High torque from idle on up for great takeoffs - Nice clutch - superb interior fit and finish - good looks - good storage space - incredibly practical for a car that is truly thrilling to drive - qwattro (should be parsed on the cover of every automotive magazine from now until the end of time) - ESP does not get in the way much - 6th gear gets okay gas mileage - surpassingly comfortable ride.

I am not German I like to drink in my car a usable cup holder is very helpful. When I am not drinking I like to turn hard - for this a harder suspension would be nice. The ride is plenty comfortable Audi could pull it in a bit and still have a very nice road triper with MORE SPIRITED HANDLING. The driver information display is finicky and decides what it will do or not do on any given trip. I can live with the mileage for the performance but more gas capacity would be nice. Large rims and wheels would be nice as would the removal of the high speed power steering boost to improve feed back. Now the big one -- This is a quick little car no production car for 40K is more fun from stop light to stop light for these in town antiques to work out in the end the car has to be as quick to stop as to go -- it needs new brake to haul it to a stop. The second the Audi warranty is over I am putting in a set of after-market brakes. Additionally the peddle fad is as bad as it was in my 1987 Honda and the brake dust slick is worst. I have never seen a car that could actually spoil its roof with spirited braking. Lastly turbo lag it has to be but it is very frustrating when some prepubescent freak is revving his Vett in the next lane to half to wait 100 feet to rip past him after 2000 RPM just be for warned. The turboed engine is so impressive and the pre boosted engine is so milquetoast the announce is really apparent. A boost gage would be nice if for nothing else to let you know what to expect

This is a great car. Now other car on the market is worth of a value comparison; however, many a car can out perform the S4. Although it is not the most impressive car at speed I have ever driven for around town daily driving it is unparalleled. The torque peak is low and flat and long. This car will scare you in revers in a parking lot. The steering is nice but is numb above 80. That is not as big a problem as you might imagine as the car does not seem to want to do much more than 90. The interior fit and finish are spectacular. The cup holders are worthless. The shifter is clatery. This is excusable considering the power it puts to the road and the fun clutch. Just don't swap gears with the car of and the windows down it will make you cry. The car will accommodate four for the evening but not for a road trip as the back seat is just to small. I have two questions for Audi: one, what exactly is a rear fog light and two, who uses some of the possible seating positions a dwarf with a sun roof?

Note: Don't by this car to learn how to drive a manual transmission on. It deserves better and you will be very frustrated the clutch has a short uptake and the shifter is shaky for the power you are dealing with. (Learn I.E.: hone high power driving skills)

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TT {225 HP} hum Audi when you give it handling to match the butt kicking ride and a real engine we will talk comparison
M3 - more fun to drive, no where near as fun to use (2 doors vs. 4 ect) M3 is a great fun street legal race car I love to drive it into the Mts. but I am glad it is not mine. The S4 knows what it is for and dose it very well the M3 is lost some where in the middle.
911 Turbo - this is a refranc point for the intensity of driving only the S4 is my daily diver the 911 is entertainment not practicality. The fact that I can swap between the two and not be frustrated with the S4 (about 1/4th the price and 100 times the value) says it all.

The power, all wheel drive, the quite understatment ahhhhh the poor fool little did he/she know!!! A decent sound system for stock, this car needs very little tweaking.

Seats perhaps some lateral adjusment?, no leg room in rear. I'm reaching!!!

I paid 3K under sticker, as a model year 2K, the 01's are in and I have found both on dealers lots here in New England, mostly silver. Same for BMW's in silver that is.
I had a delemma, I wanted a TT but the little woman said No-Way, not to mention the waiting list and paying full boat convinced me she was right. On to another BMW,hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,,,,after reading reviews in mags and in here I decided to take one these sedans out. WOW, this car is awesome, to say the least, what it lacks in pure punch it makes up for with AWD, yea the Beemer is eaiser to wind out, and you can run around in low gears all around town. But for the money, and performance, this is a BARGAIN compared to the competion. The list of standard equip, and even loaded up as mine is, noone can touch this class of car for the $$$$$$$
If having a sports car thats a comfy cruiser, and a comfy cruiser that acts like a sports car when asked to, this is your ride. Not to mention the looks as folks try and figure out what the hell it is. This car deserves nothing less than a 5 star rating, lets see if the dealer gets the same?

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BMW's, Vette, Super Bikes, this car could replace a MC

Sneaky fast
Gobs of torque
Tons of standard features (no need for a lot of pricey options)
Good looks
Quattro

Could use a diet (too heavy)
Tiptronic is a LOT slower than the stick (especially 0-60, 1 sec diff.)
You NEED to buy a Valentine1 =)

This car is so much fun to drive! It has a split personality really, when you look at it you think "just another Audi, nothing special" (provided that it isn't in any of the screaming colors: Imola, Nogaro or Laser Red).
And when you drive it normally nothing is special, it's a quiet, smooth and comfortable car, Dr. Jekyll if you will. But downshift and step on the gas and Mr Hyde comes out screaming! It's sooo much fun. Combine all that power with Quattro and you will have a blast on twisty roads!

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uuuh, my last car was a '92 Civic DX, needless to say it does not compare at all. Both have four doors and four wheels, but it ends there! =)

Sweet acceleration -- 0 to 60 in 5.5sec. This car slices thru 65mph traffic like a hot knife thru butter -- effortless. The interior is a seriously classy touch and the best part is the car has such an unpretentious demeanor, while providing shocking performance. The AWD quattro is an amazing thing for a former front-wheel drive owner. The fun factor is outstanding.

It's $$$,and maybe the limited driving cup holders too -- a subwoofer would be good too...but that's about it.

