Debating whether to go with the S4

[italia8287]

I need help deciding if I should go for a B6 S4. I love the car but with gas prices I'm not sure I want the 8 cylinder. Hows gas mileage looking for you guys and other things related? Thanks.

[RAudi Driver]

It gets the gas mileage of your typical V8. If you're questioning the gas mileage then this is not the car for you.

[charliemike]

To put it more kindly:

I range from 20-25mpg depending on what I'm doing. I haven't done bumper-to-bumper commuting in it or I'd probably be around 13mpg.

Mixed use it's about 20. On the highway, not driving like an asshole, I can see nearly 25mpg.

[Eddie Man]

Gas mileage suxs but everything else is supreme...
Now that you know that, we all put up w/the pain at the pump but once we get rollin', all that kinda disappears.
Gazing at them are easy on the eyes too.

What would suck big time, is to put up w/crappy gas mileage in a big ass SUV utilizing 10% of it's mammoth size OR a hungry Mustang V8, slippin/sliding out of control during winters.

Your choices of V8s are in my mind is kinda easy.
Put up w/the mileage and love what you got OR hate it.

[40valve]

Gas mileage is tolerable if you drive like a granny. That's no fun and if you do, you missed the point of the car.
There are few things to consider before purchasing "big" vehicle such as S4. You'll need ~10qt of oil for each oil change. I just now came back from the shop where I picked up some Lubro Moly and a filter for $120. That's not necessarily cheap. Break pads cost more than some other "smaller" cars. I'm sure there are tons of other little things that most people don't think about.
If you can barely afford payments and insurance on this car then you might want to re-consider.

[aalipio]

I have a B6 A4 1.8t and compared to my B6 S4 hahah all i can do is laugh... yes, you definitely pay for it at the pump but once you start the beast and hit the gas all worries go away(until the gas light turns on)!haha Just put it like this... i can get twice the mpg in the A4 than the S4 so the S4 makes the A4 look realllly economical. Full tank in the A4 can last me 2 weeks if not boosting too high( work and back w/ several side trips). S4, 1 week driving decent! hahah this car is too hard to drive slow. I honestly dont even think i need a radio because i loooove hearing that motor @ WOT

So in conclusion, I keep the S4 as a weekend warrior, special occasions w/ the wife, or when i need to feel some REAL power!
IMO it's not really a practical everyday car to beat up unless you have the money to do so.

Hope that helped!

[mitchholmstrom]

I have a B6 A4 1.8t and compared to my B6 S4 hahah all i can do is laugh... yes, you definitely pay for it at the pump but once you start the beast and hit the gas all worries go away(until the gas light turns on)!haha Just put it like this... i can get twice the mpg in the A4 than the S4 so the S4 makes the A4 look realllly economical. Full tank in the A4 can last me 2 weeks if not boosting too high( work and back w/ several side trips). S4, 1 week driving decent! hahah this car is too hard to drive slow. I honestly dont even think i need a radio because i loooove hearing that motor @ WOT

So in conclusion, I keep the S4 as a weekend warrior, special occasions w/ the wife, or when i need to feel some REAL power!
IMO it's not really a practical everyday car to beat up unless you have the money to do so.

Hope that helped!

Couldnt agree more

[AudiOso]

Yeah... my S4 is a weekend toy. I could care less about the gas mileage. It's a blast to drive. The Avant is for the mule duties, and it fulfills that role superbly.

[charliemike]

The way I look at it is, I could buy a car that gets 30mpg in mixed driving and save myself about $70/mo.

But it would have only been one month because I would have shot myself out of desperation from buying such a boring fucking car :)

[cotmfk]

The gas mileage is horrible with this car. The first response is right... if you're worried about how much gas is going to cost, make more money or move on. (to put it bluntly) Especially as the car gets older, it's going to need more money to keep it running. Honestly, just ask yourself if you can afford say an extra $200-250 in gas per month... if you can do that, then you should be fine (also count in the extra maintenance, etc).

[covertS4driver]

The S4 sounds incredible, handles nice, and looks beautiful....

I don't think any of us bought the car for its gas mileage! hahahah

Open that throttle, and let it breathe, and you'll be saying "Gas mileage? who cares about gas mileage!!"

[RAudi Driver]

I have a B6 A4 1.8t and compared to my B6 S4 hahah all i can do is laugh... yes, you definitely pay for it at the pump but once you start the beast and hit the gas all worries go away(until the gas light turns on)!haha Just put it like this... i can get twice the mpg in the A4 than the S4 so the S4 makes the A4 look realllly economical. Full tank in the A4 can last me 2 weeks if not boosting too high( work and back w/ several side trips). S4, 1 week driving decent! hahah this car is too hard to drive slow. I honestly dont even think i need a radio because i loooove hearing that motor @ WOT

So in conclusion, I keep the S4 as a weekend warrior, special occasions w/ the wife, or when i need to feel some REAL power!
IMO it's not really a practical everyday car to beat up unless you have the money to do so.

