Staff Reporter
As part of the new Audi S4 a motorist would find a car with a modest sporty look but which has superior performance not to mention the quattro permanent all-wheel drive.
The new Audi S4 is powered by a new 3-litre TFSI that combines sports car performance with new levels of efficiency and also impresses with high power, ample torque, spontaneous response and a sonorous sound. The direct petrol injection engine with turbocharging has an output of 260 kW and produces a hefty torque of 500 Nm from 1,370 to 4,500 rpm.
The turbo V6 engine accelerates the Audi S4 from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds, and up to an electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h.
In the new S4, a fast and smoothly shifting eight-speed tiptronic handles the power transfer. Its lower gears have short, sporty ratios, while the upper gears are long to reduce revs and fuel consumption. When the driver releases the accelerator pedal at a speed between 55 and 160 km/h the automatic transmission switches over to an efficient freewheeling mode.
The quattro permanent all-wheel drive makes a large contribution to the sporty handling of the S4. In normal driving, it distributes engine forces with a slight emphasis of the rear wheels – if necessary the majority of forces can be directed to the axle with better traction.
Torque vectoring optimizes handling and stability in fast cornering with minimal brake interventions. The optional sport differential actively distributes torque between the rear wheels. The five-link front and rear suspensions enable significant comfort gains with emphatically sporty response.
An alternative to electromechanical power steering is dynamic steering, which varies its steering gear ratio according to the driving speed. The front brakes have internally-vented discs that are 350 mm in diameter. They are gripped by black (or optionally red) painted six-piston fixed calipers with S lettering.
Inside the optional S sport seats have integrated head restraints, adjustable lateral supports and a pneumatic massage function. Fine Nappa leather is optional in the colours black, rotor grey or magma red with diamond pattern, contrasting stitching and an S badge. The colour black dominates in the interior, which is set off by contrasting inlays made of matt-brushed aluminum.
Thanks to the fundamentally new control and display concept, the driver can control all functions of the new S4 effortlessly and intuitively. The optional Audi virtual cockpit, the fully digital instrument cluster, shows all key information on a 12.3-inch TFT display in brilliant resolution, a high level of detail and intricately rendered graphic effects.
The “View” button on the sport leather steering wheel with multifunction plus is used to switch between the different user interfaces. Three views are available, including an exclusive sport mode with the tachometer as the dominant element.
The Audi phone box connects smartphones to the on-board antenna and charges them inductively based on the Qi standard. The Bang & Olufsen sound system with its new type of 3D sound adds the spatial dimension of height. Its amplifier delivers 755 watts of audio power to 19 loudspeakers.
The appearance of the new S4 is sporty but not ostentatious. The bumper, air inlets and side sills feature distinctive contours. Many of the add-on parts are painted in graduated tones of matt gray. Aluminum inlays accentuate its design.
The exterior mirror housings shine in aluminum look. The rear bumper integrates a black honeycomb grille, aluminum diffuser trim and four tailpipes. The price starts on the north of N$801,000 and come standard with the 5 year/100 000km Audi Freeway Plan.