Audi S4 B9 vs B8.5 | What's The Difference?

[@tim3172]

Ha, I also had a 2014 S4 and currently have a 2018 S4. Verdict for me after owning one for 3 years and the other for a year and a half: B8.5 transmission sucks at low-speeds (jerky as hell) and when approaching a stoplight, slowing down (car thinks you're stopping and pre-selects lower gear) then accelerating with a huuuuuge lag and other scenarios where it can't predict which gear. B8.5 infotainment is very outdated. The 3G connection and searching and even browsing an iPod is slow, slow slow. The reverse-turn dial is maddening. B8.5 is infinitely easier to park and judge distances for me, something about the glass or the shape of the car, not sure. The exhaust sound is much better in the B8.5. The dynamic mode looses it up (pull the fuse to deactivate the soundaktor) and it sounds great. The low-speed judder (crank the wheel to either side and accelerate such as a u-turn) is... shocking on the B8.5. It elicited many 'what's wrong with your car???' responses from passengers. This issue doesn't exist in the B9. I specifically tested this several times on the test drive, the guy thought I was nuts. I experienced no mechanical issues over 30,000 miles in mine. I did have one blown speaker and that was the only warranty usage. The 19" 'Peeler' style wheels are tedious and time-consuming to keep clean. The brake dust at the front is copious. Get either the 18" or the 19" rotor 5-spoke wheels to maintain your sanity. I miss the fog lights (front and back) from the B8.5, the B9 has front fog lights but they're integrated into the headlights for some reason and far less effective with none in the back. Minor thing but on the B8.5 the steering wheel says 'S4' The seats, gauge cluster, key fob, console, and door sills all say 'S4'. On the B9 everything says 'S' so they can save $3 on emblems. The B9 has many issues with the stereo system having electronic gremlins (not just mine) including issues with disconnecting Carplay and subwoofers being 'unavailable'. I HATE the electronic shifter. Stupidest crap ever put in a car. The straight back mechanical B8.5 shifter is almost perfect (minus the fact that the +/- on the pattern is the wrong way on both). The infotainment is spectacular, near perfect. The price of the subscription to Audi Connect is half the cost of my insurance or 3x the old Audi Connect price. The B9 when in comfort mode is very laggy and unresponsive. Putting drive select into 'auto' clears that right up. Dynamic is very aggressive and I hardly ever use it. The ride is a ton better on the B9 (both cars with fixed suspension, never driven one with... air? magnetic? whatever, adjustable suspension). The seats, massage feature (standard), interior, the fact that the screen is in your direct line of sight, pedal placement, every ergonomic everything is better in the B9. There is also a lot more room for the driver and especially rear seat room. I prefer the 8 speed ZF transmission in almost all driving scenarios to the DSG. If you're driving it hard there might be a minor difference if you really pay attention. Why did they use crappy plastic paddle shifters? The old one had nice metal ones that felt expensive. Maybe they were too expensive... The sound system (both B&O, never heard a standard of either... tho the B9 only comes with B&0 at this time) is so much better than the old 14-speaker setup which was flat and clinical. The HUD is friggin brilliant and I'll never own a car without one. Virtual cockpit is great but the HUD is awesome. I haven't had any issues with this car, either. The 'Driver assistance package' is... convenient if you're an extremely attentive drive and dangerous unless you're 100% paying attention. I've had several near-crash experiences that were only attributable to DAP making a poor executive decision. Radar cruise anchor while doing 65 on the highway for no obvious reason. It stopped me mid-way through a left (tons and tons of time to do so safely), bogged down, stopped, I had to floor it to prevent getting hit. There are 3 other occurrences I could mention but this is turning into a dissertation. Verdict on DAP: hard pass. The driving experience I depends on your perspective. The B8.5 has a more hunkered-down road hugger feel that runs out of grip sooner and the B9 is lighter on its feet and more agile. On both cars with the standard 19" summer tires the lifetime is short. I burned through a set of tires on each in 8k miles on the B8.5 and at 8.5k it was 'highly recommended' I replace them on the B9. Judging from my 'dynamic is too aggressive comment' I didn't drive either that hard. I replaced them with all-seasons which on the B8.5 wore just 10-20% in the remaining 22k miles with no discernible difference in handling. I put the all-seasons on the B9 last week so I hope they're not gone just yet. The B8.5 was Prestige + sport diff + 19" Peeler. The B9 is Prestige + black optics package + carbon fiber interior + cold weather package + driver assistance package (DAP). My verdict: B9 without DAP would be my ideal config.

