[mmm def]

Dad has a B8 S4 6sp and I have an 08 E90 M3. I love them both. In a nutshell, the M3 is more demanding to drive, you need to focus more, and it rewards you with more. Like others have said, it has more of that edgy feel than the S4 does. The S4 is quiet, smooth, comfortable, and boring to look at. Interior is much better in the Audi. If I couldn't have my M3, I would be in the S4.

[islandbimmer]

read the latest R&T , long term test of S4 epic fail..... they gave it a 1 for out of 5 for relability

[mmm def]

They're also the ones who got a 4.4 0-60, seems like they are beating the crap out of that tranny. The water pump issue has been fixed.

[brocken]

What are they rating the reliability on? The waterpump(which has already been resolved)?
The forums are really vocal and I haven't seen any widespread issues other than the waterpump.
Which, by the way, was handled WAY better than BMW's response to the N54 issues...

[Hurricane]

Originally Posted by dd1981

I was considering picking one up. I really want the e90/92 M3, on the other hand I cant help but notice this car everytime I see it. ITs cheaper then an m3, and very tunable.

How is it overall in performance and quality. I know Audi has issues in the past with reliability. Anyone have any experience with S4's? Thanks

I caution you about buying an Audi. I say this a current and former owner. Many Audi owners complain about excessive oil consumption on the B7 and B8 platforms. My previous B7 RS4 consumed one quart of oil every 1000 miles. I also owned a B6 S4 that suffered from the same problem. I have never owned a the B8 platform but I would Google search their reliability.

Here is the link to a 2010 long term test drive from Road and Track date 2/02/12:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/lo...udi-s4-wrap-up

Here is the section of the article you should pay attention to:

"If you haven’t already noticed our profound affinity for the S4, let us add that there hasn’t been a vehicle as universally liked since our long-term supercharged Jaguar XF or beloved Audi R8. That being said, the headaches caused from needing our 6-speed manual transmission to be replaced at only 16,000 miles (due to a reverse gear glitch) and being temporarily stranded on the road at 22,000 miles by a failed thermostat (draining all the coolant from our engine) would have us definitely reevaluating our investment, had we been the actual owners of this otherwise excellent midsize sports sedan.

In this round of head versus heart, we could on one hand deem these issues a fluke and stand by our original purchase, or we could essentially trade it in, as is, for a brand-new, fully loaded Acura TL SH-AWD—a car that proved incident-free for 31,000 miles under our watch."

With that said I could of had a lemon, they could have had a lemon. Who knows? This is not a slam on Audi. I'm sure there are many BMW owners that have the same complaint. I would be sure to buy the car new and then immediately sell it once the warranty expires.

Good Luck.