ONCE upon a time — say, around 2004 — the 340-horsepower S4 was Audi’s 8-cylinder answer to the mighty BMW M3. It seemed pretty crazy at the time, a little car like an A4 running around with a V-8 under the hood.
But soon, the Great German Horsepower Wars went nuclear: Audi rolled out the 418-horsepower RS4, and BMW introduced a V-8-powered M3. Further down the line, BMW’s lesser 3 Series models were also fortified, with the BMW 335i getting a twin-turbocharged 6-cylinder good for 300 horsepower.
This left the S4 competing against the 335i, while the RS4 took on the M3. Aligned to this revised hierarchy, the new 2010 S4 has a bit less power than the old S4, a bit more power than the new BMW 335is, and exactly the same output — 333 horsepower — as the previous-generation M3. You follow?
In accordance with its new role as the middle child of the A4 lineup, the S4 is entirely more sensible than its predecessor. The V-8 is gone, replaced by a supercharged direct-injection V-6. Also gone is the V-8’s gas-guzzler tax; with the dual-clutch automated manual transmission, the S4 is rated 18 m.p.g. in town and a relatively respectable 28 m.p.g. on the highway, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The price is down, too. With a base sticker of $46,725, this S4 costs 9 percent less than the last one. Come on down to Crazy Ferdinand’s Bargain Haus, where you will see Audi prices drop like an ill-prepared hiker from the top of the Weisshorn!
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