Audi S4 4.2 V8
Theres a bit of form between me and the first generation Audi S4. Remember that car? With 270bhp and an understated body, it was billed as the ultimate Q-car; the car that got you from A to B at lightning speed without attracting attention to itself. So much for the billing. The only penalty points ever to sully the Enright licence came at the wheel of the S4.
The latest restyled model is a very different proposition. Heres a car with no less than 344bhp that revels in its macho potency. It looks like 344bhp worth of Audi. Its a car that a GATSO camera could really grow to love.
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If youre interested, theres also a desirable Cabriolet S4, priced at £41,310. Otherwise, the recipe is much the same as before. The S4 still undercuts the M3 by some £4,000, but offers a rather different experience. Perhaps we shouldnt be surprised that the S4 is less of a finely balanced tool for the connoisseur and more of a blunt implement, as this has been the way of all powerful Audis for the past ten years.
The steering though much improved still lacks a certain tactility and the brakes are as savagely overservoed as ever. The engine is all blood and thunder, a normally aspirated 4.2-litre V8 that feels utterly unburstable.
"Learn to drive the S4 properly and youll be able to use more of that power more of the time than you ever thought possible"
Pop the bonnet and it seems as if Audi have put a quart in a pint pot, the big V8 filling the bay to such an extent that theres little more than finger width around its perimeter. It wasnt merely a case of taking the 4.2-litre V8 from the A8 and bolting it into the A4. It has been thoroughly re-engineered, with all the mechanicals responsible for driving the pumps, valve gear and so on taken from the front of the engine and squeezed into a gap at the back between the engine block and the flywheel.
The net result is a far more compact arrangement, but Audi have also aimed at cutting weight. With lighter pistons and conrods, this engine weighs no more than the old S4s twin turbo V6. Despite all this ingenuity, the S4 still weighs in at a hefty 1660kg, enough to take the edge off what youd expect a 344bhp compact saloon to be able to do in a straight line. The sprint to 60mph takes 5.
4 seconds en route to an electronically limited 155mph, which makes it a little slower than Mercedes astonishing C32 AMG and BMWs M3. Thats not to say it lacks drama. The engine will rev to a heady 7,200rpm and the soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission. The engine does its best work between 1,100 and 5,000rpm, where the monstrous torque renders the six-speed manual gearbox almost superfluous.
The gearchange is one of Audis best efforts; smooth with a decent weight to the change linked to a heavy duty clutch, yet at any speed between 20mph and 120mph, its tempting to just leave the S4 in fourth gear and hitch your surfboard to that huge swell of torque. Lazy? Maybe. Fun? Oh yes. The S4 is a car that makes sense in such a wet country as ours.
With all wheel-drive traction and a whole raft of electronic safety measures, its effortlessly secure, offering less of the heart in mouth moments that often accompany a combination of big power, damp roads and an enthusiastic approach. Thats not to say the S4 is a fuddy duddy thats forgotten how to entertain. Learn to drive the S4 properly and youll be able to use more of that power more of the time than you ever thought possible. Its so addictive that only the realisation of quite how much Optimax unleaded youve burnt per session could possibly quell the temptation to repeat ad infinitum.
Audi quote an overall figure of 21.1mpg, but if you use that throttle pedal anywhere like how it was intended to be used, expect that figure to head south pretty quickly. Its worth it though. As well as the four-door saloon body style, Audi offer an Avant estate version, both of them unlikely to be confused with their humbler siblings.
As well as sporting 18-inch six-spoke alloy wheels and low profile tyres, the S4 adds black angular door strips that curiously resemble an oil spill oozing from the cabin. A chrome-ringed intake under the front bumper and an egg-crate style grille above it give the S4 some overtaking presence, whilst silver door mirrors, a bootlid spoiler and twin exhausts add even more visual drama. The interior is what weve come to expect from Audi. Beautifully screwed together, predominantly black and styled with effortless cool, the S4s only Achilles heel in this instance is that the driving position feels a little too high.
Some may grumble that the interior is too similar to any other A4 and having seen the design direction Audi have taken with the A8, perhaps this generation A4 is the last to go down the minimalist black is best route. The big problem for the S4 is the knowledge that Audi is hard at work developing an even more powerful RS4 version. Those with the means may well prefer to keep their powder dry and wait for this rocketship. Those that arent into waiting will be rewarded with an extremely fast, supremely safe sports saloon that even manages to appear reasonable value for money.
That rumbling engine and those muscular looks mean the S4 will attract attention. Exercising restraint may prove difficult. You see, in the S4 you can resist anything bar temptation.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Audi S4 range
PRICES: £37,115-£41,310 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 321g/km
PERFORMANCE: [saloon] 0-60mph 5.4s / Max Speed 155mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [saloon] (urban) 14.5mpg/ (extra urban) 28.8mpg/ (combined) 21.2mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags, side and curtain airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: (length/width/height) 181/70/61"
