R8 Owner: Daily Driver Needed; Opinion of 2011 S4?

[r8dreamer]

Got my R8 back in March/April of 2010. Need advice on a 4-door daily driver with AWD to handle the mild to moderate winters in PA. This vehicle would replace a Lexus GS 430 which I love but as one would expect, drives poorly in the snow. Got stuck once last year already.

Anyone with an R8 have the new style S4? Interested to hear how liveable and reliable it is considering the need for a fun but more utilitarian duty car. I am use to zero reliability issues with a bit soft handling but extremely reliable high-end japanese car. I will place an order for a 2011 S4 next week with the driver select package as well as the other toys. I am not considering the current A6 for various reasons. I drove the new BMW 550ix last week and hated it, as it felt to heavy. So now, back to ordering the manual S4. Appreciate any advice/opinions on its practicality as a daily driver.

[SteveR]

I have had my 2011 S4 for 2 months now and for me, the thing is near perfect. I like it every bit as much as my R8, but for different reasons. Mine is a drive select/DSG car and I highly recommend that combo for a DD.

What's not to like? It gives near RS4 performance for an S4 price with A4 economy. Drive select works great, the electronics are significantly better than the R8, and with the updated quattro (also superior to the R8's), I expect nothing less than excellent performance in winter conditions.

My only quibbles are minor. The car has larger hubs and brakes than my outgoing 2004, so my old winter wheel setup had to go (not really a negative, but inconvenient). While it is a little larger than the old S4, I still can't fit clubs in the back sideways. Technically, that's also not a negative as I don't like to drive cars large enough to fit clubs in the trunk sideways, but the performance/economy seemed as impossible as fitting big stuff in a smaller space, so I had hopes. Lastly, while it is quite a bit faster than my old S4, it doesn't feel quite as tossable and sporty. I don't know why. Maybe I have been spoiled by the R8, but there it is. I still love driving it.

Yep, I love the new S4 and can't think of a car I would rather have.

[toecutter]

I have had my S4 for 2 months also. Great car as above. I have no complaints but I am expecting a lot in the snow. Much better than the 335 it replaced.

[MikeB]

I'm going to put Vredestein M&S tyres on my S4 B7 to be sure. The Allroad was unstoppable on them in the Alps last year. Don't know about you, but the 4.2l V8 ticks a very big box for me as well. Its so unfussed, but it has a lot of hurry!

[RS4Cab]

I'm sure the S4 will be a great daily driver and excel in the Winter. Put snows on my RS4 and it was a beast in the Winter, Better than any of the SUV's I have owned.

[AnOutsider]

Got my R8 back in March/April of 2010. Need advice on a 4-door daily driver with AWD to handle the mild to moderate winters in PA. This vehicle would replace a Lexus GS 430 which I love but as one would expect, drives poorly in the snow. Got stuck once last year already.

Anyone with an R8 have the new style S4? Interested to hear how liveable and reliable it is considering the need for a fun but more utilitarian duty car. I am use to zero reliability issues with a bit soft handling but extremely reliable high-end japanese car. I will place an order for a 2011 S4 next week with the driver select package as well as the other toys. I am not considering the current A6 for various reasons. I drove the new BMW 550ix last week and hated it, as it felt to heavy. So now, back to ordering the manual S4. Appreciate any advice/opinions on its practicality as a daily driver.

I drove my R8 through a winter in PA last/this year, but for another driver I'd say a manual S5. We ordered an S4 and when it came in, we just couldn't stick with it and ended up grabbing an S5 instead

[Jeff]

I've had my 2010 S4 (same as the 2011 essentially) for just about a year now. It's fabulous. Have a set of winter wheels and tires from Tirerack -- highly recommended. It drove great in last winter's snow.

I too have the DSG instead of the manual and it works great. Be sure to get the sport differential. That's a thing to behold.

[rmicroys]

I was about to buy a 2011 S4, but ended up getting a 2011 BMW 335ix M-Sport with all the bells and whistles. I haven't regretted it yet. Both the S4 and the 335ix are great cars.