Do I need Audi Drive Select, Damper Control and Dynamic Steering..?

Phill_

Phill_

Audi S4
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Just about to pull the trigger on my dealers last allocated S4... Do I need Audi Drive Select, Damper Control and Dynamic Steering..?

Pros/cons, someone save me some money and talk me out of them!
 
I have it on my RS4, its great, 2 cars in one, soft and confy every day until you want the full beans then its a fire breathing dragon thats stick to the road like the preverbial.

Can also do Induvidual which means you can get the car setup just as you like, I also have dynamic steering and sports diff. THe diff totally eliminats understear, my old B6 S4 was a bit understeery with the big V8 lump stuck out fron, I fitted a B7 RS4 ARB which dialled out quite a bit but it was still there, Sports diff fixes all that.

I bet you will got more have it the don't have it on here, I may be wrong, we'll see.
 
Can't comment on dynamic steering - don't have it or driven a car with it.
Damper control, great to be able to stick in comfort mode when taking it easy on crappy roads. Use it all the time.
Another vote here for the sport diff too. My S4 with sport diff in dynamic understeers less than my previous TT quattro....
which for a much much heavier bigger car is nothing short of impressive in my opinion.
 
On a serious note; if you are buying an S4 then you need to play "tick the option", what makes these cars complete are the extras like ADS, dynamic steering and dampers, super sport seats. Without out those things your just buying an sline with a V6T and 4 tailpipes......that's a pricey sline.

The car you think the S4 is...that's an option heavy one.
 
opelfruit said:
On a serious note; if you are buying an S4 then you need to play "tick the option", what makes these cars complete are the extras like ADS, dynamic steering and dampers, super sport seats. Without out those things your just buying an sline with a V6T and 4 tailpipes......that's a pricey sline.

The car you think the S4 is...that's an option heavy one.
Click to expand...
Agree with this.
For me to jump to an S4 it would have to have the above options. Otherwise it's 10-12k+ for me to gain a V6T power plant in a 2012 car that would look otherwise identical.
 
I've gone for all of those options except the damper control and dynamic steering. I just ran out of money.
 
I'd definitely spec the sports differential, damper control and ADS (I did :grinning:) .. not so sure about the dynamic steering, I've not read a review on this type of system that's been +ve about it .. either inconsistent, numb in dynamic mode or just heavy without offering any more feedback ..

I had a budget to stick to, and super sports seats didn't make it in :disrelieved: but I had to choose between making the car have the driving experience I wanted (so adding differential, dampers and ADS) or those lovely seats.

I like the alcantara, I'm sure the normal seats will still be grippy since they are not leather, and I was also assuming (possibly incorrectly) that the super sports seats are heavier due to the electric motors.
 
I would say yes, it's two cars. In comfort you can take your nan out and it's a normal family car, switch to dynamic and it hunkers down, everything stiffens up and sharpens up.
 
I guess I was in a fortunate position when I ordered my S5 SB that I had enough money to buy a fully loaded one, so I started with 'all boxes ticked' (except 'Audi exclusive' trim etc.) and then went through them and decided which ones I really didn't want to waste money on. So sunroof and tow bar got removed, and of course CD changer (why the f*** is that an option?), leaving me to agonise over if I wanted the TV option or not (in the end I decided against it because I can't see I'd need it and it is easily retrofittable). So anyway, I do of course have full ADS.

Phil, if you have not test driven cars with ADS options then you are in a difficult position to make a decision. However I'll try to give you an unbiased view. I'll start with two key questions.
1) Have you ever driven a car on different road conditions and wished that the ride was different? Now I don't mean driving a basic hire car and wishing it had firmer suspension, I mean driving a decent car and thinking 'this road is a bit bumpy, I wish the suspension was a bit softer', or 'this car is rolling a bit in the corners I wish the suspension was firmer'. If not then you probably won't benefit from damper control.
2) The same sort of question about pushing a car through corners. If you have never complained about understeering then you probably won't benefit from sports differential (I know that wasn't on your list but it probably should have been).

Now about each option:
ADS
As you probably know, if you choose damper control, dynamic steering and/or sports diff then you have to have ADS, but you can select ADS on its own. If so you can set engine/gearbox, steering (not dynamic), engine sound and ACC (if you have it) to your liking. Now I can't really prove it, but I believe that the setting for engine/gearbox does make the a difference beyond sport mode. I have tested my car in sports mode with ADS individual (engine/gearbox auto) against ADS dynamic mode and I truly believe that it is more responsive in the latter throughout the rev range. This alone should justify £220, but being able to adjust the other options too makes it even better.

