hi Folks,

I have several questions, I hope you don't mind me creating a topic. I coudn't find what I was looking for using search.

I currently own a Lexus IS-350, I traded in a 1999 M3 convertible for it.

I'm thinking of buying an S4 Audio, sedan, 2007. I have a bunch of questions and I hope you won't mind answering!

1. Bose audio... I have a Mark Levinson system in the Lexus and the quality is out of this world. What do you all think of the bose? Any idea of how many speakers in the car, and how many watts the amp puts out?

2. A/C. I heard the A/C for the rear passengers isn't so good. Any comments? I heard the same about the heating.

3. Speed.. I'm thinking of getting the tiptronic. Have any of you used it? How do you like it?

4. Negatives. Please let me know all the negatives you can think of!!!

5. Positives. I'm told that it handles incredilby well in the snow. Is that true? I'm sure the interior is pretty hot, I'll find out on Saturday when I go look at it.

I really appreciate any comments you can share w/ me, mostly negatives. I'll be able to figure out the positives as soon as I get in the car. The other reason I'm asking is because I'm having trouble finding professional reviews for the 2007. I suppose that's because it's the same as the 2006, but I don't know that for sure. I also don't know if there were any improvements or refreshes between those years.

Thanks!

Dave

 

Dave
I have an '08 S4, not sure how much has changed for this year. But...to your questions...
The Bose system is quite good.
The rear seats are very cramped, the heat seems OK back there. I haven't used the AC with passengers so far.
I have the Tiptronic. Mostly, I use the usual drive setting. In the mountains and especially downhill the tip works very well.
Negatives....for me the ride is too harsh. Unfortunately, there is not a selection to soften the ride as there is with the BMWs.
I'm hoping to improve that with new 17" winter tires (it came with 18" summer tires), and I may look at aftermarket shocks with the next service interval.
The V8 is strong and sounds great.
Good luck
Don
Colorado

 

I'm just chiming in about the Mark Levinson question. There is no way that the Bose will be even close to the Mark Levinson in the Lexus. The Mark Levinson system is known to be one of the best car audio systems on the market, while the Bose....isn't.

These days Bose is unjustifiably overpriced in most cases. Don't get me wrong, the Bose is/will be good, but it really won't be at the level of the Mark Levinson you have now, especially because Lexus is obsessive compulsive about sound proofing, noise intrusion, etc.

Any review I hear about the Mark Levinson is that it's, for lack of a better term, bloody brilliant. The quality, sound reproduction, sound stage are all almost flawless, while you never hear such praise for Bose in any form.

That's ofcourse a very subjective opinion, and I haven't personally heard a Levinson system, so don't take my complete word for it, though I'm pretty sure you'll agree come Saturday.

*Edit*
I'm a little curious as to why you're trading for the S4? The IS350 is a gorgeous and awesome car. I love S4s as much as the next Audi enthusiast, but the IS350 really is a nice machine. Just wondering, ofcourse.

 

Personally I love my B7. The ride is definately a little harsh, but it's a sports sedan so I live with it. Actually mine is even a little worse w/ PSS9's and 20" wheels, but looks and handles amazing. Also this is one of the best sounding cars I've owned w/ only a catback exhaust it has the rumble ofa mustang w/ flowmasters and no drone on the highway. Overall a great car.

 

Well, I agree, overall it is a great car. The only other car I've driven that sounds close is the Maserati Coupe with a similar V8.
Here in Colorado, the Quattro makes more sense than a rear wheel drive Maserati. So that is why I went for the S4.
Good luck with the test drive.
Don

 

I have had myB7 S4 for a little over a year and am in the process of doing many upgrades. One is to the stereo because I find that while the Bose system is okay at low volumes, you can't turn it up without getting a lot of distortion. The bass is weak. So, I'm replacing all the speakers, getting an amp, etc. Not a cheap thing to do as the labor cost is high if you want it done right.

The A/C is decent but it has no vents to the back seats so it doesn't pump much back there. It's also pretty cramped unless you move the front seats up.

I like automatics just for the ease and comfort while commuting, but on the 05.5 the paddles shift pretty slow. I think they may have put a quicker shifter in the later models.

I like the handling but when you first flick it into a corner the lean is pretty bad. I put in a rear swaybar which helped a lot, but going with PSS9s to improve it more. The ride is pretty hard, but that's the tradeoff for handling.

I realize this post sounds kind of negative, but that's what you asked for. All in all, I LOVE this car. The interior is the best I've seen in this class - it's just cool lookin' and has a ton of gadgets. It's all a taste thing, but to me it's a great look and feel. The Ricarros are sweet, the dash is high tech and wraps around you, it's not cheap looking like some other cars I've seen, etc. I test drove the IS-350 before I bought the S4 and there is no comparison. They are very different cars, and it'll just depend on what your priorities are when you go to choose.

Good luck and let us know where you end up!