d motorofficial f motor_mag^3905
THE FORCE
UNLEASHED
BY THE TWIN-
TURBO DIESEL
IS A SUDDEN
VIOLENT SURGE
ABOVEThere’s
nomissingthehuge
10.1-inchtouchscreen
sittinghighinthe
middleoftheS4’s
dash,slightlytilted
towardsthedriverLEFTAudisaysits
newdesignlanguage
useshorizontallines
toemphasisethe
widthofitsnewA4/S4
modelsfrontandrear,
andinside➜tobegleanedhere,though.
Thelatest-generationBMWM340i
xDrivewilllikelyremaintheenthusiast’s
go-tochoicein thesegment,but
there’splentytolikeaboutthisnew
S4,evenif it’sperhapsnotthemost
inspirationalcartodrivehard.
Thehybridiseddieselpowertrain
in thisEuro-specmodelmakesit
somethingofanoddityin thefast
compactexecutiveclass,butit also
lendstheAudianimpressivebreadth
ofability;it’sbotha refinedmotorway
cruiserandanexceptionallyfastcarto
pointdowna secondaryroad.
A refreshedcabin,withAudi’s
latest10.1-inchMMI-plustouchscreen
infotainmentsystemandvirtualcockpit
asstandard,alsohelpstogivetheS4
a welcomeboostonthetechnological
appealfront.
Welookforwardtoseeinghow
thefaceliftedS4stacksupforthe
Australianmarketin 2020withthe
260kW/500NmTFSIengine– good
enoughfor4.7secto100km/h– under
thebonnet.Put your foot down below 2000rpm
and the pace gradually starts to pick
up, but as soon as you breach that
2500rpm marker, things get a lot
more brutal. The accelerative force
unleashed by the twin-turbo diesel is
a sudden violent surge accompanied
by a muscular, bassy (if a little faux-
sounding) bellow from the V6. It might
be fleeting, but for that short moment
it exists, it’s undoubtedly thrilling.
The S4’s versatility is readily
apparent, too. Point it down a stretch
of motorway and not only is that
engine impressively hushed, its claimed
combined fuel figure of 6.2L/100km
means it should provide decent range
between trips to the servo.
Sitting on lowered sports suspension,
the S4’s ride is noticeably firmer
than its A4 counterpart, even with its
dampers in their comfiest, most pliant
setting. That said, the manner in which
it navigates poorly surfaced roads isn’t
so brittle you’d wince at the prospect
of driving one over long distances. This
is a settled, well-sorted car.The S4 grips tenaciously through
corners too, although you can still get
its rear end to step out with some well-
timed throttle inputs.
In Dynamic mode, the steering does
have an artificial sense of weight about
it, but for the most part it allows you to
steer the car in a confident, assertive
manner. Its response rate quickens as
your speed increases, which can be
a touch unsettling at first but doesn’t
take long to get your head around.
It’s a bit disheartening, if not at all
surprising, to find there’s little feedback