ricostuart

I currently own a B7 S4 (V8) Audi which has quattro 4wd and I have my winter tyres on. While I live in Wiltshire, there aint any snow or anything, but they really did make a difference in the cold weather for traction. They really are a very very good thing to put on a car - especially one thats rwd! They can actually be used quite well all year long in the UK, but they do have slightly less braking ability than summer tyres in the hot dry days, but its not far off. In the winter/cold mornings, there is no contest. i have also found that mine did have more road noise (especially on tight, low speed turns) than my summer tyres. I cant remember the make of winters that I am running. My summers are usually goodyear eagle f1 asymmetrical 2. Also, dont bother buying them brand new. You can find second hand tyres with minimal usage for a good discount. My winters were second hand from Germany (got it on ebay uk!) with nearly full tread depth on all four. They still had the tyre hairs! And I saved about £400!

15 plate? Very late registration?

not a fan of red unfortunatly. Blue for me is the way to go with an ISF! :D

Couple of quick ones :) The S4 is pretty hard on running costs, but has half the annual road tax. Tyres are probably cheaper too as they are 235/40/18 on all four corners. Fuel is about the same, as I average about 23mpg round town and about 28-30mpg on a calm long road trip. The problem for the S4 is parts are quite a bit more expensive, and doing fairly basic general work is alot harder. Wheel bearings are a nightmare, suspension is very difficult (they use a pinch pin on the fronts which is made of mild steel in an aluminium upright which corrodes into place) to work on too. Overall, the running costs will probably be fairly similar if not less as the Lexus is a lot easier to work on / maintain. And it has more power! :D

Yup. I restore them for a living. Have 7 at the shop at the moment (including mine). Got to love big V8's!

Thanks guys for all the replies! I am going to be trying to find the one with the exact specifications that I want when I can (really would love the sunroof!), but need to arrange driving one soon to see if I will really love it. However, I need to arrange selling my S4 as well as my Jensen Interceptor (which I am currently doing a bare metal restoration of), so will be nearer the end of this year I reckon.

Was not impressed with that review at all. Infact topgear has really let themselves down totally this season. Most segments all feel like filler parts to make the season longer to pamper to the american market.

Ultrasonic blue is by far the best colour imo! I miss my F-Sport that was in that colour, so when I do get an ISF it will have to be in that colour (with the cream/ivory/white/whatever interior)

ACC = Adaptive Cruise Control. Means you can set the cruise control on and the car will auto slow / follow a car infront, etc.

Awesome! Thanks! Does certainly help. I think the 2010 model is probably the best overall for me if it has the bluetooth streaming and having the adaptive headlights. Like the idea of having the most toys ;)

Also read (on the US owners site) that the 2010 had adaptive headlights, which is not avail on the later models. Is this correct on the UK ones?

Hi all! Its been quite a while since I've been on this owners site as I sold my 2011 IS250 F-Sport a long while back. Been running a B7 Audi S4 (4.2 V8) for a long while now, but its starting to get a little old (and a little boring imo). So, I'm now starting to look into different car options, and the IS-F seems to be well on top of my list! But I do have a few questions: 1. The ACC - is it available on all the models from 2008 onwards? 2. I wont be putting the car on the track, so how important is it really to have the uprated diff / suspension (2010 models up right?) 3. Which year got bluetooth audio streaming? 4. Do all models have the memory seat function that is programmable to the keys? 5. Do all models have the Mark Levinson sound system? 6. What other improvements would getting a 2013 model have over a 2008 or 2010? Pretty much seen all videos of the IS-F on YouTube and Vimeo (do like the fact it seems faster than a RS4!) but if anyone has any other vids out there - please post a link! Does anyone live in the Wiltshire / Bristol area with an IS-F? If so, any chance of meeting up so I can actually see one in the flesh? A nice cold pint will be offered! :D Thanks all!