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      10-12-2012, 08:37 PM   #89
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buildbright View Post
I got a Price in August on a built to order Prestige S4 and a 2k higher MSRP that was only $65 more a month. What do you dislike about your F30 so much?
Based on my experience with Audi vs BMW leases, sounds like either something was not equal, you didn't get a competitive BMW quote, or maybe you should have pulled the trigger on that Audi quote!

My guess is the Audi dealer forgot to tell you about the $5K down payment required and the 10K miles you'd get over the longer term...
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      10-12-2012, 09:06 PM   #90
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I test drove a 2013 S4 today. Overall, I walked away impressed/pleasantly surprised with the way the car drove, but not exactly jumping for joy.

Off the line the car gets up and go, almost too much get up and go when the trans is in Sports mode or manual shift. Was not convinced the power band was as linear as the N55, as I detected some flat spots. Regardless, plenty of power (better than N55 off line). The auto trans was definitely not as good as the BMW sports auto. S4 seemed to have plenty of body roll, but not sure of the direct comparison to an F30 Sport with VSS. My E90 MSport seems to have less roll than both! Maybe the F30 MSport with VSS is better??????

Here's what unimpressed me:

1) exhaust note (seemed overdone and trying to make up for something missing). I actually felt like a 16 year old with an exhaust kit.
2) overall look compared to the F30 (especially that oversized and fugly front grille)
3) fact that I felt I NEEDED 19" RIMS just to make the car look OK. F30 looks gr8 with 18"

Here's what I liked

1) Alcantara lined seats available in US. Wake up BMW!!!
2) Nav/Audio system seems more modern (though I didn't spend tons of time testing). B&O stereo actually has delicious sounding highs without needing to crank up the tone control. However, I think it may lack bass compared to BMW HK.
3) No RFT tires!!!!!
4) Hydraulic steering actually required some effort to turn car. Road feel/communication was NOT E90/E46 BMW, but better than F30 electric steering (have not yet driven F30 Sport with VSS).

The S4 is a competitor. Maybe an M3 light, especially if you deck it out with the differential, etc.
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      10-12-2012, 11:25 PM   #91
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thenewyorker View Post
Very good review and very good point on the fact that S4 is a M3 light! M3>S4>335.

IMO, if someone is in the market for a sports sedan and planning to finance, should go with S4, if planning to lease, then should go with a 335.
I test drove the S4 & S5 before ordering the 335i M Sport. Both Audi's have the same 333 HP engine which is very similar to the 335i and a far cry from the M3 so in my opinion the S$ is NOT a M3 light nor is it better than the 335i. I would say: M3>S4, M3>335i & S4=335i but that's just me.

There is much more room in the back seat of the 335i that in either of these Audi's. The back seat of the S4 was literally right up against the drivers seat in a normal driving position. I'm 6' 1" and when I put my drivers seat in MY normal position, there is no way I could have sit in the back seats comfortably.

I will say that the power and drivability of the Audi was great, no doubt about it. Originally, I thought that I was going to buy and Audi. If I bought an Audi, it would be the A6 which is considerably bigger now that the 5 series BMW or E350 Mercedes.

In the end, I thought the interior, dash and exterior styling of the BMW was better and fit my eye better. I'm sure there are Audi buyers who will say the opposite. The other thing is that you will pay more for the S4 & S5 and to me they aren't worth the extra money vs the 335.
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      10-12-2012, 11:31 PM   #92
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Quote:
Originally Posted by azzurro View Post
I test drove the S4 & S5 before ordering the 335i M Sport. Both Audi's have the same 333 HP engine which is very similar to the 335i and a far cry from the M3 so in my opinion the S$ is NOT a M3 light nor is it better than the 335i. I would say: M3>S4, M3>335i & S4=335i but that's just me.

There is much more room in the back seat of the 335i that in either of these Audi's. The back seat of the S4 was literally right up against the drivers seat in a normal driving position. I'm 6' 1" and when I put my drivers seat in MY normal position, there is no way I could have sit in the back seats comfortably.

