Topic: CD Article: 2010 Audi S4

[Autos_Editor]

         
First Drive:


The S4's 4.2-litre V8 has been replaced by a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 but it makes about the same horsepower and is more fuel-efficient, says Senior Editor Paul Williams.  The 2010 S4's base price has dropped substantially, he adds.
 More: View the photos | All the First Drives

[Flinter]

I was looking at the new S4 this weekend (parked outside at the local dealer parking lot).

The changes made to the drivetrain on this generation of A4/S4/A5/S5 to reposition the front axle ~6inches forward, really improves that proportions of this car. The new body styling looks pretty nice too.

With the change to a supercharged V6, I think it makes sense to reprice the S4 down in BMW 335 territory. The RS4 becomes the new M3 fighter.

I also understand that the 3.2L V6 will not be an option on the 2010 A4. With the S4 moving down in price I guess there isn't any pricing room for the 3.2 V6 version. This might be a problem for Audi. The 2.0T is a great engine but compared to that smooth inline 6 offered in the BMW I think they will loose some buyers looking for a 6 cylinder. Than again, with a starting price of $52.5K perhaps Audi is banking on them moving up the the S4.

[Flinter]

I'm kind of surprised there hasn't been much discission on the new S4. Considering the improvements in styling and the drop in price to the level of a 335i, I expected this car would be added to the wish list of many.

No Audi lovers out there??

[Mitlov]

I'm kind of surprised there hasn't been much discission on the new S4. Considering the improvements in styling and the drop in price to the level of a 335i, I expected this car would be added to the wish list of many.

No Audi lovers out there??

This car is a bucketload of hawtness in my opinion.  And it's good that pricing is now closer to the 335i than the M3.  It certainly competes nose-to-nose with the 335i and 335xi quite well, and I could see a well-informed buyer without preexisting brand loyalties going either way.

But the focus of discussion on CTC seems to have moved away from impractical-but-sexy high-performance cars to focus ever more on compact hatchbacks, alternative fuel cars, etc.  So it doesn't surprise me that nobody commented on it.  It's a bit sad, but not surprising.

[johngenx]

...focus ever more on compact hatchbacks...

'Cause Canadians can afford them.  It's nice to chat about dream cars (though the new pricing of the S4 brings it within reach of a lot more people) but the conversation usually comes back to stuff people can realistically buy.

[Flinter]

This car is a bucketload of hawtness in my opinion.  And it's good that pricing is now closer to the 335i than the M3.  It certainly competes nose-to-nose with the 335i and 335xi quite well, and I could see a well-informed buyer without preexisting brand loyalties going either way.

But the focus of discussion on CTC seems to have moved away from impractical-but-sexy high-performance cars to focus ever more on compact hatchbacks, alternative fuel cars, etc.  So it doesn't surprise me that nobody commented on it.  It's a bit sad, but not surprising.

'Cause Canadians can afford them.  It's nice to chat about dream cars (though the new pricing of the S4 brings it within reach of a lot more people) but the conversation usually comes back to stuff people can realistically buy.

I certainly agree with your points about affordability impacting the conversations on forums like CTC. Sad but understandable.

On the other hand, I'm sure if you drive around any major Canadian city, you will see crap loads of BMW 3 series on the roads. Any reasonably equipt 3 series is going to start at ~$40-45K. Perhaps the people buying all those BMW's are spending their time driving rather than commenting on CTC.

Anyway, I think this new S4 is a pretty compelling package considering the starting price of $52.5K. Now, I just need to convince someone to lease one for a few years and take the depreciation hit so I can actually afford to buy it CPO in a few years.

I just wish that Audi would have brought the Avant version to North America.

[Honda Owner]

'Cause Canadians can afford them.  It's nice to chat about dream cars (though the new pricing of the S4 brings it within reach of a lot more people) but the conversation usually comes back to stuff people can realistically buy.

Realistically, how many S4s will Audi sell in Canada? A couple of hundred at the most. Why? Well, Joe and Mary Bland don't have $60,000 (on the road price) kicking around to buy such a car. I could buy a car like this but in the congested urban area I live in it would be completely wasted. Besides, that $60k would make a nice down payment on an investment property. Silly nonsense, really.

[toolatecrew]

I like it. Like the look (although you can keep the yellow paint job please) much more than a 3 series.

I do miss the v8 (i've heard a couple v8 S4s and the sound is very sweet) but if it takes some of the weight of the front and makes comperable power I guess its a good thing.

No I'll never afford one but its still nice.

[ovr50]

'Cause Canadians can afford them.  It's nice to chat about dream cars (though the new pricing of the S4 brings it within reach of a lot more people) but the conversation usually comes back to stuff people can realistically buy.

Realistically, how many S4s will Audi sell in Canada? A couple of hundred at the most. Why? Well, Joe and Mary Bland don't have $60,000 (on the road price) kicking around to buy such a car. I could buy a car like this but in the congested urban area I live in it would be completely wasted. Besides, that $60k would make a nice down payment on an investment property. Silly nonsense, really.

But, but, but, but.......that's what being a car nut is all about. Practical is for the everyday, no passion there. 

[Honda Owner]

no passion there.

There are different kinds of passion. Seeing a 5 metre long spotted grouper feeding in an ebb tide at 35 metres deep is a rush that no machine has ever given me,

[ovr50]

no passion there.

There are different kinds of passion. Seeing a 5 metre long spotted grouper feeding in an ebb tide at 35 metres deep is a rush that no machine has ever given me,

Different strokes I guess. I don't even want to know what a "5 metre long spotter grouper" is.....

[TopGun]

But, but, but, but.......that's what being a car nut is all about. Practical is for the everyday, no passion there. 

No need for the "wink" Ovr...this place, in IMHO of course, is the freak'n Consumer Reports car forum.

