The Ultimate Performance Car for Alaskan Roads
The biturbo Audi S4 is the high performance version of the "B5 Chassis" Audi A4 quattro. This version of the S4 was sold from model years 2000-2002. Don't let its understated looks fool you. With a 0-60 time of 5.5 seconds, (electronically limited) top speed of 145mph, and superlative handling, it will leave many pure sports cars in the dust, can compete handily with a BMW M3 (probably
its closest competition) on the racetrack and is unsurpassed when the road conditions are wet, snowy, or icy. The S4 beat the M3 in a Motor Trend comparison, its abilities under bad road conditions not even considered.
All that performance comes with excellent safety and reasonable fuel economy. The S4 will get 24 miles per gallon on the highway (28 if driven gently).
My Favorite Features:
- Quattro all wheel drive
- ABS, traction control, ESP (Electronic Stabilization Program)
- 2.7l biturbo V6, 5 valves per cylinder
- 6-speed manual transmission
- Incredible handling
- Very strong brakes (12.6" discs up front)
- Heated leather Recaro seats
- Auto-leveling Xenon HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlights
Audi conservatively claims 250hp and 258ft/lb torque.
Dyno tests show it's actually 265hp and 295lb/ft torque which, not surprisingly, matches Audi's original claims for the 1999 European introduction of the car (understating engine power for tax purposes is reportedly quite common practice in Germany)
0-60: Audi conservatively claims 5.9, Car and Driver and Road & Track tested at 5.5 seconds.
Another reason I love the S4 is that, like the Merkur, because it's turbocharged and conservatively tuned at the factory, the S4 can easily be modified for more power. For $850 I can get a chip to reprogram its engine computer that will give it 307HP, 365lb/ft torque on 91 octane gas, and a top speed somewhere over 170mph, no physical modifications required. Wilder tuning with upgrades of the turbos, intercoolers, and exhaust can take the engine well over 450HP.
[Update 8/22/07: Just ordered the APR chip upgrade, along with bigger intercoolers and an intake upgrade. Will update with results when I've completed the installation and had some time on the road with them.]
[Update 7/16/08: I have nothing but good things to say about chip, intercooler, and intake upgrade. 100+K total miles on the engine, about 8 months and 3K miles on the chip upgrade and no problems. I upgraded the intercoolers mostly because I can't get better than 90 octane gas here in Alaska so they give me a greater margin of safety from pinging and detonation. The intercoolers are doing that job nicely.
The performance is now pretty spectacular. 3rd gear now pulls as hard as 2nd used to, 4th as hard as 3rd used to, etc. The extra 100 or so lb-ft of torque is not at all subtle. First gear hits like a freight train and second is quite a rush. If you check their specs, many cars with upwards of 400-500 horsepower don't have 366 lb-ft (91 octane APR program) or 382 lb-ft (93 octane) of torque. For example the Audi R8 and '07 RS4 have 420 HP but "only" 317 lb-ft of torque. They have more horsepower because they can sustain that lower thrust into a wider and higher range of RPM. To get the whole picture, you also have to factor in weight. With my 200lbs in the driver's seat, comared to the B5 S4 sedan, the R8 weighs about 5% less, and the RS4 weighs 8% more. So for pure squish-you-into-your-seat acceleration even the Stage I chipped B5 S4 is in pretty rare company, with 15-20% more peak torque than those awesome Audis. One supercar with similar torque is the Lamborghini Gallardo, which has 520 HP and 376 lb-ft of torque (but also has 13% less weight to lug around).
In mid-May I took my first dry-pavement road trip in the chipped S4. The drive home from Anchorage was especially good, over 300 miles of mostly excellent pavement, much of it twisting and hilly, and very few other drivers on the road (for whom I always slowed down). I took the opportunity to give the S4 a good shake-down with some very spirited driving and a lot of full throttle acceleration and heavy braking. At high speed the S4's quiet, smooth, sure-footed, handles on rails, and soaks up the occasional uneven, bumpy section of road remarkably well. Acceleration in 6th gear from 65 to 100+ takes, like, 5 seconds, and deceleration from 100+ to 65 is darn near instantaneous. Fuel economy (normally 24-26mpg) didn't suffer too badly at 22mpg despite my lead-footed exuberance.]
[Update 7/26/08: Just received an AWE Twin2 exhaust and Drive Train Stabilizer (see Upgrades links below). Will update with
results of the install soon.]
I bought the car in late October of 2006 from a military couple who had recently brought the car to Fairbanks from Washington State but had to sell because they were shipped out to England. The sellers are named Peter and Christine. Coincidentally, the last Audi I owned, a 1993 Audi 100 CS quattro, was purchased from a different couple also named Peter and Christine who also had to sell it because they were moving to the United Kingdom (Scotland)! Very strange.
I waited 7 years to get an S4, and another 4 more years before that (1995) I wanted an Audi A4 when it was first introduced to America. I'm very happy to own this car and it makes my day every time I drive it.
This S4 has the Premium, Cold Weather, Bose, and 6 disc CD changer options. The full list of technical specifications and features can be found on this handy page at AudiWorld.com.
"The most enjoyable [all wheel drive] car to drive fast. The rubber really
bites in the corners, and the engine pumps power like a fire hose."
-Car and Driver October 2001,
S4 vs BMW 330xi vs Subaru WRX
There's a nice (and typically glowing) review of the S4 here at Edmunds.com.
Upgrades, Engine/Performance/Exterior:
Upgrades, Interior:
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