Audi takes a shot at its German rivals with all-new S4

DIGITAL photography is something most people take completely for granted. Not only will your smartphone connect you to a world of time-wasting social media and other more useful internet services, host a video conference call, keep you entertained with games and music on the train and manage your daily schedule, but most also have the capability to shoot full HD motion images as well.

Go back 30 years though and the first commercially-produced digital camera was only just about to be released in the form of the Fujix DS-X.

In 1989, the first film-less camera you could actually buy recorded up to 1000 images onto a 120-minute digital audio tape (DAT), had a resolution of 0.4 megapixels and cost, wait for it, $20,000. And its almost the same story with Audi’s S4.

Now in its fifth-generation, Audi’s A4-based S4 is ready to do battle in the wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing high-performance sedan and wagon arena.

The German car-maker has now launched the fifth-generation of its steroid-pumped A4 Down Under with a number of headline-worthy features including a return to turbocharged power and a knockout zero to 100km/h acceleration time of 4.7 seconds, but it’s the price that really delights.

In 1999 you could buy the original B5 Audi A4-based S4 for $113,800 before on-road costs (the equivalent of about $180,000 in today’s money) and its price peaked for the third-generation B7 model at $131,200, but the new B9 S4 has now slipped below $100,000 for the first time since its creation.

A subtle makeover including four tailpipes, squat ride height and the esteemed badge hint at the performance potential of the new S4.

For your $99,900, Audi will furnish you with its latest S4 sedan complete with Quattro four-wheel drive traction, 260kW turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 and performance-honed chassis, or for an extra $3000 you can have the boot-boosted Avant wagon version.

In its previous incarnation, the supercharged 3.0-litre S4 produced 15kW and 60Nm fewer than the new turbocharged version with torque now up to 500Nm, but the power train is also more efficient, returning economy of 7.7 litres per 100km on the combined cycle.

A single variable geometry turbo sits in between the two banks of 90-degree-inclined cylinders and blows through an air-to-liquid charge cooler, which reduces inlet and exhaust tract length for improved responsiveness.

For a little extra cash, customers can opt for the bigger-booted Avant wagon, which we think is the looker of the pair.

Australians will only be offered the eight-speed torque converter Tiptronic automatic transmission unlike Europeans who have to decide between the auto or a manual option.

The S4 drivetrain ordinarily sends 60 per cent of the available torque to the rear wheels but its sophisticated system of sensors and Torsen type centre differential can bias the power up to 85 per cent at either axle depending on the road conditions.

With a little extra body to cart around, the Avant sacrifices two tenths of a second in the 0-100km/h dash, but that’s a small price to pay for the added practicality and looks.

A torque vectoring system enhances the effect of the Quattro system allowing more pace through twisty bits or when negotiating slippery surfaces, and customers are offered an optional sport differential for the ultimate in road holding.

The new S4 rolls on 19-inch wheels and a five-link suspension system as standard, which has been lowered by 23mm compared with the regular A4 range for sportier dynamics and handling but a comfortable ride when cruising.

On the inside, the S4’s cabin shares all of the sophistication and quality of the A4 range, but has a number of alterations to reflect the model’s sporty credentials, including brushed aluminium trims, S4 graphics in the 12.3-inch virtual cockpit instruments and sports seats.

The S4 cabin builds on Audi’s excellent reputation for interior quality and restrained styling and adds an extra touch of sporty prestige.

An optional S Performance pack upgrades the aluminium to real carbon-fibre, the standard seats are upgraded to a sportier version and the black brake callipers are painted red.

While the new S4 represents many advancements in the car-maker’s technologies, the adoption of a turbocharged V6 actually serves as a nod to the original B4, which was powered by a 2.7-litre V6 and a pair of turbochargers.

When it launched globally in 1997, the first A4-based Audi S4 gave BMW’s largely unchallenged M3 something to worry about.

In its original form, the first S4 sent 195kW to all four wheels for zero to 100km/h acceleration of 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h and, like the new version, was available in either sedan or wagon form with a number of aesthetic modifications to set it apart from the regular A4 range.

But the new S4 can trace its origins even further back to the model that preceded the B5 A4 and the first time the S4 badge was used.

Under the bonnet of the first S4 was a 169kW turbocharged five-cylinder engine that casts a line back to the Audi rally heyday.

Confusingly, the first Audi S4 was based on the final version of the Audi 100 which would evolve to become the A6 and S6, sitting above the A4 range in size.

Now in its fifth-generation, the Audi S4 is continuing to offer a blend of contemporary Euro luxury and potent performance car pace to rival the offerings from Mercedes-AMG and BMW, but with its razor-sharp price, the latest S4 also has a sharpened value focus in a digital era.