2005 Audi S4 Reviews

The Sport is a mild mannered dress-up, the S4 is a whole lot more or everything and the RS is totally outrageous.Mind you, there is a significant cost incurred with each step up.The S4 (rrp $131,200) has just joined the big grille brigade sporting Audi's so called single frame grille.This is the third generation of the S4 but follows the original formula– V8 power, massive wheels, hunkered down suspension, super-sport dynamics.It's a seriously good looking car, better than its predecessors while the engine performance is similar, dynamics have been finely honed.Thankfully, Audi has seen fit to "engineer" the right exhaust note from the four big bore outlets, a sound that's totally in keeping with the car's look and character.It's packed with good gear: xenon headlights, high performance 18in rubber, premium audio, the best stuff in Audi's parts bin and the build is almost faultless especially the interior.Quattro permanent all wheel drive puts power to the ground– a big advantage on the S4's competition and other safety equipment is bountiful.The S4 is powered by a silky 4.2-litre petrol V8 engine with twin cams per cylinder bank, five valves per cylinder and a maximum 253kW/410Nm output. The engine weighs only 195Kg.Despite an aluminium suspension, it's a weighty beast at 1705kg but this amount of grunt makes light work of pushing the compact S4 to super sports performance levels. It's a mid 5.0 second 0-100kmh proposition and who knows what the top end would be if it wasn't electronically limited.The transmission is a six speed auto only with sequential shift mode and paddle shift on the steering wheel.Dynamics are aided by the S4's direct steering and massive brakes.The interior gets Audi's sports luxury treatment with lashings of metallic fascia and high grade leather upholstery. It looks the business and is functional as well as attractive.As expected, the audio is sensational.Now, the big question, is the S4 as good as BMW's M3 or the Benz C55 AMG.As good yes, better?Different.The AMG has a similar feel and perform- ance while the BMW is more of a "caged animal" and it's a six cylinder.The S4 feels secure thanks to its quattro all wheel drive and the dynamics have been sharpened compared to the previous models giving a sportier feel to the steering, brakes and ride. It's firm and jiggles a bit on rough roads but if it's a soft ride you're looking for check out a different Audi.The car feels wonderful to drive at speed and we were treated to an unbridled session at Phillip Islaned racetrack.The S4 was clocking some 230kmh down the straight and refused to put a foot wrong through any of the corners. The brakes were up to the task.It hammers hard out of corners and is never caught in the wrong gear.Back on civvy street, the four door S4 has plenty of cred' and is easy to drive, docile even. But it's a wolf in sheep's clothing.The S4 is a safe, class act made even better by the all wheel drive system with Torsen rear differential and now, auto only transmission.

