If you think really hard, I bet you can remember your first weekend at college. There’s a defining moment during the passage to adulthood when you first realize you can go to bed at 4 a.m. and wake up with gummy bears stuck to your forehead without a suspicious eye from your folks. Freedom and adulthood come with great responsibility and great opportunities along the way to have a great time sticking small shrimps in your roommate’s pajamas while he sleeps.
The 2014 Audi S4 is similarly liberating and exhilarating as the first weekend free of the parental hands of control. The S4 is a tight-lipped partner in crime; the kind of comrade that’ll goad you into a little faster, a little longer and a little louder before returning home at 3 a.m. after (maybe) provoking an entire fraternity house by yourself in the middle of the street. And then you realize you can do it all over again tomorrow. Oh yeah, let’s do that again.
Let me explain. Firstly, the Audi S4 comes in two very distinct flavors. The first, a 3.0-liter supercharged six cylinder bolted to a 7-speed dual-clutch lump that’s more serious than a physics class at 7 a.m. I imagine a lot of these will sell.
For the second flavor, let’s bring back that 3.0-liter supercharged six, but we’ll mate it to a 6-speed manual that’s more fun than — well, can we bring back those little shrimp again? According to Audi, both the automatic and manual transmissions will shift you from 0-60 mph in just shy of 5 seconds. To wit, I call shenanigans. Although 60 mph is just one shift in the S4, engineers at the German automaker are presupposing that I’m not cranking the ‘Halen to 11. I am.
Heretofore, we’ll be talking exclusively about the manual because, well, it’s just more fun. I’ve driven the automatic transmission and I know firsthand that it’s just not the same experience. When you’re given 333 horsepower and a 7-speed gearbox that’ll shift quicker than you can blink, any moment you’re not pushing the car to its ragged edge is a moment you feel you’re letting the car down. That automatic Audi S4 is mean, quick and that’s OK. But I’ll take the manual just the same, thank you.
The manual in this type of car is like going to state college. Yes, if you read the papers (and it’s apparent you do) manual transmissions are going away like exit exams. In fact, when my niece and nephews are in college, their cars probably won’t have traditional gears — if they even have cars at all.
But a row-your-own six in a car like the Audi S4? That’s consequence-free fun like a half-semester of canoeing for non-majors. You’re forgiven for not heel-toeing the S4 on every shift. You don’t have to worry that you’re letting the car down. The car and you are partners in your debauchery on the open road, and the S4’s massive engine and remarkable handling only enable your bad decision making along the way.
Thankfully, on parents weekend, the S4 doesn’t look like a bad influence. The S4 follows closely the A4 sedan, which is Audi’s least-intimidating luxury sedan right now. The 18-inch wheels and all-black grille help distinguish the $48,400 S4 from the entry A4 that costs $12,900 less to start. The S4 may be the least distinguishable performance model Audi offers; or maybe the S4 is so prolific that the car is starting to blend in. Either way don’t expect many to give the S4 second looks on the street.
Under the skin is where the S4 makes hay. Instead of a turbo four cylinder the S4 gets a Eaton-blown six that cranks 113 more horses (333 hp) and 77 more torques (325 lb.-ft.) than the standard model. The all-wheel drive S4 also sports a flat-bottomed steering wheel, sport-contoured seats and an exhaust note that’s quietly evil.
Tune the S4 up out on the twisty stuff and you’ll be rewarded with what makes this car a sleeper favorite among enthusiasts. Despite naturally understeering, thanks to nearly 3,900 lbs. on the road and all-wheel drive, the Audi S4 is surprisingly nimble and nearly neutral. Turn in and the S4 responds, with only the traction control biting during the hardest hairpins. The S4 is supremely fun on mountain roads, the supercharger humming away and the exhaust whispering a pleasant tenor as background noise. Needles on the MPH and RPM gauge swing effortlessly across its gray gauges and you quickly realize that you and the car can quickly get into all sorts of trouble together.
And shod with our tester’s brilliant red, it’ll be fairly easy to spot. In previous years, you could opt for yellow or blue in addition to red, but Audi has dropped yellow and will add a special-edition blue next year if that’s your thing. But I prefer red for modest reasons.
First, because the bright red color choice is roaring without being deafening. Second, it underscores the ability to quiet down when the ‘rents are in town. The S4 possesses the great quality of having a split personality. The engine and manual transmission are great fun on open roads, when you and your courage tackle endless curves. Then, when pressed into daily duty, the S4 settles into a capable luxury car.
Perhaps that’s why the car starts at nearly $50,000 and goes well beyond that mark easily when equipped with interior goodies. Our tester tipped the scales at more than $56,000, which is more than similar sport sedans from Subaru but comparable to other sporty Germans. The S4 can hide in plain sight fairly well, enough not to give your parents second thoughts the minute they pull away from your college dorm. Weekend freedom awaits.