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April 3, 2008 http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/audi_s4_2001

  Eric Peters
EditorEric Peters

The quirky British — naturally — were the first to come up with the wacky concept of a rattlesnake quick, high-class station wagon (the "shooting brake" Aston Martin). But leave it to the Germans to one-up the Brits. Audi's S4 2.7T Avant is the only twin-turbo, six-speed, all-wheel-drive sportwagon in the world. It's just the ticket for hauling the dog — and hauling butt — all at the same time.

The only thing missing is a microwave in the glovebox and a shower somewhere in the back. The S4 2.7T has pretty much everything else you could think of to put in a car, including heated door locks and washer nozzle jets.

It's also quick, with the standard intercooled, twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6 jamming 250 hp through the S4-only six-speed (a less fun five-speed automatic is available) and standard quattro all-wheel-drive system. The tenacious quattro setup allows the S4 to get going even when just one wheel has decent traction — so it's great in snowy/wet weather as well as superb on dry pavement. Few true high performance cars (let alone wagons) offer this kind of all-weather capability.

Though it's turbocharged, the S4's engine does not feel turbocharged — at least not in the sense of that "rush" one experiences with most turbocharged engines. It’s very torquey throughout the rev range — a characteristic of other Audi turbo engines, such as the 1.8-liter four used in the A4. There is no turbo boost gauge to betray the turbo's presence. Not much sound, either — it just goes.

Some fiddling is in order for the six-speed's shifter, which feels vague and even econo-boxy compared to the excellent, ratchety, precision-machine sensation of better-actuated gearboxes, such as the ones found in the Honda S2000 or Chevy Corvette. Audi should contract with Hurst or some outfit like that to get the action right.

The quirky British — naturally — were the first to come up with the wacky concept of a rattlesnake quick, high-class station wagon (the "shooting brake" Aston Martin). But leave it to the Germans to one-up the Brits. Audi's S4 2.7T Avant is the only twin-turbo, six-speed, all-wheel-drive sportwagon in the world. It's just the ticket for hauling the dog — and hauling butt — all at the same time. The only thing missing is a microwave in the glovebox and a shower somewhere in the back. The S4 2.7T has pretty much everything else you could think of to put in a car, including heated door locks and washer nozzle jets. It's also quick, with the standard intercooled, twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6 jamming 250 hp through the S4-only six-speed (a less fun five-speed automatic is available) and standard quattro all-wheel-drive system. The tenacious quattro setup allows the S4 to get going even when just one wheel has decent traction — so it's great in snowy/wet weather as well as superb on dry pavement. Few true high performance cars (let alone wagons) offer this kind of all-weather capability. Though it's turbocharged, the S4's engine does not feel turbocharged — at least not in the sense of that "rush" one experiences with most turbocharged engines. It’s very torquey throughout the rev range — a characteristic of other Audi turbo engines, such as the 1.8-liter four used in the A4. There is no turbo boost gauge to betray the turbo's presence. Not much sound, either — it just goes. Some fiddling is in order for the six-speed's shifter, which feels vague and even econo-boxy compared to the excellent, ratchety, precision-machine sensation of better-actuated gearboxes, such as the ones found in the Honda S2000 or Chevy Corvette. Audi should contract with Hurst or some outfit like that to get the action right. The quirky British — naturally — were the first to come up with the wacky concept of a rattlesnake quick, high-class station wagon (the "shooting brake" Aston Martin ). But leave it to the Germans to one-up the Brits. Audi's S4 2.7T Avant is the only twin-turbo, six-speed, ...