2012 Audi S4 - Automobile Magazine

I come from an Audi family, and spent the better part of a year driving a previous-generation 2007 S4 sedan with a six-speed manual. It was the same steering wheel from our old S4, but the car was nearly unrecognizable as an S4. Yes, it is still deceptively quick and can be a luxurious tourer when asked to be. But the new 3. 0T supercharged engine (yes, it's supercharged not... The S4 has lost its heart -- not just in the literal sense of Audi replacing the 4. 2 with the 3. 0T, but also in the sense that it is now just a cool and mechanical machine. The new 335i leaves the door further open for Audi because it has diluted the steering feel and cheapened the cockpit compared to the car it replaces. There's a lot wrong with the Audi S4. Its engine is in the wrong place (completely in front of the front axle). It's also the wrong shape (a 90-degree V-6, not a smoother 60-degree V-6 or, even better, an in-line six). The driving position is incorrect (the steering wheel isn't centered in the seat, which isn't centered. Source: www.automobilemag.com