I knew the day would come, and here we are. You see, I’ve reviewed the B9 Audi S4 (a 2022 model) already – but it was privately owned. Then Audi saw it and said something along the lines of “You dummy – let us give you a 2024 Audi S4 for 300 miles, because we bet you’re going to love it.”
Fair enough, but I hate reruns, so this review is going to be a little different.
You’re going to wake up at 4:30 AM for a shoot with me.
2024 Audi S4 Quick Take
Get one:
Improved with the sport suspension and steering. A beauty inside and out. The precise feel of everything.
Don’t get one:
Not quite as fast as an M340, and nowhere near as thrilling as an IS 500.
Soul Score: 7
Saying good-bye is never easy.
The 2024 Audi S4 overview
Before we hop in for our drive, let me explain a bit about what makes this car different from that 2022 model, because there are two important distinctions.
First, this one has the S Sport Package, and that includes an adaptive damping suspension and a sport rear differential. I hate to sound bombastic but it absolutely transforms the S4 from ho-hum to true sports sedan. Especially the differential – instead of using the ABS to manage traction in the base model, this one uses active torque vectoring to help distribute power.
Going faster around a turn by using the brakes is a silly strategy. For $2,500, this package is worth it.
The other biggie is Dynamic Steering, which essentially adjusts the effort of the wheel as speed builds. Again, for $1,150, it’s a no-brainer. Feels much more linear. All told, I would not get an S4 without these two options.
James May talk over, let’s go for a ride.
Taking the Audi S4 through the mean streets
If I’m serious about a girl, I invite her over and cook a nice meal. Seems to have done the trick for Mrs. Machines. And if I’m serious about a car, I take it for a spin through New York City.
And I do mean spin – wake up at 4:30 in the morning on a Sunday, cruise in, and zoom around the city streets. In doing so, you find out so much about a car. Terrible roads. Sudden traffic light changes. Inattentive drivers and walkers. Microscopic merging ramps. It’s all here to test a car and bring out the best (and worst) of it.
Scenery ain’t so bad for pics either.
Yea, New York. If you can enjoy your car here, you can enjoy it anywhere.
So that’s what I did with this Audi S4. It has a powerful and sonorous turbocharged V-6, Quattro all-wheel drive, and the interior of an Art Deco hotel lobby. And there is no RS 4 to make you feel inadequate – this is top dog for Audi’s smaller sedans.
Alas, the 2024 Audi S4 is already dead, kind of. Going forward, Audis with even numbers will be electric, while odd numbers get ICE units. That’s a shame, because the S4 has a personality problem, and I’m not sure ditching the engine will help.
Still, we can give it a proper send-off with a good road trip.
4:30 AM
“Oh, this is starting to feel like work.”
It’s true – running MWS does feel like a job, and I take that as a good sign that I’m doing it right. Today is Sunday, June 16th, and the sun is out.
Actually, it isn’t yet. Still pitch black.
Once my feet touch the floor the hard part is over, and before I know it, I’m easing the Daytona Grey S4 out of my garage. It’s a subtle color for a subtle car, and if it were my S4, I’d paint it Navara Blue so it feels a bit more special.
Easing into the Nappa leather seats (complete with beautiful red stitching), I turn on the heating function because it’s a bit chilly for my old bones, set Apple CarPlay for downtown Manhattan, and zoom off.
5:00 AM
There are good parts and bad parts on the New Jersey Turnpike, but the area around Exit 12 is perfect for aiming a car straight, setting tunes, and just cruising at a steady eighty miles per hour.
Doing so in the S4 is no chore. The ride is serene and comfortable despite the fact that I’ve placed the car in Sport mode. In fact, the S4 would remain in Sport Mode throughout its stay with me – I find it gave the perfect balance for suspension firmness and engine response.
5:15 AM
Inching ever closer to the Holland Tunnel, I prepare for driving combat only to find that this normally packed area has not another soul on the road. Everything is going according to plan.
As soon as I’m dumped into the streets of Manhattan, I immediately lower the radio because who can find out where they are supposed to go with the music so loud. The first stop is the Irish Hunger Memorial right by Battery Park. This used to be a famous location for shooting cars until someone decided stanchions were needed to keep cars out.
Thanks, whomever did something stupid and ruined it for all of us.
Still I try, and find the location to be much worse than Google Maps shows. It’s full of cars and way to tight to get a good angle.
Onward.
6:00 AM
I always have backup spots because this is an unpredictable vocation, so I aim the S4 toward Brooklyn and drive around the World Trade Center.
Dashing and diving through lower Manhattan puts the S4 to the test. Its 349-horsepower V-6 is smooth and eager, and 369 lb-ft of torque offers quick starts off the line. But revving it out isn’t the sort of visceral experience you get from say, the V-8 in a Lexus IS 500, and it’s not as eager to rev as the B58 in an M340i.
