Some owners I’ve heard from don’t mind at all that it also delivers reasonable fuel efficiency. Others don’t care – it’s that good. Owners might not buy it for its efficiency, but I don’t know anyone that enjoys giving the oil companies and government more money for gasoline. Over the life of our test, it averaged 11.5 L/100 km using premium, within reasonable proximity of the EPA’s 13.8/9.0/11.8 city/highway/combined estimates (17/26/20 US mpg) for the six-speed manual S4. The S tronic improves on that and offers potentially quicker acceleration and performance, unless you’re an ace with clutch and stick. But don’t do it. The manual is brilliant. Okay, the S tronic is brilliant, too, but the manual is a divine light from heaven. Yes, we really like it.
   2013 Audi S4. Click image to enlarge |
Of course, over the two months we had the S4, we did have time to discover a couple of flaws, aside from the firmness of the ride baked into its purpose. Audi seats, which have in the past, carried me over endless hours and halfway across the continent free of fatigue and in complete comfort, but these were a tad disappointing – after just a couple of hours on our short road trip, my lower back flared up despite trying every variation of the power lumbar support. Or maybe I’m just getting old. While the seats may have left something to be desired, we loved the memory settings, which store the mirror positions along with the seat, and can even be switched off to avoid accidental readjustment.
 2013 Audi S4. Click image to enlarge |
Another issue that we found was the lack of a conventional USB port. Audi offers only an MDI connector, for which you have to buy a custom connector – seems they’ve learned something from Apple in this regard. Speaking of techy initials, Audi’s MMI drew some compliments and some criticism. Some found “the MMI console between front occupants feels refined and admirably advanced,” but others complained about its counterintuitive knob rotation for menu scrolling. Audi should just suck it up and follow Mercedes-Benz and BMW with clockwise rotation to scroll down lists.
Lastly, we were occasionally confused by the electronic parking brake, which will release automatically if you are belted in, but must be deactivated manually if you have yet to put on your seatbelt. I get the safety reasoning (do up your seatbelt, stupid), but still found it annoying. Jacob found it annoying that the rear-view camera image continued to be displayed for a while after shifting into forward gears.
Despite these minor nuisances, we would gladly lay down our own money if we were shopping in this snack bracket. The S4 demonstrates a range of capabilities, from sophisticated and subtle luxury sedan to hardcore sporting machine with a firm ride and impeccable AWD traction that provided an excellent hold on the road beneath us. The steering, handling and driving engagement are the driver’s choice, but it is still sufficiently spacious for a family of up to four. It’s a brilliant car that should make you rethink your beeline to BMW dealers for the ultimate driving machine.
Convinced yet?
We are.
|
Related articles Manufacturer’s Website
Photo Gallery: |
Pricing: 2013 Audi S4 Premium
Base Price: $53,000
Base Price (Premium): $57,800
Options: $4,800 (Audi quattro sport differential – $1,500; Monsoon Grey paint job – $750; Carbon Atlas interior trim – $500; 19-inch 5-arm rotor titanium colour wheels – $500; tire pressure monitoring system – $350; rear comfort package – $1,200)
Freight & PDI: $1,995
A/C Tax: $100
Total: $64,795
Competitors:
Acura TL SH-AWD
BMW 335i xDrive
Lexus IS 350 AWD
Infiniti G37x S
Mercedes-Benz C 350 4Matic
Volvo S60 T6 AWD R-Design
Crash test results
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