Audi has armed the updated S4 with the brand's all-new, big-mouth grille that is well suited to the muscular model.The new S4 is similar to the existing model, which was introduced in February last year. It has a new body and other minor changes.Audi has not messed with the potent 4.2-litre engine that sits under the aluminium bonnet.This sweet-revving bent-eight engine belts out 253kW when it hits 7000 revs and 410Nm at 3500 revs.It is linked to a six-speed automatic that feeds power to all four wheels with half the grunt headed to the front wheels and half to the rear.If the Audi senses wheel-slip it can alter the power split to obtain the best traction possible.But despite its sportiness, the new S4 will not be available with a manual transmission.Audi says it dropped the manual from the line-up because almost all S4 buyers wanted the automatic gearbox and manuals sat in dealerships unsold.This is in stark contrast to the more potent and more expensive RS4 model, which is expected to arrive in Australia in March - it only comes as a manual.Luxury cars with V8s are not cheap and the S4 costs $131,200, slotting in just beneath the ageing rival M3 at $137,990 and a step below the Mercedes C55 at$159,990. The S4 luxury sedan is not the lightest model around despite its aluminium chassis. The AWD driveshaft components add to the tally, weighing in at 1705kg.Even so, it is able to dash from 0-100km/h in only 5.8 seconds.Anyone taking the S4 on to the track may discover its top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h.It demands 98 RON premium fuel and uses an average of 12.4 litres/ 100km of city and highway use.The new S4 sits on chunky 18-inch alloy wheels and has aggressive front and rear bumper extensions. The car has new-look headlights and tail-lights, grille and large front bumper air intakes.New quad pipes sit beneath each end of the S4's rear bumper, indicating that the vehicle has something special under the bonnet.The luxury look is topped off with a line of chrome that runs around the outside of the windows, and matching chrome-look wing mirrors.The S4 has a hefty braking system made up of 345mm front discs and 300mm discs at the rear.Safety systems include electronic stability control, anti-skid brakes and a full suite of driver and passenger airbags as well.Standard equipment includes xenon headlights that can swivel when the car is turning, satellite navigation, TV, Bose premium sound, rain-sensing wipers and a new-look steering wheel that comes with gear-change paddles.The Audi S4 might have a bold new grille and chunky wheels, but it really is an understated machine.Most people don't guess it has a powerful V8 engine when they see it parked, but it's a different story when the 4.2-litre fires up.The S4 will always be a refined model, but it has a wonderful V8 exhaust note that is quite loud – something engineers tuned for the updated model.It is quiet at cruising speeds, but the V8 bellows when you ease open the throttle or floor it. The lumpy V8 engine's note is one of the S4's best features.It was the same when the existing S4 was released about 18 months ago. In fact, apart from the new body work and a few different touches, not much has really changed.The main difference between the S4 and its BMW M3 and Mercedes C55 AMG rivals is that the Audi is all-wheel-drive. This gives it an awesome amount of traction, especially in slippery conditions. It adds another layer of safety when you find some dust, dirt or water in the middle of a corner.Some drivers, including myself, prefer rear-drive cars such as the M3 and C55 when it comes to taking them on a race track, but most appreciate the supreme grip and added safety an AWD offers.The S4's power and torque figures are not stunning, with less power and torque than a Falcon XR8, but the engine has high output for its size and weight.The automatic shifts smoothly, but its self-shift, with paddles and tiptronic gear-shift, is not very useful.Even if you are using the self-shift mode, the gearbox overrides you and changes up by itself. This is annoying when you want to hold a gear as you approach a corner.The gearbox also changes from first to second at what appears as 6300 revs on the tacho, when the engine's peak power is reached at 7000 revs.For these reasons it really is a shame there's no manual gearbox option.The S4 is edged out by both the M3 and the C55 in the 0-100km/h sprint, doing the dash in 5.8 seconds compared with 5.2 for both the BMW and Mercedes.But the S4 is still fast enough, especially when most will never see a track.The S4 sits flat through turns with next to no body roll. The suspension is race-track firm, which means it's great when you are on flat tarmac, but far too hard on non-perfect roads. This is a problem across most of the Audi range.The cabin has the Audi quality you expect – Recaro leather seats, carbon-fibre dashboard highlights, a new sporty steering wheel – all of which add up to an interior that matches the price.There is reasonable leg room in the back and the boot is big enough to handle large loads.The S4 is a practical performance car, but is spoiled by harsh suspension and a limited automatic gearbox.

There is servotronic steering that varies the degree of power assistance according to road speed, drive-by-wire computerised throttle control, a modern aluminium chassis, trapezoidal-link rear suspension, traction control, six-speed tiptronic paddle shifters, and, of course, Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive technology which celebrates its 25th birthday this year.That's a lot of technology crammed into this open-top beauty.Yet from the outside and even inside, there are no overt signs that this is such a technological or high-powered weapon. The differences are subtle.Two tell-tale pipes stick out the rear, burbling away with ominous intent.Subtle S4 badging on the front, rear and the instrument panel hint at the extra performance and sports-tuned suspension. Reverse mirrors are aluminium-backed and the air dams on the front are a little larger.The kind of person who buys a Tag Heuer watch in aluminium instead of gold might also appreciate the S4 Cabriolet.It costs $143,800, yet from the outside, it doesn't look any different from the 3-litre A4 Cabriolet at $101,000 or even the 1.8-litre turbo at $81,200.But the S4 driver isn't so much about show as performance and fun.And you get lashings of both here. Performance has to be tickled out of this one, though. With so much technology, it almost gets in the way of a spirited drive. Plant your foot and the supernanny makes you sit on the naughty step for what seems like an eternity but is only a nano-second. Throw the car into a corner and you get the same punishment.Yet if you gently feather the throttle and steer with light hands it rewards with lightning speed and efficiency. And there is no doubting the fun to be had in a convertible.Yet I have a number of concerns about open-topped cars: They are noisy, hot in summer, cold in winter, glary for the driver, a skin cancer concern, they lack security and cargo/passenger space, and they don't handle as well as a sedan.Drop-top fans will say that the intrusion of the elements and the cramped conditions are all part of the fun and I can see that. Plus the air-conditioning and seat warmers take the edge off. However, the handling can still be a worry.A sedan's chassis is like a tough peanut shell. Take half the shell away and it is easy to squeeze.To prevent this chassis flex and provide extra crash protection, makers strengthen the chassis with extra intrusion bars and bracing. The result is a heavier car.However, Audi has strengthened the chassis with lightweight aluminium so it's not as bad as some convertibles.Having come to terms with the cabriolet side of things, I was hooked by the car's aural and visual character, its obvious fun factor and its thrilling acceleration — 0 to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds.My only disappointment was with the electro-hydraulic drop-top which opens in about 30 seconds. That's long by modern standards.