Like "true" manuals for fun?  Tough luck, the manu-matics are more efficient and faster you fool!

Bought something that may not be as reliable as your toaster but a lot more fun?  Good heavens...let's get him!

Looking at a RWD car with 800hp, MT for $30,000?  C'mon, the plastic sucks...give your head a shake!

[Flinter]

no passion there.

There are different kinds of passion. Seeing a 5 metre long spotted grouper feeding in an ebb tide at 35 metres deep is a rush that no machine has ever given me,

Different strokes I guess. I don't even want to know what a "5 metre long spotter grouper" is.....

While I understand the importance of being smart with ones money, saving for retirement etc. However, it is very easy to cross the line and deny yourself the necessary passion and resulting happiness that comes with it. For some the passion is fishing, for others it's travel, boats, motorcycles, cars etc. All of these things are irrational when looked at in a purely logical financial stand point.

I had an awakening myself about 5-6 years ago with my father. After just 2 years into his retirement, he found himself on an operating table getting bypass surgery. Fortunately, everything went well and he is still living a happy productive life. However, I realized he could have just as easily dropped dead with a heart attack while shovelling snow. If you choose to hoard your money, waiting for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, you may find yourself 10 toes up before you even get there.

All I know is when I heard the magnificent sound of the 4.0L V8 in the new BMW M3 (like Ovr's new ride) the other day the hair stood up on my neck and a huge grin came on my face. I've also had experiences I can only describe as religious when blasting through 3ft. of powder snow at 80-100KM/hr on a snowmobile. I don't get that feeling when I look at the balance in my RRSP savings.

[Honda Owner]

I don't get that feeling when I look at the balance in my RRSP savings.

Hey, different strokes. Screaming down a double diamond run at Blackcomb or doing a double eagle gives me a rush a machine can't match. Keeping doing such activities means I can do that that much longer.

[johngenx]

Hey, different strokes. Screaming down a double diamond run at Blackcomb or doing a double eagle gives me a rush a machine can't match. Keeping doing such activities means I can do that that much longer.

I am an internal combustion enthusiast, and always will be, but I'm with you.  My life has all sorts of things that give me a rush, and making money just ain't one of them.  When I did chase the bucks, I found that I could afford cool stuff, but had no time to enjoy it.  I figure it's about finding balance, doing what you love, and making it work for you.  I won't be able to buy expensive fast cars anymore, so I'll slake the speed thirst with two wheeled hot-rods.  I can't afford season's passes to ski resorts, but I prefer the untouched powder of backcountry skiing and the adventure of ski mountaineering anyway.  Earn those turns!  And so on...

That said, I do enjoy reading about exotic hardware and articles about rare hyper-fast cars like the ZR-1 are cool, but for the vast majority of us, it ain't more than bench racing.  As the conversation goes on, it naturally winds back down to the stuff most of us are really shopping and driving.

[initial_D]

Money buys happiness! True or pretended ... Life is short, do it when there is an opportunity.

For $60G, I will opt for a BMW in that price range. Sorry, Audi.

[Mitlov]

no passion there.

There are different kinds of passion. Seeing a 5 metre long spotted grouper feeding in an ebb tide at 35 metres deep is a rush that no machine has ever given me,

I don't get that feeling when I look at the balance in my RRSP savings.

Hey, different strokes. Screaming down a double diamond run at Blackcomb or doing a double eagle gives me a rush a machine can't match. Keeping doing such activities means I can do that that much longer.

Good for you.  But this isn't a scuba diving forum or a skiing forum.  It's a car forum.  If I go to a skiing forum, I expect to find people who are passionate about skiing, not people who keep track of which ski boot company is most profitable that year.  That's because forums are normally made up of enthusiasts for that particular topic. 

When I come to a car forum, I don't expect to find people who view cars as practical transportation devices to be used when necessary but otherwise ignored so that they can concentrate on skiing and scuba diving; I expect to find people who are passionate about cars, who love cars.

"Most people" aren't car enthusiasts.  "Most people" prefer a car that is practical that they never have to think about.  But "most people" don't have over a thousand posts on a car forum.  That's generally the enthusiasts.

Just sayin'. 

[johngenx]

Yeah, but even car nuts don't limit their conversation to the most exotic or entertaining cars.  We like to discuss the cars that we can actually choose from as well.

[Flinter]

Perhaps I'm crazy here but judging by the number of $50K+ vehicles I see on the road everyday, I don't really see a car starting at $52.5K as exotic or unattainable for the average enthusiast. It is just a matter of relative priority IMHO 

[initial_D]

My RRSP is Rally Racing Special Performance ...

no passion there.

There are different kinds of passion. Seeing a 5 metre long spotted grouper feeding in an ebb tide at 35 metres deep is a rush that no machine has ever given me,

I don't get that feeling when I look at the balance in my RRSP savings.

Hey, different strokes. Screaming down a double diamond run at Blackcomb or doing a double eagle gives me a rush a machine can't match. Keeping doing such activities means I can do that that much longer.

Good for you.  But this isn't a scuba diving forum or a skiing forum.  It's a car forum.  If I go to a skiing forum, I expect to find people who are passionate about skiing, not people who keep track of which ski boot company is most profitable that year.  That's because forums are normally made up of enthusiasts for that particular topic. 

When I come to a car forum, I don't expect to find people who view cars as practical transportation devices to be used when necessary but otherwise ignored so that they can concentrate on skiing and scuba diving; I expect to find people who are passionate about cars, who love cars.

"Most people" aren't car enthusiasts.  "Most people" prefer a car that is practical that they never have to think about.  But "most people" don't have over a thousand posts on a car forum.  That's generally the enthusiasts.

Just sayin'. 

I do agree with that.