New Audi S4 B9 drive and review 2018 

Running on fumes Nick!

Only Nick uses a new Porsche as a camera car... Every review and the camera car is more expensive than the car being reviewed.

Wow thanks for letting me know how it feels driving in a straight line. Really working that optional sport diff.....

Wow, never knew the S4 came standard with massage seats, that's a really nice perk. If I was going to spend this much on an Audi though, I'd rather have the RS3. Less space and luxury, but you get that glorious sounding 5 cylinder engine. Great video Nick!

Love the camera car ;)

Interesting thoughts Nick. I was just happy to see you reviewing my car - same color and everything :) Having come from a 335i I immediately felt the Audi S4 felt much more refined. The exhaust sound is much better than my 335i - I love all the burbles. It is sneaky fast though. Unless you really step on it you don't feel thrown back in your seat but then you look down at the speedometer and "Oh crap a I hope there are no cops around."

Nick, you make the best reviews I swear. You show and talk about a lot of things other reviewers don't which is great for people that want to or have to be mindful of many things before making a buying or checking the car out decision.

What I don't understand with the transmission is this. Audi got it backwards. How are they going to put in a DCT in the more subdued and mainstream A4 and a more "comfy" torque converter in the S4 which is supposed to be sportier and a little edgier? Shouldn't the A4 have the smoother and comfier ZF and the sportier S4 have the DCT? An abomination in the sight of my eyeballs.

Hi Nick. I've got a tshirt idea for you. "Putting the Man back in Manual". Don't forget the royalties.

We need the rs4 sedan asap

Somehow that ZF 8-speed still delivers "DSG farts", I would still go with a B8.5 S4 over this one simply because of the DSG, analog dials (although the virtual cockpit is cool, I prefer old school), and supercharged vs. turbocharged.

My OC always prickles when dirty cars are used for reviews. Just me. I like the flat bottom steering wheel on my S5 because when I'm doing lock to lock my hand knows where I am based on touch/feel of the corners.

Nice review as always Nick. This modern stuff baffles me a bit though. So much tech, does it really do much more than insulate the driver from the experience ?

great review and description of this car, spot on..I own a 19 B9 and you characterized it better than anyone else on youtube.

Superb job reviewing this. As a B8.5 owner, I've been on the fence. I'm giving up my B8.5 for a 911 Carerra S. Huge jump in price, but well worth it. Keep up the great work!

Those plastic paddle shifters are offensive to the touch. It wouldn't be an issue if the manual is still offered ...

Flat bottomed steering wheel may be a fad that has passed, but it really does help out for taller people.

I love the little snorts on upshift. It reminds me of the noise the 300SD makes, but that is more of a grunt.

The scuba blue metallic color is freaking gorgeous in person

This might be William's best video. You were okay, Nick.

Didn't read thru the comments. Turbochargers have lag. You know this. Superchargers are linear and "on" all the time. So no lag. ...the more you know

I own a 2014 S4 and recently drove a 2018 A4 as a service loaner that had the same interior as this new S4 - I absolutely hated the interior - it is all backwards. It is impossible to get to the controls - shifter gets in the way. And I hate the shifter that doesn't actually move position. Will be keeping the 2014 S4 for a while. ( btw - weekend car is a 2013 911 C2 S and unlike Nick, I have never had any problem with it other than a bad set of Pirelli tires.)

B7 RS4...best engine sound. With the "S" button pressed it sounds like heaven. Yeah, it understeers a lot but I would buy that car only for its engine. Sadly is very hard to find one now that hasn't been "tuned".

I'm glad you don't love it. I really prefer my B8.5 S4. I bought it CPO and saved at least $20,000 for the Prestige. Really wish it had heads-up display though.

Can't believe you didn't talk about Audis vertical cockpit, or launch control. I'm very happy with my S4, considering I was thinking going the AMG route.

I'm looking into buying a used B8 S4, hopefully this will drive down those prices!

Yes! William needs to wear one of the T-shirts.

Do you think that the B9 doesn't feel as fast as the B8? I understand what you mean about not feeling fast. I have the B8.5 S4 and its just so smooth, quiet and refined that it hides its speed and acceleration so well. Even when you are just gently pushing the throttle and its barely revving over 2k it still shoots you up to 80km/h so quickly and all the while being incredibly fuel efficient for such a sporty and heavy car. I was driving up a slight hill in cruise control at 55 km/h in 6th gear at 1200 rpm and averaging 10.5 km/L. That's damn impressive!

