As usual, the car fairy is trying to tickle me again.... This time my taste may get a little more expensive, but either way... I want to see a debate...

2005 Acura RL

or

2005 Audi S4 Sedan

Stupid things I like about the RL are the Bluetooth connectivity, and possible A-Spec trim. However, with the CL-S tranny headache, I'm weary towards Acura.

I like the Audi for simply that, its an Audi. It also has alot more power thanks to the V8 (big plus), but lacks that Bluetooth and the more luxurious look the Acura offers.

I'm still undecided as to whether I'd be financing or leasing, and don't know if either manufacturer may offer promos for one or the other....

What are your thoughts???

 

The two sedans have fairly different characteristics behind the wheel. The RL feels like a luxury car but sporty. The S4 feels like a sporty car, trying on some luxury duds. Built quality is near equal. The RL offers significantly more in the way of innovative technologies. Guess it really will boil down to an extended test drive to get a feel for which car suits your needs better.

As for financing or leasing, don't expect much in the way of incentives on the RL right now since they are selling quite well. The S4, I'm not sure about, but I imagine both cars have fairly solid resale values and thus, leasing would be a good option if you can get other benefits from it and it suits your need.

 

You'll get no debate from me. I owned an '02 A6 4.2 Quattro with that wonderful V-8 engine and traded it for a Lexus within 8 months because of Audi's service. I should have known Audi was screwed up when I received a call from Audi of America after the first couple of months of ownership saying they noticed I'd been in for service 5 times with an electronics problem, and it wasn't even me that had the problem. The next sign was when they called to see how the service went on my "A4". They didn't even know what car I owned!

I loved the teutonic feel of the A6, and the nice V-8 rumble, and the beautifully finished interior, but I was constantly in fear that something major would go wrong and I'd have to deal with the "dealership from hell" (who happens to be the largest Porsche/Audi dealership in So. Florida). Everytime I'd take the car in and they'd do stupid things like lose replacement tires that had to be ORDERED FROM GERMANY, they'd use the excuse "well, the 4.2 is a rare car". Well, if that's the price you pay for having a "rare car", I'll pass. I took a huge bath on the Audi, but I've never been so happy to get away from a car in my life.

The S4 is a fairly rare car as well. Keep that in mind.

 

Audi's are ok, until they break... and until you try to resell them....

 

yep, AUDI got a very bad resell value... (for A4, not sure S4.)

For the question: which car is better is totally depends on yourself...

if u are young, who is prefer sporty feeling and better engine sound,

go get the S4 for sure, u won't regret...

If u are over 50, who is prefer luxury, comfortable, and quiet, go get a RL...

 

haha, what if you're 26 and prefer luxury over total performance? Where do I fit in this? Can I still get the RL since I'm half that age?

 

I kind of like my way better. For my sporty feeling and "better engine sound" I have my Corvette (substitute your sports car of choice). For having "luxury, comfortable, and quiet" get a luxury car (and I'm leaning heavily on tapping the RL to replace my Volvo for that duty and provide a higher level of luxury). Frankly, in a luxury car I don't care about "better engine sound" as I really don't even want to hear the motor.

I agree with the previous post from CGTSX - the S4 is a very capable sporty car with some luxury enhancements (though not nearly approaching the RL) while the RL is a very capable luxury sedan with some sportiness. I really don't see the 2 competing though - they are targeted at different markets, IMO.

 

Totally agree with you.

If I wanted sport I'd go and buy something like a Lotus Elise (or a Vette like you have) and then get a nice mid level luxo sedan.

Like you, I don't really want to hear the engine in a luxury sedan. Besides, I can't speak for others but if the car has an awesome stereo (like the RL has) then I am too busy listening to the sweet sounds coming from it (especially dvd-audio) rather than just listening to the engine rev up.

 

I think Audis have come a long way. I have friends with Audis, and they do have some electrical problems... S4 and RL are two different cars, so it's hard to decide. I'd prolly get the S4 even though I like Acura better.

