Audi S4 Avant 2004 review

This is how the Audi S4 Avant should be treated, after all, it's possibly the most powerful compact wagon on the market and the only one packing a 4.2-litre, 253kW V8 driving all four wheels.

The new S4 Avant has big boots to fill in the form of its twin turbo, V6 predecessor. That was one quick car, a bit of a beast but heaps of fun.

It wasn't that heavy either and had performance to really pin back your ears.

The new S4 is a much more sophisticated package, less of a wild child than the twin turbo but just as much fun – a smooth operator.

It is deceptively quick rattling off a 0-100km/h sprint in around 5.5 seconds. And the top end is electronically limited to warp speed 2.5.

The V8 is pretty well the same powerplant under a number of Audi bonnets, the A8 and A6 for example and also the V8 Allroad.

It has variable valve timing and kicks out a handy 410Nm of torque while drinking a brew of premium unleaded Quattro permanent all wheel drive functions through a close ratio six speed manual box or six speed auto.

The manual tranny is slick shifting and well geared taking full advantage of all available power and torque. Sweet, long runs through each gear are a characteristic of the S4 as the engine winds up to its 7000 rpm plus redline. It just seems to keep going and going. Lush.

And the engine has a sound to match, blatting out of twin (one a side) exhausts.

There is even a hint of gear whirr from the Quattro system at low speed that really sounds racy – just like a worked performance car with straight cut timing gears.

All is not sweetness and light as the S4 is a firmly sprung beast, not overly but enough to notice when you jiggle along a rough road.

Pays dividends though, especially when you arrive too hot into a set of hairpins. With all dynamics hooked up, interfaced, communicating, whatever – we are talking all wheel drive, numerous electronic controls, firm suspension and massive 18in tyres, the weighty but compact S4 Avant simply zaps through the turns without flinching. It will ultimately go into a four wheel drift possibly due to its near 1750kg bulk.

That's a lot of pork for a compact wagon.

But all the goodies inside must add to the bottom line. When just about everything is power operated and there are so many luxury and safety systems living in this lithe body shell you have to pay a weight penalty.

If it's luxury you crave with your high performance, the S4 Avant has plenty including one of the "baddest" sound systems I have experienced as standard equipment. It rocks.

Where's that Queens of the Stoneage album.

Other aspects of the interior are typically top class and as you'd expect from Audi which makes arguably the best interiors in mainstream cars.

The interior offers adequate room for four adults or two adults and three kids. The load area is pretty good for a car this size and the roof rails are tailor made for skis.

But it's not the sort of thing you would saddle up for family hack duty.

What would you do with the Audi S4 Avant as opposed to the S4 sedan.

Look super cool dropping off the kids and burbling around the shopping centre. Blow a few hoons into the weeds. Revel in the engine note. Enjoy the handling and acceleration.

Heck, the thing looks great – as it should for the $133,100 ask.