EKaru

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Would you be kind enough to describe your experiences with both vehicles (from the "driving experience" to real world "mpg").

I have posted my experiences with both (own c32, test drove many an S4) just wondering what yours might be.

THANKs in advance!
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EKaru

I think it's interesting how these two vehicles are direct competitors, yet quite different animals. To sum it up in a nutshell, the C55 is a Jazz dancer and the S4 a balet dancer. The C55 is the more raw edged one with its high displacement V8, low assist steering, STIFF sports suspension, and muscular stance. The S4 is all about technology... The sport suspension is bouncy, but never harsh (unlike the C55). The 40 valve V8 engine is more reponsive to light throttle inputs yet lacks the all out thrust of the C55. The S4 weighs about 350 lbs more than the C55, though I don't know where it hides its weight. The C55 feels heavier (mostly due to the steering and bank vault like build quality). The recaros in the S4 are signficantly better than the C55's seats plus has lumbar support control. The Harmon Kardon sound system is better than the Audi Bose, though that damn vibrating trunk button is annoying. One thing that's annoying about the S4 is the high beltline which hinders visibility somewhat compared with the C55. By the way the S4 is tiptronic and when downshifting the engine blips up the RPMs which is a nice feature (this doesn't happen in the C55)... The S4 leather quality is silk Nappa (similar to that of the S600 Benz) and has a better feel than the C55's leather.... No rear A/C vent on the S4 (unlike the C55)... Which car is better?? ... Very tough to say.... I can't answer that actually, but I like the C55 better...
Eric...


oh by the way, the S4 is VERY Thirsty... Drive both cars the way they were meant to be driven and the S4 consumes far more fuel.. The tiptronic S4 supposedly has significantly better fuel economy than the manual but don't let the EPA figures fool you..

J Irwan

ldap would you care to re-tell you experience..

I am curious about your driving exp between C55 and S4



Regardz,

lap

I posted this previously on another board (not sure if I did on mbworld -I apologize if this is a repost).

Here it is:

Well I drove a new 2004 S4 yesterday...

and I have to say It sounds VERY NICE.

Could not really "throw" it around (slightly wet roads, riding with dealership rep. etc.) but suffice to say that the Audi steering felt "well planted" but heavier on the front wheels. Believe it or not (notwithstanding the c32's body lean) the AMG felt like it was more tossable.

Power was there, and the six speed was nice as you could hold/control the power in the gear you wanted. But it felt less torquey than my 2k2 c32 and my 2k2 996 Targa. And in city driving, without really dropping the clutch on the Audi, I think the c32 (when the ESP doesn't intrude) would pull away from it stoplight after stoplight.

The Traction control seemed to be much better on the Audi (a gripe of mine since the day I purchased my c32, shame on AMG for putting essentially c320 ESP software on a car with considerably more power!)

I ran both cars similarly, using the c32's manual shifting option, and I think the c32 really does give you the best of all worlds for City driving --which face it, most of the mileage on our cars experience.

Back to the Audi, the all-wheel-drive is very nice, so much so that I would consider it because of the climate I live in. Should I live in a warmer climate, I think the Audi would not be as attractive to me. The ergonomics were nice (the Tach should be on the RIGHT however, and what is it with German Designers now-a-days with absolutely USELESS Speedometers eg: 2k4 S4; 996; even our Canadian c32 units - ya gotta spend TOO much time looking at the analogue unit to figure out what kind of story you have to make up when you get pulled over).

The c32 has IMHO, some nicer interior features such as the Seat Controls for both front seats within easy and visible access (i.e.on the door panels VS. the lower part of the seat on the Audi's) and better looking 2-tone seats (mine are the AMG Charcoal/Blue version). The Audi however has a proper Hand-Brake -although I didn't get a chance to yank it to get the rear end out !

Audi has done a very good job with this car, but I'm not sure if it's enough to sway me from my c32.

Just my brief thoughts

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EKaru

I'm coming out of an 03' C32... Merc/AMG have sorted out some of the issues I had with it.. One of which was the heat soak problem which plagued the car during hot & humid days. The car performance between hot and cold weather was VERY significant.. Another issue regarded the wheels/tires which I think were too skinny given it's immense power. I believe the 330i/ci sports pkg equipped cars have the exact same sized tires (though that cars make 124hp less than the C32). There was no reason wide 18's weren't standard on that car. Also, the seats weren't as supportive as those in the C55.. Lastly, the Bose stereo paled in comparison to the C55's HK.. The trebble had a tinny sound quality and there was not enough bass. I'll sum it up by saying that I think the B6 S4 is a better car than the C32, but now the margins are slimmer...
Eric..

05C55

So is the S4 your sisters' car or your wife's?

lap

It is my humble opinion that the c32 is superior to the S4 in mostly every respect, save & except ESP intrusion & winter driving. Balance wise I felt the c32 to be much more nimble & less nose heavy (& that was before my pss-9 install). Maybe this is partially attributable to the fact the S4 engine is partially hung over the front axle. Having said this, in typical German engineering fashion, they have balanced out the car quite nicely.

I respect your opinion but would further comment as follows:
1) there is a variance between c32 performance in humid vs. crisp cold days. However, I have yet to lose to any B6S4 to date, during any time of the year.
2) Wrt tires, I don't believe the 235 (all around on the Audi) vs the 225/245 (AMG) is that "great" of a difference. As for 18" vs. 17" I believe for the "street" this is a mute point (other than the chances of replacing rims due to less rubber profile on the 18" is much greater) for let us remember, not too long ago even the legendary 959 came with 17x8 @ 235 front & 17x9 @235 rear.
3) c32 audio.... sucks (period!) MB should be ashamed of charging + $6.5 cdn for the COMAND/CD Changer at this quality!
4) c32 Seats and S4 seats have their +/-'s, but neither is the ultimate IMO (have not spent enough time in a c55 to comment). I would submit that my Porsche's 1989 OEM sport Recaro's are a simple design that all "sport" car manufacuter's should use as a baseline example (including the newer 996 & 997's !!)

PS.
I wish I could get an S4 with a "quick-remove" FWD system that I can snap in during the winter & remove it during the summer

Enjoy, they are all beautiful.
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EKaru

It's my wife's car actually.....

FrankW

DANG! NICE CARs!!