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Old 02-19-2019, 05:01 PM   #41
robg
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Not so much the ride quality. Comparing a 2010 b8 a4 6-speed manual sports suspension 18" wheels vs. 2014 b8.5 s4 6-speed manual... Two items stand out.
* Engine revs and response tuning. The s4 revs higher on the highway. Nuts. As a result, it is highly responsive to right foot when doing long cruises at 80mph. The 2.0T 6th gear is geared longer.
* Steering. Neither win the steering prize. On back roads, the s4 was more fun due to response of the chassis and the car. Both of them sucked on the highway due to overly weighty steering. I swear sometimes I needed two hands on the wheel to turn in sweepers. Ugh. The a4 wasn't great but had slightly more feedback due to hydraulic, but the speed sensitive weighting was screwed up. The s4 was electric and felt great on test on back roads and aggressive turns, but again was not a steady, calm ship for doing a 350mile stretch after days of skiing.
* MPG's. They had about the same size tank, which means the s4 had a much less useful range. I achieved a real 30 to 33mpg in the a4 on long stretches, compared to 23 to 25 on the s4. Same speeds.
Re: ventilated seats- yeah they offered them (on the S) then took them away and then brought them back. Not sure if they're currently offering it. They seemed to have removed a bunch of options from the S like panoramic sunroof and the rear child seats. Doesn't matter though cause any used Model S I could afford would be pre-vegan seats. They switched to using that material in summer of 17 IIRC. When I was reading some posts from people like me who hate synthetic leather, someone mentioned that the ventilated seats didn't actually help that much FWIW

I only drove a b8 s4 once on a quick test drive. At the time, I remember thinking that it seemed very luxurious (I still had my old e46). Still love the looks of that generation.

But the B9 is entirely different ballgame given that the S4/5 now use a regular ZF 8 speed auto while the A4/5 use a 7 speed DCT (with neither offering a manual now). My guess is that fuel tank size is the same, so yes, range is still going to be compromised.

I've come to a similar conclusion when it comes to buying family/daily driver type cars. It's better to focus on comfort and practicality first and then add back performance to the extent a) you can afford b) it doesn't compromise comfort/practicality. If I do seriously consider an S5, I'm going to try and rent one on Turo to see how comfortable it is over bad roads and on the highway. Another concern are the fixed headrests- my wife has complained about that type of setup on other cars (I guess the Tesla falls into that camp as well). My current x3 doesn't handle as well as previous cars I've owned, but I really appreciate its ride quality over bad roads as well as having ground clearance. Frankly, I doubt there's going to be a good reason to choose an S5 sportback (other than it looks cool) over an X3 40i. I suspect the BMW will lease better and it's better suited to my needs. I've also negotiated against myself because my original constraint was to try and find something with a warranty under 50k that I could buy and keep for ~4 years. Now I'm creeping back to leasing a new Audi or BMW. Also need to drive the Stinger at some point.

When I was looking for used manual Cayennes for you in that other thread, I came across a 14 Cayenne GTS (automatic) with CPO warranty for 45k. That would be tempting- though I think the warranty only lasts 2 years. This whole Tesla foray has uncorked my latent car shopping tendencies.

Last edited by robg; 02-19-2019 at 05:32 PM.
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Old 02-19-2019, 05:39 PM   #42
equ
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If the Macan Turbo enters your scope, let me know, I know of a good one for sale right at the $50k mark. It's definitely comparable to a x3 m40i or an x3M.
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Old 02-19-2019, 05:45 PM   #43
robg
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If the Macan Turbo enters your scope, let me know, I know of a good one for sale right at the $50k mark. It's definitely comparable to a x3 m40i or an x3M.
Ha- tempting. I've found the Macan is a bit too tight for my tastes (both rear legroom and cargo area)
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Old 02-19-2019, 05:59 PM   #44
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Ha- tempting. I've found the Macan is a bit too tight for my tastes (both rear legroom and cargo area)
Definitely tighter than an x3. I made a point of finding one that has the tow hitch and the roof rails as I thought it needed all the help it could get in that department (rails cannot be added and tow could but a pain).

Only the front seats are truly spacious (like a 5er but with more headroom). Oh well, had to give it a shot...
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Old 02-20-2019, 12:28 AM   #45
robg
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Considering a used Model S as our next car

Quote:
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Definitely tighter than an x3. I made a point of finding one that has the tow hitch and the roof rails as I thought it needed all the help it could get in that department (rails cannot be added and tow could but a pain).



Only the front seats are truly spacious (like a 5er but with more headroom). Oh well, had to give it a shot...


Yeah my mother in law has a Macan so I’ve gotten a fair amount of experience riding in one. Love the quality of the interior.
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