Audi S4

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $35000.00 from Maidstone Audi

Year / Model Reviewed:
2005 S4 Cabrio

Summary:
Love it, its just so classy, unfortunatly since buying it every other car seems to be a black A4 convertable... had some pretty fast motors but this is a great alrounder.. thinking of adding a Milltek Exhaust to slightly improve the music from that V8 burble.

Strengths:
Performance, Quality, looks.

Weaknesses:
Sound, stupid incar phone set attached to side of dashboard as standard (what were audi thinking) which has now been removed but now need a new centre consol to hide the two huge hole :-(

Similar Products Used:
348 Spider
M3
Scubby ST4
RX8

Price Paid:  $14000.00 from Hadwins Audi

Year / Model Reviewed:
1999 S4 Saloon

Summary:
This is for the UK spec S4, with the 265 bhp. I live in the Lake District in the UK and here cars that are especially capable in very wet weather are the way forward! The quattros are very popular here for this reason and I had been intenting to buy an S3 until I saw and test drove this 4y/o S4 saloon. On seeing it, I was immediately impressed by its subtle yet purposeful stance and on driving it I was pleased to discover a truly rapid car mated to a drivetrain that is quite remarkable. As I have got to know the car, which I shod with Eagle F1s, it has not ceased to amaze me in the wet. The grip is amazing and the handling is versatile; its manners vary according to how your present it to the corner. It can turn in like a FWD car or you can drive in on the power and have it drift around in classic 4WD fashion, even tweaking it with a little lift-off oversteer should you need to. The engine is really special. It is so torquey that you can drive it like a lazy turbo-diesel and roll about at 1500rpm and it won't complain a bit but press on and it lifts its skirts and surges on and on, right up to 7000rpm in every gear. It really is very quick. Brakes are good, powerful and well-modulated, due, in part, to OEM Pagid pads. You can fade them if you do 100-10mph dives four or five times in a row but other than that they're OK. Upgrade for heavy track use but otherwise don't bother. I run a K&N element in mine and it minimised turbo-lag and added a delicious induction roar. Turbo lag is almost nonexistent, which is a big bonus. On that note, this car sounds great. As you open it up it really howls and you can always hear the turbos whining away. Exhaust is on the muted side but does growl when pushed hard and burbles gently at the lights. Damping is fairly civilised, which lends itself well to eating up potholes and backroad bumps; it would certainly need work for trackdays but on the road it is very well balanced and tracks well on bad roads, further aiding poise in the wet. Quality is premier-league, no doubt about it. My car is nearly five years old and it has had precisely zero problems of any sort. Great seats and lights, as well. Great value for money now that new S4 is out :D

Strengths:
Staggering poise in the wet. Supremely capable on backroads. 6speed box cruises very well, too Very fast mith mild manners around town. So much torque. Subtle and understated and cool Highest quality build Wonderful lights. Great seats. Nice big boot with full-size aloy spare and split seats that go forward. You see one of these for ever 100 M3s! :) Nothing quicker on horrible lakeland roads! Excellent dealer

Weaknesses:
Gearchange has been critiscised and reasonably so. The shift into second is awkward and slow and notchy. I replaced all the transmission and gearbox oils and this helped a great deal but the gearbox is the weakest link in this car. Main beams are awful when compared to the superlative Xenon dippeds, but easily upgraded. Sub 20mpg. Not necessarily a weakness but somthing you have to consider when buyng a car like this, as is group20 insurance.

Similar Products Used:
S3, new S4, various GTIs etc

Price Paid:  $42000.00 from Audi dealership in M

Year / Model Reviewed:
2002 Audi S4

Summary:
A really fast and fun car that is also smooth, comfortable, and blessed with a nice, handsome, understated style. As many of the other reviewers have discussed, it is probably one of the most tune-able cars available today. It starts out with an impressive 2.7 liter bi-turbo motor generating 250 hp. Add a new ecu chip and a few other gadgets and you'll be well over 300 hp in no time. However, I am not going to spend money on power upgrades yet. I'm going to focus primarily on handling. Although the S4 handles better than 90% of the other cars on the road, I feel like the suspension set-up is just not up to the level of the rest of the car. There is just a bit too much squat and dive, a bit too much body roll and a bit of understeer - all of which can be addressed with new shocks and sway bars. The car already has tremendous power and grip but not the 'seat of the pants' driving feel that will let you approach the limit with confidence. Some handling upgrades should get me there. Extra power can come later. Other comments: - Mine has been totally reliable for the first 20k miles. Flawless. - Interior could be out of a $100,000 car - exquisite. But back seat is small for adults. - High performance tires mean that you'll need to purchase a separate set of winter tires for the snow season. - 6-sp manual shifter linkage is not great. It's ok, but not up to porsche or bmw standards. - Steering is great. Far improved over standard A4 steering rack. - Breaks are a great for street use, but if you're going to race the car, you'll need to upgrade the brakes to overcome fade. - Audi purchase/lease plan includes all scheduled maintenance for 40k miles. No hassles. All I pay for is gas. - Santorin blue paint is knock-deak gorgeous.

Strengths:
Sports car power and grip with luxury car comfort.

Weaknesses:
Suspension/handling very good, but not quite up to the level of the rest of the car

Similar Products Used:
Porsche Boxster, Taurus SHO, Nissan Maxima SE, Audi A4

Price Paid:  $35000.00 from Carlsen Audi

Year / Model Reviewed:
2000 S4

Summary:
Awesome car. Tons of torque. Tons of fun. Interior is of exceptional quality. The S4 feel rock solid on both the road and the track. It's ability to inhale interstate miles quickly, solidly, and effortlessly has few peers.

Strengths:
Torque. Build quality. Quattro. Tunability.

Weaknesses:
Stock brakes.

Price Paid:  $45000.00 from dealership

Summary:
Just want to remind everyone what a great car this is. Here is a list of most of the tuners www.achtuning.com (new but not bad prices) www.awe-tuning.com (alot of their own stuff) www.avalonmotorsports.com/ (some group-buys with good prices) www.goapr.com (audi performance racing, the 2nd best) www.ecstuning.com/ (cheap prices on alot of stuff) www.ep importers.com (rs4 parts) www.hoppenmotorsport.com (overall best tuner, most expensive and usually not worth it) www.stratmosphere.com/ (best By pass valve, stoptech brakes) www.tmtuning.com/ (lighting) www.uucmotorwerks.com (true dual exhaust, short shifter) Email if you have questions, be happy to answer, hope you find above helpful

Strengths:
-it is well finished in almost every aspect -Most tunable european car today -Price tag

Weaknesses:
Some very minor things like it could uses some minor exhaust, brake(this one is actully not that cheap), ecu upgrades to beat 98% stock car under 70k (03 Cobra and Z06 are still faster, but honestly where isn't quality?)

Similar Products Used:
zo6, e36/46 m3, 996 C2