[@Hisham23633]

Wow, interesting, especially the part about how the older paddle shifters felt more premium.

[@snakerb]

Tim wow! You left nothing out. Totally worth the read

[@a1credita148]

Nice read!

[@Rv6flyer]

My b9 s4 has rear fog lights. They got rid of it a couple months into production.

[@tim3172]

​@@Rv6flyer I did not know any of the US B9's came with rear fogs. I do know that the first few had two grocery hooks and two LED bulbs in the trunk vs later ones (mine included) which has a single LED light and grocery hook on the right side.

[@wezeyp6362]

Is it weird or just me but I’ll still Would take the B8.5 over the B9.

[@M1kel-Ferg]

new doesn't always mean better

[@lama6736]

RS7 APR I'm with ya, S4 was always subtle but the B9 almost looks rental car subtle to me.

[@laynedingman9707]

I agree. Interior on the B9 looks spectacular but everything else about the B8.5 is more attractive. Supercharged vs turbo engine, manual transmission option, and the body lines are much more dynamic. The B9 looks a little too blocky to me, like the design would be more fitting on the A8/S8 but just doesn't work well on the relatively compact S4. Side by side in this video the B9 looks much larger and I'm not sure how much of that is the dimension increase and how much is illusion. Overall, I'm considering trading a MK7 Golf R on a B8.5 and that supercharged engine is one of the biggest factors as I'm sick of turbo lag. I wouldn't even consider trading and paying so much for a B9 to essentially just have more of the same.

[@Juganator]

Layne Dingman I have a MK7 GTI and was thinking of moving to a B8 S4. The DSG is somehow worse in the Audi and kills the driving experience for me. Feels sporty but when you’re everyday driving it feels pretty bad and even more sluggish than a MK7. Buzzing when at full lock is apparently a Quattro feature. Felt terrible. MK7 also has a nicer interior. B8 is kind of outdated at this point. You have to go through 5-6 screens just to connect your phone to Bluetooth. Takes two touches to do it on a MK7.

[@mujjuman]

@@M1kel-Ferg factssss

[@poisoNation]

B8.5 body with the B9 interior would be perfect, I think.

[@mujjuman]

agreeeeee

[@toddn.3123]

Also agreed

[@klubstompers]

But the screen placement is UGLY, looks like some taped a phablet to the dash. I guess they could not be bothered to engineer a motorized screen that comes out of the dash. Id much rather take the b8.5 with the alpine X702D-A4R head unit upgrade with the dvd control panel.

[@prosche407]

can't be more agreeeee

[@shekharmoona544]

"R8 and TT look the same" hilarious!!

[@Stanley4558]

eddie is a funny guy lol

[@mujjuman]

i know ppl who cant tell the diff

[@raywalteroutdoors]

I'm keeping my B8.5.

[@shastaweston]

Im planning on buy an updated OEM In dash screen upgrade to give it apple car play and back up camera. I bought a base model with the i4 Quattro for economy reasons. But The B9 isnnt bad either.

[@Jeckaa84]

B9 avant looks like a bigger A3 sportback to me. B8.5 looks a lot better imo.

