Sunstealer

I had a leased 2007 BMW 335i Coupe through a corporation I used to own that was turned back in January of this year. My original plan was to order another one and finance it personally since the corporation has been sold. Instead, I ordered and picked up an Infiniti G37 Coupe. The intention was for me to drive it for about a year and then give it to my wife, who is in sales and drives lots of miles each year. I was then going to purchase myself another 335i. The G37 is a very nice car with good power, brakes, and handling and an excellent navigation system and other technology features. It is not a 335 though, no matter what Infiniti and other G37 drivers think!

A few things have happened that are swaying me towards the S4 now. The magazine reviews have been glowing for one thing. My wife got stranded in the 335i in that huge snowstorm that hit back in December (even with winter tires.) The areas she covers are mountainous and the weather can change drastically from our house to her customers. The S4 gives me the power, looks, and comfort of the 335i, but still has the ability to get through inclement weather. The 335xi would be the obvious choice for me, but no sport suspension and an AWD not geared towards sporty driving take it out of the running. I have a 4x4 truck, so the S4 with a winter setup would give us two vehicles capable of getting around without much trouble.

We stopped by Checkered Flag Audi in Virginia Beach last weekend since they had a couple of S4s listed in stock on their website. We were initially going to look at the S5, but the S4 really blew us away. They had a Quartz Gray one and a Meteor Gray one. We didn't test drive either since we were short on time and knew we probably would not buy from them anyway since they are 7 hours away.

Our local Audi dealer finally got in an S4 that was not custom ordered for someone, so we plan on heading there next weekend for a test drive. We want to order in November for delivery in February/March. We will probably go with Brilliant Red, Prestige, Sport Diff, and Black/Red Nappa. Any suggestions for what we need to check out on the test drive? I know the one they have is Prestige, but am not sure if it has the Sport Diff. I really love the BMW steering and hope the Audi can even come close to it. That is my one big hangup with driving the G37, the steering is way too light for my tastes. One great thing is that I can deal with the same person who we purchased the Infiniti from and he really took care of us on the pricing and follow-up.

On a side note, does anyone have photos of the trunk size? The 335i trunk was good, not great on a long trip for two people. The G37 trunk is just barely larger than many small convertibles, we end up having to fold down the seats just for luggage.

Sorry for the long post, any suggestions or tips are appreciated.

Here are the 335i and G37 photos:

zerinS4

Welcome to the fold, and most importantly, I hope you end up with Brilliant Red. This car absolutely shines in red. I can't think of a better color for it but then again I'm a bit biased.

drrick89

This is where you live Zerin? Sheez, I'm gonna have to be nicer to ya in my posts!

NOT! :-p

zerinS4

lol, don't you live in Austin?

MalSer

The rear diff is a must IMO and I think the trunk space is very spacious for a mid size sedan. Sorry, I don't have any pics but this thread might help a bit http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...y-golfers-here. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the test drive in regards to accelleration, overall comfort, and handling. I don't have 1st had experience but my gut says that the steering will fall between the Infinity and the BMW. Be sure to play with the ADS steering settings. I have ADS Lite (rear diff) and am partial to the Dynamic setting so don't make any judgements until you've tried this setting. If the car doesn't have ADS or ADS Lite then don't make your final decision until you've been able to drive one appropriately equipped and mess with the steering settings as they make a real difference...plus, it's nice to have options.

M3 Montreal

I just picked up my car on friday and haven't had a chance to read up on the manual.

I have ADS light and was wondering how you can adjust the steering feel?

C-5Hvy

I believe it is in the Car menu then Setup, and there will be an option for the drive settings. I have ADS lite as well and you can adjust engine, differential, and steering for your individual option.

gehmjc21

I got ride of my E92 last month and I'm picking up my S4 prestige, sport diff in two days!!!! Can't wait, I'll let you know if I compared to the 335i, I'm sure it will

NWS4Guy

I came to my 2010 S4 from a 2005 G35 coupe (6MT).

Night and day. Yes the Infiniti loyals love the car, the exhaust note on them is really great, the 6MT shifts smooth, the car felt great - until I felt the power and instant torque of the S4. No comparison, the S4 eats the G alive and comes back for seconds.

I too needed AWD after a few bad winters here - the 19" sports package wheels, summer rubber and RWD are not made for even a layer of frozen fog that sticks to the road. I also didn't want to give up my fun car and youth (though with a 2 year old, 4 doors was a need too). I test drove the 335i first, expecting to love it and buy it (my wife wanted me to get a BMW) and was only slightly impressed to be honest. I had driven an A4 back in May of '09 but it felt underpowered - everything else I liked about it. I found out the S4 was due out soon and waited. I test drove the S4 the same day as I did the 335i on the same roads, traffic and conditions. I was hooked, I never even went back to tell the BMW guy he lost me.

DrGP

I have to agree with Zerin. The red shines even when it is dirty. The S4 replaces my 07 335i coupe. Actually the rear seats in that car had much more leg room that my wife's IS250. I do believe that the trunk in the 3 series is a little larger. I could get 4 sets of golf clubs in the BMW and can only really shoehorn 3 sets into the S4 if I take out the woods and put them in after the bags are loaded. But please don't let that deter you from getting a car that is significantly superior to the 3 series in most other aspects. Here is a picture of my trunk with a set of golf clubs and other junk