View Poll Results: Should I get an S4, SRT8 or stick with Lexus GS350 F-Sport AWD?
Voters: 38. You may not vote on this poll
Am I crazy to consider a S4 or SRT8?
04-07-14, 04:53 AM
#17
I wouldn't pay MSRP for any car on the market. LOL. It's funny I hated the fact that the car I was interested in was considered the "Baby Bently", "Hood Rich", ect... I kept the exterior of mine stock (didn't want to do anything exterior wise anyway) Also I opted for one w/ OEM 20's and NO aftermarket grill.
I love the design of the 300C in the Hemi/SRT8 rendition. Low sloped roof line make it look like it was chopped, that timeless brick design w/ boxed out fenders really fit that big body sedan profile I liked. The SRT version had a V8, and all the modifications I did to my Sport Design standard. The 12' even has a Black/Saddle color combo.
I really enjoy the car. Wanted to get a Jeep SRT8 but they were sill in the high +20's. And didn't feel I would be a good fit for an SUV right now. I will get one eventually though if more room is needed. If you can get over the acres of synthetic materials on the interior the options and features of the 1st gen SRT's are on par with same year Lexus options.
OP, If it were me I would jump on the opportunity to get a 12' SRT8 Jeep w/ 7yr,100,000 warranty. Just note like the Lexus, all accessory suspension components are prone to fail (ball joints, tie rod ends, sway bar links, ect) So upgrade them or replace w/ Moog parts.
I love the design of the 300C in the Hemi/SRT8 rendition. Low sloped roof line make it look like it was chopped, that timeless brick design w/ boxed out fenders really fit that big body sedan profile I liked. The SRT version had a V8, and all the modifications I did to my Sport Design standard. The 12' even has a Black/Saddle color combo.
I really enjoy the car. Wanted to get a Jeep SRT8 but they were sill in the high +20's. And didn't feel I would be a good fit for an SUV right now. I will get one eventually though if more room is needed. If you can get over the acres of synthetic materials on the interior the options and features of the 1st gen SRT's are on par with same year Lexus options.
OP, If it were me I would jump on the opportunity to get a 12' SRT8 Jeep w/ 7yr,100,000 warranty. Just note like the Lexus, all accessory suspension components are prone to fail (ball joints, tie rod ends, sway bar links, ect) So upgrade them or replace w/ Moog parts.
04-07-14, 12:56 PM
#19
It was well thought out. It came with bilstein suspension, front and rear brembos, forged 20's and the SRT is about an inch lower than base models. Lip kit stock, brake ducts built into the bumpers for air flow. 3 inch exhaust w/ x pipe stock. Shorty headers, etc..... I could go on and on.... Handles as good as my TRD/Tom's braced GS. I love it.
04-07-14, 07:53 PM
#20
It was well thought out. It came with bilstein suspension, front and rear brembos, forged 20's and the SRT is about an inch lower than base models. Lip kit stock, brake ducts built into the bumpers for air flow. 3 inch exhaust w/ x pipe stock. Shorty headers, etc..... I could go on and on.... Handles as good as my TRD/Tom's braced GS. I love it.
04-08-14, 05:01 PM
#21
Yes. It was performance designed as I would have done (if I modified it) right from the factory. All the above was standard. Only options were 8 speaker Kicker system (which I added) , Navi , Sunroof, park sensors, blue tooth connection, rear DVD entertainment)
The SRT I purchased was loaded except for the Kicker system which I swapped out. (came with the Boston Acoustics system) .
I plan to do a Corsa Exhaust and slightly more aggressive camshaft.
The SRT I purchased was loaded except for the Kicker system which I swapped out. (came with the Boston Acoustics system) .
I plan to do a Corsa Exhaust and slightly more aggressive camshaft.
04-09-14, 07:52 AM
#22
At the end of the day it is entirely up to you, your dire taste and what you can afford. None of these guys are walking into the lot with you offering to take out an auto loan based on their credit worthiness. Go with your gut. Go with what you want and what you know will be as satisfying to you as your GS was. Many options out there. Based on the cars you mentioned, I personally wouldn't purchase neither of them. But again, my opinion doesn't matter much. Good luck to you..