[@mattn5160]

Having spent time in both cars, the B9 interior is much nicer than the B8.5, which is also holding up nicely after almost 10 years. Audi really is best-in class when it comes to interiors. Driving wise, the B8.5 is a much more visceral driving experience, but I may be biased. I currently own a manual 2016 B8.5 and found the B9 S4 to be a total snooze fest. It has become too refined to be fun and feels like a fast Camry.

[@klubstompers]

It is starting to look like one on the outside as well. Those headlights and tail lights are stupid.

[@Biloudu34]

Am i the only one who prefer the interior of the B 8.5 ?

[@chrisonaldo0936]

Yes b9 is brilliant

[@HISHAM931]

The B9 exterior looks wayy too sophisticated, gives off a Camry Vibe. The B8.5 has a sporty and aggressive look, same goes with the A4’s. The B9’s just don’t standout to me.

[@barrymccaulkiner8418]

I still prefer the b8.5. I'm really not a fan of the b9 styling at all.

[@anthonychu2359]

I hate my B9's cupholder location....

[@timthomas1327]

B8.5 looks better

[@beka-nz6jf]

Is new s4s interier long then olds? Different cm?

[@Someguy7488]

Turbo

[@joeherrjr]

B9 interior appears to have a lot of hard plastic. Not a fan of that.

[@ganuv]

I don’t agree with him at all about the interior, I think the interior of the B8.5 is much nicer than the B9.

[@paralelmind]

Funny, what i disliked the most in b8 & b8.5 was the interior.

[@Wanea91]

i don’t like when cars start to look more like a computer, those i love the interior and the dashboard of the b8.5, plus the front seats design looks much better on b8.5

[@minaguirguis8897]

I owned a 2013 b8.5 and miss the launch control of that car. How is the launch control of the B.9? is the acceleration of both cars the same (low grunt of the supercharger vs. the turbocharged)?

[@paulkelsey2458]

I drove a b9 s4 and immediately hopped in a 340i rwd, both auto. The s4 felt like it was on another league in every way, the transmission was smoother, steering feeback and precision was much better in dynamic, the ride was better, and the engine felt more dramatic. It just felt more refined. The only pro of the 340 was the better rear seat room, which is important to me. But I'm between the b8/8.5 and the 340i. I don't know how the b8 compares to the b9 in those areas, and aftermarket support/maintenance is also a factor too.

[@mujjuman]

my uncle had a b8.5 that was t-boned and totaled. he ended up getting a prius wtf

[@shastaweston]

lol Sounds like your uncle wasnt a car guy

[@mujjuman]

Shasta Weston definitely not! Still has that Prius

[@shastaweston]

mujjuman 😂

[@Heatcheck30]

Been supporting your channel since day 1. It'd be nice if you could provide some more quantitative centric reviews rather than just qualitative. You have an engineering background and work in the automotive industry. It could really differentiate you from your competition.

[@scottquattro4685]

I hate the new style centre screen it looks like a cheap stick on aftermarket satnav, much prefer my b8 intergrated centre mmi screen.

[@klubstompers]

yea, your gunna review a car and have your phablet taped to the dash?

[@funnyshit54321]

Its not suede, its Alcantara .

[@mujjuman]

thanks for this great video. the ZF8speed is amazing, better than dual clutch imo. rip manny tranny

[@alexbullis9003]

I have an employee lease on the B9 with all the dynamic options. I love the car so much.

[@Carlife929]

Alex Bullis I got the same thing, what bothers me about it, is the constant creaks and rattles coming from the doors, sunroof and headliner area. I thought I would be getting a higher quality car, since I was coming out of a 2015 335i, but nope, I’m getting out ASAP and going into a A7 or even Q8 since they’re actually where the quality interiors start.

[@taforth]

I’ve had a B8 for four years and have had my current B8.5 for almost 5 years now, as well as having test driven a B9 for a couple days. The B8s have a way better drivetrain, no question about it! The interior and exterior does look better on the B9 no question about that. It really comes down to your preference and how important the warranty is and how much money you have to spend. Lastly, I would also say that the B8.5 suspension got a little too soft, compared to the base B8 set-up, whereas the B9 is sharper than both.

