B9 S4 - a different experience

guestlinger

guestlinger

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It's great to read that everyone who's taken delivery of their new B9 S4's are loving the experience. My experience however has been different and I wanted to share it so that other folk who read this forum don't suffer the same expensive outcome that I have

For background, I owned from new a B8.5 S4 Avant from Nov'12 to Dec'16. I loved that car, especially throttle response from the supercharger and the rapid s-tronic gearchange.

Anyway, in Oct'16 I ordered a new B9 S4 Avant which I took delivery of late Dec'16. There was much about the new car that was a big improvement; the handling and steering were definitely a step up, as was the excellent interior. The engine pulled more strongly through the rev range and whilst the B9's turbo-charged throttle response was very good it wasn't quite as instantaneous as the B8.5's supercharged engine, but hugely enjoyable nonetheless. On the B8.5 the s-tronic gearbox suited the supercharged engine perfectly; everything being ultra-responsive (to the point where it could be a bit jerky in certain scenarios). I also feel the B9's ZF autobox compliments it's turbocharged engine well; albeit quite a different experience, less frenetic, more sophisticated.

But there was one aspect of the new B9 S4 that I couldn't live with (but interestingly many on this forum clearly rate very highly); the exhaust noise. I'm very happy to experience a rasping exhaust during a wide open throttle acceleration but I was expecting a much quieter, more refined exhaust noise when using the car in comfort D-mode under gentle acceleration. That was how my B8.5 S4 behaved; basically I could drive it in quiet family mode when required,. But however I drove the B9 S4 (manual/auto, D/S, comfort/dynamic/auto/indiv etc I could not find a way to drive it that would get close to the quietness of the B8.5 S4 when under gentle acceleration. Even a gentle squeeze of the B9's throttle would give what I found to be an undesirable and intrusive exhaust drone.

I did some testing to evaluate further. I did try removing the "sound actuator / exhaust sound system" fuse but all this did was to remove the wide open throttle noise one hears when in S or Dynamic mode. I did nothing to suppress the drone under gentle acceleration. I took the car to my Audi dealer and they said that was how it was supposed to be. I tried another B9 S4 from their stock and it was identical. I asked if there was anyway to suppress the noise (I understand the B9 S4 has exhaust valves and wondered if they could be adjusted) but no joy. There is a fuse labeled "exhaust flaps, injectors, radiator inlet" but I didn't fancy playing with that given it seemed to control multiple functions so I left well alone.

So in the end I test drove a few other A4 models and fell in love with the driving experience of A4 3.0 TDI Quattro 272 which I have now switched over too. For me it is much much more refined and feels similarly real world quick. I have zero regrets, in fact I now am overjoyed with the driving experience of this car - it's a quiet assassin!

So my advice to anyone planning on ordering the new B9 S4 would be to test drive first IF you may be concerned about increased exhaust noise. Most on this forum seemed to prefer this B9 exhaust sound and I total respect your judgement; I'm just sharing my experience to give a different perspective and maybe help out some of the forum readers who are thinking about a new S4 / A4 3.0 272 order. Trading in a nearly new S4 and then buying a new A4 3.0 TDI is financially punishing but I felt I had to do it as I just knew I couldn't live with the sound of the B9 S4 for the next 4 years. Given my experience with the B8.5 S4 I thought this would be my perfect car but it wasn't to be.
 
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Interesting post .. I have a b 8.5 3L tdi Quattro now and it is a quiet drive .. I collect my b9 s4 in may .. I have driven it and i didn't think the exhaust noise was that bad ..the other part of my reason from going from diesel to petrol is the 272 diesel is creating more power with less emissions than the 245 ps 3L engine .. to me that spells big dpf and egr problems in the future .. more power + less emissions = problems.! I also think diesel cars will be financially hammered in the near future due to the governments u turn about diesel pollution
 
guestlinger said:
It's great to read that everyone who's taken delivery of their new B9 S4's are loving the experience. My experience however has been different and I wanted to share it so that other folk who read this forum don't suffer the same expensive outcome that I have

For background, I owned from new a B8.5 S4 Avant from Nov'12 to Dec'16. I loved that car, especially throttle response from the supercharger and the rapid s-tronic gearchange.

