The 2020 Audi S4 effortlessly exceeds the posted speed limit on one lengthy stretch of arid road where only roadrunners and tumbleweeds create any dust. It could only be slowed down by some stray pebbles that was left over from a flash flood.
There is much more to this strange location in the American Southwest. More than 40 degrees change from day to night in the temperature. Olives, dates, and oranges are abundant, and the hot, dry air is infused with an exotic scent by sweet-scented orange blooms. In places like Palm Springs, California, the prickly pear cactus can be consumed or used to make margaritas. In the midst of the desolate rock formations and the sun-drenched ground, festa, flora, and faunalife of all kinds bloom.
The 2020 Audi S4 is also lot more than it first appears to be. The calm small sedan differs nothing from the updated A4 in terms of appearance. The A4’s slats are replaced with a honeycomb grille, 18-inch wheels are standard, the door handles are body color, and the rear is identified by quad chrome exhaust points. The majority of the panels, with the exception of the roof, have been altered, and this includes a less noticeable rocker crease that climbs into the buff rear bumper.
The 2020 revisions are as little as the S4. The internal technology is quicker, clearer, and enhanced, but it is still recognizable, while the powertrain is the same.
Why then would someone spend $50,895 (plus $995 for destination) up front or possibly up to $60,000 after all the extras are included?
Since subtlety produces surprise. Additionally, the 2020 BMW M340i is not significantly faster than the S4, costs roughly $6,000 more, and has less advanced in-car technology.
With all-wheel drive, the M340i’s 382-horsepower 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 propels the vehicle from zero to sixty miles per hour in 4.1 seconds and up to 130 mph. The S4’s 3.0-liter V-6 engine with 349 horsepower can propel the vehicle to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. They both have excellent 8-speed automatic transmissions, and they produce 369 pound-feet of torque.
The majority of buyers will choose the S4, which has adaptive dampers as part of the $2,500 S sport package and is lighter, lower, and broader than the M340i.
Even when it hits speeds higher than the desert’s peak temperatures, the S4 is amazing but hardly mind-blowing on such vast roads with no opposing traffic, turnouts, people, or anything but sand. When traveling at high speeds, the handling is stable even when faced with road undulations that are severe enough to warrant repeated “Dip” flags. The automobile feels like it could gain air off the hill as the front end squeezes down into the dip, causing compression that makes one’s stomach tingle. There isn’t. Instead, the S4 is able to regain speed because of the active damping in Dynamic mode, which maintains all four wheels firmly in place to ensure stability and grip. When the following dip shows a dusty wash out from a recent flash flood, the 6-piston red caliper front brakes, also included in the S sport package, stop the car effortlessly.
85 percent of the torque may be sent to the rear axle with the Quattro all-wheel-drive system in its base configuration, and almost all of that torque can be sent to either rear wheel with the S Sport package’s electronic limited-slip rear differential and torque vectoring. Although we weren’t able to track it to test its handling in turns, we know that the Audi stable has better track vehicles.
The S4 doesn’t get a chance to flit and dart about, sharp as the sting on a cactus, until we get close to town. Even during Palm Springs rush hour, daily driving in the S4 turns into fun.
Even after seven hours of driving and riding in Audi vehicles, I still want to keep going.
There isn’t much lag from a stop thanks to the turbocharger’s location between the banks of the V-6 engine. However, it pays to be forceful with the little but ideal paddle shifters when entering and exiting curves because otherwise, the 8-speed may hesitate to select the lowest gear. The transmission is swift and fluid, but if you push it close to the redline, it shifts quickly. In my afternoon with the S4, I turned it to Dynamic mode and forgot to adjust the settings once again.
Audi’s thick, flat-bottomed steering wheel, which has the kind of substantial reins you’d expect from a horse with twice the power, is standard equipment on the S4. Although it responds to inputs, especially when accelerating out of a corner or maneuvering past the stationary RVs that dot this terrain, it lacks the immediate connection to the road that I would like in a performance car.
That’s not a terrible thing, as the S4’s interior is comfortable both when accelerating and while cruising, especially with the 19-inch wheels on the Prestige trim. The new 10.1-inch touchscreen that is a component of the MIB 3 infotainment system is the focal point of the cabin and the interior changes for 2020. Even though it protrudes from the dash over the vents and has an aftermarket appearance, the functionality of this device elevates one of the greatest infotainment systems available to the best.
The middle console’s rotary controller dial is no longer there. The touchscreen now simulates the sense of buttons via audio and haptic feedback. Although it is simpler to operate than previous touchscreens, safety concerns remain as your fingers and eyes move through the menus. Thankfully, the icons are bigger, the design is clear, and the climate controls still have physical controls. The handwriting recognition on the screen is the most precise I’ve seen. It’s a real feature, not simply a marketing ploy.
Even better, Audi’s upgraded Virtual Cockpit, which features a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, allows access to nearly all the information on the touchscreen. The MIB 3 system is 10 times more powerful than the previous one because to its CPU, which also makes it faster, clearer, and simpler to use. The Google Earth map projection is excellent and accurately represents what you can see from below or what you can’t see from above. Even the most tech-averse among us should find something to like in the various views, where the map can take up the entire display, be positioned in the centre, or be relocated to the edge. For every trip, I would choose it over CarPlay navigation.
I’m using the S4 to travel farther than Audi’s recommended route for yet another purpose.