 

i'm comparing the two models mostly since i think this would be my max.

other thing that bothers me about the audi is the horrible gas mileage in the 6 speed. i drive over 140 miles a day.

unfortunately, i'd be putting on about 36k miles per year on a new car unless i keep my CL...

sounds so far more people are leaning towards the RL. i just hope acura has gotten their shit straight with the tranny's. i'm a little hesitant since this is the intro of the sh-awd model...

 

IMO, I don't think this tranny is as the same as 2G CL/TL or 3GTL's tranny. Even my 94 Legend's tranny is as perfect as it was in Day 1, never have any issue. When Acura begins the tranny recall in 2004, RL isn't on the list. Meanwhile, with $46,570 starting MSRP, S4 gets 340/302 Quattro with 6MT/6AT option, it's a really powerful beast.


However, I'd say SH-AWD is far advanced and better all-wheel drive system than S4. It all depends on your preference and you should test drive it in person.

 

What others have posted re Audi service seems the norm=awfull. I don't know what the problem is but Audi has some of the worst dealerships in the industry. If you check CR you will see German cars have really gone down in quality. I have the previous generation S4=2002=biturbo =great car=no problems. I test drove the new S4 with every intention of buying it but was unimpressed. I felt my 02 S4 was a better car. I will be trading in my wife's 02 A6 Audi for the RL. I will keep the 02 S4 as others have said for my "sports car". BMW and MB also have some quality and service issues. I don't know about Acura but nobody can be worse than an Audi dealership.

 

From a pure driving point of view, the S4 will handle much better than the RL. It has a shorter wheelbase and is a smaller car. If it's not too small for you'll love it.

From an economic point of view, I wouldn't want to own an Audi out of warranty. If you're leasing for four years and giving it back then it doesn't matter. But if you plan to drive it for 6-7 years then at a minimum, look into the cost of an extended warranty for both cars so you can compare apples to apples.

 

As I keep saying in many post what's wrong with having it all? Have you ever heard of an E55 or an M5. Two extreme sedans. Motor Trend even stated that an E55 can out run a Corvette Z06 without braking a sweat. Of course that's the 04 Z06 and not the brand new ones. But anyway I know the RL is not nearly as much of a brute as those cars I love the concept of a true sport sedan. After everything is said and done I'll go with the RL.

 

I track my 'vette and if it weren't for the 6 point harness I sometimes think I'd be trying to drive it from the passenger seat on hard turns. E55 and M5 are terrific cars - but on the racetrack a true sports car will eat them up (not just my 'vette but a viper or whatever - fill in the blanks). I will never give up tracking and there's simply no way a sport luxury sedan will do it as well as a sports car. On the other hand those cars you mention provide a much nicer ride than my 'vette while still offering a high degree of sportiness, but I still like my way of having dedicated cars that specialize in each - one for sport, one for grocery getting.

 

Once acura puts SH-AWD and 6 speed together then I would buy it over anything. I think the S4 is very nice, but I like acura better. I just don't trust acura's auto transmission.

 

Each to his own, but to do 0-60 in 4.2 seconds and a quater in 12.39 @ 116.21 mph that's not bad for a grocery getter.

 

Who said it was bad? Certainly not me. Straight-line performance numbers are great, especially for the drag-strip crowd (which includes a number of my friends). I like roadracing tracks and there's nothing like heading into a 90 degree unbanked turn at over a hundered and pulling an exit speed of over 60. Physics just make that real tough to do with 4,000 lb cars.

 

I hope they could do so 'cause I love to hear your review about this car on no-speed-limit highway...

 

Interesting topic. I went in today to look at and test drive the new S4 and I loved the car. But then my brain started thinking about the overall package, and the need for a backseat. I then took the new A6 3.2 out for a ride, as they didn't have any 4.2's in stock (guess they're still "rare"). I was still impressed by the A6 3.2, great interior and great overall look to the car.

