The Backstory:
So my wife and I had a Honday Civic Hatchback as our primary dog car and grocery getter road trip car.  With all our other cars being two seaters we needed at least one practical car. The civic may not sound like a grocery getter or bad dog car but we have 2 greyhounds.  So any trip you take with the dogs be it to the vets or the dog park you had a wet nose, or a tail, a paw, or some part of a greyhound poking over the seats into the front of the car making each and every trip a uncomfortable and long one.  Add this to the fact that small parts started to break and my wife was demanding we replace the car and quickly.  My search requirements from her were more room and comfortable for longer drives.  My own requirements were it had to be a wagon, sporty-fun to drive, and possibly awd.  The search began.

The first group of wagons I was looking for was also sporty but much higher in price for the car I wanted.  My wife implored me to look at something more practical then what I was looking at.  The search expanded.  Almost by luck I found a Craiglist posting for the the S4 and suddenly I knew that would be our next car.

The review itself:
Styling - While it does not posses the most sporty of lines there is something to be said about the level of refinement from the 2001 Audi S4.  The sedan has a nice german sporty look to it and the wagon is a perfect sleeper car with more then enough room to haul groceries, hardware trips and the greyhounds.   It may be a preference, but it is nice having a car that is "under the radar".  While it is not a common car it is not hard to blend in with traffic.  This will keep you out of some tickets.  Don't take me the wrong way.  The S4 is no bland vanilla car either.  It sits on stock 17 inch wheels, standard fog lights, and a very healthy exhaust note when you open the throttle up.  The paint finish is excellent, the HID lights are bright but not overbearing.

This level of refinement goes for the inside of the car as well. The fit and finish of all the trim, headliner, seats, dash is all excellant.  My wife was on the fence about buying this car until she sat in it and drove it. As soon as we finished our test drive she proclaimed she REALLY liked this car over others we had looked at because how nice it was inside.  Keep in mind the car has roughly 100,000 miles on the odometer when we purchased it, there are no rattles or squeaks.  The Bose stereo is excellent, and I mean it.  I have put hundreds of dollars in stereos in other cars I have owned and they on their best day do not compare to the sound quality of this system.  Throw in the fact that the cab is very quiet and you have your own little concert hall right there in the car.  There are two minor annoyances of the trim inside the car I can think of.  First the ashtray which sits below the stereo just in front of the shifter will not come out.  The mechanism that springs it out is broken.  The second thing is the cup holder above the stereo has the same issue as the ashtray. Doing some research and this seems to be a common issue.  While I am a big fan of the trim, I can concede that the red/orange dash may not be for everyone, but I also know why such a dash is common in most high end german cars.  It is easier on your eyes.  The on dash computer monitor is great, it gives you a variety of different information you can scroll through including outside temperature and miles per gallon instant and trip.

Fold the back seats down and the greyhounds have enough room to laydown and stretch out, and enough headroom to stand up. This ample room also provides enough space for the biggest of shopping trips be it groceries or the mall.  I really like the cover that comes stock with the wagon which is useful for covering up valuables in the trunk area but that pales in comparison to how much I love the built in cargo net in the back seats.  This offers the perfect barrier to keep the dogs out of the front seat.  Also worth noting is the passthrough in the back seat made to fit a pair of skiis for that weekend ski trip and the build in first aid kit that I didn't find until after a week of owning the car.  While I am talking about the back seats, they are roomy and comfortable.  There is plenty of leg and headroom while the seats do a good job of being firm enough to feel supported while being soft enough to be there for a long road trip.  The electric front seats do a great job of being just as comfortable yet offer enough lumbar support to hold you in place when the road becomes fun. 

On to the fun stuff, the Driving experiance:
In our house we have two seat mid-engine sports cars as our normal transport.  I didn't think such a large car would even compare to the driving experience.  I was wrong. 
First let me start at the cars obvious strong point.  The bi-turbo 2.7liter V6 engine.  What a great engine, in stock trim the car can get as good as 27-28 mpg on the open highway if one drives conservatively but lets face it, that isn't why you are looking at the S4.  It pulls hard off the line and even harder when those turbos spool up.  It has more then enough power to get you up to speed on even the shortest of freeway on ramps and it overtakes with ease, even in fifth gear.  The transmission shifts smooth and swiftly in both automatic and manual mode.  The biggest fault I can put on the drivetrain is the manual mode though.  The shifts may be smooth and quick but there is still the delay from when you push the button on the steering wheel or the gear shifter.  This is not unexpected as every other car I have been in with a manual mode on the transmission suffers from the same problem. 

The Audi Quattro is also great.  I have done some snow driving without the aid of chains or snow tires and the car just keeps plugging along while everyone else on the road stopped to chain up.  The factory stock ABS & EMS traction control systems are as good as any i've ever tested.  It does not step in too soon like some over protective nanny to keep you out of trouble.  It only kicks in when it really needs to.

The handling is amazingly nimble for such a large machine.  For a sports sedan/wagon the Audi may be a bit portly as far as weight goes, it isn't common to feel it while driving.  The body lean is kept well in control by the suspension, which I might add does a great job soaking up bumpy roads as well.  The car simply goes where you point it and does so quickly.  The steering can be a bit on the numb side but like I said the car just goes where you point it.  I am fairly certain that the sedan does an even better job at blowing through corners then the wagon, but for what we purchased the car for, it not only meets my desires but exceeds them. 

Maintenance:
The only real draw back to owning the S4, or any high end german car for that matter is the cost to repair and maintain them.  I am I guess you could say a bit of a snob when it comes to this, I will not take my car to just an oil change place.  I have a german car mechanic and I use only synthetic oil.  My two oil changes have come in around the $100 mark, which for a full synthetic isn't bad considring I go almost twice the distance I would had I used conventional oil (5K vs 3K).  The car was in need of a new timing belt when I purchased it, which is about double the cost you would spend if you purchased a japanese or american car.  The way I look at it though is I won't need to do another timing belt change on the car until it has nearly 200,000 miles on it, which is going to be a long ways off. 

In conclusion, my only regret with the S4 I currently have parked in my driveway was being 3 hours late for the 6 speed manual that was up for sale and having it sell before I could buy it.  The Avant is the perfect practical car for the family that wants more than the average person does from their car.  It offers great comfort and space for multiple people and practicality that my wife required.  It offers a powerful engine, AWD and great handling for my desires.  My wife loves it just as much as I do, but what can I say, I married a fellow car lover.  The only downside to that is I have to fight her for the keys sometimes.  Happy motoring everyone.
Amount Paid (US$): 10,500
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: Wagon, automatic, Bose stereo, sliding sunroof