The 2020 S4 is more than it seems as the sun sets and night approaches, which motivates me to keep the windows down, the music loud, and drive for a little while later, to who knows where.
In This Article...
A S4 Audi can travel how fast?
The saloon and avant bodystyles of the third generation Audi S4 quattro (Type 8Esaloon: 8E2, Avant: 8E5, and Cabriolet: 8H7) made their debuts in Europe in March 2003[5], and they later made their North American premiere.
[when?] Based on the then-current Audi B6 A4’s use of the most recent Volkswagen Group B6 (PL46) platform, this was created. The S4’s new engine, a 4.2-liter V8 engine, was one of its most prominent new features, despite switching to a whole new platform. It was first offered as a four-door, five-seat saloon (sedan) or a five-door, five-seat Avant (estate/wagon). Later, it was offered in three bodystyles, and from February 2004, the Audi ‘S’ automobile lineup added a two-door, four-seat convertible, the Type 8H, for the first time. [12]
Although a road test by the American automotive magazine Motor Trend[13] revealed that it could go from a standstill to 60 mph (96.6 km/h) in less than 5 seconds and make it to 200 km/h (124.3 mph) in a little over 20 seconds, doing this resulted in fuel consumption. The official performance figures for standard discipline of sprinting from standstill to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in the saloon with manual transmission are 5.6 seconds (Avant 5.8 s, This was far poorer than the older V6 vehicles, which resulted in the imposition of a $1,700 gas guzzler tax for the six-speed manual sedan in the United States (combined 20.2 miles per US gallon (11.6 L/100 km; 24.3 mpgimp)). 250 km/h is the electronic top speed restriction (155.3 mph).
The factory manufacturing of the B6 S4 saloon, avant, and cabriolet models ended in December 2004 and December 2005, respectively.
[5]
Is the S4 from Audi turbocharged?
The S4 has a powerful 3.0-liter V-6 engine with supercharging that produces 333 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is the default, although a seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission is also an option. Through Audi’s quattro system, power is distributed to all four wheels.
Which Audi S4 has the greatest speed?
Recently, Canada beat the record for the fastest Audi S4 B8 in the globe. The Audi S4 is already a quick car, but with a few AWE Tuning parts, they may undoubtedly become much faster.
According to AWE, Jeff Jones’ Audi S4 is the quickest S4 in the world after reaching the benchmark time of 11.61 seconds at 119.12 mph (191.8 km/h) on Saturday. The factory-built 2012 Audi S4’s 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine generates 245kW and 440Nm. You can bet your last dollar that this extensively modified S4 produces more more than 245kW even if neither Jeff nor AWE have disclosed its exact power output.
The Audi S4 has received upgrades like a touring edition exhaust, B8 3.0T resonated downpipes, an AWE Tuning stage 2 pulley kit with G.I.A.C. stage 2 performance software, a ColdFront heat exchanger, a ColdFront coolant pump, a ColdFront reservoir, and G.I.A.C. S-Tronic gearbox software. All of the aforementioned enhancements are available for purchase through AWE Tuning’s website.
As you can see from the picture, Jones also changed the suspension to have a lower and more hunkered-down stance and found a new set of wheels that are more suited for racing. He stated:
“I’ve driven nearly 20,000 miles with the AWE Tuning/GIAC Stage II upgrade. It is not only very powerful but has also shown to be quite dependable and fun all year long. My final pass of the day, which came after more than ten straight passes, was my best pass.
Which Audi is the quickest?
According to Audi, the performance of the new R8 V10 is identical to that of the previous R8 Competition. The reason it is at the top of our list is that it outperforms all other Audi models in terms of speed. The car can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 3 seconds, and some models can do it in as little as 2.8 seconds.
The Bottom Line
We have comprehensively covered the top 10 fastest Audi vehicles worldwide. The added benefit of getting to your location on time is essentially what having the fastest car means. We have made it simpler for you to choose which Audi vehicle to buy.
Audi S4 dependability
With a 2.0 out of 5.0 reliability rating, the Audi S4 is ranked 27th out of 31 premium midsize automobiles. Poor ownership expenses are indicated by the $1,171 average yearly repair cost. You can anticipate more major repairs for the S4 because both the frequency and severity of repairs are higher than those for the ordinary vehicle.
Cost
In comparison to the $739 average cost of premium midsize automobiles and the $652 average cost of all vehicle models, the total yearly cost of repairs and maintenance for an Audi S4 is $1,171.
the typical annual sum for unplanned maintenance and repairs for all model years of a car. A vehicle’s greater average cost alone does not imply that it is less dependable. For instance, your car’s parts and labor may be pricey, especially if it’s a European luxury model, but if there are few serious problems and frequent service visits on average each year, that’s a sign of a dependable vehicle.
The typical annual frequency at which a vehicle is taken in for unplanned maintenance and repairs. This metric is produced by monitoring millions of distinctive automobiles over a number of years to ascertain the typical yearly visits for each make and model. Controls were included to prevent small, routine shop visits, such those for oil changes.
The severity element of dependability calculates the likelihood that a repair will cause a significant problem. The cost of a repair is assessed to be excessively expensive given the unscheduled nature of the repair if it is three times the average annual repair cost for all models. Due to their more expensive labor and component expenses, premium and luxury brands have a higher barrier.
Frequency
Owners of Audi S4s need to take their cars in for unplanned repairs on average 0.9 times a year, as opposed to 0.6 times on average for luxury midsize cars and 0.4 times on average for all vehicle models.