Audi A4 S Line
The next best thing to the S4?
Justin Kaehler


April 11, 2006 - No, we aren't cutting and pasting an old review, slapping it up here and calling it "new content". Yes, we already reviewed the 2005.5 Audi A4, but we liked the car so much, we just had to get another one. As we didn't want to be accused (again) of doing a cut-and-paste hack job (regular hack jobs suit us just fine, thank you), we decided to get a different type of A4.

We liked the standard A4's peppy 2.0 liter engine, but we wanted more power. We tried using our charm to wrangle a 340 horsepower S4 from Audi, but apparently we're not charming enough. However, "not charming enough" doesn't mean "not charming at all", as we had enough charisma and charm to wrangle an A4 S Line from the Auto Union.

The A4 S Line sits comfortably between the "regular" A4 and the S4, meaning the A4 S Line is a high-grade A4 equipped with S4-inspired goodies -- except for the S4's V8 engine. This means that the A4 S Line has an S4-like front clip, aero kit, suspension and wheels and cool little "S" badges strategically placed all around the car. It's a great way to get the "S4 feel" without paying the S4 price.

Let's get pricing out of the way, as we're sure it's important to most of you. Our A4 S Line test car comes in at a hefty $40,835. This price includes the base $34,480 for our V6-powered 6-speed manual A4; $475 for the Moro Blue Pearl Effect (whatever that is…); the $2,750 S Line package; $1,050 Premium Package (which includes HomeLink, auto-dimming mirrors, heated seats and rain sensor); $1,000 for the glass sunroof and an extra $720 for the destination charge.

While this does sound kind of pricey, it really isn't that much more than the regular A4 we tested last time. For only $5K more than our last A4, we get a better suspension set-up, new aero kit and a bigger engine. That's a sweet deal in our book.

So yes, we do have a big engine in our Audi. (Well, we think it's big -- we're used to 1.8-liter Honda engines, remember.) Our A4 S Line comes with Audi's 3.2-liter, 255 horsepower, naturally-aspirated V6. As seems to be the case with all Audi engines, this V6 has a wide and flat torque curve. While the 243 lb.-ft. of peak torque is available at 3,250 rpm, 90 percent of this torque is available from 1,900 to 5,900 rpm.

As we mentioned earlier, this engine is mated to a slick-shifting six-speed manual transmission, and these six gears send the V6's power down through all four wheels thanks to Audi's famous Quattro all-wheel drive system. Not only does mashing the throttle release a very pleasing growl from the twin exhaust canisters, it also launches the car forward with a pretty nice amount of force. We really enjoy putting the pedal to the metal in this car, and we try to take advantage of the car's power on every stretch of open road we find.

We thought that the standard A4's suspension was firm, but very livable. The S Line's suspension is even stiffer, but it's still not bad. Your mom may complain about the ride quality, but you're not buying an A4 S Line so that you can haul your mom around in comfort. No, you're buying an S Line for the performance. And we must say, the S Line's suspension seems very capable. Our A4 test car just bites into the corners, and we don't feel a whole lot of body roll. Our S Line feels very poised and stable in both the twisties and on the high-speed straights.

There isn't much that separates the S Line's interior from the cabin of the standard A4. It's clean, functional and has a s***load of square buttons. The S Line gets some nifty little S Line badges on the steering wheel and doorsills to remind occupants that they aren't in a plain-old A4.

We do have one gripe about the A4 S Line's interior, and that is the release for the gas door: the damn thing is hidden! The button to open up the gas flap is located on back side of the pocket of the driver's side door. It's not even close to being in sight, and it's kind of a hassle to find. There are some other buttons lurking about in that dark recess of the door, so it's really not good design. What happened to moving these buttons to the front side of the door -- you know, the place these buttons can be seen?

Still, if our only complaint about this car is the location of a rarely-used button that is only accessed when the car is parked, this car must be good. We've never been disappointed in an Audi, and we only have good things to say about the brand. We feel that the A4 S Line is totally worth the extra cash when compared to the standard 2.0-liter sedan.

We feel that the only thing that can make the A4 S Line better is more power. We'll see how right we are when we take the RS4 for a spin next month.