Thanks for dropping in.
More pictures at the bottom of this page. Please see other pages for more pictures and info. Page 6 has some picturesque shots just taken recently.
Start here to read what I think about this impressive machine
Here is a professional review: http://www.europeancarweb.com/firstlook/0611_ec_2006_audi_s4_avant/ Review by European Car
I'm extremely happy with the B6 S4 that's stuffed with an incredible 40 Valve 4.2 V8. Audi is the first company to put a V8 into a compact car. This engine completely transforms the nature of the inherently great A4 B6 generation chasis into what feels like a super car. The broad power band and torque combined with the silky smoothness of the relatively small displacement, but high output V8 make an ideal power plant. As many know the stock rating is 340HP at 7K/RPM and 302 lb/ft torque at 3.5K/RPM. Torque like a V8 with the hi-revving ability of a small engine. This engine just does not run out of breath. If you are used to american muscle, you're in for a big surprise. It all means a lot of go no matter what the situation. Current power is estimated at 380hp and 360 lb/ft torque.
When you drive this S4 Avant it will make everything else seem like a half hearted effort. It's really that impressive. I've driven all sorts of cars, and this S4 is in another class above.
The search was very time consuming to locate this car, and it took over a year to convince my wife that a "wagon" was cool enough, and also more practical. After driving this S4 Avant that issue was laid to rest. I think part of it was the beautiful sounds it makes and having lots of torque anytime you want it.
As you may know in Europe the Avant (wagon/estate) body style reins in popularity, and only until recently has Audi made their top offerings in a sedan bodystyle to suit the USA market. The RS6 was only available as the Avant to begin with, Quattro with 450hp and 180+mph to ensure very few got past it. The more practical Avant style is starting to catch on here in the US, but mostly with entry and mid-level cars.
Audi has blazed the way with a sports car in a very sporty and elegant looking wagon body. For those that desire practicality and less attention from the highway patrol, this car hits a home run. From what i've heard from those that have driven and owned both the Avant V8 and Sedan V8, the Avant gets the nod for better handling. Prior we owned a A4 30V 2.8 QMS and I would agree about the handling aspect-- the Avant feels less nose heavy. Speaking of which...
For fun, the car has been weighed and checked for cross weighting. With driver in seat the car is perfectly balanced, and front to rear distribution noticeably better than the sedan. The scale operators stated the weights were perfect and none of the other approximately 50+ cars checked that day were even close. Most with adjustable coilovers, suspension kits, and other high end performance cars. I knew the car felt "right" but it was nice to know the #'s prove it.
We're sold on the versatility of the extra space, great styling, and "Q" car status, partially because it's not a sedan. Very few drivers know what this car's potential is, and by the time they realize it, the job is done. Most recently a 350Z found this out on the morning commute when he was on his cell phone slow poking it in the "fast" lane and i wizzed around him like a pylon cone-- with wife as copilot. He saw me but just didn't have the power to respond. Another example was getting onto the freeway with a new Corvette in front of us (still had the temp sticker), and since it was wet out could not pull away from us until about 75mph. He did not want to be passed (definitely not by a wagon!), we got a kick out of making that driver give it everything to stay in front. The Quattro AWD made all the difference getting up to speed from a stop w/o spinning tires. Power w/o control you know...
Matched with the manual 6spd, the gear ratios are surprisingly spot on for any type of driving, and keep the engine in the sweet range at all times-- which is just about everywhere. While town driving i often skip shift, just using 3 gears most of the time (1st-3rd-5th or 2nd-4th-6th). The shifting is so nice that in NO way, nor my wife, miss the TIP shifting. Although in the sport mode is is pretty nice for an automatic (good bye MPG); no DSG tho'!
We both agree that 1st gear is really short, and usually only needed to start out. Long as the car is rolling 1st gear isn't needed. Her shifting skills are excellent from years of driving manuals, farm trucks, our 40' manual trans RV, and including our A4 V6 for over 2 years-- she's very smooth and would put most men to shame. However i drive it most of the time, and she also has her own vehicle. When hard acceleration is needed 1st gear is perfect-- all gears are ideal under any situation, partially due to the engines even power and torque.
The engine is so responsive with the manual trans that it takes time to adjust. Sure wish there was a throttle setting mode, but i hear a chip can do this. Partly this is due to the fact that any other vehicle feels lethargic in comparison. I'm also told the Audi dealership can reprogram the settings.
The Avant drives equally as well as the 3 other B6 S4 sedans we tested and the only way I know it's an Avant is by looking.
We liked the B6 S4 better than the B5 S4's we tried (00-02), which were about 5 of them. If there is a difference with the extra weight of the Avant body style I can't tell. There just isn't a noticeable difference under normal driving. In fast corners the Avant feels more balanced, though. The weight is at the rear where it's needed.