05-25-14, 07:28 PM
#23
Instructor
Thread Starter
I drove a new '14 Grand Cherokee SRT over the weekend and was underwhelmed: I'm not a new buyer @ ~$70k.
Cons (or at least stuff that isn't a clear pro):
* Mainly, I wasn't blown away by its performance. I'm at >4k' and it wasn't broken-in, so it was probably only doing low 5's to 60. With 470hp under the hood, I was more than a little dismayed. Granted I didn't use Launch Mode, which I understand delivers a bit more performance - but, it's only available off the line and cuts out of Launch Mode the second the driver takes off full throttle.
* I was also disappointed on the material choices beginning at knee-level and down - that's where the bean counters' favorite hard plastics resided. For ~$70k, I expected more. Aside from the optional Elmo (wow, soft!) and the Alcantara fuzzy headliner, it was a lot of the same stuff in an entry-level Laredo.
* Found it odd to have to work the tranny paddles overtime to drop it from 8th to something like 3rd or 4th to get any noticeable engine braking. It's probably a fact of life with modern trannys and one that I'd get used to over time.
* Also, the A-pillar is incredibly fat and significantly hampers visibility on left-handers. I'd like to think that I'd get over it, but think that "getting over it" means either driving kinda blind or having to squirm around trying to keep an eye on what's coming.
* Finally, I'm just not ready to be a test case for the "new and improved" Jeep / Chrysler / Fiat product line. I didn't have to dig too deeply online to find plenty of current reasons not to buy (JD Power, Consumer Reports, etc). Online owner's forums have a more favorable opinion, but it's still far from great.
Pro's:
* Looks great; better in person than pics.
* Lots of room in the backseat and enough useable room for me in the cargo area.
* Nav was easy to use with good graphics. Seemed like a fair number of cool features, but a HUD would be a nice addition. Hard to believe, but their online service only costs $15/yr. Seems too good to be true.
* Engine fires up and settles into a nice little burble. Also makes cool backfiring sounds when I'd get out of the throttle somewhat abruptly. However, planting the throttle only yielded a pretty good - not great - sound.
* The 8spd tranny was smooth and I liked the rev-matching downshifts. Up and down shifts were smooth and not noticeable.
* Definitely a smooth ride and the suspension never complained on bad roads, speed bumps or dips. I tried!
* It was also quiet when I was off the throttle just cruising, which was a nice thing.
All in all, I can't bring myself to pay that much for the Jeep. An SQ5 and S4 is less with a nicer interior.
Next? Audi dealership. I expect to be wow'd by their product, but ultimately find myself unwilling to roll the dice on their reliability.
Reality? I wouldn't be surprised if my future short list only included a '13 LS460 awd, '13-14 GS350 awd. Why can't Lexus make something awd with some ******* muscle?! The '13 LX570 might be a long shot.
Opinions always welcomed!
Cons (or at least stuff that isn't a clear pro):
* Mainly, I wasn't blown away by its performance. I'm at >4k' and it wasn't broken-in, so it was probably only doing low 5's to 60. With 470hp under the hood, I was more than a little dismayed. Granted I didn't use Launch Mode, which I understand delivers a bit more performance - but, it's only available off the line and cuts out of Launch Mode the second the driver takes off full throttle.
* I was also disappointed on the material choices beginning at knee-level and down - that's where the bean counters' favorite hard plastics resided. For ~$70k, I expected more. Aside from the optional Elmo (wow, soft!) and the Alcantara fuzzy headliner, it was a lot of the same stuff in an entry-level Laredo.
* Found it odd to have to work the tranny paddles overtime to drop it from 8th to something like 3rd or 4th to get any noticeable engine braking. It's probably a fact of life with modern trannys and one that I'd get used to over time.
* Also, the A-pillar is incredibly fat and significantly hampers visibility on left-handers. I'd like to think that I'd get over it, but think that "getting over it" means either driving kinda blind or having to squirm around trying to keep an eye on what's coming.
* Finally, I'm just not ready to be a test case for the "new and improved" Jeep / Chrysler / Fiat product line. I didn't have to dig too deeply online to find plenty of current reasons not to buy (JD Power, Consumer Reports, etc). Online owner's forums have a more favorable opinion, but it's still far from great.
Pro's:
* Looks great; better in person than pics.