Hope that helped!

Bingo. I couldn't agree more. You summed it up pretty well and that is exactly what i use my car for.

[dascsh]

I drive about 20,000 miles a year so at $4 a gallon and 18 mpg average my cost is $4444. If I got 25 mpg it would cost me $3200. Bottom line it costs me an extra $100 per month compared to a car with better mileage. Easy decision for me.

[mystro]

The S4 4.2L has a wicked "gass guzzler" tax. So that should tell you what kind of owner it is target for. Its kinda one of those "If you have to ask, you wont understand" quality of life issues.

[CHECKERED]

For a V8 the gas mileage is not that bad. Remember it’s a fairly small V8 in a fairly small car. The engine is ridiculously efficient with 5 valves and dual overhead cams. I average 28-30mpg going 62mph on the freeway. In the city driving like a gramma I would get 16-18, but mostly get 14-15. So it’s not horrible like my friends E55 AMG that gets 11 and 19

[kloover]

For a V8 the gas mileage is not that bad. Remember it’s a fairly small V8 in a fairly small car. The engine is ridiculously efficient with 5 valves and dual overhead cams. I average 28-30mpg going 62mph on the freeway. In the city driving like a gramma I would get 16-18, but mostly get 14-15. So it’s not horrible like my friends E55 AMG that gets 11 and 19

28-30 MPG on the highway? Is that verified at the pump or on the digital readout...because I highly doubt that's accurate ;)

[tatarin]

get it. It's an amazing car. good luck finding a performance car that gets 30mpg.

[DGS4]

Get it. It is an amazing car that I never regret buying.. Then you can buy my milltek exhaust. LOL

[CHECKERED]

28-30 MPG on the highway? Is that verified at the pump or on the digital readout...because I highly doubt that's accurate ;)

Well, with tires inflated 45 front and 42 rear, with no junk in the car, new air filter and new plugs.

I use http://www.scangauge.com/

It’s defiantly more accurate then the digital read out, but not sure how perfectly accurate it is. it hard to tell at the pump because one tank will see a mixture of city driving, hard city driving, cruising on freeway, bumper to bumper traffic, aggressive freeway driving pulling 130+.
However recently driving 240 miles round trip 90% freeway 10% city I saw 26.8 mpg

[charliemike]

Well, with tires inflated 45 front and 42 rear, with no junk in the car, new air filter and new plugs.

I use http://www.scangauge.com/

It’s defiantly more accurate then the digital read out, but not sure how perfectly accurate it is. it hard to tell at the pump because one tank will see a mixture of city driving, hard city driving, cruising on freeway, bumper to bumper traffic, aggressive freeway driving pulling 130+.
However recently driving 240 miles round trip 90% freeway 10% city I saw 26.8 mpg

Do us a favor if you could, next time you do a long drive reset the trip computer and then do your trip. Then fill up and divide the mileage by how many gallons were in the fill-up and let us know what that MPG is ...

That's how I do mine and the best I've seen is about 25MPG all highway.

[91gl]

i bought a 500 dollar Audi 90 5 cylinder to ease me through the pain of the mpg but i end up just driving the s4 instead because i love it so much

[RAUDIS6]

28-30 MPG on the highway? Is that verified at the pump or on the digital readout...because I highly doubt that's accurate ;)

X 2 ...I have had a B6 S4, and a C5 S6 , both with the 4.2, and there is no way you can average that, not even going down hill to work both ways everyday, don't mislead this poor guy. You will get your typical 15-17 MPG, for the 4.2 has a very touchy gas pedal, you just breath on it, and you are off.

[aalipio]

Honestly bro, just go test drive one if you havent already! you'll be sold once you drive it! When i test drove my first one it was 3/4 full... i brought it back with the gas light on in less than an hour! ahahhah It has the potential to drink a full tank in a day with a curious foot... if you catch my drift! Everybody on here is pretty accurate with their opinions... but im pretty sceptic on Checkerd's avg mpg... am i missing something? if so let me in! i want that kind of gas mileage. Im no where near that mpg.

[alfaracer]

Great thread, lots of information. Thanks, gang.

Looking for a B6 S4 myself.

Any thoughts on the difference in performance between an S4 and a 2.0 A4 with a chip & cat-back?

Thanks!

[CHECKERED]

but im pretty sceptic on Checkerd's avg mpg... am i missing something? if so let me in! i want that kind of gas mileage. Im no where near that mpg.

You guys are priceless, I never said I average 30 mpg…
My consumption gauge tells me that at 62mph with cruise control on I get between 28 and 30 if i draft behind 18 wheels or large vans

[RolledMySTi]

I need help deciding if I should go for a B6 S4. I love the car but with gas prices I'm not sure I want the 8 cylinder. Hows gas mileage looking for you guys and other things related? Thanks.

