I bought an S4 6sp last week. Have put it through its paces in the hills and on winding freeways. The car is simply awesome.

Engine/gearbox:
One of the 2 stand-out features of the car. The engine makes torque everywhere - from 2K to 6K the car pulls like a freight train. The other cars seemed to be heading backwards. The engine is helped by close-ratio gearing unlike the usual cars from Germany which seem to geared for the Autobahn. The benefits - supreme passing power even in 6th gear. You dont need to shift often and can skip a couple of gears in normal driving.

Handling/Ride:
The second standout feature - the car grips like a sports car. And when the road turns slippery, the car just leaves the rest behind. I drove on Highway 1 in mild rain at 90 mph+ - the car hung like a limpet. The ride is quite firm. The benefits is mild body roll. All the road undulations are felt easily - Lets just say this is not a Lexus and is better for it!

Brakes:
I am not too impressed - the brakes are initially spongy and seem weak at first. YOu need to really stomp the pedal to get serious deceleration. The ultimate stopping power is good

Comfort/features:
The seats grips you really well. The front passengers are extremely comfortable. The rear seats are tight. I like the firm seats - they leave you unfatigued even after a long drive. The car has all the bells and whistles expected in a 40K car. The feeling you get is that Audi engineers seemed to have sweated out the details to make a really special car. The only goofy thing is lack of decent storage space for CDs and the like. The stereo is pretty good. Huge boot.

Final Verdict:
The only competition for this is a soon to come C32 AMG ($18K more expensive). In the same price bracket as the S4 we have the BMW 330i - it is slower, doesnt have all-weather grip of the S4. Moses' 11th commandment must have been "Thou shalt buy an S4 or regret it for the rest of your lives". Testdrive it - YOu will know what I mean

Amount Paid (US$): 39790
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: 6 speed Manual; cold weather; bose ;premium pckg