2004 Audi S4 consumer reviews

The ride is comfortable, though not nearly as much as my former stock '01 S4. Handling is very good with understeer. It comes with summer tires on 18" wheels; snow tires are required if temps get below 45F. I have 4 performance snows on separate 17" wheels and have never had a problem getting anywhere in our New England winters. The clutch and stick work very well with excellent feel. There's a very large trunk and lots of interior storage in different spaces. With the rear seats folded down, you can fit an amazing amount of stuff. Xenon low beams give excellent illumination but with sharp cutoff. The rear seats have little leg room since I keep my front seat all the way back; I'd have preferred an extra inch of front legroom. The Bose radio has sound that's OK, but not great; the bass is not powerful, especially at lower sound levels despite the subwoofer. The front seat heaters have infinite adjustment and are fantastic. The center armrest console cover is attached by 2 weak plastic anchors, one of which broke recently and the replacement cover cost $235. When reversing, the passenger mirror points down and both mirrors fold in electronically if desired. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes and there's memory for 4 drivers. There's only 1 trip odometer. Auto dimming rear and side mirrors work well, but you cannot activate them manually if the sun is blinding you. All 4 windows are auto up and down. I have 56K miles on this sedan now and it's still reliable, other than one ignition coil replacement; Audi extended the warranty on the coils recently. I also had to replace a leaking cooling radiator for $750. There's a TSB on the radiators so Audi knows about the design problem, but you still have to pay for it. The interior still looks new and I still have the original battery, brakes, clutch and muffler. EPA gas estimates when I bought it were 14city/21hwy, but they revised it under recent guidelines to 13/20! I track every fill on a spreadsheet and have gotten 21.30 mpg since purchase. It requires 91 octane; it's cheaper to alternate fills from 87 octane one time to 93 octane the next time. There's so much torque with the manual than I can drive around town in 6th gear at 30 mph saving gas. The trip computer understates actual mpg by about 0.7 mpg (compared over one 10K stretch). Car and Driver did a review of the '04 sedan with manual transmission and got 0-60 in 5.0 seconds. They also gave it a 10.0 in handling and fun to drive compared with the '03 BMW M3. The 4.2L V-8 has a great sound. Since there are NO turbos, there are NONE of the worries of the need to cool turbos down after EVERY jaunt. Turn signal switch must be left in the neutral position when the car's off or it leaves the parking lights on.

Hands down a gorgeous car. Paint color is the factory Nogaro Blue that absolutely pops. I got to experience my first ever $100.00 oil change but when it takes 9 quarts of synthetic that's to be expected. Nice taut ride. Abundant torque and excelleration. Definately designed for the Autobahn. You can be traveling at a high rate of speed effortlessly. Would highly recomend.

There are allot of up and down reviews about this car on this site but overall this vehicle is a good car to own. As with any car that puts any sort of a smile on your face you are going to have to maintain it. I think people expect to get more (performance wise) and less (upkeep and maintenance) at the same time. The car itself drives great. It took awhile but the aftermarket has finally opened up and there are allot of mods you can do to personalize the car. I have never had an issue in the snow and the car is a great all-season vehicle. It handles more than good enough for any feats that should be attempted on public roads and the sound of the exhaust is probably the thing I'll miss most about it once it's gone. Don't be scared by all the horror stories you see commented as the unhappy few are always the ones to make their opinions known. The overwhelming majority of S4 owners have had happy ownership with their cars and often end up buying a newer version once they sell.

This is hands-down, the best car I've ever owned. Great power, great handling dynamics; a touch of understeer, but you can induce slight oversteer with throttle application. I bought a set of snow tires, and combined with quattro, it's fantastic in the snow. The interior is fantastic with high-quality materials, great seats, and a great sound system. The exterior is a bit understated, but I like that too. I gave 4 stars for reliability because I've had a few minor problems, but nothing terribly expensive, or anything that left me stranded.

This is my first Audi and what a first Audi to buy. It's changed my point of view on cars in general. I am completely spoiled with the subtle and not so subtle design and performance features that I my not be able to buy another car without it being an Audi. It's strikingly fast and handles very well anywhere you put it. I've driven with no issues through 1' of snow and I've taken it on long trips in the summer and it's been great all the way around. The big hang up is how much it costs to own this car. The gas milage seems like a bad dream at 11-13 in the city. Repair costs are unreal considering that most parts are dealer only and have to come from Germany (my new alternator was $1000 + labor) Proper tires for this car will run you $1200-1500 and on and on. BUT if you're willing to hang in there and love this car, it's not like anything else.

Second Audi I've owned and love them! My first being an 1999 A4 1.8T 6spd was a very peppy car and handled like it was on rails! So I'd figure I'd upgrade to the SuperSport model the S4. Buying a used model there are tell tail signs to watch out for, one majior thing I over looked was the tapping sound coming from the the valve train that I herd before in a few 4.2 V8 Audi's before. 31 days after buy the car(USED)(No Extended Warrenty!) The tapping noise ended up being a broke valve spring that was going to cost a few thousand to do. Didn't have the money at the time and a week or so later the valve droped into cylinder detinating the whole motor! 12k dollars later she's running strong.... I would pay the extra money next time and buy one from a Certified dealer or an owner that has the full history on the car. Hope this info help anyone in the market Cheers

Out of all the cars which are 2003 VW Gti black, 2003 20th Anniversary Gti, 2004 BMW 330i ZHP Package, 2005 BMW 750, 2006 Audi A4, 2001 Audi TT. This is by far the most comfortable, powerful, fun car I have driven and owned. When you ask for power there is power, when you want to cruise there is comfort, anything you ask for this car delivers.

This is my third consecutive Audi (1998 A4, 2001 TT, and now the 2004 S4) and I've had an extremely pleasant experience with all of them, especially the S4. Other than a cylinder fuel failurer on the S4 (warranty), I've never had a problem with the car. Great get up & go, superior handling, quiet, and SOLID! Despite being 5 years old, it still gets many admiring stares.

I have owned my S4 for two years now and it has been nothing but trouble. I was seduced by the looks of the car and now I am paying for it. Sure the car looks great and handles well but I have had a persistent oil consumption problem (1 qt per 600 miles) for about a year and a half. The dealer can't seem to fix it and Audi won't take the car back. Be very careful when buying an Audi. My experience has been horrible. I would not recommend to friends, family, anyone, period. To top it all off, they don't hold their value worth a darn either.

I have owned the S4 for almost a year now, and I can comfortably say that it is still the best all-around mid-size hotrod sedan out there. It is compact, safe, and unassuming (especially in the US where people are still relatively unfamiliar with Audi), delivers its power well, and can tear the road to pieces if necessary. Great in adverse weather. Easy-to-correct understeer is all you get in fast corners (unless you are Tiff Needell and can get it to go sideways), so probably not recommended for people who harbor drifting fantasies. Consumption, especially in city driving, is high.