If you want gas mileage buy a Prius. If want to enjoy driving buy an S4. If you want better mileage get a B5. Of course all the money you save in gas will be spent on maintenance.

[c4racer]

Couldnt agree more

?? My Avant S4 is my daily driver. I love it.

Previous daily drivers:
- Infiniti Q45t
- E36 M3
- E39 M5
- Nissan Titan
- Evo IX
- CTSV

Of those the S4 is my favorite, although I still have a soft spot in my heart for the M-car BMW's - great cars. Part of the reason I sold the M5 was concern over racking up miles on it and the $$ associated with that. I think the S4 is more practical, and less costly to own in terms of maint, depreciation, repairs, wearables (tires, clutch, brakes).

And sure, a 4cyl beater is going to be more economical to drive daily, but unless you really need 2 cars the S4 can cover it all and the incremental cost of driving it more almost has to be lower than the total cost of another car. Plus then you are driving something nice all the time and not just 20% of the time.

[c4racer]

Do us a favor if you could, next time you do a long drive reset the trip computer and then do your trip. Then fill up and divide the mileage by how many gallons were in the fill-up and let us know what that MPG is ...

That's how I do mine and the best I've seen is about 25MPG all highway.

You guys must have AT's getting that kind of mpg. Even cruising slow at 65-70 I am lucky to do better than 21mpg. 70mph is pushing 2900rpm with a 6-speed!!

That said - most V6 / V8 luxury sedans get 21-26mpg highway. so the S4 is on the low side of that, but it's in the ball-park. And also on par with other performance cars - AMG C32 / C55, E46 M3, Evo / Sti, etc.

[FastB7S4]

And sure, a 4cyl beater is going to be more economical to drive daily, but unless you really need 2 cars the S4 can cover it all and the incremental cost of driving it more almost has to be lower than the total cost of another car. Plus then you are driving something nice all the time and not just 20% of the time.

^+1

[NYCS4Avant]

If you want gas mileage buy a Prius. If want to enjoy driving buy an S4. If you want better mileage get a B5. Of course all the money you save in gas will be spent on maintenance.

Well said.

It costs me about $65 here in NY to fill up the avant. I'm lucky if I'm running on fumes at the end of 7 days.

[HokieB6S4]

Definitely go drive one. I drove one yesterday and I am hooked. I had been looking at them for some time but had never driven one and my goodness. The S4's speed was effortless. the V8 did not seem to even be trying. You have to realize that this is a performance sedan and therefore gas mileage is the the last part of the equation if it is a part at all. Of course I am in a Jeep that gets 18 on the highway and 14 around town so almost anything is better when considering that.

[italia8287]

Definitely go drive one. I drove one yesterday and I am hooked. I had been looking at them for some time but had never driven one and my goodness. The S4's speed was effortless. the V8 did not seem to even be trying. You have to realize that this is a performance sedan and therefore gas mileage is the the last part of the equation if it is a part at all. Of course I am in a Jeep that gets 18 on the highway and 14 around town so almost anything is better when considering that.

thats funny because im in the same boat right now with the jeep. looking for something fun to drive again.

[norsecarnut]

Of course I am in a Jeep that gets 18 on the highway and 14 around town so almost anything is better when considering that.

lucky you get 18. my LR3 is 14.5 on long term mpg....

[Fuffler]

It gets great mileage. Much better than you think. I frequently see 40mpg and better.

[FastB7S4]

It gets great mileage. Much better than you think. I frequently see 40mpg and better.

ummm...yeah

[hackers4]

Like everyone else said...you have to drive it. However, if you are worried about gas prices, in all honesty, this isn't the car for you. You'll be beating yourself up every day. But, if you can bare the cost of driving it, it is a truly amazing car to own. Good luck

[turbo4s]

DUDE your NUTS just buy my B7 S4 so I can buy an RS4. Holy shit man. and atleast you know who drove the fucking car before you. I keep on telling you it will work out. You should just drive it. You will not think twice.

[mystro]

If the extra money for gas is a issue, then the repair cost will kill you. Honestly, this is not a car for the penny pincher. (no offence intended). Its a qulity of life issue.

[WIlhelm]

So bottom line the S-4 Rocks i have a 2004 and with chip intake and miltek exhaust it uses some serious gas. Being a fellow past porsche owner there is some thing about the S-4 .

[AudiOso]

It's fast, sensuous and did I say fast? The interior is deliciously appointed, the car overall is just a well put together balanced package. The gas mileage is just the only detractor aside from maintenance costs which can be high depending on what goes wrong. If you have to ask how much then it's not the car for you. That said, if you can afford it it's a delightful car to own.