So my friends lease on his 02 540 6spd is coming up and like alwasy he goes and looks and drives all these cars for shits and giggles. So tonight we went to drive a new S4. He already knew it was too small for his tastes and neither of care for Audi, but why not. It was lightly raining but we went anyway and had a pretty cool salesman.
Car we had was black w/ black leather and blue alcantara inserts in the front and rear seats.

THE ENGINE
Pop the hood and DAMN...the thing is pushed really far foward...but i guess its for the double firewall they have. 1st thought was how front heavy is this thing.
Turn the key...and you dont hear a throaty growl you expect...more of a high pitched whine.

INTERIOR
I’m not one for audis interiors...I thought the new a6 had an amazing interior til i sat in one tonight and realized for such a driver oriented design they put all the fucking controls in the wrong place...the A8 has similar control layouts in their navi models...but all the key buttons are close to the driver. In the A6 they are the opposite fucking side...the radio on/off volume knob is over by the passenger....as are the toggle buttons for cd/radio/navi.etc. I mean what fucking moron designs an amazing driver oriented console...and then puts all the buttons and controls in the worst places ever, what a letdown.
Anyway, back to the S4. The interior does not blow my socks off. The damn armrest is cheap and feels VWish in design, and it gets in the way of the parking brake. I do enjoy the red lighting, just like my old bimmer. The steering is nice and thick and has a good feel to it.
Best thing about the interior was the Recaro seats with alcantara inserts. They seats were very comfy and well bolstered.
Trunk is very nicely sized with 60/40 split folds.

TRANSMISSON
Not the easiest manual to drive. Clutch has an odd feel that is hard to get used. And the pedals, stock, are very slick. since it was wet outside my shoes kept slipping right off the clutch. shifting 1>2 was almost always jerky...just hard to nail. even after driving the car for 15 minutes. After half a day, I think I would have it nailed...Shifts after 2nd were always nice and easy.
This car needs a short throw shifter. That would help greatly, as is, the throws are too damn long, and doesnt help with getting used to the clutch.

DRIVING
Salesman took us on a long test drive and we each drove for about 15 minutes.
As opposed to other a4s ive driven this car does NOT feel heavy. it feels very light. very nimble. steering at speed is very tight and controlled. Car has plenty of pull in 4th gear on city streets. and on the highway car still has pull in 6th. I had this car going at 100 on the highway and didnt even realize it...usual trademark of a good german car. Down shift from 6>4 at 100 = WHEEEEEEEEE. From a stop, when you finally master the clutch...awesome power off the line.
The quattro as usual is a great system, I had this car going through the twisty even though it was wet outside. Very fun, you always feel like you have control. Because of the weather I did not really push the car to its limits or try and take any tight corners. But I wasnt a slouch either. I had some fun.
When you are driving slow in a parking lot, the steering get super loose...kinda like what bimmer is now offering. for greater ease of manuvering and parking at slower speeds. It feel really weird. I could turn the wheel a full 1/4 and still be going straight.

SUMMARY:
The S4 is a very fun car indeed to drive. Pros: fast and agile, quattro, awesome seats.
Cons: whiny high pitched V8, not the easiest clutch to jump in and just drive.
And still, something about this car overall just didn’t feel right. It didn’t jump out and say BUY ME! It was more like, yeah its fun, but something is missing...or not right. hard to explain.

BOTTOM LINE:
I’d still pick an STi over an S4...I just wish the STi had those recaros

 

Too bad the STI is ugly. teh snob

 

ADDENDUM:

I am in no way comparing the S4 to a STi. I just feel for the money and performance the STi is a more fun, better feeling car all around. TO ME.

I would still take the G35 Coupe over an S4...still loving that G35C after driving it.

No you cant beat a solid V8....but a the turbo boxer is very nice too. I like the tranny better. smaller and lighter. I mentioned the STi cause of AWD.

EDIT: I like the styling of the STi and really dont care for the A4/S4 design. :P

 

Money aside, would you still take an STi over an S4?

