New Audi S4 Sedan Busted Out In The Open With No Camo. Carscoops
September 1, 2015
By: John Halas
An undisguised prototype for Audi's next-gen S4 performance saloon was captured testing in the Alps. And yes, it doesn't look all that different from the regular 2016 A4 sedans with the S Line package, bar some minor tweaks.
These include the slightly bigger air intakes on the corners of the front bumper, the black matte mirror housings and window trimmings (we may or may not see a different shade on the production car), and of course, a more prominent rear diffuser with the "S" performance models' trademark quad pipes.
We've yet to get a glance of the S4's interior, but expect something along the…lines of the 'S Line' interior package with a sporty steering wheel, body-hugging front seats and flashier trimmings.
Both the pictured S4 sedan and its more practical Avant sibling will keep the current supercharged 3.0-liter V6 gasoline engine, tweaked to deliver around 340 to 360-horses, up from 328hp (333PS), connected to Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system and a S-Tronic dual clutch transmission.
I'm sure it'll drive as good, if not better than the current one, but goodness that's dull. Even in sport form, it's dull enough to put a scare into the leading sleeping medication company.
The S Trim cars are designed to be "sleeper" cars. They have a few sporting elements added, but still are very comfortable and luxurious on the inside (you can still get real wood and luxury touches instead of the cheeseball cabon fiber crap). You can drive them hard in the twisties, hammer it at the stoplights, but also use them as a daily commuter. Having owned one in the past, I would say it accomplishes all of those things very well. Their design will always be more conservative, and obviously if you look at Audi's sales growth, enough people want that. Plus if you want something more aggressive in the same class, get an RS5.
So its not the Big Three Germans only in America? Pssssst, they've sold more vehicles in the US than Cadillac this year. We both know how Caddilac does internationally.
A 4x4 Silverado isn't RWD, but the Silverado as a whole is RWD. My ATS4 isn't RWD, but the ATS as a whole isa RWD car. Quattro or not, Audis are FWD cars. A4, A6, A8, etc. All are FWD cars. Even a world class AWD system and longitudinal engine layout can't change that fact.
And yes, Audi is a Tier 1 luxury brand. And they keep growing and growing, too.
So the midengined R8 a FWD car now? Had to throw one at you!! :
The reality is, unless you are going to a track and racing at a very high level, it doesn't freakin' matter. I didn't buy my old S4 as a track car, I bought it because it was a blast to drive on the road, had a great interior, and we could drive it year round without worrying if we could drive it when the weather was bad (which is half the year here).
Everything handles so good now this really is a moot point unless, as I mentioned above, you are doing some high level racing. Obviously its not hurting Audi's sales numbers.
Audi is probably not going to be considered up there in America because of their Modular FWD based construction, but their motors are awesome.
In my pecking order, this Audi will be below the leaders.
Audi's a premier luxury brand and has long since pulled away from any Japanese or American brand. Doing tiers is rather tricky because the world is not simple, but Lexus and Cadillac are neither top-tier nor merely "upscale". Upscale brands are Acura, Buick, Volvo, Alfa Romeo, and in the last decade or so Lincoln has declined to this segment. Hyundai is not a luxury brand. If we speak purely about their premium sub-division, then it's more complicated. BMW and Jaguar are top-tier, though Jaguar is rebounding from being a "damaged" top tier brand. I'm guessing many consumers do not care about Audis being FWD at all, but rather the quality of the product, how it's marketed, and the image it conveys based on the fact that Audis are generally well received by the media. Audis don't often come off as a dressed up VW, which is something people have said about FWD platform Lincolns or Cadillacs. Cadillac is not remotely a top-tier brand.
Audi's are not technically FWD, they are built on modular platforms. But they look like they are FWD.
Mine was not a market analysis, mine was a personal assessment. Take into account I drive Chevrolet's and have no real desire to drop coin on an expensive car.
imhO
that'd look so much better without any grille At ALL (too lazy to chop)
just have everything painted sheetmetal with un-trimmed slots
(this foto makes that easy to see how LITTLE it really needs)
I think it's a handsome car, but the grill is a mess. The small horizontal bars behind the logo look too busy, and the plastic between the main grill bars in the registration plate area looks really cheap.
Beautiful. Reminds me of the 16 Malibu from an over-all point of view (especially its aggressive nature). All you dumb-asses (eg Ed) criticizing the Malibu front facia are gonna eat major crow!
I think when he said, "take down the M5" he probably meant performance-wise. Otherwise, not so much. When the second generation CTS-V came about I had a few acquaintances who owned M3's and M5's from local BMW meets who wanted to get out of BMW ownership for various reasons but the fit, finish and quality of the CTS-V kept them at BMW...
I don't know that the A4 is that successful in the US, given that the name has been around for roughly 20 years and despite Audi's global rise the A4 like many Audis in the US isn't that significant a seller. BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura have all had more success either consistently or at various points. But at least to Audi's credit it is a huge global seller, which the Cadillac competition has not been. Audi's an interesting company. Generally smartly marketed, nice image, but not huge sales in the US. Perhaps part of it is the fact that its appeal is not with the older demographics with a lot of the money. From that perspective, the brand might do better in the future. We'll see. Audis are nice but they don't often do it for me aside from the occasional S or RS car, or the second A8. But regardless they have been able to become a sophisticated luxury brand, this while Jaguar was stuck in retreads. This was the Ford era after all, and despite their attempts at volume (S-Type, X-Type) and being more dynamic (aluminum XJ) they only got it right as Ford parted ways (XF).
I don't think the third generation CTS is on part with BMW's 5-Series yet - but they're getting very close. I think they need one more generation to get everything perfect. Or perhaps the midcycle refresh. I think the interior of the CTS is much more attractive however.
I'd have quoted the post I'm referring to but I'm not seeing a way to do that on the mobile version. Edit: of course now I found it...
I didn't know this was an issue, if the car you buy is AWD, what does it matter if a FWD version also exists? Are there complaints about the AWD system in the Audi A4 that make it inferior because it is FWD-based? I mean real complaints, not just internet complaints?
Isn't the case the same for almost all CUVs out there?
The only complaints I've heard about the Audi quattro system is that it's not really a "true" quattro on lower end Audis. Namely, the low-end systems are Haldex not Torsen.
But that's mostly from Audi aficionados.
Most people wouldn't know/care.
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