Anyway, in Oct'16 I ordered a new B9 S4 Avant which I took delivery of late Dec'16. There was much about the new car that was a big improvement; the handling and steering were definitely a step up, as was the excellent interior. The engine pulled more strongly through the rev range and whilst the B9's turbo-charged throttle response was very good it wasn't quite as instantaneous as the B8.5's supercharged engine, but hugely enjoyable nonetheless. On the B8.5 the s-tronic gearbox suited the supercharged engine perfectly; everything being ultra-responsive (to the point where it could be a bit jerky in certain scenarios). I also feel the B9's ZF autobox compliments it's turbocharged engine well; albeit quite a different experience, less frenetic, more sophisticated.

But there was one aspect of the new B9 S4 that I couldn't live with (but interestingly many on this forum clearly rate very highly); the exhaust noise. I'm very happy to experience a rasping exhaust during a wide open throttle acceleration but I was expecting a much quieter, more refined exhaust noise when using the car in comfort D-mode under gentle acceleration. That was how my B8.5 S4 behaved; basically I could drive it in quiet family mode when required,. But however I drove the B9 S4 (manual/auto, D/S, comfort/dynamic/auto/indiv etc I could not find a way to drive it that would get close to the quietness of the B8.5 S4 when under gentle acceleration. Even a gentle squeeze of the B9's throttle would give what I found to be an undesirable and intrusive exhaust drone.

I did some testing to evaluate further. I did try removing the "sound actuator / exhaust sound system" fuse but all this did was to remove the wide open throttle noise one hears when in S or Dynamic mode. I did nothing to suppress the drone under gentle acceleration. I took the car to my Audi dealer and they said that was how it was supposed to be. I tried another B9 S4 from their stock and it was identical. I asked if there was anyway to suppress the noise (I understand the B9 S4 has exhaust valves and wondered if they could be adjusted) but no joy. There is a fuse labeled "exhaust flaps, injectors, radiator inlet" but I didn't fancy playing with that given it seemed to control multiple functions so I left well alone.

So in the end I test drove a few other A4 models and fell in love with the driving experience of A4 3.0 TDI Quattro 272 which I have now switched over too. For me it is much much more refined and feels similarly real world quick. I have zero regrets, in fact I now am overjoyed with the driving experience of this car - it's a quiet assassin!

So my advice to anyone planning on ordering the new B9 S4 would be to test drive first IF you may be concerned about increased exhaust noise. Most on this forum seemed to prefer this B9 exhaust sound and I total respect your judgement; I'm just sharing my experience to give a different perspective and maybe help out some of the forum readers who are thinking about a new S4 / A4 3.0 272 order. Trading in a nearly new S4 and then buying a new A4 3.0 TDI is financially punishing but I felt I had to do it as I just knew I couldn't live with the sound of the B9 S4 for the next 4 years. Given my experience with the B8.5 S4 I thought this would be my perfect car but it wasn't to be.
Click to expand...

Fair enough


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Nice review!
I understand it's not for everyone sitting in a motorway hearing a constant drone makes you wonder why you took the wife rather than leaving her at home :D

That deal must have been a killer on a nearly new S4 but I guess like you say you need to be happy and driving something for 4 years having on constant regret would just drive you insane. Glad you found an alternative you are happy with.
 
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I'm ~£10k out of pocket compared to if I'd bought the A4 3.0 272 initially - makes me want to cry! Basically I'm now paying higher premiums every month for a £5k cheaper car that will likely depreciate more as well! As you say this was a sanity decision, not a financial one. I also got fed up being asked by the wife if there was something wrong with the car ... though to be fair to her she said she'd support my decision if I chose to switch.
 
I know exactly what you mean, the b8.5 s4 had this lovely Jekyll and Hyde personality that reminded me very much of my much loved mk5 golf GTI. Both a hooligan and a gentleman depending on one's mood. This car has a different focus.

I also find the gearbox a little bit dimwitted compared to the old S tronic in anything other than dynamic.

Personally I like the noise, but I only drive it at weekends. My wife has commented that it's not as smooth as the last one, and I think it's probably the noise and slushomatic she's referring to.
 
Interesting perspective. I absolutely love how near silent my B8.5 is at idle and low RPM so appreciate your position.

What I can't quite get my head around is your solution to go with diesel...! The awful exhaust noise at start-up and idle is what makes me hate them the most! Appreciate the 3.0 V6 is more refined that the 4 cylinder, but I've driven the A7 3.0TDI and it was still bad enough for me to notice!

Anyway, glad you are happy (ignoring the money bit...!)!
 
Why not just take it to a decent exhaust place, point out the speed/rpm that annoyed you and get a resonator modified or added to suit? Maybe be in it for £500 that way not 10k.

