[Deutsch]

Too bad the CTS is too heavy to really compete with this car. CTS-V, that's a whole nother dimension....

[VroomVroom]

Holy shit is that car amazingly Hot!! And I love the specs And suddenly the 335i has just been over taken

[Potential]

I wonder if BMW will update the 335i with the verision shown in the new 7 Series...

[martinbo]

It's a lovely, fresh yet typical new Q-car in the mould of the S4 tradition. Understated but classy, it looks good without coming across as a hooligan special.

I have a close associate who owns a B7 S4. The sound of the V8 is something that I'm certain the loss of will be lamented by existing owners. Let's hope the Audi engineers managed to do something with the exhaust note. As far as acoustics go though, a V6 with a supercharger bolted on doesn't get me excited - I look forward to seeing if I'll be pleasantly surprised.

S4 Avant is off the hook. It's such a classy machine - Audi have lost none of their Avant magic.

So, torque vectoring in an S4 is here now - hmph, this thing is going to be stupidly rapid around corners. With the front differential now much closer to the front of the engine than before, I think we ought to see the sweetest handling A4 ever - bar the RS4 (possibly).

It's interesting how the fourtitude article lists the M3 Sedan and C63 AMG as competitors. I disagree. This car is designed specifically to entice potential owners of 335i's with xDrive and/or Sport Packs to the four-ringed stable. I am expecting this S4 hence to be significantly more affordable than an M3 or C63.

I like the car a lot. I only have a small misgiving around the supercharged engine - my least favourite configuration - as I wonder how truly sporty and characterful it's going to be. Clearly the engine is profiled for torque (and we all know that a power-sapping 4 wheel drive system will blunt some of the 40 Nm advantage it has on paper) but the power output is a tad short of impressive... But then again, in these times, perhaps Audi are showing the way forward for performance motoring in this segment.

Anyhow, the release of an elegant new S4? Always a good day.

[Merc1]

Yeah the U.S. magazines are saying that the S4 is matched against the M3 and C63, it won't be close to those cars IMO. This is a 335xi competitor like you say. There is no C350 4Matic in the U.S and it wouldn't have the hp to compete anyway. The G37xS sedan comes to mind also.

M

[martinbo]

Yeah, we're on the same wavelength Marcus. Outside of the more northerly reaches where inclement conditions make a solid case for all-wheel drive systems most customers in the market for an S4 are really only looking at a highly specced 335i and not necessarily with xDrive.

I mean honestly what true competitors do the S4 and S4 Avant really have? I think Audi's marketing strategy of positioning the S4s and S6s as "tweener" competitors is quite clever.

The S4 is such an interesting model; it practically occupies its own niche and yet has oodles of inoffensive, mass-appeal. An attractive product with a strong value proposition for those with the means.

[Merc1]

All true Martin. I wonder if the U.S. market will see a slight price reduction since they've gone from V8 to V6, that would be nice and would go one step further tackling the 335i IMO.

M

[MikeJ]

Very nice. Extremely nice, actually, and just what the S4 needs to be. Quick enough, with nicely souped-up looks but not visual overkill.

[martinbo]

Succint and precise comment MikeJ. As always.

[Tumbo]

Before I comment on this... Why isn't this on the first page??