B6 S4 people, talk to me????

[Oranoco]

My poor old B5 1.8T has been very trusty but with 160k miles under it's belt I'm considering swapping it out in the new year after a swan song trip to the Nurburgring. Original plan was an E46 M3 after spending some time with my brothers. Saddly this is out of the question as my budget will only get me a ropey one and I'm getting quotes of a grand to insure one. Always fancied a B5 S4 but in all honesty I need something a bit newer and a bit more refined, plus 265bhp isn't really enough and I will only start modifying it. This brought me to the B6 S4.

Sooooooo...... What are they like to live with, mpg, reliability, issues, niggles. Tell me all as I don't want to buy something then hate it after 5 seconds

 

[quattrojames]

There's a few S4 owners on here, hopefully someone will be along soon to help you

 

[THERMT]

Wel i have a B7 S4 Avant which is basically the same car. Before this i had a 260bhp S3 8L.

I must admit its not as much fun to drive but its way more refined and such a nice place to sit. Normally i get around 18-20mpg just everyday driving but i have seen 30mpg driving like a granny on a run.
As for reliability, wel mine never goes wrong. If you get a well maintained one you should be okay. Stay away from any that have been on the longlife servicing plan. They have a bit of trouble with the cam tensioners and that will cost £2k - £4k to sort.

I love mine so i may be baised,

Take a few for a test drive and see what you think

 

[Oranoco]

18-20mpg will mean I will need to rethink as that would be crippling My B5 1.8T is managing 28mpg at the moment and it's seriously unwell at the minute and stinks of fuel

Going to have to do a lot of research on this one I think. Can see me throwing a grand at my B5 and just keeping it for another couple of years. lol

 

[mne666]

Hi

Mine is currently for sale, if you want to come and have a drive feel free.. its an Auto so MPG is slightly better.

 

[cobraBLACK]

MPG depends on your driving; if it's around town all the time it'll be in the late teens but if it's a lot of 40 mph + roads, A/B-roads, motorways you should see 25-30 mpg.

 

[adamss24]

Hi

Mine is currently for sale, if you want to come and have a drive feel free.. its an Auto so MPG is slightly better.

Since when an auto gearbox with a torque converter makes a car better on fuel than the equivalent model fitted with a manual gearbox ?

 

[quattrojames]

From memory the Auto B6 S4's have a higher final drive ratio so cruise at a lower rpm on motorways etc which gives them a higher average mpg in some circumstances.

 

[swarcup]

did wonder

 

[THERMT]

From memory the Auto B6 S4's have a higher final drive ratio so cruise at a lower rpm on motorways etc which gives them a higher average mpg in some circumstances.

true,

but still manual is way more fun, autos are a bit boring imo

 

[colinurquhart]

I average about 24mpg with mine and I'm mostly motorway miles. If your concerned about fuel economy then this is the wrong car as it can drink fuel. On average a tenner will get me 30-35 miles. Saying that I've just paid £2300 to convert mine to gas so now only paying 67.7p a litre which now saves me money as I'm 50 miles round trip to work plus running around with the kids. It's not cheaper than a diesel by no means. Bearing in mind you get less mpg with gas and a slight drop in performance but I can override to run on petrol for a blast and use gas for my motorway commute to work. Maybe another option for you to consider if you go for one.

 

[Oranoco]

I'm not vastly concerned by the economy as I ran my old Escort daily for years and that only ever did 28mpg and if I was enthusiastic 7mpg lol. But this is going to be a daily so I do need to at least show consideration for how often I'll be at the pumps. I know I could go with a 1.8T but that's what I have now and it's really not quick enough even with the tweeks to bring it up to the 200bhp barrier

 

[colinurquhart]

I have my S4 avant as my daily and think its the perfect all rounder. It's like a sheep in wolves clothing. It's a stunning looking estate and not many people expect there to be a V8 underneath. I chose the B6 over the B5 as my daily as less things to go wrong and a really nice interior yet still quick.

 

[Inertiauk]

I drive my B6 S4 daily, and I average about 20mpg, crawling along sitting in traffic you see the average go to single figures, around town in general, late teens, and on a long motorway run 25/26 mpg.

If Im being honest, I would say the economy is pretty bad, however I also think its worth it for the sound and the power. Its a lovley car to drive. If mpg is important to you though, maybe consider a B7 DTM 2.0T instead (Ive thought about this the odd time when i have been skint).

If you can handle the fuel bill though the S4 is a pleasure to own.

 

[Dave.]

Before buying my B5 S4 I kind of doubted the whole fuel economy thing, since I've got pretty good at squeezing 45mpg out of my 182.

But I can confirm that even tickling it and accelerating slowly, you will see 22mpg at best with normal driving.

Fantastic cars and very capable for their weight, but if you're doing lots of miles, you'll be bankrupt within 3 months.

 

[PetrolDave]

I drive my B6 S4 daily, and I average about 20mpg, crawling along sitting in traffic you see the average go to single figures, around town in general, late teens, and on a long motorway run 25/26 mpg.

If Im being honest, I would say the economy is pretty bad, however I also think its worth it for the sound and the power. Its a lovley car to drive. If mpg is important to you though, maybe consider a B7 DTM 2.0T instead (Ive thought about this the odd time when i have been skint).

If you can handle the fuel bill though the S4 is a pleasure to own.

+1

For me the V8 sounds from the two B6 S4's I've owned made the high(ish) fuels bills a price worth paying for all the smiles - and that's even truer with the B7 RS4 I have now.

 

[DeanG]

Bought a b5 s4 three months ago and I am absolutely loving it. Fuel consumption on these is excellent we are averaging 27.5 mpg, but it really depends how you drive it. I also borrowed a friends b6 s4 for a week a couple of years ago and I did like this very much as well, but couldn't get more than 19mpg. The b5 s4 is just as fast and far more tuneable. I also have an rs2 and I would say the s4 is definitely much easier to drive quickly in every day use. I also think the interior on the b5 is better quality, compared to a b6 1.8t Quattro we had for about 2 years. Hope that helps.