most of us on this forum have.