I know some people are going to cry, "They are not in same class! They are two completely different cars! The S4 is God's chariot and everything else sucks!", but I am still going compare/contrast the two since I know others are consider the jump.
Price: My car had a $122k window sticker, which was more than double the S4, BUT I paid around an S4's MSRP, so they are actually very close on price. Granted, I only have just over two years of warranty vs four years on a new S4.
Looks: My S4 was Daytona Gray, which is a great color, but it blended in with every other sedan on the market. I literally had not driven a mile in my Racing Yellow 911 on Friday and had people waving and giving me thumbs up!
Interior: The 911's interior is plush (e.g. leather dashboard) compared to just about any car; I LOVE the ventilated seats, and there are not many creaks for a car with 49k miles. I hated the Alcantara seats in the S4 (felt like they radiated back body heat, esp on hot days), and there were popping/creaking noises from the beginning.
PDK/DSG: FYI: My B6 A4 was a manual, could heel/toe reasonably well, and I still love to row. We bought the DSG S4 because my wife was pregnant at the time and being a nervous first-time parent, I wanted to get a car my klutzy wife could safely drive in an emergency. I could have gone either way in terms of PDK vs manual on the 911. Anyway...
"D" in PDK is actually usable! It does not hunt for seventh gear and force the engine to lug at 30 MPH; give the 911 a little gas and it actually shifts in anticipation of you wanting to accelerate. PDK shifts are solid, even going from second to first. The DSG was a good auto trans, but it did some wonky stuff like emitting a "clunk" in 2-1 shifts even below 5MPH, delayed shifts when cold, and generally felt a bit loose.
My 911 came with the base wheel (The genius at Porsche who said, "Let's put shift BUTTONS on the wheel!" needs to get bus-stop-bathroom swirlie) and I already ordered the steering wheel with paddles since I shifted manually 99% of the time in the S4.
Acceleration: I loved the S4 and its AWD from a dig, and how strong it was from 2.5k to 5.5k RPMs. The 911 is the complete opposite. I actually was not initially blown away (my expectations were high) on the test drive of the 911, and was not 100% sold on the car. It turns out that I was short shifting since I was used to the S4. The 911 is the opposite of the S4; it does not show its teeth UNTIL 5k RPMs, and then it feels like you are getting pushed down the road!
My time behind the 911's wheel is limited, but I do miss the low-end torque of the S4.
Handling: The S4 handles pretty well, but the sports diff can't make up the beer belly poking out over the front axle. I know some go to great lengths to improve the S4's body roll in corners, but I decided pretty early on that I was just going to love the fat chick for who she was, and then move on to svelter pastures.
Everyone with a Y chromosome over the age of eight knows 911s are some of the best handling cars in the world, and they are correct. What I did not expect was how comfortable the car is even with 20" wheels on crappy Boston-area roads.
Sound: Porsche Sport exhaust is ridiculous; normal mode sounds great, and then sport mode sounds like satan being splashed with holy water. I would have paid for a factory upgraded exhaust on the S4 (I am not really a modder); OEM exhaust was OK, but the DSG farts were fun.
Year-Round Driving: I sold my business about a month ago, and no longer need a daily driver or the S4's all-weather performance. I already ordered another set of wheels for the 911's winter setup, which will be more than adequate for occasionally driving after roads have been plowed.
Toddler Duty: Our 16-month-old son was rarely in the S4 (we also have a city beater), but room was never an issue even with his gigantic Britax car seat. I found ONE convertible car seat that will allow him to ride rear facing behind the 911's passenger seat, and still allow my 5' tall wife to comfortably ride shotgun; it is supposed to arrive Thursday and my fingers are crossed!
Insurance: We live in Somerville, MA (a few miles from Boston) and our policy only increased ~$50/year when swapping the S4 for the 911, which was a major pleasant surprise. We have two cars, and a condo on the policy, just for reference.
I received a lot of help with the purchase, so feel free to ask any questions!
Edits to add:
1. I uploaded the pictures to different site, and should now be visible.
2. A PSE video for those who have not heard it.
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Originally Posted by Pyromatic177
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