* Lots of room in the backseat and enough useable room for me in the cargo area.
* Nav was easy to use with good graphics. Seemed like a fair number of cool features, but a HUD would be a nice addition. Hard to believe, but their online service only costs $15/yr. Seems too good to be true.
* Engine fires up and settles into a nice little burble. Also makes cool backfiring sounds when I'd get out of the throttle somewhat abruptly. However, planting the throttle only yielded a pretty good - not great - sound.
* The 8spd tranny was smooth and I liked the rev-matching downshifts. Up and down shifts were smooth and not noticeable.
* Definitely a smooth ride and the suspension never complained on bad roads, speed bumps or dips. I tried!
* It was also quiet when I was off the throttle just cruising, which was a nice thing.
All in all, I can't bring myself to pay that much for the Jeep. An SQ5 and S4 is less with a nicer interior.
Next? Audi dealership. I expect to be wow'd by their product, but ultimately find myself unwilling to roll the dice on their reliability.
Reality? I wouldn't be surprised if my future short list only included a '13 LS460 awd, '13-14 GS350 awd. Why can't Lexus make something awd with some ******* muscle?! The '13 LX570 might be a long shot.
Opinions always welcomed!
Last edited by Johnny Rad; 06-09-14 at 08:31 PM.
05-26-14, 03:21 PM
#28
I drove a new '14 Grand Cherokee SRT over the weekend and was underwhelmed: I'm not a new buyer @ ~$70k.
Cons (or at least stuff that isn't a clear pro):
* Mainly, I wasn't blown away by its performance. I'm at >4k' and it wasn't broken-in, so it was probably only doing low 5's to 60. With 470hp under the hood, I was more than a little dismayed. Granted I didn't use Launch Mode, which I understand delivers a bit more performance - but, it's only available off the line and cuts out of Launch Mode the second the driver takes off full throttle.
* I was also disappointed on the material choices beginning at knee-level and down - that's where the bean counters' favorite hard plastics resided. For ~$70k, I expected more. Aside from the optional Elmo (wow, soft!) and the Alcantara fuzzy headliner, it was a lot of the same stuff in an entry-level Laredo.
* Found it odd to have to work the tranny paddles overtime to drop it from 8th to something like 3rd or 4th to get any noticeable engine braking. It's probably a fact of life with modern trannys and one that I'd get used to over time.
* Also, the A-pillar is incredibly fat and significantly hampers visibility on left-handers. I'd like to think that I'd get over it, but think that "getting over it" means either driving kinda blind or having to squirm around trying to keep an eye on what's coming.
* Finally, I'm just not ready to be a test case for the "new and improved" Jeep / Chrysler / Fiat product line. I didn't have to dig too deeply online to find plenty of current reasons not to buy (JD Power, Consumer Reports, etc). Online owner's forums have a more favorable opinion, but it's still far from great.
Pro's:
* Looks great; better in person than pics.
* Lots of room in the backseat and enough useable room for me in the cargo area.
* Nav was easy to use with good graphics. Seemed like a fair number of cool features, but a HUD would be a nice addition. Hard to believe, but their online service only costs $15/yr. Seems too good to be true.
* Engine fires up and settles into a nice little burble. Also makes cool backfiring sounds when I'd get out of the throttle somewhat abruptly. However, planting the throttle only yielded a pretty good - not great - sound.
* The 8spd tranny was smooth and I liked the rev-matching downshifts. Up and down shifts were smooth and not noticeable.
* Definitely a smooth ride and the suspension never complained on bad roads, speed bumps or dips. I tried!
* It was also quiet when I was off the throttle just cruising, which was a nice thing.
All in all, I can't bring myself to pay that much for the Jeep. An SQ5 and S4 is less with a nicer interior.
Next? Audi dealership. I expect to be wow'd by their product, but ultimately find myself unwilling to roll the doc on their reliability.
Reality? I wouldn't be surprised if my future short list only included a '13 LS460 awd, '13-14 GS350 awd. Why can't Lexus make something awd with some ******* muscle?! The '13 LX570 might be a long shot.
Opinions always welcomed!
