2021 vs 2022 S4 Fuel Economy?

[icon5585]

Hey AZ friends, had a quick question about the fuel economy of the 2021 vs 2022 S4 (and yes, I realize we don't buy these cars for their fuel economy).

2021 S4 EPA Rating - 20 city/28 highway
2022 S4 EPA Rating - 21 city/30 highway

Can anyone help explain the discrepancy between 21 and 22? As far as I can tell, they didn't change anything?

Thanks in advance :)

[chrismadson]

Hey AZ friends, had a quick question about the fuel economy of the 2021 vs 2022 S4 (and yes, I realize we don't buy these cars for their fuel economy).

2021 S4 EPA Rating - 20 city/28 highway
2022 S4 EPA Rating - 21 city/30 highway

Can anyone help explain the discrepancy between 21 and 22? As far as I can tell, they didn't change anything?

Thanks in advance :)

Not sure if this is it, but sometimes updates to things like auto stop/start, throttle mapping, starting in comfort vs sport, or other software tweaks can affect EPA Mpg average.

Maybe there is a tweak from one year to the next. Oftentimes times it’s done to help get their model line average up but doesn’t affect all driving situations.


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[Jetta03]

Could also be a change in the rating/measurement system as well. But I think for all intents and purposes the 21 and 22 drivetrains are essentially identical.

[TJay74]

Just because the drivetrain and actual vehicle didnt change doesnt mean that the programming in the ECU and TCU wasnt changed.

[A4 Centaur]

^ And where is the data or evidence for this?

[Smac770]

The EPA application for the MY18-MY20 S4/S5 report one set of gear ratios, with a different set for the RS5. Then starting MY21, the EPA application reports the RS5 gear ratios for the S4/S5 also. This continues for the MY22 and MY23 applications.

Is there any reason to believe there was an actual gear ratio change for the S4 and S5 starting MY21? Or did someone at Audi goof up some copy/paste operation? I know such a thing occurred with the B8.0 > B8.5 S4/S5, but I don't recall ever hearing about any ratio change for the B9.

But automobile-catalog shows the updated gear ratios starting with the facelift, MY20.
2019: https://www.automobile-catalog.com/c...0/audi_s4.html
2020: https://www.automobile-catalog.com/c...5/audi_s4.html

While car&driver still shows the original ratios for the MY23:
https://www.caranddriver.com/audi/s4/specs

That Audi can't do record keeping worth a damn anymore would be no surprise to me. Probably why there's no more transmission code allocation tables anymore in the workshop manuals. Documenting that would require knowing how to do it correctly. And it seems those people of ages past have retired or been cost cut out.

[TJay74]

^ And where is the data or evidence for this?

Personally I dont follow or believe the "EPA" ratings. Several times now I have done the fuel averages by hand only to find out the vehicle far exceeds the EPA listing. To the point that in many cases the gas guzzler tax would have been much less and in some cases even exempt.

[A4 Centaur]

^ I concur. I was pleasantly surprised to see the 2023 S4 gets between 29-31MPG on the highway. I'm sure as the engine breaks in it will get a bit better.

[E.Anderson]

I've had an 18 and now a 21 S4. I've noticed no difference in MPG or gear ratios.

[STi from DSM]

I run my car almost always in Dynamic mode. I did try to put it in comfort once to check gas milage for a week, but lasted about 4 minutes and back into Dynamic it went. I have been getting around 22 MPG mixed right now.

[spindlewood]

The secret is to always drive downhill.

[B9S4theBirds]

I do remember (While not specific to the S4) that the SQ5 received revised gearing. This way, the 0-60 times came down from 5.1 as stated by the manufacturer, to 4.7 I can't recall if this was in the '21 or '22 model though.

[Smac770]

Looks like the NAR market B9 type 0D5 usage was:

RS5:

RZN, 0D5 300 038 Q 002, Sep '17 > Oct '18 (~MY18)
RZN, 0D5 300 038 Q 004, Jun '18 > Apr '20 (~MY19-MY20)
TUY, 0D5 300 041 D 003, Aug '20> (~MY21-MY22)
TUY 0D5 300 041 D 005 / 006, Jun '22> (~MY23)

S4/S5:

SHP, 0D5 300 040 _ 002 (ie, no rev letter), MY18-MY20 (but parts.audiusa.com says MY21 and M22 as well)
TMB, 0D5 300 040 Q 003, MY21
TMB, 0D5 300 040 Q 005, MY22-MY23

SQ5:

SHQ, 0D5 300 040 A 002, >Dec '18 (so MY18 - 1H MY19)
TVC, 0D5 300 041 R 002, Dec '18> (so 2H MY19 - MY20)
TUF, 0D5 300 041 C 001, MY21
TUF, 0D5 300 041 C 004, MY22-MY23

So MY20 seemed to be the same trans as MY19. Then new trans for MY21. Then new programming for that trans for MY22.

vehicle	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
S4 sedan	21-24-30	21-24-30	20-23-27	20-23-28	21-24-30	21-24-30	n/a
S5 coupe	21-24-30	21-24-30	20-23-27	20-23-28	21-24-30	21-24-30	n/a
S5 sback	21-24-30	21-24-30	20-23-27	20-23-28	21-24-30	21-24-30	n/a
S5 cabrio	20-23-29	21-24-29	19-22-26	20-22-26	21-23-28	21-23-28	n/a
SQ5 suv	19-21-24	19-21-24	18-20-23	18-20-24	19-21-24	19-21-24	19-21-24
RS5 coupe	18-21-26	18-21-27	n/a	18-20-25	18-21-25	18-21-26	18-21-25
S5 sback	n/a	17-20-26	n/a	18-21-25	18-21-25	18-21-25	18-20-25
Urus	n/a	12-14-17	12-14-17	12-14-17	12-14-17	n/a	n/a
Urus S	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	14-16-19	14-16-19

16 more hp but 14% more mpg? Maybe Audi needs to ask Lambo who to send the checks to.

[Smac770]

It does seem Audi changed the gear ratios in the MY21+ S4/S5/SQ5 transmission with the RS5 gear ratios, at least according to their published documents. This dropped the SQ5 from 5.1 to 4.7 seconds, while the S4 and S5 were unchanged at 4.4 seconds, and S5 SB at 4.5 seconds. Seems very odd that the ratio change could cut that much time off the SQ5 but make no difference on the S4/S5.

[AudioPAS4]

I run my car almost always in Dynamic mode. I did try to put it in comfort once to check gas mileage for a week, but lasted about 4 minutes and back into Dynamic it went. I have been getting around 22 MPG mixed right now.

Im at Stage 2 now and in Comfort Drive on the highway i can easily get 32+ at 70 to 75 MPH. Same thing doesn't last long!!