As followers of this blog know, I sold my beloved 2006 Audi A4 back in February, 2012, and traded-in it in for a 2006 Audi S4. After ~8 months of owning the S4, I have experienced the highs-and-lows of owning an S4, and feel I’m qualified to give an opinion on those trying to decide between purchasing an Audi A4 or S4. In addition to this blog, be sure to check out plenty of car news and car comparison sites, and then most importantly – go test drive each!
Pros of Owning An S4 Over An A4
- Power – the S4 has gobs of power across the powerband. While the A4 has plenty of “get up and go” at full throttle, there is turbo lag and the power band has lots of spikes and lulls in it; not so with the S4, which has consistent power that is smooth and always ready to go
- Interior – while the A4 and S4 are cosmetically similar on the exterior, the interior of the S4 is much nicer. While you can retrofit the S4 Recaro seats like I did on my A4, there are plenty of other standard options on the S4 that aren’t so easy to retrofit like the color Drivers Information System (DIS).
- The Exhaust Note – the S4 sounds amazing. I’ve heard plenty of big turbo A4s in my day, and pretty much every exhaust combination available for the A4, and nothing can beat the sound of the naturally aspirated 4.2 V8 that’s in the S4
- The Full Package – while the S-line appearance package on many A4s may cause those cars to look like an S4 – it’s not the full package. The S4 has upgraded brakes (larger rotors in front and vented in the back), sway bars, differential, suspension, wheels, etc. Right out of the box, it’s a well upgraded machine that has improvements over the A4 in nearly every area. If you’re like me and you can’t leave “good enough” alone this may not matter a ton (I will probably upgrade/replace all of the aforementioned components of my S4), but this is definitely something to consider especially if you plan to keep modifications minimal.
- Quattro – my A4 didn’t have Quattro (AWD), and I do have to say, having Quattro is really, really nice. The car handles like a dream and not only takes corners with a ton of confidence but you can actually add power while coming out of the turn, rather than understeering, skidding, and then waiting until the turn is complete to return to the throttle. My FWD A4, even with a ton of suspension work, could never stock up to the handling of even a stock S4 with Quattro.
So the S4 is beautiful, fast, and smooth. What’s not to love?
Cons of Owning An S4 Over An A4
- Gas mileage – my S4, no matter how hard or soft I drive it, gets an average of about 18 mpg over the course of a tank (for a total of about 225-250 miles per tank). My A4 was upper 20s/low 30 MPGs fairly consistently. So prepare to refuel a lot more often…
- Maintenance – the S4 is a little more high maintenance; although I haven’t had any major repairs yet, my biggest worry is that if the engine were to ever blow, finding a replacement is nearly impossible. Finding a used 2.0T for an A4 is super easy, but the aluminum 4.2 V8 can cost anywhere from $5-20k for the engine alone…
- Insurance – this wasn’t as bad as I thought, but my premium did go up from about $90 per month to $125 per month. Not a deal breaker, but this is a hidden cost to be aware of.
- Modification cost & effectiveness – tuning this car is both more expensive and more difficult. While some basic mods like piggie pipes and a tune will wake up the 4.2 V8, adding power beyond that requires a lot of money for relatively small gains. The A4, on the other hand, is very mod-friendly and you can add a decent amount of power fairly cheap. That’s not to say you can’ t mod the 4.2 V8 S4, and companies like JHM have done some amazing things with bolt-ons alone, but those tuning options are just more expensive than A4 parts, especially when you factor in availability of used parts or sale items.
So now we know the S4 is beautiful, fast, and smooth BUT ALSO thirsty, high-maintenance and expensive. Sound like anything else in life? You bet.
Which Should I Choose?
Would it do it all over again? Most definitely. The choice between an A4 and S4, at the end of the day, comes down to your priorities. As a car freak, die-hard Audi fan, and someone that could afford the switch financially, it was a fairly easy decision for me. On the other hand, you (or I) could be perfectly happy in an A4, and even perform a lot of modifications on it and have a car that performs & looks amazing. There are certainly days when I do miss my A4 (especially those days involving the gas station, haha). When making your determination, here is what I’d advise you weigh in from a personal perspective to help you decide if the pros outweigh the cons of S4 ownership:
- Budget – factor in an extra $8-10k in purchase price for the S4, and remember that modifications, insurance, and maintenance are all going to be more expensive too. If you think an S4 is out of your price range based on purchase price alone, I wouldn’t advise “reaching” for it, as there are tons of additional costs down the road that might make an A4 a better choice. It’s better to have extra wiggle room when it comes to budget rather than stretching your dollar too thin and hoping nothing goes wrong (Murphy’s Law loves to strike at those times!).
