Why We Should Buy a B5 Audi S4
Praise be, for on this day, the turbo boost was good.
The Engine
Audi was the first of Germany’s Big 3 luxury brands to embrace turbocharging on a wide scale. They had the excellent 20-valve 1.8T four cylinders but the S4’s 2.7L, 30-valve bi-turbo V6 was an absolute powerhouse for the time, kicking out 251hp and 258 ft./lb. of torque. This paved the way for turbocharging in performance applications. After the B5 ran its course wasn’t long until the competition did the same. Now just about every premium brand now offers a turbocharged, direct-fuel-injected 6 cylinder engine.
Styling
Never a company prone to massive over-design, the S4 turned up the regular A4 just enough, so that those who knew what to look for knew it was an S4, but no one else would. There is just enough flare in those fenders, and just enough accentuation to the give B5 S4 on the most timeless looks ever rendered by Audi. Future “S” models would continue this trend, making for excellently unassuming “sleeper” cars.
The Price
This one is a double-edged sword, depending on your outlook. For under $10,000 you can have one of the finest German sports sedans on the market, which is great! That also means that any knucklehead with $10,000 can have one of the most temperamental German sports sedans on the market. It may take some digging, a good independent mechanic, and even more digging, but when you find the right S4, you’re in for a world of bi-turbo joy.
Negaro Blue
Just look at it. It looks so right.
The RS$ Parts Bin
S4 owners in North America clamored for the holy grail of Audis: the RS4, but we never got it. Instead of griping and complaining, ingenious owners figured out that in sharing the same chassis, and same basic engine, most everything from the RS4 parts bin swapped over into the U.S.-spec S4. It wasn’t long until people bought Avants and swapped in RS4 turbos, brakes, wheels and anything else that could be imported from Germany.
Join in the conversation about the B5 S4 right here in the Audiworld Forum!
For information on maintenance and repairs, check out our do-it-yourself technical articles at http://www.audiworld.com/how-tos/.