Bought my eight three years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the car for all that time. Even took it to the Tail of the Dragon last month and had an absolute blast. Many fond memories and 49K miles later, I started itching for something different... something with real torque.

I'm not ashamed to say that I got a little choked up saying goodbye to her. What an amazing car.

Here's the last pic I took as the dealer removed the plates:



And here is my new baby, complete with 4.2L V8, 340hp, 302 lb/ft tq:








I will miss some things about the 8, but I appreciate what the S4 offers. This is a great forum and I'm afraid there's nothing as good online dedicated to the S4. The next RX model may draw me back, but we'll just have to see. Thanks for enriching my 8 ownership experience from start to finish!

Josh

 

Very nice car enjoy...

 

Nice choice.

Bummer to see the 8 go, but I am sure the new toy will keep you occupied for a while.

 

Whoa.... what a drastic switch. From a swelty sports car to a torque pulling sedan. Enjoy nonetheless! I thought S4s have way more than 340hp? I'd love to have an S4 Avant though...

 

Goodbye.

 

Very nice replacement. Congrats

 

Looks like a Passat.

 

i think i see a new thread everyday where someone is getting rid of their 8. I could never give mine up

 

I wanted an avant as well, but they're hard to come by, especially with a manual transmission. The RS4 has 420 hp or so and costs like $70K new. The previous gen S4 had around 250 hp (but very mod-able). Current gen S4 (B6 and B7 body style) share the 4.2L V8. Mine is an '05 and I got it certified pre-owned for $26K, so my monthly payments actually went down. There's a car out there that depreciates worse than the 8!

As a stoplight-to-stoplight daily driver and an inconspicuous interstate stormer, the S4 excels. As a king-of-the-twisties, the 8 had the edge. The 8 always let me know when it was working hard, even if it was willing to work hard all day without complaint. With the S4, you don't realize that it's working until you glance at the speedo and it reads 110...

 

Great choice. I almost bought one of the very first B6 S4's.

 

i've never driven an S4...they look nice though. in terms of practicality, rear seat room, trunk space, you have a better car. in terms of fun factor and twisty road bliss i think you took a step down.

for raw torque and get up and go from a dead stop, yeah the S4 is better.

i used to have an S60R....a lot like the S4 in terms of size/specs/power. mine was modded..and had 340-350hp.... so it was very similar. lots of power..but when I test drove a stock 8 back to back with my uber sedan... i liked the 8 better for "fun".

i'd love to hear a more detailed thorough comparison... handling, shifter, power, fun factor, etc etc.

enjoy the S4. no matte what - it is a very nice car. understated...subtle... but nice looking and a nice performance vehicle.

 

Congrats! Living in the midwest, I'm sure that you'll appreciate the AWD on the S4.

 

Here are some impressions:

Acceleration: Obviously the S4 delivers a different kind of power and a lot more of it. The RX-8 isn't slow, but going quickly in it involves more drama. The Audi's V8 revs to 7K, but there's not too much point in pushing it that far. First gear is very short, so you have to shift fast from a stop. You have torque in any gear, so passing on the interstate doesn't require a downshift unless you want to impress your passengers. This was a big selling point for me. The 8's power didn't seem to really kick in until you hit about 5K RPM and by that point my RB air intake and ram-air duct were making some very loud honking sounds, which is fun on a mountain road but annoying day to day. The Audi is smooth, quiet, and pushes you back in the seat without making a fuss.

Transmission: I had the Richard Paul short shift kit on the 8, and had a voodoo aluminum ball shift **** that took turns with the factory **** depending on my mood. The 8 had a very mechanical feel to it, especially with the voodoo ****, although I tended to prefer the stock **** because of its height and weight, which made it more comfortable and required less effort. I liked the 8's transmission, but wasn't totally in love with it. The S4 has a much longer lever and therefore a longer throw and a much more muted/rubbery feel, but it's also very easy to use properly and I've yet to miss a gear with it. The increased leverage makes it feel like much less effort is involved. I was really used to the clutch on the 8 and liked it. The Audi requires similar effort, but perhaps less feel. I'm still getting used to it, though. Pedal placement in the 8 made heel-toe downshifts easy for me. Not so in the Audi, where the gas pedal is small and sunk much lower than the brake. I am sad about this, but I'll look into aftermarket pedal options later.