After 4 or 5 months of research, I decided to purchase either the S4 or the S4 Avant. I test drove both and loved both. My 18 year old son lobbied heavily (promised to wash it every weekend!) if I went with the S4! Without a doubt, this car is a stealthy maverick. The acceleration from 2nd to 3rd gear propels you from 10mph to 70mph in unbelievable speed, comfort, and calm. My wife is not sure she likes this car -- it pulls like crazy.

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My V6 5-speed Camry provided a nice spirited acceleration to 60mph in 6.9sec and glided at 90 easily. But the front wheels spun out every time I gunned if from a start - very annoying, especially in slippery conditions.

Tons of torque, instant power on demand, quality fit and finish, low profile appearance.

Poor shifter, soft suspension, bad mileage.

Extremely entertaining driving experience-enjoy it on every spin around the neighborhood. Would buy again without a doubt. This is the best tuner vehicle you can buy-unbelievable upgrades are available. If you have this car, get the following:ABT chip from Advanced Motorsport Solutions (310 hp, 370 ft/lbs torque), Neuspeed short shift kit, Neuspeeb/Bilstein sport shocks with adjustable spring perch, new Neuspeed exhaust system (coming soon). You won't be sorry.

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2001 BMW 330ci-not bad, but not comparable.2000 M5-fast but feels too big.

I commute 40 miles a day on twisty,hilly,2-lane country roads. When I'm not doing that I'm rushing over Vermont mountain passes to go skiing or biking. So I need passing power! This car has it - in FOUR seasons no less. It's got the acceleration of a Porsche with AWD traction.

The suspension should be slightly stiffer.
The engine noisier.
Could be just a touch racier looking. But then, those are "male things" my wife says.

42k.Silent, understated, the unknown monster car of the roadway.
You can easily get in big trouble with this car! It's strictly a "driver's" car. Everyone else, buy a Mercedes.

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Porsche 944 turbo: frankly, the S4 is more fun to drive in the under 100 mph range.

strong 2.7L engine with 265 hp (standard in Switzerland)
very fast (165 mph / 265 km/h !!), useful on German highways without speed limit
excellent quality
excellent in snow
great look !
very reliable car, no problems at all yet !

price
thirsty engine in cities.

The Audi S4 is an excellent sports and family car, although the rear passengers should not be too tall. My girlfriend first hesitated driving this car (because it's so fast !!), but now she get used to it.

The only negative point is the high price, but this car is the money worth !!

I recommend going for a test drive, you will be impressed ! There are not many other cars which reach my personal satisfaction level as the S4 does it.

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A4 2.8 V6 (cool car, but not that fast)
BMW 320i (uuaahhh, so boring)

Fastest 4 door sedan under $50K, agile, beautiful in and out, all-weather performance, fun and convenient at the same time

heavily spring-loaded clutch and tricky shifter. As a tall driver, I found front headroom is much reduced in comparison to my previous 2000 A4

What can I say? I love it! The shifter is only a minor nuisance. In fact, this car has so much power at low rpm's that stick usage is minimized. Plenty of passing power at 6th, and the car will roll quite nicely in traffic in a gear situation in which my previous A4 would stall.

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BMW M3. I tested both cars and found no perceptible difference in acceleration and fun to drive feel. The BMW was easier to shift gears. The extra doors, better ride, and the fact that it snows so much here in Iowa made me choose the S4 over the M3

Torquie Fast. Supreme confidence is inspired in this car. Excellent interior and stereo. Solid feel and did I say fast? 6 speed is cool but a little tricky to get the right gear sometimes with the long throws.

Seats need more lateral support. Styling too subdued- non car freaks see an A4. Brakes are grabby and lunge. Back seats are small.

M3 was too small for what I needed. Power band was higher up the tach than the S4 and didn't seem to have as much torque either. M3 was better balanced feel and more driver-oriented though. The 325 is my wifes and it is a great car but underpowered. She won't drive the S4 because it is too fast. The 325 actually brakes smoother and looks better (self-leveling Xenons are cool), 850 was totally different car and too damn fast to be good for much. The Porsche was a 76 and not nearly as fast but better connected to the road than all of these cars. Overall, the S4 was the most practical and best feeling car I drove. It feels so solid at any speed I have driven it.

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M3,325i Sportwagen, 850i (w/ 2 turbos and 550hp),Porshe 911

engine, suspension, build quality, Nogaro/Alcantara looks, balance between sport-tuned ride and sporting ride

city gas mileage; no steering wheel mounted controls; cd changer is in the trunk; stick is not as smooth as I would like

I own a 2001 Nogaro Blue/Blue Alcantara 6-spd with every option except the nav system and phone. I have about 2,800 miles in the 3.5 months I've owned it (I live in downtown Chicago, so lotsa city driving). Bottom line? I LOVE this car. I have hauled 5 people in this car; I've shoehorned a bulky, 6-foot tall box into this car with the seats folded down; I've spanked a Mustang at a stoplight with this car; I've blasted the subwoofer with the windows and sunroof open on a glorious spring day with this car; I've enjoyed Beethoven's 9th Symphony in marvelous comfort while stuck in highway traffic jams in this car; and I've grinned from ear to ear as I've blasted up to 100+ mph speeds on lonely highways and taken winding exits at insane g-forces in this car.

In short, after test driving the 330Ci, 330xi, and E36 M3, my S4 owner's experience confirms my initial impression: The Audi S4 represents the very best balance of comfort, luxury, practicality, and butt-kickin' performance of any car on earth under $60k--with the probable(?) exception of the new E46 M3. Oh...and chicks dig the color combo.

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BMW 330Ci, 330xi, E36 (*old*) M3