I will say that the power and drivability of the Audi was great, no doubt about it. Originally, I thought that I was going to buy and Audi. If I bought an Audi, it would be the A6 which is considerably bigger now that the 5 series BMW or E350 Mercedes.

In the end, I thought the interior, dash and exterior styling of the BMW was better and fit my eye better. I'm sure there are Audi buyers who will say the opposite. The other thing is that you will pay more for the S4 & S5 and to me they aren't worth the extra money vs the 335.
Agree, i drove the S4 as well and in now ay do i think the S4>335. For what i like 335>s4. All the extra weight over the front wheels was a big negative for me
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      10-13-2012, 09:36 AM   #93
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Quote:
Originally Posted by azzurro View Post
There is much more room in the back seat of the 335i that in either of these Audi's. The back seat of the S4 was literally right up against the drivers seat in a normal driving position. I'm 6' 1" and when I put my drivers seat in MY normal position, there is no way I could have sit in the back seats comfortably.
The 2013 Audi S4 rear leg room = 35.2"

The 2013 BMW 335i rear leg room = 35.1"
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      10-13-2012, 10:32 AM   #94
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The X Men View Post
The 2013 Audi S4 rear leg room = 35.2"

The 2013 BMW 335i rear leg room = 35.1"
Those specs are useless. Two different cars with same spec will yield different results. Only way to tell is to sit in car, adjust seat to your liking and see if rear has decent legroom. I found the S4 to be fine. 335i is also fine.
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      10-13-2012, 10:56 AM   #95
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Quote:
Originally Posted by claykin View Post
Those specs are useless. Two different cars with same spec will yield different results. Only way to tell is to sit in car, adjust seat to your liking and see if rear has decent legroom. I found the S4 to be fine. 335i is also fine.
Agree, one of the major reasons I chose the 335 over the S4 was the extra leg room in the back of the 335. I am 6'2" and there is no way I could sit behind myself in the S4 but I can do that very easily in the 335....
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      10-13-2012, 11:36 AM   #96
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beside legroom, which has more comfortable rear seats?
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      10-13-2012, 12:10 PM   #97
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Originally Posted by MaX PL View Post
beside legroom, which has more comfortable rear seats?
Car and Driver did a test, and they rated the rear seat comfort on the F30 328i as 5/5, while the A4 got 3/5.
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      10-13-2012, 12:43 PM   #98
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Audis are driven by pimp and gangsta wannabees. BMWs are driven by people who appreciate a good product
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      10-13-2012, 02:43 PM   #99
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Quote:
Originally Posted by claykin View Post
4) Hydraulic steering actually required some effort to turn car. Road feel/communication was NOT E90/E46 BMW, but better than F30 electric steering (have not yet driven F30 Sport with VSS).
.
For 2013, the S4 has Electric Power Steering
source: edmunds
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      10-14-2012, 02:51 PM   #100
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I was not impressed with any Audi x4 model. I look at competitive brands (Audi and Mercedes) just to keep BMW honest (and my bias for BMW in check). But keep getting BMW because it really is the better brand. I'm not looking for the fastest 3-series (otherwise I'd just get an M3 every time I order a car) but am just looking for a nice balance of performance and price in a daily driver that I'm gonna turn in after 36-months to the CPO program.
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      10-14-2012, 09:53 PM   #101
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My wife and I test drove a 2013 S4 and 2013 335 Msport back-to-back today, about 15 minutes apart between drives. Both automatics. Drove the S4 in Dynamic mode (also tried the Auto mode) and the 335 in Sport (dealer asked us not to go to Sport+). Drove the same route with both cars. As optioned, the S4 cost $1000 more. The was only ONE thing that the S4 did that I liked better: Turn signal stalk is traditional versus BMW's stupid over-thought dual mode stalk.

Don't get me wrong, there was nothing that I hated in the S4. It's a nice car. Very fast. Handles nicely. But I just found it bland. Kinda boring to look at and just uninspiring to drive. And I was the kind one. Here's my wife's take: "The S4 is so far off the table, it's crashed and burning on the floor, in a corner."
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