[@Jeckaa84]

I find the suspension realy stiff on my b8.5. Mine does have s-line exterior tho.

[@rolexkings7747]

The older one looks better exteroir wise

[@lelel9480]

I would just stick a b9 cockpit in a b8-8.5

[@icecubeninja7932]

I have a b8.5 s4 and a b9 s5 sport back, and I prefer the older Bang and Olufsen in the b8.5. The new one lacks fullness and I even thought about taking it to a professional audio place and have them mess with it on the b9. The seats are really nice in the b9, in the b8.5, the leather is very slippery which isn’t my favorite. The engine in the b9 is super smooth compared to the b8.5. They had the A6 and A7 and such in mind when designing this engine and it is almost Too smooth and therefore too quiet. The b8 engine was a beast. It was loud and fast. The DSG is fast and nice. But the 8 speed is a lot smoother driving around. My b8 has 95k miles and haven’t had any issues, so I know that platform is reliable up to 100k, my b9 has 50k miles so it’s still a toss up reliability wise. ONE MORE THING, the b9 gets AMAZING MPG. better than my girlfriends bmw 328i which is a 4 banger. If you plan on modding or tuning, definitely choose b8.5. If a lot of highway driving and daily driving, then b9.

[@deeaikens9843]

Why did the s4 ever quit with V8s when the body styling was getting good? 😫

[@yankumarrah]

Because the 4.2 was was quitting before the the body style was getting good, the S5 is pretty much the last B chassis car with a V8. However if they made the 4.0T fit into a B chassis that would be GOD tier!

[@Eggsplanepls]

this is a very good video great idea because the cpo B8.5 are such a good deal rn. but some dealers have really good prices on the b9

[@xoxoxar]

I picked up a CPO 2015 S5 basically new for a steal 👊 I'm glad I got a dsg.

[@Eggsplanepls]

sarina ss im really considering one i have a 2013 civic si but i would definitely not mind trading it in for an s4

[@xoxoxar]

@@Eggsplanepls do itttt. They're great. Just get it inspected before you buy it 👍 super tuneable platform and very reliable

[@MohdNorhisham-jk4fz]

Bank dalate name ada x tanpa saya sedari

[@arnavisrager]

The fact that i had a b8.5 and now a b9

[@nc.detail]

Nice compare! I'm going on 16k miles and just over a year of ownership on the b9. I really didn't like to stock, but with minor bolt ons, it's doing much better.

[@SuperEman500]

No turbo lag?

[@blakewalker1996]

Flat bottom steering wheel, classic tachs, better gear shifter, 4x faster gearshifts, B8.5 is just better from an interior/mechanical perspective. 7 gears is enough, 8 is just excessive. Hate what they did with the b9, especially the gearshifter. cant get over that one.

[@blakewalker1996]

don't want 3 shifts just to hit 60 b9 is a freakin joke.. glad you have the b8.5 @eddiex, always appreciated your videos

[@MohdNorhisham-jk4fz]

Info addle x saya ini

[@MohdNorhisham-jk4fz]

Blog addle ok x

[@shutupishful]

No more flat bottom steering wheel

[@xoxoxar]

Stupid, right 😩

[@s4aviator804]

shutupish I believe you still get the flat bottom if you don’t get the cold weather package. For some reason, Audi refuses to heat a flat bottom wheel. If you look at an RS7 for example, it has a flat bottom steering wheel if it doesn’t have the cold weather package. But as soon as you add the cold weather package with the heated steering wheel, the car ships with a round wheel.

[@PianoBlackTrimRep.]

Savagegeese > eddie

[@chrisak49]

No exhaust note comparison?