- Gas Mileage/Driving Habits – if you plan to use the car as a daily driver, and have a long commute (regardless of whether it’s city or freeway driving), the A4 may be a better choice. The S4 goes through a lot of gas, and does not care if you go gentle on it or not. The gas tank is also pretty small (about 17 gallons, give or take) so you can go through a tank on even a medium distance roadtrip pretty easily. Be prepared for this…
- What you currently drive – if you already have a B7 A4, and want to move to an S4, you need to consider what you really want to gain out of the move. If you already own an A4, I’d recommend moving to an S4 for reasons other than wanting added power alone (you can always big-turbo your A4 if this is the case). For me, I had a FWD Automatic A4 and desperately wanted a manual transmission and Quattro, and in this case that makes sense as that’s a significantly different car. Another case where it would make a lot of sense is going from a high mileage A4 to a low mileage S4, or going from a B6 to a B7 for the cosmetic upgrades, or maybe even from a Sedan to an Avant or Cabriolet. If you’re looking to move from a 6MT A4 with Quattro and low miles to a 6MT S4 with Quattro with high miles, this may not be a good idea. If you’re going to take the plunge, make sure you are actually upgrading and not buying a car that will need expensive maintenance soon.
Still unsure?
Leave me a comment below and I’ll give you some unbiased advice…
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at 9:09 AM
I own 08 a4 Quattro s-line tipronic. I bough it secound hand from a dealer last year and i have done 10k. Thank god for the warrenty do to a need of new piston rings and head gasket. The guy from me was killjng it.Its comfie and pleasent to drive as well as very stylish. Although i do miss a manual transmission and that v8 would be nice so I don’t get picked on the street like my buddy with a clk550. From where I see it, if u don’t have a heavy foot and no need to go fast get an a4. Cheap to maintain very stylish. Easy to tune and no need for anything to make it into a head turner it already is out of the box. Absolutely love the b7′s. Don’t look at Benz Or BMW. Audi will definetly bring happyness to u.
at 9:14 AM
Damian – I agree. A well maintained and nicely modified Quattro A4 will bring a lot of happiness to it’s owner, especially an 08 which already has the S-line body styling. It’s definitely got some advantages over the S4 as a daily driver (most notably cost of ownership/gas mileage/insurance) so it’s a matter of personal preference at that point. I’m glad you’re enjoying your car!
at 6:09 AM
I’ve only owned my 07′ A4 3.2 CVT for a few months; I got it for a great price and the Navy Capt I bought it from had every milestone service done (79,000miles). I must it has been one of my favorite cars that I have had. Just wanted to say Thanks to Nick; this site has been a huge help. I hope to own an S4 one day, as I’m officially an Audi fan.
at 8:38 AM
Thanks John, so happy to have helped, and I’m glad you are enjoying your car and that hopefully this site is helping you to enjoy it just a little more
Cheers!
at 6:55 PM
No rs4 discussion? Would love to hear your opinion on it compared to your s4.
at 10:46 AM
Great point Ryan – I overlooked the RS4…I did this primarily because I have firsthand experience owning both an A4 and S4, whereas I’ve never owned an RS4 (I have driven several though). I’ll share some general thoughts based on conversations I’ve had with RS4 owners as well as years of reading Audizine & Quattroworld on both models…
Cons of the RS4 versus S4: The RS4 costs about $15-20k more for a comparable car (similar mileage, etc), which is a hefty premium. The FSI engine also suffers from a carbon build-up which gets worse over time and the only real, proven way to clean it is to take off the manifold and manually clean it, which is both expensive and time consuming. I’ve heard RS4 owners recommend doing a carbon clean every 5-10k miles, but know some folks (who can do it themselves) do it much more frequently (every 3k miles or so). The stock DRC suspension is also known to be faulty and most owners replace the suspension with aftermarket coilovers (something I’d do even if the DRC weren’t faulty, but worth noting if you intend to keep the car stock-ish). There is a DRC fix by Audi to repair the problems initially experienced with this suspension.