Nick you should do a last gen s4 vs the new one

As always Nick a great video but you've got to find a way of showing the actual cabin - so many bloody cameras hanging off all over the place is so distracting. Kind of ruined Audi's efforts to make the cabin less busy !

Nice balanced review, just a bit of a shame it was only highway driving. I think a mild aftermarket exhaust would help reintroduce some of that drama for potential buyers. Interestingly the SQ5 with the same drivetrain is a good bit more vocal in its sport settings and while it's not the sweetest sounding motor you'll ever hear it's still pretty good.

I read that the Audi DCT isn't able to handle the increased power and torque in the new S4, so they had to use a regular gearbox/transmission. The A4 is weaker and the Audi DCT can handle its power. I might be wrong though

I think I’d still rather have a manual b8 s4.

I think it makes sense for an Audi S car to be comfortable, smooth, understated and very fast but in an undramatic, efficient manner. It’s meant to carry 4 people in comfort at high speeds for long distances. It’s mean enough to bully slower drivers out of the way but not flashy enough to get you unwanted attention. It’s what it was built for. If you want more excitement, you should get an RS car, or, you know, a BMW…

It does indeed sound 4-cylinderish. Almost sounds like the Audi S3.. That is quite unfortunate since the B8 sounded pretty good, even stock.

Audis glory days definitely were in the early 2000s with the high revving V8 manual all wheel drive station wagons.

Would u rather want a 340i bmw or that S4 if u had to chance to pick

Thank you yet again Nick for an extremely thorough review. I had a real hard on for the B6/B7 versions with their V8's, but ever since Audi went back to the V6 I was like "meh...". Doesn't matter to me about the easily tapped extra power of the newer cars. Don't care about the timing chain from hell on the V8's. I'd still pick the V8 cars any day. So much more character.

I think the S series Audi's lean towards being more like Q cars. Under the radar fast with luxury features. The RS models for more fireworks, sounds, looks etc. I'd have both depending on the mood ha. Good review.

I love my 2018 s4!

1:56 When you are recording S4's engine with a camera attached to another car's front bumper, I feel we are mainly hearing the second car's engine.... unless it's a Tesla, or another S4 ;-)

I think it sounds muted because the interior is so quiet inside. I think caranddriver tested it to be 1 db quieter than the current S class.

Sadly the manual was never available in the euro model.. well the DCT to ZF change isn't a problem I'd say... the ZF shifts really quickly and well it's no TTS or whatever so not a that sporty of a vehicle.. And I prefer the wagon :D

Nick, the S5 you showed with 4 doors was a hatchback and not a coupe. The S5 coupe has only 2 doors.

I recently picked up an Audi S5 Sportback in Ingolstadt and i love driving it (owned by my father, so only occasional drives). The cabin is superb and i like the sound actually, but the most surprising thing for me is the great ride comfort with adaptive suspension, which beats the comfort of the '14 Audi A6 my father used to own before. Thanks for your review, Nick! Greetings from Germany. BTW: What a nice looking Porsche driving in front of you.

Sounds much better than the S3!!! Also drives better than the S3. I still think the S3 looks better.

Great review video as usual

I just bought a b8 s4.....honestly, I don't think I want anything quicker.......insanely quick.

Love your videos Nick!

This car does not go into "dynamic" mode automatically when you shift the transmission into "sport"....... also "sport mode" for the gearbox isn't "manual mode" you move the selector to the right and then you are in "manual mode" ........ also that image at the end isn't the "coupe" it's the sportback........ sounds like you'd like a CTS-V Bo!!

What do you think of the new RS5, Nick? Quite a few think it's just one big disappointment.

I had a 1999 B5 S4 Avant, A total nutcase of a car, twin turbo V6, 6 speed manual gearbox, Everytime I took it out it was an event... Modern cars are so mundane.

I like the interior, dash, etc. Makes the BMW look dated and boring, but they really need to change the exterior styling. They made the S5 frontend look like a Ford Fusion coupe.

Be honest Nick, you miss driving my 996 Turbo.

Sounds much better than a i4 but no 6 cylinder sounds as nice as a BMW i6.

wow, in the american version is much more standard than in the german one!

Hey! That's a cool 911 shadowing you.

