A cceleration
U nderstated
D riveability
I ndividuality

S pecial car
4 years of payments (ouch)

My story begins at the end, that is, the end of my lease of a Lexus GS400. Loved the car, but winter driving was an adventure best forgotten. Living in winterland, I decided my next vehicle would have to be 4-wheel drive. That limited my choices to an SUV, Van, Suburu or pickup (I know there are others just now seeing the errors of not offering 4-wheel drive cars, but this story will be long enough as it is).

After much research, I settled on an Audi A4 1.8T. I was buying the car this time (not leasing) and decided to be frugal (app 30K range), so I loaded it up, waited 3 months for delivery, and took ownership in April.

One bit of caution, when I went for my first (and only) test drive of the A4, I was driving my "winter beater", a 4 cylinder, 1988 Ford Tempo (My Lexus, by now, was in winter storage for the reasons previously mentioned). Getting into the A4 after driving the Tempo was an epiphany with comfort and power to spare (or at least it seemed so).
Before I took delivery of my A4, my Lexus was out of storage and I was cruising around in my 300 horse power velvet rocket for about a month. When I got my A4, I noticed it had considerable less power than on my test drive (duh?). Moral: everything is relative!

After driving my A4 for 4 weeks, I began to realize I wouldn't be happy with this car in the long term. Soooo...back to the dealership to test drive an S4 and hope (pray) that this would be the car I was looking for.
You've probably guessed by now that I traded in the A4 (1600 mile on the odometer) and took a bath (yeah, I didn't have the time or inclination to privately sell the thing.)But but by now my wallet wasn't my main concern (You pay for your mistakes).

I've had my S4 for 4 weeks now and it is the car I knew I should have gotten in the first place. I have the 6 speed manual with the Bose and premium and cold weather package. What impresses me the most about the car is the amazing torque curve of the engine. I find myself shifting directly from second gear to fourth and from fourth to sixth when "rocketing" is not my motivation.
I've been reading about "gas guzzling" with confusion. If you don't need to tear through the gears, I've been averaging over 25 mpg for the first 1500 miles (this is even during break-in!). Yeah, with a heavy foot I could bring this down to 18 mpg pretty quickly but haven't felt the urge (well, maybe a few times)to let her rip.

The ride is not Lexus cushy but it is comfortable and the body is rock solid, no squeaks or rattles. The S4 feels more stable to me at highway speeds than the Lexus (I'm an 80-90mph kinda guy, when I'm not in a hurry). Probably the Quattro. The tire and wind noise are certainly louder than the Lexus, but I just drown it out with my stereo.

Riding position is comfortable, and the interior is beautiful but understated (love the stitching on the leather trims and seats). The dash lighting at night is beautiful and just adds to the elegance of the interior.

Bose stereo is fine for me. I listen to music pretty loudly and yes, the bass is not as clean as the Nagamichi stereo in the Lexus, but the sounds are crisp and clear.

The 6 gear shifter is long but didn't take much time to master. I've read about the short shifter kits and may give it some thought, but it doesn't take long to get used to and as I've said, with the torque curve, I don't even use all the gears at times as I accelerate. Also, there is a spring tensioner for 5th and 6th gear that makes it easier to use. For instance, you feel like you're driving a 4 speed until you push against the spring tensioner (just a slight pressure)to get to 5th and 6th.

I opted for the pearl white since it just happened to have come into the dealership at the time of my distress and I loved the look with the Onyx interior. Cost extra, I'm sure I'll never get it back in trade-in, but I plan to drive this car for more than just a few years so why not enjoy it. For those of you who love black, there was one of those available too (looked gorgeous) but my wife has a black Saab 9-5 and it collects dirt like a vacuum cleaner (nice car,though).

If you are thinking of buying an A4 (which is also a nice car) and can afford the extra cash, buy the S4..it's worth every penny. It's not just an A4 with a bigger engine, it weighs more (app 350# more), has a modified suspension, and it feels like a very different car. Oh, I tried the automatic and sorry, but if you're going to buy a sports sedan, you've got to get the 6 speed. If you need an automatic, buy a Honda or Toyota.

By-the-way, if you buy an A4 with the 5 speed, you tach at 3700 RPM at 80mph. This bothered me. With the 6 speed S4 you're around 3200...not bad.

I know I'm still in the honeymoon phase of my S4 experience, but I've owned a lot of different cars (Honda accords, Saabs, Volvo 850T, Lexus GS 400) and I can tell that this is going to be a grand marriage.

Well, got to go. Have to drive to the store or someplace now to pick up some...well, I'll decide what I need when I get there.


Amount Paid (US$): 41,500
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: Audi S4