Pros of an RS4 over S4: The OEM widebody is stunning, and it would easily cost $10k in parts & labor to convert an S4 to this body work (every panel needs replaced, even the doors). The interior also has unique touches and special seats, which can be retrofitted to an S4 but again at a substantial cost. The RS4, when fully carbon cleaned, is very fast, and the supercharging options available for it give it much more potential than an S4.
I think with the RS4, it comes down to a price increase, as well as a maintenance increase (which is basically just another cost increase, just spread out over time) – if you’re okay with both of those factors, it’s a phenomenal machine that is beautiful, rare, and something that is cherished by Audi fans everywhere. If you have the means, I’d recommend it, but the S4 is significantly cheaper if cost of ownership is a concern at all…
at 8:40 AM
I live in an area with poor roads. What about the suspension differences A4 and S4? And is there a noticeable extra weight in the S4?
at 8:52 AM
Interesting question – the standard A4 has a higher ride height and softer ride, but the S-line or Sport Package A4s have the same suspension as the S4 (more-or-less) so the ride will be similar. There is extra weight up front for the engine, but not a ton – 3428 lbs for the A4 versus 3,660 lbs for the S4.
at 9:06 AM
Are you sure about the a4 S-line? I was under the impression the sline A4 was cosmetic only. My main goal is to have it sporty looking. The stock A4s are kind of bland.
If you had 35K what would you buy, new A4, older a4 with higher trim, or older still s4?
at 9:10 AM
@Roy – the 2008 S-lines did not always have the Sport Suspension and it was a cosmetic-only package, but the 2006 & 2007 had a full “S-line” package that included the sport suspension. The sport suspension has red shocks/struts that lowers the car about .75″ over stock, and uses the same springs/shocks/struts as the S4.
at 9:11 AM
@Roy – with $35k, crappy roads, and a preference for a smooth ride – I’d be tempted to go for a new A4. You can add a tune to wake it up a little and enjoy the updated body work, interior and other refinements of the B8. It depends on personal preference though….
at 9:57 AM
Nick, really great info, thank you very much. How difficult is it to add the s-line cosmetics to a stock a4? The 5-spoke wheels are critical part.
at 10:00 AM
@Roy – the wheels are easy. You can find them used on Craigslist, Audizine or replicas through several retailers for $500-1000 depending on condition. They just bolt on and are a direct fit. The body work is a little more complicated, but not that hard. If you have $35k, even a 2008 S-line is well under that price, so I’d shop around and find one with the bodywork already done from the factory – the hardest part about retrofitting the body work is finding a quality body shop to install & paint everything well.
at 10:37 AM
ha well that brings up the next line of decisions…. I understand the 2009 the car was re-worked into the ‘B8′ from the 2006-2008 B7. Some folks feel refinements in weight distribution and suspension are worthy? thoughts?
at 11:06 AM
Roy – go test drive and decide for yourself! I like the B8, some don’t. It’s a little bigger, but it’s also lighter. The interior is very nice, and the electronics are all upgraded. If I were you, I’d decide between a B7 (2006-2008) S4 or a B8 (2009-2012) A4 with your budget – the advantages of a B8 is that you can get it certified pre-owned with plenty of warranty left and probably lower miles too. The advantages of the B7 S4 is the power, sportiness, and fun-to-drive factor. Then it’s all a matter of how responsible (or irresponsible) you want to be
at 3:42 PM
Nick, when do these cars start to get problems and what is the likelihood of failures on say the 60-90K mileage range on a 2009 A4?
at 3:56 PM
@Roy – you should be fine there, but it depends on how well it maintains. I’ve never really heard nor observed a certain mileage quota where the car begins to fall apart, I’ve heard some cars going 200k miles and doing fine and others falling apart much sooner.
at 10:40 AM
Thanks Nick, I decided to lease a new Audi, so I test drove an auto S4, and an auto A4 S-line. The S4 was nice but didn’t knock me out, I was leaning toward a plain old A4.
So then I tried the manual S4 and it was over, I was sold. The manual gives it a fun factor that turns it into a true sports car. But it’s also a luxury car, what a great car.
I ended up leasing a new moonlight blue prestige S4! I have been smiling ever since.
at 10:42 AM
@Roy – I’m super jealous, enjoy it! The S4 is a great car, and agreed 100% on the fun factor of the manual
at 1:55 PM
Big Nick,
Get a manual S4. It’s a blast and it rules hands-down over the A4.
Nuff said!
at 1:41 AM
Is the S4 considered a chick car at all?
at 9:01 AM
I haven’t heard that stereotype before, no…