Damper control
Drive a car with this and change the settings as you drive and the difference is obvious. Auto is close to what the 'stock' suspension feels like. In comfort the ride is indeed much more comfortable and even slightly wallowy. In dynamic it firms up and becomes almost harsh. Now for someone like me who wants to change to comfort over a rough road or have passengers who really prefer boring cars, but then when I'm on my own and want to have fun, stiffening up the suspension to improve handling, this option is great. But I can understand that for someone who doesn't want to faff about changing settings then the stock dampers are fine. But for £300 to get the choice and potentially a better handling car (in dynamic) then its worth it.

Sports differential
Even for £620 this is a fantastic bit of kit, if you use it. And of course that's why I asked the question above. I have seen comments like "only needed on a race track". I can only think that anyone who makes such a comment doesn't drive like me on twisty B roads (derestricted ones of course :)). This is the one thing that challenges the criticisms that Audis understeer. This was a "must-have" to me and the main reason why I gave up looking for a used S5 and bought new.

Dynamic steering
This was the one option that I was worried about. I had test driven cars with and without it but couldn't really tell the difference on the test drives. Then another S4/S5 owner with it told me that he was annoyed by the 'sudden' changes in the steering ratio. Well now that I have it I am relieved that it doesn't annoy me, and in fact I find it rather subtle. Maybe Audi improved it in later models. I would love to know if the steering ratio in dynamic is the same as a car without it. If so I would definitely say that it is not worth £375. That's because in comfort mode I really do need to steer more than I want to, and the steering truly lacks feedback. In dynamic it is fine, and probably the same as a car without it. I guess until I can put my finger on a benefit of dynamic steering I'd have to not recommend it.
 
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Also, having re-read others' comments I have to add that its worth considering the future value of the car. There is no doubt that the S4 is an enthusiasts car, especially with the tuneable V6T. For a relatively small investment in ADS options I think an S4 can potentially command a better resale value (in the private market) than one without the options.
 
My S4 was preregistered by Audi so didn't get a choice, although would have gone elsewhere if not close too what I wanted.
It has drive select, probably would not have specified, but pleased its got it.
I'm not sure I would bother with adaptive suspension or dynamic steering, I did try a 3.0TDI some time ago with these, they seemed good, but the steering and suspension on the S4 seems fine without and more to go wrong.
My lane departure system has just failed at 2000 miles, not sure I can be bothered to take it in to be fixed yet as hardly use it and it feels a bit odd.
Recommend B&O, folding mirrors, Sat Nav for resale value. Parking plus is OK, but front sensors over sensitive (were also on my previous 3.0TDI)
I would also get the storage pack.
 
I have ADS and sports diff. Love them. Don't miss damper control or dynamic steering. I wouldn't spec options for resale value. All the 2nd hand S4s I saw were expensive, regardless of spec. :) Which is why I bought a new one.

Just my 2p.
 
audi upgrades
Dippy said:
I guess I was in a fortunate position when I ordered my S5 SB that I had enough money to buy a fully loaded one, so I started with 'all boxes ticked' (except 'Audi exclusive' trim etc.) and then went through them and decided which ones I really didn't want to waste money on. So sunroof and tow bar got removed, and of course CD changer (why the f*** is that an option?), leaving me to agonise over if I wanted the TV option or not (in the end I decided against it because I can't see I'd need it and it is easily retrofittable). So anyway, I do of course have full ADS.

Phil, if you have not test driven cars with ADS options then you are in a difficult position to make a decision. However I'll try to give you an unbiased view. I'll start with two key questions.
1) Have you ever driven a car on different road conditions and wished that the ride was different? Now I don't mean driving a basic hire car and wishing it had firmer suspension, I mean driving a decent car and thinking 'this road is a bit bumpy, I wish the suspension was a bit softer', or 'this car is rolling a bit in the corners I wish the suspension was firmer'. If not then you probably won't benefit from damper control.
2) The same sort of question about pushing a car through corners. If you have never complained about understeering then you probably won't benefit from sports differential (I know that wasn't on your list but it probably should have been).

Now about each option:
ADS
As you probably know, if you choose damper control, dynamic steering and/or sports diff then you have to have ADS, but you can select ADS on its own. If so you can set engine/gearbox, steering (not dynamic), engine sound and ACC (if you have it) to your liking. Now I can't really prove it, but I believe that the setting for engine/gearbox does make the a difference beyond sport mode. I have tested my car in sports mode with ADS individual (engine/gearbox auto) against ADS dynamic mode and I truly believe that it is more responsive in the latter throughout the rev range. This alone should justify £220, but being able to adjust the other options too makes it even better.

Damper control
Drive a car with this and change the settings as you drive and the difference is obvious. Auto is close to what the 'stock' suspension feels like. In comfort the ride is indeed much more comfortable and even slightly wallowy. In dynamic it firms up and becomes almost harsh. Now for someone like me who wants to change to comfort over a rough road or have passengers who really prefer boring cars, but then when I'm on my own and want to have fun, stiffening up the suspension to improve handling, this option is great. But I can understand that for someone who doesn't want to faff about changing settings then the stock dampers are fine. But for £300 to get the choice and potentially a better handling car (in dynamic) then its worth it.

