Swedish S4 Review (SvD)

[Aragorn]

For those of you who speak Swedish, there's a brief review of the S4 in today's edition of Svenska Dagbladet.

Audi skåpar ut det mesta

[Erik]

Thanks!

Hmmm...I've seen that car somewhere before. Wonder where...

If he had driven it he would have know better than 'limited to 250 km/h..."

/

[roel]

Anyone up for a short translation of this report ??

Thanks !

[Klint]

Originally posted by roel
Anyone up for a short translation of this report ??

Thanks !

errr...I'll take a guess. The S4 is the best.

[Aragorn]

Ok, here goes:

The Audi Fastback (1)
Discreet signs imply massive engine power



344 hp. The horse-power war continues in a world of increasing congestion and posted or factual speed-limits. Audi's blue sports car is limited to 250 km/h.

Audi has, for a few decades, manufactured quiet cars (2). This lack of noise has been maintained for one of the brand's high-performance models, the S4. From the outside, though, you're quickly able to hear what's lurking underneath the hood.

S4 may not be an alphanumerical combination of the same ring as M3, but it is, just as BMW's devil in disguise, an Autobahn-locomotive capable of exceptional speed and acceleration. It even comes--just as my test car--as a station wagon, or dare I say, fastback (3).

Just as its predecessor, the new S4 only reveals itself to the automobile connoisseur: dual exhaust pipes and paint-matched bumpers are two telltale signs, but there may also be little badges, unless the owner has had them removed (4). Alternatively, you may spot an S4 as you are being overtaken by one.

Under the hood, the twin-turbo V6 from the previous generation has been replaced by a V8, which gives off a deep growl at idle already and that offers impressive pulling power even at low revs. Consequently, an inexperienced driver only needs three or four of the gearbox's six speeds; but then again, if you shell out 521.000 SEK, or 570.000 SEK as this test vehicle, equipped with leather, radio, additional side airbags, parking assistance, etc, was offered at, you are probably not new to this kind of car (5).

The interior follows the rest of the Audi line-up: black and grey dashboard, red read-outs, a driver-oriented environment, and unusually comfortable power-adjusted sports-seats.

The front passenger legroom does not meet the standards of my blonde friend, who likes to kick her legs around; however, two adults sit better in the Audi's back seat than in the Volvo S60R I tested a few weeks back; and no one is likely to complain about neither the air conditioning nor the sound system.

You might ask for the competing Volvo's adjustable chassis. The S4 rides hard at all times: it is fun and purposeful when you're in the mood for some inspired driving, less so when you turn on the cruise control on the highway. But I guess you will have to live with that, as long as people recognize your car.

Notes:
(1) My adaptation of the play of words of the original headline, intended to convey just how fast the S4 is (although 'fastback' isn't a proper name for an Avant).
(2) Silly play of words omitted from this translation
(3) Continuation and adaptation of (1)
(4) This is a factual error: there are dual exhaust pipes on the 1.8T and 3.0 as well.
(5) Roughly $61,525 and $67,310.

Lastly, I will have to add the disclaimer Penguin Books append to some of their prints: the moral right of the translator has been asserted.


Cheers,

Aragorn

[smerayo]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH...!! I APPRECIATE IT!

[roel]