I noticed a large difference between the B5's with the TwinTurbo V6. Seems every car had a big power difference depending on how hard they were previously driven; one had a chip i think and it really scooted like the B6's, but still felt like a turbo car. Another seemed like it had no power at all, even slower than our A4 2.8 30V.
Additionally the B5 S4's don't steer as well with an over assisted and non communicative non variable system (same as our A4). The seating position is higher (similar to an economy car), and don't feel as connected both with the driver and terra firma. This may sound negative, but in comparison the B6 feels as though you're sitting more in the car and not on it. Hadn't I driven both generations of cars, the B5 would have been a fine choice (somewhat slow w/o a chip however), fun to modify, but we drove the V8 and were sold on the entire package. It's so solid, steers great, the brakes are more responsive, and handles more tightly. This car just seems to defy physics!
Already owning a powerful custom built turbo car (going on 15yrs), I think that the responsibility of having a high end german car with two turbo's, the temptation of Chipping it would be just too easy (and needed just to get within range of the V8's power). The stock S4 turbo's can't take it for too long, and those that don't know soon find out when the whistling sounds occur as the beginning of the end. They typically have problems even in stock form. Not saying they are bad, but one needs to know what to expect. And with most of the B5 S4's I checked the oil level was either dirty or low (one S4 at a dealer had NO oil on the dipstick; I refused to test it due to obvious neglect. This was AFTER the dealer bragged about how great their multi-point inspection was). A sure way to ruin turbo's and the engine, too. As a turbo owner it seems oil changes and constant level checking is most crucial. Plus I could not verify if full synthetic oil was being used in the B5's -- which is needed.
I think the V8 is a much more reliable power plant in the long run with better daily driveability.
I just love the speed sensitive steering- perfect for all occasions! Being a die hard "no technology" kind of guy I've come full circle-- however I'm still getting used to the car and the way it works. The steering is light when parking or around town, and weights up when going faster. The feedback is MUCH better than the previous generation Audi's w/o it.
So far the only thing that i need to adjust to is the ultra sensitive E-Gas drive by wire. It's hard to drive at normal speeds because of it. The car just wants to go! Being a bit more mature i often use the cruise control.
The Brakes are amazing, too. Excellent power, feel and control. The night we bought the car coming home on the freeway we got to test them out-- after hours of driving and only 10 minutes from home.......a deer jumped over the median cement divider in a curve and just stood in our lane. Hadn't the super bright Xeon lights and incredible brakes worked so well, plus tight handling to get around the deer, it would have been a life threatening accident for both of us. This car on the first day earned it's keep.
Overall the driving experience is just incredible, and this car instills confidence no matter what the conditions. It feels glued to the road like no other, and handles better than most modified cars or sports cars I've driven. It turns like a two seater sports car, accelerations exceeds almost anything commonly found on the roads, stops with incredible force, can haul a surprising amount of gear, and provides all the creature comforts one could need. Driving this car is an experience everytime, no matter what. It's the ultimate do everything car, and is guaranteed to make you smile and perhaps laugh a bit too. The more i write about this car the more I wonder why I'd ever want to sell it...
It's loaded with desireable and expensive upgrades:
LoJack GPS Locator Device with upgrades.
Find out more about LoJack
Full Resonated Milltek Exhaust with Hi-Flow downpipes:
http://www.millteksport.com/exhaust.products.cfm?
variantid=27 Milltek Sport S4 Avant Exhaust
Adds 30whp and 40wtq!
Cold air intake by Hyper Flow
Get more info about HyperFlow Intakes
adds about 12hp
ASA 18" wheels licensed by BBS- about 2-3lbs lighter
Tinted windows throughout- looks great; protects interior
AWE sport pedals- don't slip even when wet
http://www.awe-tuning.com/pages/audi/index.cfm
The car is also very well equipped with Factory Options:
Voice and screen in dash Navigation (it works great!)
6spd Manual trans
heated seats
XM satellite with upgraded BOSE stereo (subwoofer; nice)
Sport Package with aluminum mirrors and lowered suspension
Homelink (garage door opener built in for 3 doors)
Coming Home/ Leaving Home lights (fog lights turn on/off)
Memory drivers seat with 4 settings/mirrors
Heated high pressure headlight washer jets and wiper sprayers
See either page 4 or 5 for more info.
I'm comtemplating doing a couple things to this car. A lot of it depends on finances but should an affordable super charger make itself known, i would consider it. Well here we are 8 months later and APR should have their S/C kit out soon. MTM of Germany made 500whp with the S/C and Full Miltek exhaust. I guess that's about 600hp at the crank...! I can hardly imagine that much power, because the car is already so fast and has a nice torque band. APR is stating about 450hp in stock setup with intercooler. I would assume they will make "stages" as time goes on. This engine and driveline should handle tons more power. If past Audi's are an indicator, then watch out!