Grab the S4 by the scruff of its neck and zing it to redline to pump out a satisfying thrump from the exhaust, but otherwise it’s as quiet as sitting in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.
It’ll do up to 29 MPG on the highway too, though I average a more pedestrian 22 – about the same as my X3 M40i.
6:15 AM
It’s here where I’m supposed to fall in love. By now, the summer sun is clearly rising, and as I drive over the Brooklyn Bridge with all of Manhattan and Brooklyn around me, I’m feeling inspired.
The S4 acquits itself well – the suspension is taut but never harsh, the steering direct but not overly heavy. There’s tons of grip here – 19-inch wheels shod with summer rubber, combined with a Sport rear differential, ensure the car never steps out on you. Quattro is by far the best all-wheel drive system placed into a car, and there is no hint of torque steer or delay when it comes to power. The brakes are also up to the task, offering perfect pedal feel without the need for adjustment.
“Hmm. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe this really is an excellent sports sedan, and not merely a good one.”
6:45 AM
I find my spot under the Manhattan Bridge, park the car and take a breath before getting out to shoot.
Whatever car I’m in becomes my mobile office for the day, and some do a better job than others. This S4 is packaged brilliantly – a spacious trunk and some of the best sport seats I’ve pressed my butt into make it the kind of daily you can love.
Dig deeper to find a few flaws. The UI system is difficult to use, so defaulting to Apple CarPlay is a must. Unlike the 2022 model I drove, this one had a digital cluster. I wish I could say I preferred it, but the layout is all over the place. There are a million cubbies throughout the cabin, none of which are big enough to hold much.
Still, it’s nicer inside this car than even an M3, with its mix of soft leather and Alcanatara. All the buttons click when pressed, as if you were inside a gigantic luxury wrist watch. So precise.
7:15 AM
Summer isn’t as nice to shoot in as you might think – the sun rises quickly and provides harsh lighting. I know I have about 45 minutes left to grab that “poster” shot so people will click on this review and I can become the ULTIMATE CAR REVIEWER.
The S4 doesn’t make it easy. That Daytona Grey color sort of blends in everywhere, and it’s short on details. Oh sure, quad exhausts, beautiful matte wheels and famous Audi LED lights look the part. Walk closer to find just two “S” badges on the entire car. It’s even subtle on the wheels. Not a bad thing.
The Audi S4 is a car that must be appreciated up close. But if you’re looking for attention…
8:00 AM
I prepare for departure. The roads are now starting to fill up with traffic, and because I’m in Brooklyn, going home through Staten Island offers a quicker route. It’s time to ask the S4 to dance.
Alas, it doesn’t really want to. Or can’t be bothered to. An M340 is as mellow as the S4, but with more speed, it offers something to fall in love with.
As I slice through traffic along the Staten Island Expressway, I talk to myself and ask why this Audi is performing well, but simply doesn’t feel like it. Then I start to wonder – why no RS version? The last time they made one it was a riot, and an RS 5’s powertrain would easily slide right in for modern times.
If you’re into splitting hairs, you’ll find that the S4’s adaptive suspension gives it a bit more maneuverability than the BMW, and its dynamic steering allows for some feel to come through at higher speeds.
Come on…let me love you…
Just then, the phone rings.
“Daddy, can you stop in New York for bagels?”
8:45 AM
Back home. Bagels being devoured as the familiar sound of an engine cooling comes from the garage. Click. CLACK.
Mrs. Machines greets me with the usual question: “How was the shoot?”, followed by the usual scowl that means “Can I please have my garage spot back now?”
Sure thing babe.
I’d keep it for the week to do more mundane things. All told, it’s 300 miles in this S4 before I send it back.
Will we miss the Audi S4?
The 2024 Audi S4 starts some $6,000 cheaper than a base M340i, which I believe is this car’s closest competitor. The problems come when you add the Prestige Package, which erases that price advantage. Skip the driving aids on the BMW (which you don’t want anyway), and they cost within a few hundred dollars of each other.
I like being inside the S4 more than being in the M340i, and though the engine isn’t as powerful, the Audi is fun in its own right. I’m not sure which I’d choose. This car’s steering and grip is hard to pass up. But so is a B58.
Which is why I wouldn’t have either. Come here, my sweet IS 500. It’s easily the worst car of the three in terms of refinement and features, but it’s thrilling.
I’m sorry Audi, but the Soul Score of seven remains. I wish it were enough to convince you to save it.
2024 Audi S4 Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE
Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger, four-door sedan
PRICE
Base: $53,800
As tested: $69,340
POWERTRAIN
Turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 3.0 liter V-6
349 hp @ 6,200 RPM
369 lb-ft @ 1,370 RPM
Eight-speed Automatic transmission
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 111.0 in
Length: 187.5 in
Width: 72.7 in
Height: 56.2 in
Curb Weight: 3,927 lbs
FUEL ECONOMY
23 MPG combined / 20 city / 27 highway
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