2017 Audi S4 specifications

Premium car manufacturers continue to provide for buyers who demand strong sporty elements along with the obligatory luxury touches. BMW has its M division, Mercedes-Benz its AMG catalogue, Lexus a brace of F models, and Audi its RS and S cars.

For the uninitiated RS is the harder-edged, higher performing cars while S versions straddle the divide between mainstream and Mount Panorama.

Audi S models have been available to Australians since the S4 badge was introduced in 1993. It produced 169kW, was priced at $132,890 and 25 were sold. Modest beginnings...

The most recent - the fifth iteration in 2009 - was a supercharged 245kW V6 S4 with a weighty $118,900 price tag. Still, the growing appeal of the S models was apparent, with 420 sales.

Now comes the latest S4 Sedan and Avant wagon, bearing Audi's high expectations due to some very obvious selling points. 

Based on the well-regarded new A4 mid-sizer launched here last year, the latest S4 pair is lighter, faster and more advanced and refined than ever before.

The S visuals lean more to subtlety than attention seeking.  Yes, it's 23mm lower than a regular A4 and the bigger, different wheels and tyres are obvious enough and so are the side sills, boot lip and the four fat tailpipes hanging out the back. Dynamic rear turn indicators catch attention from those behind.  Aluminium-backed mirrors are an S signature. The wagon has aluminium roof rails and a roof lip.

Looks are subjective, but to these eyes the Avant - with its svelte profile and muscular haunches - is the style winner here.  

Even with its speedy 'tornado' styling line maybe the sedan doesn't deliver the same visual kerbside knockout blow.

Either way, there isn't onerous credit-card sensitivity amongst buyers who can afford premium performance cars but nevertheless most will be interested to learn that the sedan version is the first S4 priced below $100,000. Okay...just. By $100. They're nearly $7000 more affordable than the last S4s and bang in the middle of two obvious (and maybe only) rivals, the BMW 340i ($89,855) and Mercedes C43 AMG ($104,400).

The cabin is a delightful mix of leather, matt brushed aluminium, and chrome-look highlight lines, with the show-and-tell elements presenting in the intelligent infotainment systems and technologies including in-car wi-fi connectivity (merely requiring a data sim card and mobile coverage).  With the standard virtual cockpit display, the S4 gets a specific third mode which gives drivers choices on the screen behind the wheel. Another 8.3-inch screen sits above the centre console, showing sat nav, and the other choices for occupants - music, phone connectivity, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, and two USB inputs.

Three-zone air-conditioning is another blessing.

All S4s have spacesaver spares.

An all-new 3.0 TFSI turbocharged petrol engine produces 260kW (up 15kW), while peak torque of 500Nm (up 60Nm) is available from as low as 1370rpm. This V6, soon to be seen in the coming S5 and the SQ 5, is of a wide 90-degree vee design, with the turbocharger sitting between the banks. Advantages include more weight saving, more compact under-bonnet packaging and better pedestrian impact protection. The design ensures the shortest possible travel paths for exhaust gases to pass through, also meaning the turbo spools up very swiftly. Turbo lag....pffft!

The move from the S tronic dual-clutch 'box in the last-gen S4 to a more traditional tiptronic auto with torque converter was made because of the greater torque output (500Nm) of the new S4 engine. This durable transmission will comfortably handle up to 700Nm and yet is operates  so smoothly in normal driving, only becoming obvious when the drive uses lots of throttle in conjunction with the energetic dynamic Drive Select choice, and the steering wheel paddles.

The S4 Sedan and Avant share the same engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, and the same equipment including 19-inch alloys and low-profile rubber. The Avant is $3000 pricier, but does include some useful stuff such as a net that can be quickly clipped into place behind the front seats (and when the 40/20/40 rear seats are folded forward) to form a safe travelling environment to transport canines in the back.

The Avant has an electric rear tailgate with retractable luggage cover and sensor controlled luggage compartment release - it will open or close with an under-bumper kicking motion.

These are not the only reasons many people might be tempted to opt for the Avant but the wagon does offer a versatility the sedan can't match. Nor can the sedan boot take 505 litres with the seats in place, or up to 1510 litres with the rear seats dropped down.

Australian S4s have adaptive suspension dampers as standard, as is quattro all-wheel drive with its mechanical centre diff, which typically delivers 60 per cent of the drive to the rear wheels but depending on conditions - a patchy, low grip surface, for instance - it might send up to 85 per cent of drive to either end in an instant.

An $2900 optional sport diff can apportion even more torque to the rear wheel with the most grip, which effectively 'points' the S4 into the apex of a corner. More simply, it resists understeer.

An indication of the enhanced sportiness of the newcomers is that they uncork similar standing acceleration figures as the last-generation RS 4 Avant.  The sedan, a little lighter at 1705kg, jumps out of the blocks to 100km/h in just 4.7secs, or 0.3 faster than the old S4.  The Avant is a couple of tenths slower (but still very quick).

As well as the usual array of eight airbags, and stability control is an extensive suite - the most comprehensive of any Audi - of standard driver assistance safety systems. 

Unique to S4 are active lane assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go and traffic jam assist, 360-degree surround camera system, Audi pre-sense front, turn assist, collision avoidance assist and high beam assist.

Some will appeal to sporty drivers. Some less so.

Audi claims the value of the added gear in the new 2017 S4s exceeds that of their predecessors by an estimated $12,000.

Audi S4 Sedan and Avant price and specifications

Price: $99,900 (sedan); $102,900 (wagon) plus on-road costs

Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 petrol

Power: 260kW at 5400-6400rpm

Torque: 500Nm at 1370-4500rpm

Transmission: eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive

Fuel use: 7.7 L/100km (sedan); 7.8 L/100km (wagon)

• For all the latest information visit our Audi showroom.
• View 2017 Audi S4 first drive review