Cons (or at least stuff that isn't a clear pro):
* Mainly, I wasn't blown away by its performance. I'm at >4k' and it wasn't broken-in, so it was probably only doing low 5's to 60. With 470hp under the hood, I was more than a little dismayed. Granted I didn't use Launch Mode, which I understand delivers a bit more performance - but, it's only available off the line and cuts out of Launch Mode the second the driver takes off full throttle.
* I was also disappointed on the material choices beginning at knee-level and down - that's where the bean counters' favorite hard plastics resided. For ~$70k, I expected more. Aside from the optional Elmo (wow, soft!) and the Alcantara fuzzy headliner, it was a lot of the same stuff in an entry-level Laredo.
* Found it odd to have to work the tranny paddles overtime to drop it from 8th to something like 3rd or 4th to get any noticeable engine braking. It's probably a fact of life with modern trannys and one that I'd get used to over time.
* Also, the A-pillar is incredibly fat and significantly hampers visibility on left-handers. I'd like to think that I'd get over it, but think that "getting over it" means either driving kinda blind or having to squirm around trying to keep an eye on what's coming.
* Finally, I'm just not ready to be a test case for the "new and improved" Jeep / Chrysler / Fiat product line. I didn't have to dig too deeply online to find plenty of current reasons not to buy (JD Power, Consumer Reports, etc). Online owner's forums have a more favorable opinion, but it's still far from great.
Pro's:
* Looks great; better in person than pics.
* Lots of room in the backseat and enough useable room for me in the cargo area.
* Nav was easy to use with good graphics. Seemed like a fair number of cool features, but a HUD would be a nice addition. Hard to believe, but their online service only costs $15/yr. Seems too good to be true.
* Engine fires up and settles into a nice little burble. Also makes cool backfiring sounds when I'd get out of the throttle somewhat abruptly. However, planting the throttle only yielded a pretty good - not great - sound.
* The 8spd tranny was smooth and I liked the rev-matching downshifts. Up and down shifts were smooth and not noticeable.
* Definitely a smooth ride and the suspension never complained on bad roads, speed bumps or dips. I tried!
* It was also quiet when I was off the throttle just cruising, which was a nice thing.
All in all, I can't bring myself to pay that much for the Jeep. An SQ5 and S4 is less with a nicer interior.
Next? Audi dealership. I expect to be wow'd by their product, but ultimately find myself unwilling to roll the doc on their reliability.
Reality? I wouldn't be surprised if my future short list only included a '13 LS460 awd, '13-14 GS350 awd. Why can't Lexus make something awd with some ******* muscle?! The '13 LX570 might be a long shot.
Opinions always welcomed!
06-09-14, 08:29 PM
#30
Instructor
Thread Starter
I drove a new '14 Audi S4 last week was quite impressed, but it's a driver's car and not a lux car. I appreciate lux and want hi-performance. Did I say I was impressed?! It's a really impressive driver's car. 
Pro's:
* Feels as good as it looks. Audi spent it's $ wisely on the cabin materials and it shows. Seats were firm without being overly boy racer hard. Soft touch materials throughout. Overall, very impressive.
* Looks as good as it feels. Loads of subtle, classy chrome accents throughout the cabin (like the edges of buttons, switchgear, etc). Overall, very impressive.
* It really moves when the hammer goes down. Beat it with a stick and it turns out a healthy soundtrack (not sure, but I hope Audi isn't piping in a fake engine noise into the cabin ala BMW). Otherwise, it's happy to calmly and quietly motor about town. Overall, very impressive.
* Handles ~48x better than my 2GS4, but that was to be expected. It's a firm, but not jarring ride (std suspension and not the optional adaptive air susp). I didn't drive it too crazy, but it absolutely goes where it's pointed and the salesman said I was far, far, far from the edge much less stressing the optional sports diff. Overall, very impressive.
* Rev matching downshifts on the 8spd auto were EPIC. Zero complaints. Unlike the Jeep SRT's 8spd where I had to bang away with multiple downshifts (3?) to finally get some compression braking, the Audi seemed to only need 2 downshifts. Overall, very impressive.
Con's:
* No Avant. Salesman says they never sold well-enough for Audi to keep 'em coming to America. I knew the S4 wasn't available in a wagon, but it was sad to hear it won't change anytime soon. Minor bummer.