[@MohdNorhisham-jk4fz]

Stop x

[@colburn888]

Horrible decision to have the B9 ipad looking screen just stuck on top. Looks like a design afterthought. If only they would have made it retractable like the older A/S6. Still, I would rather have the 8.5, better engine & transmission IMO. Call me old school but, I much rather have physical gauges that look nice from the start. All screens badly date cars over time.

[@MohdNorhisham-jk4fz]

Addie u driver ke

[@numbaz9172]

I might be biased but the only upside of the B9 interior is the virtual cockpit imo. Could just be the comparison between these 2 particular models because the red carbon fiber, two tone seats and flat bottom steering wheel “pop” a bit more imo. Nice comparison.. Oh yea; they cheaped out on the paddle shifters as well.

[@roverroko306]

Man you can tell yourself all you want these 2 vehicles are similar but in actual fact they are world's apart in everything. Size, weight, roomines, way better looking the new B9 and very different engine not to mention the tech. But if you really know what is great about Audi A4 you buy a V6 diesel.

[@ArnoldMontes]

new to the car scene... what is the difference between a b5, b9, etc. I am trying to understand. Is it the generation? A series thing? Im confused. I have an audi a4 2013 quattro but I am trying to know which "B" series I have or whatever

[@philiptymin]

so big question i’m looking into both idc about the prices but which is easier to work on with the help of friends and youtube

[@slow8r]

Small bit of advice. Next time if you're going to be showing close ups, I'd try to at least be using clean cars. Also your video seems really dark, but that could just be my screen. Everything else is great man. Keep it up.

[@logtec1162]

I have owned both of these cars, the b9 model is better in every way. You are forgetting the most important difference between these 2 in the review, it's the weight. B9 has a much better weight balance and also is a lot lighter.

[@papadollar3156]

When we as a populous stop worrying how our cars look to others more than us, we will take control again 👍

[@Hisham23633]

I had a 97' Audi A4 s-line, it was a SOLID car.

[@brianocallaghan1769]

With Audi, there’s no post sales customer care and no warranty as Audi deny all issues unless you go legal 🥵

[@Jacobk66]

My brand new S3 would make a great middle car! It’s black too!

[@Jacobk66]

Fogs btw on the new one are under the main lights but the same housing instead of being separate

[@danielliu2538]

my B9 a4 is around the same price as s3, s3 in the on the MQB platform with a haldex all wheel drive, I personally believe a4 is better everywhere except it is slightly slower on a straightline.

[@johanizquierdo9111]

What no clutch transmission. The new wheels are horrendous

[@zeeb2014]

Do a drag next time

[@mastalee1776]

2 too many doors.

[@zadeh79]

For the B9 A4 it handles much much better than the old car, and almost reviewers of the new A4 have mentioned how Audi practically eliminated body roll and improved steering response. The interior of the B9 is much more elegant with an intuitive layout. Finally you get the dual-clutch which is smooter. Low speed hiccups still affect the B9 , but they are less than the B8.5.

[@mastalee1776]

I prefer the s5 or the rs5

[@spacenord8618]

Do you have the corona

[@EddieX]

The beer? Nah

[@MrZyLeXx]

Wish i could get the B9 interior with the B5 exterior :P

[@durellusmc1]

I got B8 seats in my b5 s4

[@MrZyLeXx]

Seats are nice in the b5, im talking about the modern stuff.

[@TriptoCo]

Agreed. I hated the RNSe.

[@shekharmoona544]

Not first!

[@ErikWooldridge]

No luck selling the s4?

[@EddieX]

I bought the R8 instead of the RS7 so I kept the s4 as my daily driver/winter car

[@bdkamil95]

All season tires on performance car? Wtf 😅😅

[@Djfr]

Should I buy an a4 or a6

[@jackghnj]

See what works best for you. The A6 is faster and larger than an A4. At the same time, it is also more expensive. I personally own a 2017 A4 and do not regret getting it over the A6. For my needs, the size is perfect and the performance isn't disappointing either. I would recommend going to a dealer and test driving the two of them. There are pros and cons to the both of them.

