Audi S4 Avant B9 upgrade
Discussion
Hi everyone hoping for some suggestions and advice please
Owned a 2017 S4 Avant since 2020. Put about 48k miles on it over the last 5 years and it has been generally very reliable but have recently been a bit unlucky with some pretty expensive items needing replacing (such as ABS control unit). I'm a petrolhead and this has prompted me to consider if it's worth upgrading. I'm a bit conflicted because my wife and I both still really like the car and it's the ideal size for a practical car living in Central London. I also think it's great VFM and arguably represents peak compact performance-lite estate car with a strong v6, handsome, not too heavy with no hybrid system and still relatively smart and modern inside without infuriating bongs and lane change nonsense to have to switch off every time you get in. Given that we wouldn't replace it with a new car and that even something newish under warranty would only cover more serious things going wrong there is a very strong argument to keep it but the seed has been planted now so if we do decide to change it...
For context we also have a 2017 Carrera S and a growing family. So part of me thinks that if we change the S4 it makes sense to get something larger so we don't have to change again in short order if another child comes along. And that the Porsche is there for more fun trips so perhaps the family car should be towards the more solid and safe end of the spectrum but I'm sure if we go too safe we would get bored.
Few ideas i've had so far with some thoughts. All 2020/21 onwards. Would like to spend up to £55k but would have to make an exception for an RS6 for example as decent ones appear to start on the low 70s. I should also say I haven't driven any of these which is obviously a hugely important step before making a decision but i'm not quite there yet:
Porsche Cayenne/S/GTS/Turbo. Excellent car no doubt but would prefer more variety between the two cars.
Porsche Panamera SportTurismo. Ditto and boot too small.
Audi RS4. Obviously exactly the same size and basically identical interior. So might not feel different enough in day to day driving and no bigger.
Audi RS6. Always liked them and ticks all the boxes apart from being much more expensive than I would like. Huge target for theft in London which puts me off and £££ to insure. Neighbour had the previous gen which I really like too but too dated now and would be worried about it going wrong.
Audi SQ7. Really like the image and the engine but too big? (SQ8 same footprint and like the image a bit less than SQ7)
Land Rover/Range Rover. Very challenging to insure in London. All a bit too heavy and wafty?
BMW M3 Touring. Like them but can't neighbour has one! Wife hates the look and image. Same size or even a bit smaller than S4 rules it out anyway.
BMW X5. Interesting one. Along with the Cayenne considered to be the best driving SUV, a fantastic all-rounder and supremely comfortable. Would consider both the M50i and the 40d as we do a reasonable mileage. Clearly going from estate to SUV is a very different drive.
Merc-AMG E63 estate. Like them but believe the ride is silly firm and extremely expensive to service/maintain.
Merc-AMG C63 estate. Similar to the M3T and RS4 no bigger than S4 so ruled out.
Jaguar F Pace SVR. Intrigued. Had a F Type R previously with the same engine which was great but a depreciation disaster.
Very interested to get anyone else's thoughts and ideas - very open minded!
Few final considerations. Wife doesn't like being driven quickly and most of my solo driving is in the Porsche. So I do question the justification for a high performance family car when I could get something newer and cheaper and save/invest the surplus. However you only live once and for a few thousand a year in the scheme of things to get a thrill just getting into something special definitely has a value.
Thanks very much in advance.
Owned a 2017 S4 Avant since 2020. Put about 48k miles on it over the last 5 years and it has been generally very reliable but have recently been a bit unlucky with some pretty expensive items needing replacing (such as ABS control unit). I'm a petrolhead and this has prompted me to consider if it's worth upgrading. I'm a bit conflicted because my wife and I both still really like the car and it's the ideal size for a practical car living in Central London. I also think it's great VFM and arguably represents peak compact performance-lite estate car with a strong v6, handsome, not too heavy with no hybrid system and still relatively smart and modern inside without infuriating bongs and lane change nonsense to have to switch off every time you get in. Given that we wouldn't replace it with a new car and that even something newish under warranty would only cover more serious things going wrong there is a very strong argument to keep it but the seed has been planted now so if we do decide to change it...
