This Audi S4 Decision Guide Complete Report puts all the information you need on this vehicle at your fingertips. We give you objective test figures, and more. Our collective expertise, combined with the most comprehensive testing program around, lets us truly put vehicles in the proper context for you. The in-depth reviews, road tests, and comparison tests included here don’t just tell you what a vehicle can do. Our real-world observations and judgments, based on our many years of experience with all types of vehicles, help you to understand the qualitative nature of performance.
The S4 has stiffer sinews than its stablemates-slightly higher spring rates, revised shock-absorber damping, stiffer anti-roll bars fore and aft, reduced (by 20 millimeters) static ride height, quicker steering, and bigger brakes. All this adds up serious sprint performance-less than six seconds to 60-as well as GT-style handling. Audi seems to have achieved the latter without excessive ride-quality compromise. The S4 is exceptionally smooth for a car in this rarefied performance category, and it’s distinctly smoother than a BMW M3. We liked it enough to vote it on to our 2004 10Best list, although it slipped off this year. Still, the S4 and its convertible and wagon counterparts-none of which change for 2005-are prime, and pricey, examples of contemporary SGT design philosophy.
Content :
• Detailed vehicle specifications • Capsule Review • Road tests, reviews & related feature articles • J.D. Power and Associates Power Circle Quality Ratings • NHTSA crash-test ratings • Kelley Blue Book detailed vehicle pricing & standard equipment