The 3.0 tdi is nice though. Ive driven both the s4 and the 3.0 tdi and i think the box is better suited to the engine in the diesel. The s4 wanted to change down 1 too many cogs all the time. The torque is all below 4k in the S4 and drops off a lot over the next 2.5k to the 6.5k shift. The box always put it in that area of diminishing returns when you punched it. It was fine when you just touched it a bit.

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10k? Little surprised at that, given the newness of the car I thought they would hold there value. Any ex-demo cars seem to still cost lots, it's not the same car but friend of mine brought an ex-demo Tiguan because the build slots for a new one where too far in the future, the dealer would negotiate too much as demand was high, and it on had a small amount off the list! was the dealer taking advantage?
Also did you look at distance selling regs, buying a car they aren't able to demo to you these must have applied?


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A question for @guestlinger, what mileage did you cover in the S4? I noticed in my previous car that that exhause note changed a bit after a few thousand miles as it coked up and became a little mellower. I guess given your length of ownership this will have already happened but if you only do minimal miles it might have been worth giving it a bit more time.
 
DrEskimo said:
Interesting perspective. I absolutely love how near silent my B8.5 is at idle and low RPM so appreciate your position.

What I can't quite get my head around is your solution to go with diesel...! The awful exhaust noise at start-up and idle is what makes me hate them the most! Appreciate the 3.0 V6 is more refined that the 4 cylinder, but I've driven the A7 3.0TDI and it was still bad enough for me to notice!

Anyway, glad you are happy (ignoring the money bit...!)!
Click to expand...
I found the diesel at idle to be impressively quiet when inside / doors shut. Not silent but quiet, ie roughly same volume as aircon on fan speed 1. Maybe the acoustic glass with the privacy glass helps? Any noise is from the front engine bay but it is quiet. In contrast the B9 S4 actually would start up with a louder idle (higher revs) from the rear that would settle down after about 20 secs. Have other's noticed that? The B8.5 S4 never did that!

I have also wondered if the saloon S4 might be quieter wrt exhaust noise as it's a bit more "separated" from the exhaust box (ie closed boot in Saloon vs open boot in Avant)
 
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TripleD said:
10k? Little surprised at that, given the newness of the car I thought they would hold there value. Any ex-demo cars seem to still cost lots, it's not the same car but friend of mine brought an ex-demo Tiguan because the build slots for a new one where too far in the future, the dealer would negotiate too much as demand was high, and it on had a small amount off the list! was the dealer taking advantage?
Also did you look at distance selling regs, buying a car they aren't able to demo to you these must have applied?


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Click to expand...
The car had about £9K of options which is why I think I lost so much. Options depreciate fast. The dealer is advertising the car at £6K less than I paid for it and will presumably accept a final sale price even below that!

Your point about not being able to test drive when there are no demos available is something I discussed with Audi but no joy to date!
 
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ub7rm said:
A question for @guestlinger, what mileage did you cover in the S4? I noticed in my previous car that that exhaust note changed a bit after a few thousand miles as it coked up and became a little mellower. I guess given your length of ownership this will have already happened but if you only do minimal miles it might have been worth giving it a bit more time.
Click to expand...
I noticed the noise immediately and tried to tell myself it was OK for about a week before going back to the dealership to test drive other cars. At that point I was at just a few hundred miles. Audi insisted I kept the car until the new one arrived and that the money Id get for returning it after 1 week or 2 months would be the same. At the exchange point it was ~2500 miles and I hadn't really noted a change in the exhaust note
 
guestlinger said:
I found the diesel at idle to be impressively quiet when inside / doors shut. Not silent but quiet, ie roughly same volume as aircon on fan speed 1. Maybe the acoustic glass with the privacy glass helps? Any noise is from the front engine bay but it is quiet. In contrast the B9 S4 actually would start up with a louder idle (higher revs) from the rear that would settle down after about 20 secs. Have other's noticed that? The B8.5 S4 never did that!

I have also wondered if the saloon S4 might be quieter wrt exhaust noise as it's a bit more "separated" from the exhaust box (ie closed boot in Saloon vs open boot in Avant)
Click to expand...
That is the split injection to warm the cats up. It is louder because the ignition occurs layer when the exhaust valve is open. That first 30 seconds is mental on mine with a non res exhaust and the valves open

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I have a 3.0 Tdi, I was planning on waiting for the S4 but after driving the 3.0 Tdi, I realised it was amply fast enough for me.

When I was at the dealers a couple of weeks ago I grabbed a drive in their demo S4. Instantly it was noticeable that there was less weight in the front of the car and it felt a bit more agile. It felt fast but it didn't have quite the mid range torque that I am used to either.
I did notice the exhaust and it was quite pleasant on a short run but I can imagine not wanting it all the time.