Wait, no drag race? I mean, it probably wouldn't be fair to the Audi due to your Carrera being an S but still, we need a drag race! :-)

3:34 Audi is trying to get reduce the number of the knobs huh? Shame they can't get rid of the ones behind the wheel... :D

00:56 Using the Carrera 4S as the chase car. Smart

I personally have the S4 B8 (the "Avant" version, basically a break, for practical reasons), it's the perfect daily driver imo, really under the radar especially with the S4 badges removed. I don't see too many improvements with that version, not a fan of the virtual cockpit, it looks cheap to me and a bit out of place in a "sporty" car.

Did you notice the good looking Porsche just in-front of you?

Not everyone wants a shouty, look at me engine noise. Grown up's require a more muted soundtrack.

Nick, good review. What about the steering feel and the overall body dynamics?

interior looks like a previous generation Mazda3 lol. Bring the RS Q3 to the US already!

You know you've made it when you're using a Porsche 911 as a camera-car for your RU-vid videos.

Just ordered one without the S Sports Package? Will I still like this car vs. having that package? For every day driving ... is the S Sports Package that essential?

which one do you like better 991.1 or the new 991.2?

"Dampers", not "dampeners". Fire sprinklers in there?

I got the heated D shape steering wheel on that turbo Soul Lolll

Nick - more backroad shots!

Hey @nick murray ! please review the maserati ghibli S ... i want to know your views. Car reviewers haven't given any attention to maserati Ghibli s or even for that matter the Maserati quattroporte Gts. Both cars look outstanding and sound phenomenal for turbo charged cars. So what if they aren't super performance oriented like the BMW M4 OR M5 and don't have that crazy power of AUDI RS MODELS and Mercedes AMG models. Ive driven the Ghibli s a few times and the car sounds absolutely brilliant.. the transmission is smooth and quick to respond and the acceleration is decent. Hope you get to review the maseratis

Nice review Neck. Cheers. I think Audi screwed the pooch with that comfy gearbox in an 'S' model. Or..........did they screw the new 'Mooch', or screw the douche? Or is the Mooch a new Douche?? Hard to say really. All I know is I see a little silhouetto of a man, Scaramucci, Scaramucci, will you do the Fandango?

Could you do a review of the new 5 series ? 530i-540i whatever even if it's a base car? Appreciate all your content :)

Another great review/video Nick. I'm sure it does everything really well, just too dull Audi for me. Lets hope the RS4 is more exciting, looking at the new RS5 I'm not so sure. Cheers

Hey Nick. Good review. Did you look at the engine? The old S4 had a lot of weight in front of the wheel axle so it tends to understeer. Did they fix that with the new model, and did you experience understeer when driving the car? Thanks.

Nick would love to see a review of the Audi RS5 if you can swing it!

Be nice to see you test an RS3

You’re reviewing this like the guy at the dealership gave you a quick summary on it. This review really wasn’t good

Nick, what's the difference between a supercharger and a turbocharger? which one is "better"? (Mike in Ohio)

Honestly id rather save money and get a 2016 s4

Sounds like a Hoover

What do you think about the upcoming AMG E63 S?

question: you lose the massage function if you upgrade the seats to ventilated ones right?

The massaging seat is the closest Nick has ever been to having sex.

540i please Nick...

Turbos are the death of engine noise. What a shame. It's weird because old turbo engines sound really good. But between the limp cam specs (to build boost as early as possible) and increasing sound insulation they are really sapping all the soul out of modern engines. Sad!

Love my 340xi

As a french viewer of yours : please stop saying "coupe" and say "coupé" when talking about cars like the Audi S5. Thank you and greetings from France !!!

Nick, did the dealer get the voice activation for navigation working on your 911? I have been told those made between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017 have a different module than the original batch of 991.2 cars and it therefore does not work and cannot be fixed, but it will be corrected on cars built after July 1, 2017.

Now I need vinted seats. How else would trevel safely to my distenation?

Nick, have you ever tried to hock your DJI OSMO on the outside of camera car? Did it work well? If not, would you like to give that a go? I would like to know how would it turn out and to see some improvements on motion shoots, because they are terrible in this video.

Would you please post the gear you use? I love the mounts you have, what are they?

The B7 RS4 was the best!

I lost my appetite on Audis since a very long time; their cabins are good but the exterior is really plain and sometimes awkward.

Trying out the HALO?

Will you do a review on the RS3 Sedan when its out in the US. Thinking of upgrading my S3 facelift to it later this year.

Think it isn't a real sportscar, more like daily with the right power to have some fun too.

I really miss the retractable screen

I think you forgot to mention ody this new transmission shifts faster or slower than DSG. I.e. how responsive is it when you shift with the paddles?