* The back seats fold down, but I'm not convinced my 29er MTB will fit since the "rear windshield shelf" stays put. My road bike will fit. I'm not a bike rack guy, so that's not an option. Probably do-able "as is." (Yes, both fit in the backseat of my GS one at a time with the front tires removed, though the MTB is a darn tight fit. No, I'm not damaging a thing doing it either. Promise!)
* No a/c or ventilated seats. Big downer. It's available in just about everything these days.
* Their new partnership with Google maps is a misnomer. As I understand, its nav never uses google maps to show you where to go (it instead uses another, far less pretty source for maps). For $30/mo, you can get Internet in the car and use it as a wifi hotspot. What I expected would be a cool pro, is a big downer.
* No remote start, but aftermarket is available on the auto I suspect. Probably no biggie.
Bottomline, I can't / don't trust it for long-term reliability. Still toying with it, but it's probably out.
While it fares better in CR reliability than the Jeep, it's certainly no Toyo / Lexus (then again, what is?!). When I asked the salesman about suspect reliability, he blamed Asian suppliers of computers, relays, etc. After that, all I heard was blah, blah, blah. Give me a break.
Next up? Hmm, probably a '13-14 GS350 AWD and '13 LS460 F-Sport AWD. Too bad neither give me any straight line performance improvement or mpg improvement.
A CTS-V Sport Wagon is calling my name, but I think I'd try a year of snow tires on my GS before buying another RWD. Just to be sure, you know.
Pro's:
* Feels as good as it looks. Audi spent it's $ wisely on the cabin materials and it shows. Seats were firm without being overly boy racer hard. Soft touch materials throughout. Overall, very impressive.
* Looks as good as it feels. Loads of subtle, classy chrome accents throughout the cabin (like the edges of buttons, switchgear, etc). Overall, very impressive.
* It really moves when the hammer goes down. Beat it with a stick and it turns out a healthy soundtrack (not sure, but I hope Audi isn't piping in a fake engine noise into the cabin ala BMW). Otherwise, it's happy to calmly and quietly motor about town. Overall, very impressive.
* Handles ~48x better than my 2GS4, but that was to be expected. It's a firm, but not jarring ride (std suspension and not the optional adaptive air susp). I didn't drive it too crazy, but it absolutely goes where it's pointed and the salesman said I was far, far, far from the edge much less stressing the optional sports diff. Overall, very impressive.
* Rev matching downshifts on the 8spd auto were EPIC. Zero complaints. Unlike the Jeep SRT's 8spd where I had to bang away with multiple downshifts (3?) to finally get some compression braking, the Audi seemed to only need 2 downshifts. Overall, very impressive.
Con's:
* No Avant. Salesman says they never sold well-enough for Audi to keep 'em coming to America. I knew the S4 wasn't available in a wagon, but it was sad to hear it won't change anytime soon. Minor bummer.
* The back seats fold down, but I'm not convinced my 29er MTB will fit since the "rear windshield shelf" stays put. My road bike will fit. I'm not a bike rack guy, so that's not an option. Probably do-able "as is." (Yes, both fit in the backseat of my GS one at a time with the front tires removed, though the MTB is a darn tight fit. No, I'm not damaging a thing doing it either. Promise!)
* No a/c or ventilated seats. Big downer. It's available in just about everything these days.
* Their new partnership with Google maps is a misnomer. As I understand, its nav never uses google maps to show you where to go (it instead uses another, far less pretty source for maps). For $30/mo, you can get Internet in the car and use it as a wifi hotspot. What I expected would be a cool pro, is a big downer.
* No remote start, but aftermarket is available on the auto I suspect. Probably no biggie.
Bottomline, I can't / don't trust it for long-term reliability. Still toying with it, but it's probably out.
While it fares better in CR reliability than the Jeep, it's certainly no Toyo / Lexus (then again, what is?!). When I asked the salesman about suspect reliability, he blamed Asian suppliers of computers, relays, etc. After that, all I heard was blah, blah, blah. Give me a break.
Next up? Hmm, probably a '13-14 GS350 AWD and '13 LS460 F-Sport AWD. Too bad neither give me any straight line performance improvement or mpg improvement.
A CTS-V Sport Wagon is calling my name, but I think I'd try a year of snow tires on my GS before buying another RWD. Just to be sure, you know.