It's at about 375-385 bhp and 360 lb/ft torque with the current add ons, best i can tell from manufacturers specs. A tech at a dyno shop told me that on most V6 engines just changing to a full synthetic oil adds around 8hp, too.
A "chip" should get it to 400hp, and even more torque. The car definitely does not need more power, but there is more to be had, if desired. Supercharging would surely satisfy anyones madness for power.
This is the nicest car i've ever driven, and meets all my expectations on every level. Probably the only thing i wish for is better fuel economy (don't we all?); a taller 6th gear would be nice to equal the TIP version (24mpg VS 21mpg), lower the revs AND it would keep me from wanting to go so fast. Right at 2700rpm (about 70mph)the engine becomes very responsive and the only way i can go a normal speed is to use cruise control. At 60-65 the MFC (computer) will register 24-25 mpg, which is excellent. Since changing to full synthetic oil the MPG gained 0.5. Not bad just for better oil.
Update:
Highway MPG has noticeably improved since about 20K miles. It went up about .5 to .7 MPG. on average; it gets almost 22mpg at a decent cruise-- about 75mph, and will match the EPA rating up to about 80mph. My commute makes for a repeatable test course, so these #'s are very accurate.
One thing worth mentioning about MPG is that our last Audi, a 98 A4 2.8QMS, only avg'd 24-25 MPG on the highway at 73MPH cruising (it was rated at 28MPG; never got it no matter what), and the S4 with twice the power only gets a bit less (at a faster cruise speed too). The S4 gets it's rated highway mileage, and is always much higher than it's city rating. I noticed with Chevron premium gas the MPG picked up an impressive 1.5MPG (note:I always use premium). Anyone thinking of buying a car like this obviously puts performance before high fuel mileage, but it does pretty well. For what this car does I have no issues with it's MPG, and is actually far better than our previous car in terms of power to MPG ratio.
The added power makes the car much safer by allowing the chance to move out of harms way-- quickly. And of course the S4 is much much more fun to drive. Overall the slight trade-off of MPG is well worth it. Oddly enough the S4 gets almost identical combined town/highway MPG compared to the A4 V6. The V8 does not strain at all, compared to the V6, or sadly the 4 cyl which was so under rated a cheap korean car would keep up with it. The 4.2 just purrs along, never giving a hint that it can't handle it.
The gearing is perfect on the highway and downshifting is not required to past or accelerate-- a "problem" on the new Corvettes for example (having to shift 2 or 3 gears down to get good acceleration), and most domestic cars with extremely tall overdrives-- in an effort for better MPG, but losing performance. Overall i love the gearbox in the S4 and you will too. If you are a driver that wants involvement, the 6 speed manual is the only way to go.
I knew what I was getting, and for a Avant, it's a very serious machine that doesn't draw much attention. Partially I think it's because most people are not knowledable about high end cars except for the classic domestics, and also it's hard for them to relate to. More people eyeball my buddy's beat up 65 VW Bus than our Audi, or the new Mustang GT that parks next to us. For those that like Audi's this car gets people excited! Expect to meet people.
Kinda funny but i appreciate the low profile on a daily basis, and don't want people coming close to it, etc. There are times when the engine tone will get attention (it sounds super charged), but it's mostly a confused look, like "wheres the muscle car??". Then they see the wagon. It's funny to see the confusion in their eyes.
The car is fantastic, impressive and super high quality, with performance that will shame anything but the truest 2 seater sports car.
Professional Review of the 2004 S4
I did consider other cars such as the 350Z Track, BMW 330 or M3, Subaru STI (no wagon available) and Legacy GT (turbo AWD wagon), the regular S4 Sedan w/Tiptronic, and almost anything in the range of this car. Every test drive told me the Audi was the ONE. None of the other cars, as nice as they are, really compete with the Audi, or feel as nice. The V8 is simply an engineering marvel, and is butter smooth. I wanted a car that could do as much as possible, making the S4 Avant the best choice.
If you haven't driven this car, or are considering others, be sure to drive the S4 V8 with the manual transmission prior to making a decision, or you'll likely wonder about it after the fact.
Hope you enjoy my little rant, and the pix too! If you have any questions or comments just drop me a line.
As you can see the car is from a dealership in Bellvue WA (Lincoln Mercury). Unfortunately it was a terrible experience. I had to get the BBB and WA State Attorney's General office involved to prevent what i would call extortion. So far this makes EVERY dealership experience a nightmare.
To the left is our B5 A4 2.8QMS, to the right the tail end of my Toyota Tundra SR5 TRD 4x4 V8.
