B7 S4 upgrade to B8?

[jhruzek]

If have just under 90K on my S4. I am considering upgrading to a more recent model. I am afraid I am going to miss the V8. Have any of you gone this route? Any pros or cons? Other than the silly Red Bull drink holder?

[Race Shooter]

Did it. Miss the V8 sound, but that is about it. Other than that, the car is nicer in almost every way and has just as much get up and go in stock form and much more tunable if that is your thing.

[jlaudio]

I did it, no regrets at all. The sound of the v8 is wonderful but the b8 is a better car overall. BHF motor in the b7's/b6's is a ticking time bomb with the brittle timing tensioners. Power is much easier to attain on the b8 - off the shelf tune and stage 2 gives you plenty of get up and go.

[LINDW4LL]

If have just under 90K on my S4. I am considering upgrading to a more recent model. I am afraid I am going to miss the V8. Have any of you gone this route? Any pros or cons? Other than the silly Red Bull drink holder?
Pros:
-Much more reliable
-More powerful from the factory
-Huge power gains with ECU tune
-Better automatic transmission (DSG)
-Better handling (due to torque vectoring rear sports differential and engine placement)
-Awesome supercharger whine with aftermarket intake

Cons:
-No V8 exhaust note

[S4 00 2.7]

b8 S4 > B7 s4

Do it and don't look back.

[JMUNFORD]

I did it and have no regrets either I've owned 3 B7s and moved to B8, I do miss the V8 sound but that's it

[Moose201]

I did it. Yes, I do miss the V8 sound. Put a good aftermarket exhaust on a B8 and you will get a pleasing sound but it will just be different, more exotic perhaps but no V8 rumble.

[Sundowner]

Pros:
-Much more reliable
-More powerful from the factory
-Huge power gains with ECU tune
-Better automatic transmission (DSG)
-Better handling (due to torque vectoring rear sports differential and engine placement)
-Awesome supercharger whine with aftermarket intake

Cons:
-No V8 exhaust note


Completely agree + TL;DR version:

do you want to sound fast, or go fast?

[Habber]

I had the same concern but after one test drive, I was sold. Just take one out and you will be convinced.

[amz]

Add AWE exhaust and you'll get back a lovely exhaust sound. Not the same as a V8, but it will still put a smile on your face

[anerbe]

And the silly redbull cup holder also holds SB coffee cups ;-)

The larger cup holder holds shaker bottles just fine.

[collins4]

I just made this jump in late January. No regrets! I obviously miss the V8 sound. But my B8 S4 is stage 2 and the supercharger wine is intoxicating! This coupled with the rear sport diff makes for a whole new experience! i would hesitate making the upgrade, i do miss the drawers under the seats though :) Good Luck with your decision!

[richib86]

Pros:
-Much more reliable
-More powerful from the factory
-Huge power gains with ECU tune
-Better automatic transmission (DSG)
-Better handling (due to torque vectoring rear sports differential and engine placement)
-Awesome supercharger whine with aftermarket intake

Cons:
-No V8 exhaust note

this

[carysb7478]

Just made the jump from '05 S4 6spd to '11 S4 prestige dsg this past weekend. The sound of the V8 was awesome, but there are so many more pluses to the B8. Do it! btw, keyless entry/start is one of those things I didn't think I would really care about, but I'm not sure I could go back to not having it

[ENV²]

Pros:
-Much more reliable
-More powerful from the factory
-Huge power gains with ECU tune
-Better automatic transmission (DSG)
-Better handling (due to torque vectoring rear sports differential and engine placement)
-Awesome supercharger whine with aftermarket intake

Cons:
-No V8 exhaust note

X2

[Josh/AWE]

Add AWE exhaust and you'll get back a lovely exhaust sound. Not the same as a V8, but it will still put a smile on your face

I agree completely!

[Dr GP]

Had A B6 S4 and I the only thing I miss is the more frequent trips to the gas station. The 3.0 SC engine is SO much better than the gas guzzling 4.2 v8. You will miss the V8 for a New York minute. I always read that you will miss the exhaust note . IMHO, the exhaust not on a STOCK B6/b7 exhaust was nothing special. With an exhaust it was heavenly. Put an exhaust on the new s4 and although it will never sound like a V8, it will sound good. BTW, the new s4s actually have a Soundakator that artificially generates the sound of the exhaust in the cabin of the car. Sound has 3 adjustable levels. The B8/B8.5 s4 is a great car. The B6/B7 S4 was not. BTW I am on my 3rd b8 S4 because I can find nothing else out there in the price range that I like any better.

[mdeneso]

I did it and the only thing I miss is the V8 sound like everyone else and the B7 felt a little more "special". The DTM body panels stood out from the regular A4s.


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[eurotic]

I had a B6 S4 and I used to dream about that car every day after I got rid of it...until I got my B8 S4. I do not miss anything, not even the exhaust note but I have always loved the sound of a V6. Especially if you get the sport diff the car just feels so much better through a corner rolling on the power. My B6 was stock except for the Hotchkis anti-sway kit (on full stiff) which really helped handing. Admittedly I have not yet taken my car to autocross to really see how it feels but on spirited driving the B8 feels as good and I'm sure an anti-sway kit will make it ear-to-ear grinning fun.

Oh and you are probably at the point of needing to do chains on that engine which is not cheap.

[speedycrw]

I went from a 2005.5 V8 to a 2011, to a just acquired 2014....all 6mts and NEVER regretted any of the jumps. Just like everyone says, the ONLY thing you MIGHT miss is the sound of the V8...everyone else is better in the B8 and a little better again in the B8.5.....DO IT!

[jhruzek]

No thoughts of going B8 RS4 instead of S4 for those who did the jump?

[Race Shooter]

No thoughts of going B8 RS4 instead of S4 for those who did the jump?

Assume you mean RS5 since there is no RS4 in the U.S.

I would have if I could have afforded it, but couldnt, so I'm happy with the S4.

[jhruzek]

Yes, RS5.