For context we also have a 2017 Carrera S and a growing family. So part of me thinks that if we change the S4 it makes sense to get something larger so we don't have to change again in short order if another child comes along. And that the Porsche is there for more fun trips so perhaps the family car should be towards the more solid and safe end of the spectrum but I'm sure if we go too safe we would get bored.
Few ideas i've had so far with some thoughts. All 2020/21 onwards. Would like to spend up to £55k but would have to make an exception for an RS6 for example as decent ones appear to start on the low 70s. I should also say I haven't driven any of these which is obviously a hugely important step before making a decision but i'm not quite there yet:
Porsche Cayenne/S/GTS/Turbo. Excellent car no doubt but would prefer more variety between the two cars.
Porsche Panamera SportTurismo. Ditto and boot too small.
Audi RS4. Obviously exactly the same size and basically identical interior. So might not feel different enough in day to day driving and no bigger.
Audi RS6. Always liked them and ticks all the boxes apart from being much more expensive than I would like. Huge target for theft in London which puts me off and £££ to insure. Neighbour had the previous gen which I really like too but too dated now and would be worried about it going wrong.
Audi SQ7. Really like the image and the engine but too big? (SQ8 same footprint and like the image a bit less than SQ7)
Land Rover/Range Rover. Very challenging to insure in London. All a bit too heavy and wafty?
BMW M3 Touring. Like them but can't neighbour has one! Wife hates the look and image. Same size or even a bit smaller than S4 rules it out anyway.
BMW X5. Interesting one. Along with the Cayenne considered to be the best driving SUV, a fantastic all-rounder and supremely comfortable. Would consider both the M50i and the 40d as we do a reasonable mileage. Clearly going from estate to SUV is a very different drive.
Merc-AMG E63 estate. Like them but believe the ride is silly firm and extremely expensive to service/maintain.
Merc-AMG C63 estate. Similar to the M3T and RS4 no bigger than S4 so ruled out.
Jaguar F Pace SVR. Intrigued. Had a F Type R previously with the same engine which was great but a depreciation disaster.
Very interested to get anyone else's thoughts and ideas - very open minded!
Few final considerations. Wife doesn't like being driven quickly and most of my solo driving is in the Porsche. So I do question the justification for a high performance family car when I could get something newer and cheaper and save/invest the surplus. However you only live once and for a few thousand a year in the scheme of things to get a thrill just getting into something special definitely has a value.
Thanks very much in advance.
Diesel SQ7 was built up to 2020 so falls in age and budget range; goes like stink but will do 45MPG on motorway.
I know you've already touched on the point, and I mostly agree in that I think you'd struggle with a "cooking" V6 diesel, but there's little point in duplicating the performance you already have. I'm not sure how much enjoyment all the extra money will actually provide. Diesel SQ7 behaves just like a boring one during daily duties, but without the disgusting thirst of the later petrol car. Low 20s MPG can become tiresome when all of your mileage is just tootling around on family duties.
C7 RS6 probably less trouble than C8, but finding good C7s today is really tricky. You're dead on re. B9 RS4, too similar to what you have.
Also: sell me the S4 if you do change (seriously).
I know you've already touched on the point, and I mostly agree in that I think you'd struggle with a "cooking" V6 diesel, but there's little point in duplicating the performance you already have. I'm not sure how much enjoyment all the extra money will actually provide. Diesel SQ7 behaves just like a boring one during daily duties, but without the disgusting thirst of the later petrol car. Low 20s MPG can become tiresome when all of your mileage is just tootling around on family duties.
C7 RS6 probably less trouble than C8, but finding good C7s today is really tricky. You're dead on re. B9 RS4, too similar to what you have.
Also: sell me the S4 if you do change (seriously).
If you went silly and bought an RS6 it may end up feeling like a lot of money for something you already have in another car, and aren't able to use in family driving. Something lesser (but still nice) would give you ample performance for a "normal" car but not frustrate on costs.
Getting a 5k+ maintenance bill on an M5/E63/RS6 that just goes to Sainsburys and the tip is a bitter pill.
Getting a 5k+ maintenance bill on an M5/E63/RS6 that just goes to Sainsburys and the tip is a bitter pill.
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