[@Djfr]

Jack Stawowczyk thanks that’s a great suggestion

[@Carlife929]

If you care about interior quality, I hope you went for the A6, my S4 sounds cheap as hell!

[@djdoomy]

B9 tail lights are ugly and spoil the entire car. The angular line which passes from the front then on the side and towards the back ends on the tail lights and the upper line of the tail light should follow this angle. in B9 the line is going upwards towards the back of the car but when it reaches the tail light, the tail light’s upper edge is coming down and not up.

[@HPM2024]

djdoomy I thought I was the only one who absolutely hated the taillights. Can’t stand them or the entire rear end. The whole car is so bland and odd looking. Hoping they bring back the supercharger and DCT next gen, along with better styling.

[@ESKATEUK]

The B8.5 looks classier. And I HATE the new engine tier system in the standard a4 too, 30, 35, 40 etc. What a stupid idea

[@shekharmoona544]

Great job!! I haven't been on because of school. How is the reliability between the two?

[@wildinstigator1834]

Why don't you have a look at the s5 it also has four doors so practical enough and it's much sportier to drive and to look at given the point if extending the budget a lil bit is fine 😬

[@Rv6flyer]

How is it more sportier to drive?

[@wildinstigator1834]

@@Rv6flyer actually you are correct mate essentially they both have the same engine just the body style is different maybe the s5 will be a lil bit more heavier than the S4, so what do you say it's worth a look right??

[@Rv6flyer]

@@wildinstigator1834 it comes down to personal preference. If someone prefers the sportback styling they should spend the extra money on that.

[@wildinstigator1834]

@@Rv6flyer yep, personal preference you are correct i would look at used examples of some s5's if I were to buy one what abt you??

[@jeffmartin2973]

S4 Avant. Say no more.

[@HPM2024]

The B9 is ugly to me. They went backwards with transmission, turbo sucks - prefer supercharger. The exterior just doesn’t do it for me. Hate the taillights and rear end in general. Interior is okay, but looks a bit early 90’s to me. B8.5 is the absolute best S4 yet. The B9 is hideous.

[@daverr8163]

Cars are mundane. Buying/owning a car is the same as throwing money out the window.

[@scottquattro4685]

Daverr then why are you watching this ????? 🤔

[@laynedingman9707]

Seriously why the fuck are you on a car video dipshit? Some of us are passionate about cars and work just so we can afford nice cars. FOH.

[@jeffmartin2973]

Watching KZbin videos that are of no interest to you is like throwing time out the window.

[@daverr8163]

@@laynedingman9707Your blinded by your passion for cars. When your fully aware that once you buy a car and drive it off the lot it nearly loss half its value. In 3-4 years that same car youd be really lucky if you got 30% of what you paid for it. Then you have wear and tear, Insurance, registration, city stickers, traffic and parking violation fines ,paying a tax in order to purchase said vehicle and fuel cost to drain your wallet.

[@laynedingman9707]

@@daverr8163 No, you're blinded by the fact that other people have different interests and priorities than you. If you don't care about cars and they don't fit your life, great. Good for you. I'm guessing you live in a big city and have decent public transport? Well here's the thing I don't live in such a place and need a car to get around effectively. But more than that, cars are by far my biggest hobby and passion. I know full well all the costs associated with a car, but I've made the choice that those costs are worth it to me. What the hell else am I going to do if I don't have cars, take up knitting? So don't judge other people because you don't know their situation, and it's still ostensibly a free country so I'll spend my money how I wish. Also, you're exaggerating the costs of ownership. In my town I can pretty much park for free everywhere and I've never gotten a parking ticket, and haven't had a speeding ticket in almost 12 years. And my car, which I bought new knowing it would depreciate, has still maintained over 75% of it's value after 2 years.

[@michaelbeardmandown727]

Great meeting you in Livermore, Ca on the run with cars and toys.