On my way home I wandered over to the Acura dealer and took a spin in the new RL. Felt it was a solid car. I think the ride might have been better on the A6 though. Not sure, I'd have to drive it again. But they were pretty similar. To me the Acura might seem like a little bit of an older demographic than the A6. But then again, I'm very young to begin with, and probably shouldn't be looking at any car near $50,000 hahah

If the TL had AWD with it's 6 spd. manual, I'd be all over that. But until that happens, I shall be examining the RL and the A6.

 

New S4 is nice and the engine has great thrust. I had the previous S4 (biturbo motor) and was quite happy with it. Absolutely no issues at all. I finally sold it because I needed something with a bigger back seat. As for the new version I drove it and I am torn between which I liked better old turbo v6 or new v8.

The plus with the old motor was it's easy tweakability. Chip the sucker and the turbos made for a super fast car. It still got pretty good mileage. New v8 has pretty good go at any speed but not room for easy improvement over stock and not cheap to do no matter what.

If you really want a manual tranny then the RL isn't an option to really consider. Ditto if you want a wagon or convertible version as the S4 is available in these trims and the RL isn't.

Fuel mileage isn't the strong suit of the S4 but on the highway mine got better than the EPA rating. In light of the great acceleration as compared to the RL it might be a tradeoff worth considering. If you are comparing AT to AT the mileage of the S4 and RL is comparable but the S4 has a lot more thrust at any speed. Unlike the RL the AT version of the S4 comes with a 6spd automatic.

I personally like the Recaro seats in the S4 better than the Acura's. S4 has a much stronger engine and unlike the RL you don't have to really rev it to make it go.

RL has the better audio system and nav but if you want Sirius rather than XM it is available in the S4. In the S4 though I'd probably be listening to the sound of the engine more than the audio system.

If you want the more luxurious car buy the RL. If you want the more sporting car buy the S4. If you want a commuter car the RL would likely be the better bet unless you live in a warm climate and would consider the convertible version of the S4. If you do seriously consider the S4 it's only a matter of time before the price rises as the dollar has just dropped to its knees versus the Euro over the last 6 months. I don't know how long until that change is passed on in the form of higher US dollar prices.

If you plan on keeping either car long term buy an extended warranty as if they break later they will definitely be expensive to fix!

 

you go it.

 

Point well taken. But you may call me dangerous for this but I go into curves on the I-10 at sometimes 100 mph or more depending how sharp the curve is and I've exited at doing about 90 mph before. Of course this is with little traffic. With that said most of the time your local interstate has less space than the average track and this is in a 04 TL and even in my 03 TL-S. I've even read in either Car & Driver or Motor Trend that they took the RL for a high speed run and it handled the track very well at high speeds well over 100 mph. All of this to say that some of these cars may not handle exactly like a Ferrari but car companies are producing better and better sport sedans every year. Eventually I think you'll will have a (sports car) with four doors. I love the whole concept of sport sedans. The best of both worlds. Whoever came up with this concept

Just my opinion.

 

Good points. The new A6 would have been a top contender for me as well if I hadn't had such bad experiences with Audi's service. The A6 is a good-looking car, inside and out. If you have a good, solid dealership in your area that can provide good service the A6 may be the way to go.

FYI, don't be fooled by the sales experience. The sales experience at Audi was the single BEST I've ever had. They let me test drive 4 cars without the salesman before I made a decision. The salesperson was great. Unfortunately, the service after the sale was the exact opposite.

 

S4 is M3/C55 competiton no? RL is 530, 320 competition.

 

If you think you like the ride of the A6, try it over some expansion joints. I believe you may be in for an unpleasant surprise.

BMW 5-series with Sport Package has a far superior ride to the A6 IMO. Better damped.

 

Audi and Volkswagen are the two companies that I dislike the most. Not even one car in their lineups I found impressive. Therefore, I would not consider S4 over RL.