2004 Audi S4

Whoever said, "good things come in small packages" would be delighted with this cheeky little Audi. Although Audis have won countless races worldwide, including a vaunted "three-peat" at Le Mans, BMW's M-Sport M3 and Mercedes-Benz's C36 AMG are more often the choice of enthusiasts when it comes to writing big checks for small sport coupes and sedans. That could change. With its new S4, Audi makes a serious statement. Eschewing their usual twin-turbo V-6 solution, the factory engineers shoehorned a downsized 340-hp 4.2-liter V-8 into their smallest (U.S.-available) sedan. The result is an all-wheel-drive road rocket in the tradition of Audi's vaunted, Pike's Peak-winning Quattros.

The S4, a performance version of Audi's smaller 4-door, has been making a quiet name for itself among cognoscenti.

Other than its chromed side mirrors, a few more scoops, a chrome strip below the decklid, twin widespread exhaust pipes and a slightly (20mm) lowered stance, from the outside, the S4 is a visual sleeper that'll fool most folk until they're left soundly at the lights. The all-wheel-drive S4 will race to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, losing only a fraction of that time on wet surfaces. Audi engineers skillfully trimmed some bulk (moving drive accessories to the rear of the engine), some length (it's two inches shorter), and pared weight (thanks to lighter pistons and conrods) off the 4.2-liter sleeveless, aluminum-silicon block V-8 and replaced its wide, toothed-belt cam drive with a thinner roller chain. Remarkably, the more powerful V-8 package weighs about the same as Audi's hardly slow twin-turbo 2.7-liter V-6. And the S4 doesn't feel the least bit nose-heavy.


Audi's been steadily moving out of the mainstream mid-lux pack that includes Acura, Saab and Volvo and into the premium province shared by Lexus, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar. The S4 model, a performance version of Audi's smaller four-door, first bowed in 1994 and, along with the Avant station wagon (which arrived in 2002), has been making a quiet name for itself among cognoscenti. Audi's marketers know they have to raise respect for their brand. Audi stood side-by-side with BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the Fatherland, but the unintended acceleration debacle in the Eighties shredded the brand's credibility over here, reduced its volume to just over 12,000 units annually and relegated the interlocking-ring badge to the second tier. Over the last few years, Audi's well-documented comeback is worthy of a B-school case study. Currently, its unit volume is closing in on 100,000 cars annually.


Now that the brand has recovered its cachet, thanks to terrific packages like the A4, expanding the line to the tune of 5,000 S4s and Avants each year is an achievable goal. We think you'll agree, especially after you drive the S4. Climb into the tight-fitting driver's-side Recaro bucket, admire the chunky three-spoke sport wheel, fire up the V-8—and revel in its deep, throaty exhaust note. You'll quickly forget even remote interest in a W8 Passat. The S4 feels as though its hewn out of a block of German granite. Tight, vibration-free, responsive and very quick, your biggest decision now will be whether to choose the new six-speed manual or the equally new (and not initially available) six-speed automatic.

Climb into the tight-fitting driver's-side Recaro bucket, admire the chunky three-spoke sport wheel, fire up the V-8?and revel in its deep, throaty exhaust note.

Depending on where and how you drive, the automatic, which does virtually everything the stick does but without a clutch, instantly delivers the gear selection you desire through an optimized Dynamic Shift Program (DSP). The optional Tiptronic manu-matic transmission features a 25 percent wider gear ratio spread for cruising comfort. Individual performance in each gear is improved as well, so you can have your performance cake and eat it, too. Audi claims fuel consumption is improved in the higher gears and, despite the extra ratio, the box weighs about 42 pounds less than its five-speed predecessor. The manual gearbox is just what you'd expect. It shifts crisply, is nicely weighted and a joy to use. But, if life plunks you into dense traffic daily, you won't lose much with the autobox—and you can shift manually when the road clears, using the conventional shifter or steering-mounted paddle shifters.