It's been a while since I've reviewed a car but today I paid a visit
to an old friend whose love for Audis has been so overwhelming that he
makes a not too sucessful living selling them.

Without further delay, I will get to the 1993 Audi S4:


1) Servotronic steering:

[For those who are not familiar with what Servotronic is, it is the
name for the speed variable power steering manufactured by ZF and
used in Audis and BMWs.]

I have been outspoken in my damming of Servotronic over the past
couple of months, and this was based on magazine reviews and drives of
the Audi 90 CS quattro and the Audi 100CS fwd.  I am quite happy to
report now that on the S4, the Servotronic is *inoffensive*.  I
suppose that due to the fat gumball tires, the Servotronic has been
loaded up more and this, so far has been the best implementation that
I have tried.  It is far from perfect, mind you, and I'd be much
happier if it was an option that I could refuse, but on the S4, I no
longer consider this to be bad enough where I feel the entire car is
ruined.

The steering is still a tad too light, but it is accurate and I
suppose the stiffly sprung chassis sends back so much information that
some makes it through to the driver's hands.  So there is feel and
there is accuracy in the S4's steering.  But there is also room for
improvement.  I consider the S4's steering to be better than the
Japanese competition, primarily because the Japanese do not believe in
"feel" and engineer it out completely.


2) Engine

Wheee! What a pressure cooker.  With just 110 miles on the clock I did
not expect the S4 to be producing anywhere close to what it will be
putting out 10000 miles later, but still, the car packs a terrific
punch.  For a turbocharged machine, it is very unusual in that it
encourages lazy driving.  i.e. low revs, high gear.  It is so
supremely flexible that one could hardly believe that there's only 2.2
liters of displacement to move this 3700 pound car around in such a
fashion.  With maximum torque available at 1950 rpm and a 7200 rpm
redline, the car can pretty much be left in third all day.. which
translates to a speed range of something like 20-100 mph.  A
chracteristic that one normally associates with large capacity V8s.
The technical achievement is breadthtaking.

Throttle response is right up there with a good atmospheric engine. In
fact, it would even put peaky multivalve engines to shame. Downshifts
are almost unnecessary.  It is more fun to use the "overboost" feature
than to rev the engine.  For those not familiar, the S4 engine features
up to 15 seconds of additional turbo boost for passing.  Sort of like
lighting up the after burners in a jet fighter, one could, with the
right foot only, in third gear, blast the car from 30 to 80 in just a
few moments.. simply by flooring the gas.  As far as the numbers go,
maximum torque available in overboost mode shoots up to about 270 lb
ft.. incredible for a 2.2 liter.  It takes a few moments for it to
develop overboost but it is well worth waiting for.  Since this is quite
a heavy car, one's body parts are not flung around like say, the Corrado
VR6.  The acceleration is smooth and strong, somewhat similar to riding
in a jetliner as it accelerates down the runway on takeoff.  Also, one
is treated to a very distinctive and entertaining whistle from the
turbo.. the only entertaining sound to come out of a very
refined but bland sounding 5 banger..

Yes, Audi has refined the 5 to the point where at 7200 rpm it sounds as
serene as it does at 2000.  The smoothness is outstanding, but not quite
up to the standards of a very good 6, e.g. a 12 valve BMW.  I'd say that
in terms of refinement, i.e. willingness to rev, smoothness, lack of
harshness under full acceleration it is better than many V6s.  However,
lost in the refinement process is the characteristic 5 cylinder bark
that made the older engines so characterful, if not terribly refined.
The 20 valve turbo 5 sounds pretty bland except for the whistle under
full boost.  Subjectively, I'd rate the VW VR6 engine as being far more
musical than the turbo 5.. Also, Audi's own V8 is also far more musical,
with a rorty race car growl when pressed,  though none of these can
match its grunt.

