[AudiA4]

Originally Posted by BruinsFan330i

I recently test drove both the 16' S4 and the 340 X drive and was honestly not impressed with the butt dyno of the S4. It felt quite sluggish compared to the 340 at all speeds. I test drove them both pretty hard from about 0-85ish. I know I am a little biased but after the test drives I went with the more expensive choice in the 340 because it was that much more fun to drive.

No way I'd be buying an S4 this close to its replacement. Good choice.

Now, when the new one is available...

[dman918]

Originally Posted by AudiA4

No way I'd be buying an S4 this close to its replacement. Good choice.

Now, when the new one is available...

Yeah, the new one should be sweet.

[bjcarls]

i just ordered a 340ix for my wife after 5,000 miles in the S4. I couldn't stand it, DSG is rubbish, no USB port to charge or hook up phone, no heated steering wheel, definition of MMI screen during backup is awful, MMI in general is hard to use, driver windows regulator is sporadic, etc... In the end it's just easier having two cars from the same manufacturer so you don't get controls screwed up. Sound from exhaust and stereo was good, Quattro is awesome, speed was decent but 1st gear is Way low for mpg reasons. In the end it clicked a lot of boxes but living with it was a little annoying after owning a few BMW's, I can see why it was $7k less than the new 340. Now I just have to wait, and it's not even my car...

[Big Nodge]

Originally Posted by AudiA4

No way I'd be buying an S4 this close to its replacement. Good choice.

Now, when the new one is available...

No 6MT though, just a standard tiptronic 8-spd. Not even a dual clutch. Big part of what drove me to order a 340 after ~15yrs driving Audis.

[AudiA4]

Originally Posted by Big Nodge

No 6MT though, just a standard tiptronic 8-spd. Not even a dual clutch. Big part of what drove me to order a 340 after ~15yrs driving Audis.

True. I was surprised (and disappointed) with that bit of news from Audi.

[Big Nodge]

Originally Posted by AudiA4

True. I was surprised (and disappointed) with that bit of news from Audi.

Yeah. They use a conventional tiptronic in the RS7 vs a DSG in the S7 (and a colleague has an S7 and doesn't really like the DSG) so maybe there is method to their madness. But still, I'm bummed. Ironically test driving a 340 with the sport auto made me think perhaps I could live with an automatic because it was pretty damn fun. . . but at that point it was too late for Audi.

[440xiGCMsport]

Originally Posted by bjcarls

i just ordered a 340ix for my wife after 5,000 miles in the S4. I couldn't stand it, DSG is rubbish, no USB port to charge or hook up phone, no heated steering wheel, definition of MMI screen during backup is awful, MMI in general is hard to use, driver windows regulator is sporadic, etc... In the end it's just easier having two cars from the same manufacturer so you don't get controls screwed up. Sound from exhaust and stereo was good, Quattro is awesome, speed was decent but 1st gear is Way low for mpg reasons. In the end it clicked a lot of boxes but living with it was a little annoying after owning a few BMW's, I can see why it was $7k less than the new 340. Now I just have to wait, and it's not even my car...

You are buying a vehicle at end of life cycle what do you expect?

[440xiGCMsport]

Originally Posted by AudiA4

True. I was surprised (and disappointed) with that bit of news from Audi.

The reason I traded in my S4 was the reliability of the DSG. It was a great transmission and I don't care what others are saying compared to the ZF. Was it as smooth, NO, but what it did do was transfer the torque to the wheels with much less drivetrain loss than a traditional autobox. It also up shifted quicker than the ZF. The main weakness was the mechatronics unit. Failed unit means about $3k repair and whole transmission failure meant about $10k repair.
Most likely the main reason they are going to the ZF is because the new S4 will have 350+hp and that would be pushing the limits of that transmissions power capability and reliability will even be more compromised.