Sports differential
Even for £620 this is a fantastic bit of kit, if you use it. And of course that's why I asked the question above. I have seen comments like "only needed on a race track". I can only think that anyone who makes such a comment doesn't drive like me on twisty B roads (derestricted ones of course :)). This is the one thing that challenges the criticisms that Audis understeer. This was a "must-have" to me and the main reason why I gave up looking for a used S5 and bought new.

Dynamic steering
This was the one option that I was worried about. I had test driven cars with and without it but couldn't really tell the difference on the test drives. Then another S4/S5 owner with it told me that he was annoyed by the 'sudden' changes in the steering ratio. Well now that I have it I am relieved that it doesn't annoy me, and in fact I find it rather subtle. Maybe Audi improved it in later models. I would love to know if the steering ratio in dynamic is the same as a car without it. If so I would definitely say that it is not worth £375. That's because in comfort mode I really do need to steer more than I want to, and the steering truly lacks feedback. In dynamic it is fine, and probably the same as a car without it. I guess until I can put my finger on a benefit of dynamic steering I'd have to not recommend it.
Click to expand...

Spot on, I agree witht he above and my wife likes the confort mode with light sterring, keeps her happy when she drives the car. Sports diff is a real trick bit of kit, B roads are fun again in a semi-large car, My old B6 S4 didn't really like B-roads even with the RS4 ARB, the RS4 is a joy on b-roads comapred to it.
 

This is a video showing the dynamic steering. The steering ratio is different with the dynamic steering. The car can do more steering with less input.
I have dynamic steering and Ads on mine. I can't say much about the steering because I haven't driven a B8 without but ADS is fantastic for me. I would certainly consider speccing it again in the future
 
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Given the choice? I would go all the mechanicals. Give the "electrical" whizz bangery the miss. My A4 has adaptive cruise, collision mitigation (brake guard) and lane departure. Personally I have found all this stuff intrusive and have switched it all off. I hung out for the "just right" S4 with none of this but all what I consider, the good bits. ADS, sports diff, dampers, and like Dippy, my jury is still out on the adaptive steer. It's neither here nor their on that one for me. But the others? Definite. We have packages here. So get two, may as well get the package and get 3 for the same price. We pay loads for cars in Oz so I normally get Audi staff cars that come onto the market occasionally. 8 months old and coming up for their first service. My S4 was just right. Around 45K off new price without a mark on it. Was a good find this one.
 
My tupence worth - do you NEED it? No. Will you like it and will it enhance the car - most likely yes.

In standard form the S4 is a great bit of kit - even without the dynamic pack's you have the choice of normal or sport. Sport setting changes the gear shift points and makes the throttle much sharper.

Mine spends most of the time with the wife piloting and driving the kids around so I decided to spend my money on 'comfort' features such as tech pack and supersport seats since the spent driving the car in a 'dynamic' way would be quite limited.

Compared to the S3 I had before there is less understeer probably because the haldex quatto's are still front wheel bias and the torsen quattro's are rear wheel bias.

It would be useful to have the opinion of someone who has lived with the same car with and without the dynamic packs to give accurate feedback. It most definately isn't a S-line with a bigger engine - the tweaks go further than that. The handling is already accomplished and unlikely to disapoint but I've no doubt the dynamic packs will enhance that. Whether the cost of doing so is worth it for your driving style is really up to you to decide. People who have the specs are likely to tell you you need it. People without it (like me!) will tell you you don't. Try and compare cars back to back with and without.
 
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I was lucky with mine, the original owner picked just about every option £20k worth. The input on dynamic is very minimal.
 
There have been compelling arguments for/against speccing ADS and Sports Diff above, so not much I can really add to it. My car has the Full ADS package and sports diff, so my opinion may be considered biased but IMHO they are options that I don't think you should do without. What I will touch on is the fact that you can select 'individual' within the ADS settings which allows you to set the car up picking the best of the 3 settings to suit YOUR personal driving style / roads that you drive on. This in itself allows you to tailor the car to suit YOU, and for that alone I'd say its worth it.
 
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Question for those with ADS, sports diff and damper control (but not dynamic steering): Is the difference in steering between comfort and dynamic mode easily noticeable or so subtle that it is noticed only when really ragging it? Those are the options I have and it feels like the steering is stuck in comfort for all four ADS modes.
 
My steering is a lot heavier when in dynamic mode to the point that around town its takes some effort. Very stable at hight speed though, really makes a difference on long motorway jounryes too, very comfortable (not comfort mode).
 
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