About the whiny high pitched V8 comment... you don't like it? Are you on teh crack? Together with the stock exhaust, I think the S4 has one of the best sounding V8's in a car peiod, short of the last 2 decades' mid-engined V8 Ferraris, and the E39 M5's V8. It's a highly tuned relatively high-revving V8... what more could you ask for? Were you expecting deep small-block american rumble that redline at 6k or perhaps a throaty nascar sound? In my opinion, that does not make a blood-curdling adrenaline-pumping sound. But to each his own. I prefer the edgy snarl of an Italian or German V8 than the laggy and raucous commotion that you hear from Vette's.... but I guess I'm generalizing since some mercedes V8's of late have exhausts tuned to sound like an american small-block. Of the three eight-cylinder gas guzzlers I have, I think the S4 sounds the best at full throttle, second the bimmer, and last the AMG. At idle and under normal driving conditions, the bimmer sounds meanest, next the S4 then the AMG which is surprisingly tame despite having the most displacement at 5.4 liters and seemingly the more free-flowing exhaust.

Othewise, very nice review. I agree with the gearbox, 1-2 on any Audi has never been as smooth as I would've liked them to be. But fwiw, the latest S4 has the best feel out of any recent audi but still can't hold a candle to most anything from honda. Supposedly, the new B7 S4 due this year as a 2006 model will have the engine placed further aft relative to the front axle giving it a very balanced 52:48 weight distribution to further improve upon what is already sublime handling for a car this heavy.

 

The high revving V8 is indeed nice...I wont lie....taking to the 7rpms in 1st with a V8 was quite choice.

The engine sound is not terrible. But it just wasnt something I thought was indicitive of a V8.

If it was Money aside...it would be a tough call. The Sti is still a better handler, smaller/lighter. and has a better tranny/clutch. plus I like the exterior better.

I rather have an M3 overall.

but money aside...I might take the S4 over the STi (but that just might be vanity talking)...I'd have to drive them back to back to see.
As I said there is something about Audi that just doesnt feel right to me. something doesnt click.

 

i felt the same about the interior after seeing one this past week. the armrest thing def annoyed me as well, and the overall interior is nothing special. i didn't drive the car, but it does lack certain agressive styling points i'd like to see. the new 06 model looks a helluva lot better than the 05.

for 52k... is see myself kicking it up a notch and getting something i'd LOVE instead if LIKE ALOT....

 

What was the car that your friend is buying anyways?

 

He doesnt know yet.

If the M45 had a manual tranny...he'd probably be leaning toward that.

Right now he is checking into 03 M5s w/ the 6spd.

 

I think Sarlacc has a fever... a fever for domesticons. The only cure is an LS1 or a late 80's Mustang with straightpipes. No ordinary exotic high-sounding V8 will fit the bill.

give me a new S4 over an STi, EVO, LS1, whatever those kind of cars. the new S4 is sweet as hell. Audi V8 + 6 speed manual =

 

u can always put recaros in an STi....

 

buddy of mine got a new S4 a few months ago, the engine sound was actually one of my favorite things about the car. I like the fact that it is subtle with regards to its appearance. i found it rather entertaining to drive, i found myself going 80 down a street without even knowing it.

 

btw - the S4's V8 is heralded for its extremely compact design. In fact, it weighs just about the same as the previous model's V6 Biturbo. So, it is actually not as "front heavy" as it may have seemed... which looks like it was evidenced by your test drive.

Read more about it here:

http://www.motorcities.com/contents/02IGD315425574.html

hahahahhahaa... check this other link I found while I was checking on the engine...

http://www.automotive.com/2004/12/audi/s4/compare/



damn, looks like the M3 has the most compassion, it can really show you it loves you LOL WTF OMG

 

I Prefer German Cars...

 

Friend has one, I don't remember a high pitch whine...nevertheless the thing sounds like a beast, not like a domestic v8 though.

Its pretty fast too.

A short throw shifter would be nice.