ISF vs. S4 comparison
04-27-17, 08:42 AM
#1
ISF vs. S4 comparison
Today marks 4 years since the ISF Mega Meet which I arranged with my buddy Kevin (vbb on the forum). It took nearly 6 months of coordination, reaching out directly to owners via PM, text, Facebook. In the end it was worth it, we were able to color coordinate and got some sick pictures. For new ISF owners check it out here --> https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...ver-de-34.html
Anyways, I recently went to the dark side and picked up a Sprint Blue 2011 S4 w/ Prestige package, 6MT last month, so i wanted to compare it to the ISF that I owned for 4 years (2011-2015). Of course I got blue, to remind me of USB! I will never forget my F, as it was the first performance car I owned. Had a bit of nostalgia so I had to post...
Reliability: I have noticed oil consumption right off the bat within the first 1500mi. Didn't notice any with the F. Thermostats tend to go on the 2010-2012 S4's. Water pump too, but the ISF was notorious for that as well. My F had it changed under warranty. Touch screen was also replaced under warranty in the F. Winner: F by a smidge.
Speed: The S4 has linear power due to the supercharger, and AWD helps it off the line, Banging gears with the manual trans is fun so it feels faster than the F but as you get into the triple digits the F takes it. You could obviously apply a tune to the S4 (Stage 1, 2) and it will be faster but at that point you are compromising reliability. You can easily go I/H/E with an F and reliability only gets marginally worse in the F. Winner: F
Luxury: The MMI in the Audi is awesome. I added a bluetooth audio streaming device and it works well. You can check oil level inside the car and control the timing for the lights, the nav has traffic, and a slew of other things I am forgetting. The S4 is offered in more interior options and color combos, I really like the alcantara. The sport seats feel comparable in both cars. The carbon fiber trim definitely sets Audi apart. I prefer the look of the digital gauges in the Audi as opposed to later model F's. Winner: S4
Fun factor: This is a matter of opinion but the 6speed gearbox is amazing in the Audi. It is definitely more fun to rev match on your own as opposed to the F direct-shift auto. Winner: S4 by a mile
Sound: Nothing beats a straight-piped V8 (maybe the V10 or V12 in Lambos). Not even V6 supercharger whine. To date, the ISF is one of my favorite sounding cars, ever. Winner: F
Sound system: The Bang & Olufsen in the Audi is great. Sound is more crisp and is definitely capable of more bass than the Mark Levinson in the F. Winner: S4
Space: At my current driving position people can sit behind me comfortably. In the F, that was impossible, I had to sit closer to the steering wheel, which was annoying. Trunk space is comparable and the Audi seats are 60/40, so it folds down. I think the F only had pass-thru in the middle, plus it only seated 4. The Audi seats 5. Winner: S4
Year-round driveability: I know many F owners have driven their car in snow with Blizzaks but there is nothing like AWD. Nothing beats being able to drive on all-season tires all-year round, not having to change tires until they are worn. And you can also rotate tires on the Audi, prolonging the life of them. Winner: S4
Re-sale value: The F has been discontinued and way less F's were produced than S4's, so they are holding fairly steady. However, the 6spd S4's are also holding their values since the manual trans is being phased out. The F wins here since there are less on the market, making them more exclusive. Winner: F
Looks: This is really a toss-up for me, and is highly subjective. Audi was the first to have the LED strip out front, and I still love it, coupled with the fogs the car looks mean. With the F you have the 10-spoke BBS-forged wheels and the quad tail pipes, which they were the first to do. Now super cars are copying them. Winner: Tie
Hope that helps prospective buyers that may go to the dark side
, now onto some pics.
Anyways, I recently went to the dark side and picked up a Sprint Blue 2011 S4 w/ Prestige package, 6MT last month, so i wanted to compare it to the ISF that I owned for 4 years (2011-2015). Of course I got blue, to remind me of USB! I will never forget my F, as it was the first performance car I owned. Had a bit of nostalgia so I had to post...
Reliability: I have noticed oil consumption right off the bat within the first 1500mi. Didn't notice any with the F. Thermostats tend to go on the 2010-2012 S4's. Water pump too, but the ISF was notorious for that as well. My F had it changed under warranty. Touch screen was also replaced under warranty in the F. Winner: F by a smidge.
Speed: The S4 has linear power due to the supercharger, and AWD helps it off the line, Banging gears with the manual trans is fun so it feels faster than the F but as you get into the triple digits the F takes it. You could obviously apply a tune to the S4 (Stage 1, 2) and it will be faster but at that point you are compromising reliability. You can easily go I/H/E with an F and reliability only gets marginally worse in the F. Winner: F
Luxury: The MMI in the Audi is awesome. I added a bluetooth audio streaming device and it works well. You can check oil level inside the car and control the timing for the lights, the nav has traffic, and a slew of other things I am forgetting. The S4 is offered in more interior options and color combos, I really like the alcantara. The sport seats feel comparable in both cars. The carbon fiber trim definitely sets Audi apart. I prefer the look of the digital gauges in the Audi as opposed to later model F's. Winner: S4
Fun factor: This is a matter of opinion but the 6speed gearbox is amazing in the Audi. It is definitely more fun to rev match on your own as opposed to the F direct-shift auto. Winner: S4 by a mile
Sound: Nothing beats a straight-piped V8 (maybe the V10 or V12 in Lambos). Not even V6 supercharger whine. To date, the ISF is one of my favorite sounding cars, ever. Winner: F
Sound system: The Bang & Olufsen in the Audi is great. Sound is more crisp and is definitely capable of more bass than the Mark Levinson in the F. Winner: S4
Space: At my current driving position people can sit behind me comfortably. In the F, that was impossible, I had to sit closer to the steering wheel, which was annoying. Trunk space is comparable and the Audi seats are 60/40, so it folds down. I think the F only had pass-thru in the middle, plus it only seated 4. The Audi seats 5. Winner: S4
Year-round driveability: I know many F owners have driven their car in snow with Blizzaks but there is nothing like AWD. Nothing beats being able to drive on all-season tires all-year round, not having to change tires until they are worn. And you can also rotate tires on the Audi, prolonging the life of them. Winner: S4
Re-sale value: The F has been discontinued and way less F's were produced than S4's, so they are holding fairly steady. However, the 6spd S4's are also holding their values since the manual trans is being phased out. The F wins here since there are less on the market, making them more exclusive. Winner: F
Looks: This is really a toss-up for me, and is highly subjective. Audi was the first to have the LED strip out front, and I still love it, coupled with the fogs the car looks mean. With the F you have the 10-spoke BBS-forged wheels and the quad tail pipes, which they were the first to do. Now super cars are copying them. Winner: Tie
Hope that helps prospective buyers that may go to the dark side
, now onto some pics.
Last edited by VtotheJ; 04-27-17 at 08:58 AM.
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JPxMODz (04-27-17)
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04-27-17, 12:40 PM
#11
S4 is a completely different car, 2011+ ISF has different suspension....not sure how comparison can be lot different there
Last edited by kolyan; 04-27-17 at 12:47 PM.
04-27-17, 12:46 PM
#12
04-27-17, 12:56 PM
#14