I would advise anyone to try both the cars back to back if you can as I don't think there is that much to choose between them and what there is comes down to personal preference and how you plan to use the cars.
 
hmy7k said:
..and how you plan to use the cars.
Click to expand...

Glad you pointed this out. I am not sure how someone who is looking to own an S4, would be driving in any way to suit a TDI..? Not sure many prospective S4 owners are doing >20k miles of motorway journeys...!? Fuel costs would be eye watering!

For me a diesel would never be an option given my typical journeys.
 
DrEskimo said:
Glad you pointed this out. I am not sure how someone who is looking to own an S4, would be driving in any way to suit a TDI..? Not sure many prospective S4 owners are doing >20k miles of motorway journeys...!? Fuel costs would be eye watering!

For me a diesel would never be an option given my typical journeys.
Click to expand...

Too true.
I for one would suit a petrol for my mileage although I like to push on and it would need a good bit of kick for me to enjoy.
I prefer the torque to bhp for quick blasts overtaking etc. In that respect, a powerful diesel would suit me more.

I'm currently driving our 2nd car which is a diesel Mondeo and I have to put in a quick blast down the main road every 2 weeks to keep it tip top. The misses has done the same and in 2 years she's had no problem with a 4 mile commute. the mpg is a fair bit better than the S3 so it boils down the what suits best.

I'd be quite tempted by the 272 Tdi
 
Simonb1975 said:
Too true.
I for one would suit a petrol for my mileage although I like to push on and it would need a good bit of kick for me to enjoy.
I prefer the torque to bhp for quick blasts overtaking etc. In that respect, a powerful diesel would suit me more.

I'm currently driving our 2nd car which is a diesel Mondeo and I have to put in a quick blast down the main road every 2 weeks to keep it tip top. The misses has done the same and in 2 years she's had no problem with a 4 mile commute. the mpg is a fair bit better than the S3 so it boils down the what suits best.

I'd be quite tempted by the 272 Tdi
Click to expand...

But....if the diesel is more up front, more per litre of fuel and you have to go on needless journeys every 2 weeks to ensure you don't have a hefty replacement DPF bill in the near future...isn't any additional saving in MPG completely negated...?

Pretty much every petrol equivalent of the same capacity engine performs better than the diesel counterpart, bar maybe a couple of exceptions?
 
It's no much of an extra journey, just a quick blast. I used to fill the S3 once a week, the diesel every 2 and a half weeks.
To be honest though the S3 promoted a different kind of driving.

I still find petrol engines need a little extra gas to get that mid range push of the diesels.
 
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guestlinger said:
It's great to read that everyone who's taken delivery of their new B9 S4's are loving the experience. My experience however has been different and I wanted to share it so that other folk who read this forum don't suffer the same expensive outcome that I have

For background, I owned from new a B8.5 S4 Avant from Nov'12 to Dec'16. I loved that car, especially throttle response from the supercharger and the rapid s-tronic gearchange.

Anyway, in Oct'16 I ordered a new B9 S4 Avant which I took delivery of late Dec'16. There was much about the new car that was a big improvement; the handling and steering were definitely a step up, as was the excellent interior. The engine pulled more strongly through the rev range and whilst the B9's turbo-charged throttle response was very good it wasn't quite as instantaneous as the B8.5's supercharged engine, but hugely enjoyable nonetheless. On the B8.5 the s-tronic gearbox suited the supercharged engine perfectly; everything being ultra-responsive (to the point where it could be a bit jerky in certain scenarios). I also feel the B9's ZF autobox compliments it's turbocharged engine well; albeit quite a different experience, less frenetic, more sophisticated.

But there was one aspect of the new B9 S4 that I couldn't live with (but interestingly many on this forum clearly rate very highly); the exhaust noise. I'm very happy to experience a rasping exhaust during a wide open throttle acceleration but I was expecting a much quieter, more refined exhaust noise when using the car in comfort D-mode under gentle acceleration. That was how my B8.5 S4 behaved; basically I could drive it in quiet family mode when required,. But however I drove the B9 S4 (manual/auto, D/S, comfort/dynamic/auto/indiv etc I could not find a way to drive it that would get close to the quietness of the B8.5 S4 when under gentle acceleration. Even a gentle squeeze of the B9's throttle would give what I found to be an undesirable and intrusive exhaust drone.

