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I can actually compare the two bikes pretty much side by side, since rode a Bandit 600 for a number of years before I bought a TT600. Since a TT600 and S4 are mechanically identical, it is as good a comparison as I can think of.
The Bandit had 32K miles on it when I sold it. The paint had worn off the frame where my knees hit it and it developed some minor wiring problems in the instrument cluster. It took a while to warm up, and the carbs iced in cold weather, but it was dead reliable otherwise. I dropped it once.
The TT600 lasted for 45K hard miles, got dropped a number of times on the track and on the road, and generally lived a much harder life than the Bandit. It was a much more capable bike, and I used those capabilities. I also had a raised fuel cutoff, so the redline was higher than the factory thinks is a good idea. It finally blew up on the track, but under normal use, I would expect it to go at least 100K miles. The paint held up better than the Suzuki's paint. There were a couple of issues that got taken care of under warranty, but other than that, I had no problems with it that were not self inflicted one way or another. It was at least as reliable as the Bandit, but it got used a whole lot harder. The finishes held up better in spite of the abuse it took. That bike was just a magnet for other people's problems, but it kept right on going anyway.
As far as a motorcycle to ride and have fun with, the S4 is hands down a better bike. It will burn just a bit more fuel, but it has a whole lot more power and the seat is a whole lot more comfortable. The fueling is very similar down low- my Bandit also had a bit of throttle snatch right off idle. The TT600 was no worse. As far as finish quality, the S4 will last a lot longer, if my experiences still hold true. With a higher bar, the riding position will be similar except that the Bandit had lower pegs.
The really big differences that she will notice right away are the loss of about 50 lbs and the gain of 25 horsepower when she moves from a Bandit to an S4. She will also notice that the suspension works a whole lot better- the Bandit's wet noodle forks don't hold a candle to Triumph forks.
You know what your Sprint is like. An S4 is just a smaller bike, but all the same finish and reliability that you are used to still apply.
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