2010 Audi S4 Review

The Sum ‘n’ substance

Audi had unveiled the 2010 S4 at the Paris 2008 motor-show and kept everyone guessing as too what the heck were they thinking when they swapped the V8 engine for a 3.0 liter V6?. But this isn’t any ordinary V6,….. this one is supercharged and torque figures have improved  too and are available across a wider rev range — the boosted 6-cylinder offers up 324 lb.-ft. of torque from 2900 to 5300 rpm against 302 lb.-ft. at 3500 rpm.  You don’t think that Audi will let you down on the engine front did you?. The power churned out by the V6 is 7bhp less than the previous S4 which was a decent 340bhp,which is slightly disappointing news for the S4 fans who expected more POWEER!!. It seems, along with the economy, the horse-power of our most favored mode of transport seem to be slipping too.

We’ll come back to the engine stats in a bit and let’s talk about the design of the all new S4. Well, it seems that Audi hasn’t done much with the design of the s4 besides the R8 styled LED head and rear lights and an all-new modular platform that features a longer wheelbase that reduces front overhang which gives the car a leaner and meaner look. The rest is pretty much the same. Audi has kept the interiors simple and typical Audi and equipped with the everyday-use gadgetry, but it all seems rather dull.

Under the hood we have our 3.0liter supercharged V6 ,all-new direct injected TFSI engine, with four valves per cylinder and a two-stage inlet manifold  that can pump out 333bhp. The reasons for this swap in engine are simple, improved fuel economy, better low-end torque and lighter weight compared to the 4.2-liter V-8 claiming an average mpg of 24.3.

The S4 also features a permanent all-wheel-drive with the option of a 6-speed manual or a seven speed S-tronic automatic transmission. The torque is split 40/60 front/rear under normal conditions. A new Quattro Sport rear differential that varies torque between the rear wheels will be optional. The S4 will also feature Audi Drive Select, which allows the driver adjustment of the engine and throttle mapping, suspension damping and the steering. It is one of those features that bring out the meddling driver in you to test the car in different conditions ‘to achieve optimum performance’. Also featuring are: an upgraded brake system, special 18-in. wheels and front sport seats are also standard fare. The S4 also keeps the driver captivated by the third-generation MMI and its absolutely gorgeous NVIDIA graphics. The hard-drive-based system featured traffic data map overlays, 3D building data, text-to-speech turn by turn directions and voice control.

Testing the S4:

It was a bright and sunny day and  I couldn’t care less. I was handed over the keys to a fully loaded, brand-new Audi S4 sedan. I said to myself , ‘do not push the car to its limit right away , lets pace it up, lets see what the S4 is all about in a dignified manner’ but then I could also feel the car grumbling, ‘what the hell are you waiting for?….go ahead… pedal to the mettle”. So within a matter of seconds the heavy foot came out. Audi claims the S4 can do a 0-60mph in 5.1 secs flat and I clocked in at 5.16secs which is almost the same as theirs (hey…this isn’t Formula 1 and I’m no F1 driver).

The S4 tackled the corners with ease, although there was some amount of under-steer and the suspension had a slight bounce .The Audi’s Drive Select system, gave me limited control over the suspension tuning, power delivery, and steering ratios, effectively making the S4 two cars in one: a comfortable boulevard cruiser and a mountain-shredder.

The electronic steering was very responsive and accurate, much like a point and shoot game. In addition, the Quattro system splits the  torque 40 percent forward and 60 percent to the rear wheels in normal (dry) conditions and features an option called the “sport differential.” It can transfer power laterally between the left and right rear wheels; on the wet track, even with the stability control on, you can have some real fun by pushing your right foot down to swing the tail out a bit.

The S4 feels peppy, but just not outright powerful like the last-generation S4but that can be forgiven when you hear the brilliant sound-train it has . The new S4 packs some serious muscle, but it is not the same as its predecessor. It has some similarity in design and inside the cabin, but that’s all. Everything else is new ground for the S4.

Before we set about fiddling with the car, Audi said that the S4 was aiming specifically for the BMW 335i and the Mercedes C350. I think, the 335i would make a great car for the tracks, the C350 is impressive on the road as well as on the track and gives the S4 one heck of scare but, the S4 is the car that you would want to drive back home in.

The Audi S4 will go on sale in the spring of 2009, with the U.S. model arriving in the fall of ’09 as a 2010. Unfortunately, Audi says the U.S. market S4 will be available only as a sedan, not as an Avant wagon.

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