2014 Audi S4

PREVIEW

Stylish and competent, with a swank and neatly laid-out interior, the 2014 Audi S4 is a very nice compact luxury sedan with room for four adults, respectable trunk capacity and lots of available high-end features. But it's also a bona fide sport sedan thanks to a zesty, 333-horsepower supercharged V6 that makes it about a second-and-a-half quicker to 60 mph than the A4 sedan on which it's based.

Standard all-wheel drive helps ensure all that power gets to the ground and makes the S4 an appealing option for driving enthusiasts living in wet or snowy climates. At first glance, though, you could mistake this car for an A4, because its exterior styling upgrades are so subtle. But those in the know will spot the S4 sedan's unique wheels, brushed metallic mirror caps, extended body sills and lowered suspension. If they bother to look inside, they'll see sport seats and a flat-bottom steering wheel as well. The result is an understated sport sedan that doesn't advertise your penchant for driving fast.

Of course, the S4's numerous upgrades do not come for free. In base trim, it's competitive with the BMW 335i, which offers similar speed and handling capabilities. If you overdo it with the options, the price begins to creep into the territory of the far more powerful and extroverted Cadillac CTS-V and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG sedans (though when typically equipped, those cars still tend to be quite a bit more expensive). Ultimately, few cars can match the 2014 Audi S4's balance of luxury, performance and restrained style, and if you're shopping for a premium-brand sport sedan, it's definitely worth a look.

FEATURES

The 2014 Audi S4 is a higher-performance version of the A4 compact luxury sedan. It's offered in a single Premium Plus trim level with an available option package known as the Prestige.

Standard features of the S4 Premium Plus include 18-inch wheels, summer performance tires, selectable driving settings (known as Audi drive select), a sunroof, automatic xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights, foglights, automatic wipers, tri-zone automatic climate control, heated eight-way power front sport seats (with four-way lumbar adjustment), driver memory settings, leather and simulated suede upholstery, aluminum interior accents, a 60/40-split-folding rear seat, auto-dimming mirrors, Bluetooth phone connectivity, a dash-mounted MMI (Multi Media Interface) electronics controller and a 10-speaker sound system with a CD player, iPod interface and satellite radio.

The Prestige package adds adaptive xenon headlights, a rearview camera, keyless ignition and entry, rear parking sensors, voice controls, a 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, blind-spot monitoring, an MMI controller mounted on the center console, Bluetooth audio connectivity, Audi Connect smartphone integration, a navigation system and HD radio. If you don't want to pay for this entire package, the nav system and Bang & Olufsen stereo can be purchased separately.

However, you must select the Prestige package if you want the Driver Assist package, which includes adaptive cruise control and an enhanced steering system (which varies the steering effort and quickness). The power rear sunshade/manual side shade option also requires the Prestige package.

Other options include 19-inch wheels, adaptive suspension dampers, a rear limited-slip differential, full leather upholstery, rear-seat side airbags, all-season 18-inch tires (no charge), carbon-fiber interior inlays, layered aluminum/black wood inlays, and a Black Optic package with high-gloss black exterior trim and unique 19-inch smoke-colored wheels.

INTERIOR

There is little to fault inside any Audi when it comes to interior design, and the S4's cabin remains as clean and organized as the A4 on which it is based. Upgrades unique to the S4 are its supportive sport seats (with either full leather upholstery or a combination of leather and simulated suede), a flat-bottom steering wheel and gray-faced instruments.

Many of the S4's controls are straightforward. Infotainment features are controlled via Audi's Multi Media Interface (MMI), which consists of a small knob surrounded by buttons that control menus on a central screen. Overall, it's an effective interface, though some audio functions are buried in menus and, in practice, we've found BMW's iDrive and Mercedes' COMAND systems a bit more intuitive to use. In S4s without the navigation system, the MMI knob is located on the dashboard (rather than the center console), and we find this setup less convenient to operate.

The S4's generous interior space gives it an advantage over some of the smaller cars in its segment. It accommodates five adults for short jaunts or comfortably seats four adults for long trips. Trunk capacity is average for the class at 12.4 cubic feet.

UNDER THE HOOD

The 2014 Audi S4 is powered by a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 that produces 333 hp and 325 pound-feet of torque. All-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission come standard, while a seven-speed automated manual transmission (called S tronic) is also available and serves as the automatic-transmission option on this car. Audi offers what it calls an optional Sport rear differential, essentially a limited-slip differential that helps apportion torque between the rear wheels to improve the car's cornering line. It's worth buying if you like to drive on twisty back roads.

In Autoexpress testing, a manual-equipped S4 accelerated from zero to 60 in a quick 4.9 seconds, which is quicker than six-cylinder sport luxury sedans like the Infiniti Q50 and Mercedes-Benz C350. However, the C63 is capable of performing this feat in the low 4-second range.

EPA-estimated fuel economy is 17 mpg city/26 mpg highway and 20 mpg combined with the manual and 18 mpg city/28 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined with the S tronic. Although the 335i, Q50 and C350 are more fuel-efficient, the S4 has much better ratings than the C63.