The only hint of the engine's true capacity occurs when one is taking
off from rest after the turbo has come to a near stop.  With the extra
inertia from the permanently engaged 4wd system, one has to be somewhat
delicate in feeding in the clutch to prevent an embarassing stall. 
Alternately one could use more revs.. In both cases a very small price
to pay for such a fantastic engine.  I think that Audi of America should
offer an automatic option for this car, just as they offer (though in
extremely small numbers) a 5 speed for the much peakier V8.  The
characteristics of the engine are perfect for an automatic.  Ironically,
in europe a slush is available but none is offered for the land of the
slush.  Marketing twits rearing their ugly heads again...


3) Chassis

I've noticed that Audis tend to have very wide wheels and relatively
modest tire widths.  The car comes with Firestones of size 225/50 ZR16..
which is not uncommon at all.  However, the very attractive 5 spoke
wheels are no less than 8 inches wide, so there is no sidewall bulge
whatsoever.  Combined with the flared wheel arches, the S4 has a mouth
watering macho, yet subdued look. 

On rough concrete, it becomes immediately clear that the new 100 body
style has made significant advances in structural rigidity as well as
road noise suppression.. I suppose the two are inter-related, but I
digress.  To use a cliche, the S4's body feels like it has been carved
out of stone.  Flex is totally undetectable, even when going over rough
roads.  With a super rigid body like this stiff springs and stiff dampers
do not cause excessive harshness and while the S4's ride quality will
never worry a Lexus, it will also not draw comparisons to trucks or
pony cars.

The servotronic steering has already been mentioned.  I consider it to
be inoffensive because it did not inhibit spirited cornering.  I  was
able to test the car's cornering powers without too much trepidation. I
think a new concept is at work in this car.  With its fat gumball tires,
talking about understeer or oversteer is practically meaningless.  On a
banked highway on ramp, I went in slow and started applying power as I
went around.  I could feel the g forces build to the point where the
skin on my face was being tugged sideways.  Yet the car was totally and
completely obedient to throttle and steering inputs.. It felt that the
limits were not even close to being approached.  The g forces were
thrilling, but the entire affair of going around a curve is strangely
uninvolving.  You tell the car what you want and it does it.  End of
story.  I think that I am starting to relate more and more to those
reviewers who were highly impressed by the Honda NSX's clinical
efficiency but were unable to fall in love with the car.

The brakes have a very good firmness to them and stop the car pretty
well too, though I've read that they are prone to fade.  I am not too
surprised, since the S4 does not have uprated brakes over the base Audi
100 fwd. Harder pads would help, but that in turn would lead to a more
wooden response when cold.  I am starting to see a trend among the
luxury/sports sedan makers where extra weight is not being offset by
additional braking capacity.  The LS400's fade performance is nothing to
brag about; neither is the Q45's or the Legend's.  Brake fade these days
seem to be a forgotten virtue when everybody's attention is focused on
anti-lock capability.


4) Comfort

For a car with such sporty abilities, its comfort levels are also
excellent.  The cabin is beautifully appointed, with carbon-fiber panel
inserts in place of the wood trim of the '92 S4.  All the expected
gizmos are there.. heated seats, power seats, seat memory, power this
and that.  The glaring ommision was the trip computer, which was removed
because Audi hasn't gotten it to work reliably yet.. That means that the
car has no boost gauge.  A real disappointment taking into account how
much the turbo dominates its performance.  

Unusual for the germans, the S4 comes with a Honda style moonroof, as
well as the very intelligent dial-a-sunroof-position rotary switch.

Noise levels, including engine and tire noise is so low that I wouldn't
consider the Lexus' advantage in this area to be significant enough
to sway a potential buyer.


5) Conclusion

Even though few will be able to afford an Audi S4 at its sticker price
of $48K, the car is a bargain if one takes into account what it has to
offer over the competition.  The 20 valve turbo 5 is a real gem, even if
it doesn't produce Ferrari sounds.  No other luxury/sports sedan maker
offers the utter security of quattro all wheel drive, which to some is
worth the extra money all by itself.  The safety features are also 
top notch.. 1994 side impact standard compliant, the very elegant 
automatic seat belt tensioners and the dual airbags.  The 100 series
Audis have been outstanding in government crash tests.  It gets my
thumbs up for being so overwhelmingly capable rather than being
all out exciting and intoxicating.
