silverTL6

Agreed, this was an issue with the B6/B7 as well but not as bad since their beautiful interiors made up for it

My complaint is about the volume control on the steering wheel - not sure why any passenger would use the controls there if they were already on the center console.

WPSMS

HyperS4 - C and D i totally agree with but G annoys me to NO END!!!! I hate how it turns off! Have you noticed how if you turn your radio on mute (dont actually turn the entire system off) if you turn the car off for more then 30 min or so the radio comes back on!!!! ARGH! Wheres that in the vag-com lol...

drrick89

SilverTL6 is right. The budget for interiors has been reduced somewhat. But, where has the money gone instead? That's simple: To the exterior, in large part!

I've owned just about every platform in the Audi 80/90/A4/S4 series since 1988; a B3 (1988 80), a B4 (1993 90), a 3 week fling with a 1995 S6 (till it was totaled in my big accident), then two B5s (1998 A4, 2000 S4), a B6 (2003 A4), a B7 (2007 A4), and my current B8 (2010 S4). So I've owned each of the B3-B8 platforms, which gives me a 22 year perspective of their evolution (though I bought the '88 Audi 80 used in '91).

A couple observations first. (1) Wow, things have sure changed since 1988! (2) With the introduction of the A4/S4 moniker in 1996 or so, the interior cabins were significantly upgraded in their beauty, craftmanship, & the quality of materials (though they were always handsome, ergonomic, & well thought out).

With the B8 platform, there are again dramatic changes, but this time it's the exterior that's been modified - as it is significantly larger and has a more polished & *expensive* look; more complex headlight treatment, more stylish wheels, a continued emphasis and development to the front, esp. the grill, etc.

So, IMO the major upgrade of the exterior is the main culprit in the *mild* cheapening of the interior.

But dang it - from the very positive reaction I've gotten from friends, family members, fellow driving enthusiasts, dealership employees, and total strangers - well, it was a nice trade off to say the least....

resnone1

I like buttons. I like lights. I really like buttons that light at night. Although I only run my fingers over most of them cause I’m scared of what they’ll do. My S4 Spaceship feels special but I’m like an 8 year old. More buttons everywhere please so I can pretend play pilot, and it would be nice if the MMI returned to whichever screen I left it on.

HyperS4

And one more thing....why cant the car completely shut off when I push the start/stop button? Why does it only turn off when I open the door. In every other car Ive been in with a start/stop button, you either hold it down for a couple seconds and it totally shuts everything off, or you tap it twice for the same result. This one you can tap tap tap away and nothing changes until you open the door. Dumb!

drrick89

The most annoying thing for me is this: Not only does the radio come on as I'm backing out of my garage, but it keeps coming on -even after I've hit the mute button 2 or 3 times! It probably has something to do with reception from the satellites being partially blocked by the garage. I didn't renew Sirius for about a week after it expired.

Though, I missed having the luxury of listening to all my stations, I had blissful silence when I pulled out of the garage! Now, I have annoying satellite radio again.....

S4Tokyo

Real happy w/this car, but since the thread is here for highlighting quirks - has anyone w/Sunroof noticed that if it is Open and you happen to park & switch off engine that so also is the power to sunroof and windows. 'If' you overlook / forget to close the sunroof and the engine is off then you have to start up again so as to get power to the Sunroof (& window) motors so they can be closed. ['Supposed' to close these things before swithcing off - ok, but 2 out of 3 times I forget one or other until stepping out of car w/Engine Off :-(] Don't have VAG comm capability but if had, is this something that can be addressed?

Hobbes

Pushing the start button a second time shuts it completely off in my car (except for a lingering info display on the DIS). Pushing it a third time puts it back in accessory position.

There should still be power to the windows and sunroof until you open the door. I don't know of any car that maintains residual power once the doors have been opened.

S4Tokyo

Correct, power to the Door module is there until I open the door, but usually by time I notice either window(s) or sunroof is open I have door opened ready to get out of car - the power is gone from windows at that point. The sunroof however - on my car at least - seems to shut down power regardless of whether door is opened or not, i.e. once engine / IGN Button is switched off. Many times I need to restart Engine / switch IGN on so as to get power to close the above :-(

HyperS4

Ok, youre right. I just was hitting it too quickly, had to give it a moment in between taps.