2018 Audi S4 Throttle Lag Fixes?

[BrentB]

Hi lads,

I'm Brent, new to the forums (lurked for many years) this is my first post.

After recently purchasing a new to me 2018 Audi S4 23k miles in excellent condition, I noticed a horrible throttle lag. This is my first Audi. 

I have had cars with big turbos before that took forever to spool, and this is definitely not turbo lag nor is it torque converter lag, this should reach peak torque of 500nm at 1370rpm so I can't see it being turbo lag at all.

You can be coming to a roundabout in D (in dynamic) and you notice a gap, deeply press the throttle to accelerate quickly, there will be a second or so of nothing and then it lurches forward, in S it is considerably better but by no means eliminated. My previous car a BMW F30 335D, you saw a gap and it was so easy to exploit it as the response was instant. A friend of mine who has a Golf 7 R talked about a similar experience in his car.

It feels like the throttle pedal and the engine/gearbox are not connected, and you are pushing your foot into a mushy freshly baked cake, and only once the cake is properly squished does something actually happen in D.

The 335D and although these cars use the same gearbox, it was night and day difference in terms of response. I wanted a M340i as I have always been a BMW man at heart, but for similar spec/mileage it was £7k more expensive than the Audi, so I just could not quantify spending that much more for a badge and a little more power, and I thought with it being a ZF transmission in the Audi it couldn't be that much different.

The 335D's throttle response in D for gearbox and Sport for throttle was just great, no lag, the engine and pedal felt connected, not as fast as a good ole cable but not far off.

The Audi is leaving me cold, frustrated and annoyed because coming from a car with such instant throttle response the experience is getting soured, as otherwise I am extremely happy with the Audi S4 in comparison to my old 335D, it is faster, sounds WAY better, better handling and the interior is night and day to the F series in terms of build quality, the digital dash is also nicer than the G series M340i IMO.

Is there anyone out there with a B9 S4/S5 who has experienced the same issue and is there a fix for this? I have heard of a Pedal Box as my friend with the Golf R was recommended one, however I am a bit sceptical to spend £200+ on something that may not fix the issue, as how would the box be able to change the mapping of the throttle to make it instant? Is it not coded in the ECU to open slowly?

I took the car to the dealer this morning and the technician assured me this is the way the throttle is mapped for emissions and there is nothing wrong with the car after testing it.

I would highly appreciate any solutions (that don't destroy my Extended Audi Warranty), as other than this sour driving experience I absolutely love the S4, it was a welcome change of pace from the F series BMW and I like everything about the Audi more than my old car, except the driving experience...which is the most important part imo, if I can fix this throttle this really would be the perfect daily for what I paid (just shy of £28k).

Inputs would be highly appreciated! Thanks