Suspension: Seems pretty similar, but I'm no expert. The 8 weighs at least 800lbs less than the Audi and you can tell in the way the cars react to uneven pavement. The Audi has a firm suspension but doesn't beat you up. There's an expansion joint I hit every day on my way to work and whereas the 8 would make a rattling crashing sound every time I hit it, the S4 emits a small thump and doesn't make you wonder if parts are going to fall off the car.

Steering: The RX-8 has much better steering feel and communicates a great deal more about the road and tire grip to you. The Audi has a much nicer, thicker wheel and the steering is better weighted than I thought it would be, especially when making sharper turns. With such a heavy motor weighing down the front wheels and the front-biased AWD, the Audi doesn't offer the precision of the 8, but I'm still learning about how to drive the car fast around corners. My S4 currently has all-season continental tires on it, and I expect this aspect to improve with stickier summer-only rubber and some lighter wheels.

Brakes: I haven't really tested the Audi's brakes in anger yet, but they seem to work well. The pedal is much less firm and also less communicative than the 8's. I'd imagine the 8 outbrakes it by some margin, especially with the Hawk pads I had on mine. I may do a brake upgrade at some point, but that's low on my list.

Interior: This is another area where the Audi really shines in my mind. Heavily bolstered Recaros provide a lot more lateral support and feel nice and snug. The leather is thicker and higher-quality. If you've ever owned a German car you know how much effort they put into the tactile qualities of switches, materials, etc. The view out the windshield is great, with unobtrusive a-pillars. I won't go into all the nifty gizmos like automatic sunshades, headlight washers, seat position memory, trip computer, etc. but the Audi is really in a different league. With similar miles it's got fewer rattles than the 8. There's a lot more sound deadening, which is nice, but also prevents you from hearing the V8 clearly. I think an aftermarket exhaust is probably in order. The back seats are bigger and more accessible in the Audi. I'm almost 6'2" and I can sit behind myself, but not in complete comfort. The trunk is much bigger and features a full-sized spare under the floor. The Audi has much more headroom. The Audi also has a telescoping wheel, a feature I thought the 8 really needed. I haven't tried them yet, but I assume that the seat heaters do a much better job.

So there you have it. Very different car, but also intended to provide a mix of sport and practicality. I think the Audi wins in luxury and practicality, but the sport aspect is a tougher call. For my typical drive on straight, flat roads with lots of stoplights, the S4 is much more fun. If I was driving a twisty Appalachian mountain road to work every day, I probably would have kept the 8, but I expect the Audi will also be a blast when I get to try it in those conditions.

 

Nice write-up, and great choice. Still feel free to stop by our local Chicago meets...

 

Congrats on the S4. Really a great looking car.

 

I agree, nice write up - just about what I expect to hear. S4 was one of the cars I was considering when looking at the 8. My concern, though I didn't look into it much, was service/maintenance costs.

 

I just got my wife the same car this past weekend. Her's has 140 less hourses (A4) She wasn't going for the S4
Congrats and enjoy. What I find starnge is the service intervals, the first service is at 5K then every 10K after that?

 

Smokin new ride!

 

This is a concern of mine as well. There are 10K mile scheduled services and I've read that the one at 55K miles can cost upwards of $800. That said, some dealers appear to charge close to $200 for an oil change! I can avoid a lot of the expense by doing the easier maintenance myself.

Certified Pre-Owned means my bumper-to-bumper warranty is extended to 6 years or 100K miles, but I believe there is a deductible involved once I exit the regular warranty at 50K miles. This was a big consideration in choosing this particular car as opposed to one that wasn't CPO.

 

Yes, that's my understanding. The 4.2L V8 takes synthetic 10W40. Apparently an oil change requires 10 quarts!

 

So how does it feel to gain 1K pounds haha

Sorry not a big fan of Audi but that is a really good engine under that hood. I'm sure it's a nice car with a lot of fit and finish.

 

Just rode in an 2004 S4 cabriolet yesterday, it was awesome. The exhaust note on that thing rocks. Small car + huge engine + AWD = really good time.

Edit: the seat heaters rock. They have 6 levels too. That is a must when driving a convertible in Minnesota.

 

Nice man!!

The V8 S4's are freaking beasts dude. Which im assuming you know now already lol.

But good choice on the switch.

 

Very nice ride! One thing that's not gonna change is gas mileage......

 

So far I have seen a big change... like into single digits. Once my foot lightens up a bit I should see similar numbers (15 around town, 22 on the highway). Luckily the tank holds a couple more gallons than the 8's, extending the range a little.