2010 Audi S4 ~ Autos Designs

Sunday, December 26, 2010

2010 Audi S4

9:25 AM

Hot on the heels of last year’s all-new A4 comes the hot-rod version, the S4. But the new S4 is quite unlike the previous S4; Audi’s aim is to broaden the S4′s appeal. Gone is the big fuel-guzzling V8 and the lofty price tag; in its place is a high-tech supercharged V6 and a lower price. Has Audi found a better formula for the S4 — or have they disemboweled a once-great car? Read on. $46,725 base, $50,050 as tested, EPA fuel economy estimates 18 MPG city, 27-28 MPG highway.

Creating an Audi S4 used to be so easy. Start with an A4 sedan, throw in a big eight-cylinder engine, clip on an outrageous price tag, and then toss the resulting wundermobile to the speeding masses. Those who were less inclined to tempt the radar guns had a perfectly nice A4 lineup to choose from.

Today, things are a good deal more complex. Extra cylinders are out, forced induction is in, and the populace isn’t spending money like they used to. So Audi has taken a new tack: They’ve killed the six-cylinder A4 while giving the S4 its own hot-rodded V6 and moving it downmarket. The old S4 was aimed at enthusiasts; the 2010 S4 is being aimed at the big-motor versions of the A4′s rivals — cars like the Mercedes-Benz C350, Lexus IS350, and BMW 335i.

So let’s meet the new S4. In place of the old S4′s 4.2 liter V8, the new car gets a supercharged direct-injected 3-liter V6. Compared to the old V8, it produces slightly less horsepower (333, vs the V8′s 340) and significantly more torque (325 vs. 302). The new engine lacks the low rumble of the V8, replacing it instead with an exotic-sounding soprano growl. Transmission choices are a six-speed manual or a new 7-speed version of Audi’s S-Tronic twin-clutch automatic, an automatic/manual hybrid that provides better-than-stick-shift performance with two-pedal convenience. Audi claims the new S4 runs from 0-60 in 4.9 seconds with either transmission, about a half-second quicker than the V8 S4. All this, plus much better fuel economy: high teens in the city and high 20s on the road, versus low teens and 20 even for the old S4.