I did some testing to evaluate further. I did try removing the "sound actuator / exhaust sound system" fuse but all this did was to remove the wide open throttle noise one hears when in S or Dynamic mode. I did nothing to suppress the drone under gentle acceleration. I took the car to my Audi dealer and they said that was how it was supposed to be. I tried another B9 S4 from their stock and it was identical. I asked if there was anyway to suppress the noise (I understand the B9 S4 has exhaust valves and wondered if they could be adjusted) but no joy. There is a fuse labeled "exhaust flaps, injectors, radiator inlet" but I didn't fancy playing with that given it seemed to control multiple functions so I left well alone.

So in the end I test drove a few other A4 models and fell in love with the driving experience of A4 3.0 TDI Quattro 272 which I have now switched over too. For me it is much much more refined and feels similarly real world quick. I have zero regrets, in fact I now am overjoyed with the driving experience of this car - it's a quiet assassin!

So my advice to anyone planning on ordering the new B9 S4 would be to test drive first IF you may be concerned about increased exhaust noise. Most on this forum seemed to prefer this B9 exhaust sound and I total respect your judgement; I'm just sharing my experience to give a different perspective and maybe help out some of the forum readers who are thinking about a new S4 / A4 3.0 272 order. Trading in a nearly new S4 and then buying a new A4 3.0 TDI is financially punishing but I felt I had to do it as I just knew I couldn't live with the sound of the B9 S4 for the next 4 years. Given my experience with the B8.5 S4 I thought this would be my perfect car but it wasn't to be.
Click to expand...
@guestlinger - Interesting thoughts

I am a little biased as I own a B8.5 S4 but to be fair I haven't driven the new B9 S4 yet
 
I've really not noticed a drone at all with mine and been covering quite a few motorway miles of late. I agree it's a bit noisy on start up, particularly given how quiet it is where I live.

It's certainly much more vocal than my s3 used to be, but as other have said each to his own and glad you've found something more suitable that you are happy with.


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Noise? Go drive a BMW M3/4. The S4 is like a limo in comparison...
 
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This is an interesting post and I can understand how heartbreaking such a deal-breaker can be. While everyone's expectations are different, I find it hard to think that the exhaust noise would be bad enough to change to a diesel. I've even had my mother-in-law comment on how quiet and smooth it is and I can drive it quite quietly without getting more than a slight ruffle of feathers. I ordered mine without a test drive but I watched many, many videos on Youtube (even that one with the Dutch guy breaking his mouth as he spoke). Did you manage to see any of those?
 
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Yeah, I wouldn't have said the S4 was very loud for such a powerful car. Every review I've read and seen has said it's very refined, Autogefuhl put it well saying it's a non-showy, refined car that doesn't shout about itself either in looks or sound.
 
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DeanoC said:
That is the split injection to warm the cats up. It is louder because the ignition occurs layer when the exhaust valve is open. That first 30 seconds is mental on mine with a non res exhaust and the valves open

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Click to expand...

You deleted the Res? Daaaaamn. That's got to sound naughty. I'm a little opposite on this whole thread but relative. I love the exhaust on the B9 S4. My interior is sublime. Next level.

The B8.5 exhaust was a little muted and always wanted more from it. So a huge improvement and love it. BUT...I simply can't ignore my urge to go to the B8.5 RS4 @DeanoC Now I've experienced the step up in tech and plush interior, and RS4 prices drop, I think it's going to be the next car. Couldn't justify it at the same price as a well loaded B9 S4. But as prices drop, I want that 4.2! Akrapovic or Capristo springs to mind but a res delete could be perfect.

Anyway. Apologies for hijacking. Just a shame you've lost so much money on your new S4 buddy. Heart wants what the heart wants though


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Dave70 said:
This is an interesting post and I can understand how heartbreaking such a deal-breaker can be. While everyone's expectations are different, I find it hard to think that the exhaust noise would be bad enough to change to a diesel. I've even had my mother-in-law comment on how quiet and smooth it is and I can drive it quite quietly without getting more than a slight ruffle of feathers. I ordered mine without a test drive but I watched many, many videos on Youtube (even that one with the Dutch guy breaking his mouth as he spoke). Did you manage to see any of those?
Click to expand...

Autoblog? Love that guy!


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I think everyone who has expressed a view so far has agreed that the B9 S4 has a louder exhaust than the B8.5 S4. Most seem to prefer the louder B9 S4 which is fine - personal preference and all that. So to all those who have driven both the B9 S4 and B8.5 S4 a reasonable number of miles, which did you find had the louder exhaust (irrespective of whether you preferred it or not)?
 
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