Test Drive Audi S4 since 2008 Sedan

Predict unpredictable

Audi S4 TURBO AVANT

 

Different paths fall to us on tests cars. At the end of February, a call rang, and a person called by Stanislav, politely proposed to get acquainted with his universal Audi S4 1993 release. Audi S4 - the car is quite rare, in Moscow they are only seven pieces, and the wagon seems to be alone.

 

The letter, with its impressions outlined in it, Stanislav handed us personally, upon arrival in the editor. Painted, - so he said. The letter seemed interesting to us, so we give it almost completely here.

 

Audi S4 Avant 1994 model year fell into my hands, in general, by chance. I learned about the existence of this model from its first owner. He spoke for a long time and three exclamation signs at the end of each phrase. From everything he heard a head was spinning.

 

Five-cylinder 2.2 l engine with turbocharger, configured intake-release (regular power 230 hp Sport on a radiator lattice ... Waving imagination Start Draw Seductive Pictures: Smoky Marevo over the formal tracks, finish flags, Ayrton Senna on a liking barbell ...

 

The car was a bat in the left back door and wing.

 

I wanted to order a new door - there were difficulties. In Moscow, then only A6 appeared, before that, the people knew only about Audi-100. And S4, and even Avant is generally a Chinese certificate.

 

It was possible to get valuable information, that if A6, either at the weave of Avant rear door with two more than a centimeter longer than that weave with the body of the sedan. And what about s4? In the end spat and went to craftsmen. The craftsmen found themselves that it was necessary - they were all straightened, covered and painted. And at the same time replaced the front shock absorbers - the old were killed (mileage of 53,000 km, and the car is combat).

 

Some car experience by that time I was already. He started with domestic cars, knew the front-wheel drive, and the classics. I had a chance to ride on two Mercedes-190, Ford Sierra, and the last few months rolled out on Subaru Legacy 2.2.

 

Here you and all-wheel drive, and abs. Subaru was a certain transient stage for me, the point of reference - the car is fresh in design, tough, very loose, unusually responsive to the gas pedal, especially at speeds up to hundreds. In addition, the specific humor of her oppository allowed himself to feel athlete.

 

The first impressions of S4 were very strong. It seemed that the free moves of all the mechanisms of this car were chosen in zero. Hard pedals, hard suspension, even the seat is unusually tough. No swinging when moving at low speeds - a monolith, elastically fading on the irregularities of the road. The clutch pedal, for example, so tough that I had corn on the foot. Travel in Moscow traffic jams in summer boots on a thin sole - after an hour a leg hurts so that you do not click on the pedal.

 

The dynamics at first did not impress any impression. That is, no. With a turbocharger, I had a case for the first time and, without taking into account the volume of the engine, and I remember only about the output power, it worked as a gas pedal and a gearbox as if an American with a liter motor was in five. It started to ride right only after a while.

 

In the process of further operation, some interesting features were revealed. I had no wonder mentioned the stability at low speeds - with an increase in the speed, the longitudinal routine of the body on the gentle waves of the road surface became an increase in the velocity. Whether the front is overloaded, and then it is a structural error, or when replacing shock absorbers, they were misunderstood.

 

With a split, some creaking sound was heard, and sometimes, with the biggest amplitudes, Klakson began to buzz spontaneously. Imagine the response of traffic police officers if at this moment I drove past the post or successfully passed an ambush with the radar.

 

With sound accompaniment, it was possible to deal with the service center of the official Audi dealer - creaked worn ripberometallic stabilizer bushings: rubber erased on them, straw metal. At the same time, silent blocks of the stabilizer changed with the sleeves. The electrician is a long spit in the hands of a seat with a helm, not understanding what the cause of the spontaneous triggering of Klason, spit, until the copper coin fell out of some slot. Apparently, she closed the contact, which caused false responses.

 

About the same pitching wizard could say anything not diagnosed - shock normal. It reassured me, and I decided to do a process of elimination - dampers still changed. As it turned out - wasted money. By car were brand new adjustable Koni, but as it turned out, in the neutral position. One of the mechanics approached the car after the replacement, he remembered how on service caused by the complaint representative of Koni, and he showed how to properly manage such shocks. It became clear that I am not the first victim. Put to me though and sports gas, but unregulated. But the car stopped rocking.

 

No less curious thing happened when choosing winter tires. Being firmly convinced that it is better for our winter studded does not happen, started calling shops. It turned out that studded tires 225 / 50R16 in Moscow there. Offered tires with a profile higher, but it would not fit in the wheel arches.

 

Yield - smaller diameter wheels and tires higher. It is this, there are still on the Mercedes, lying in my garage. I had to buy CDs. With this I went to a well-known to fans of Audi and Porsche store.

 

Sellers, checking the code on the computer, engine number and found out at the same time, what type of brake pads and shoes is standing on my car, confirmed that the 15-inch wheels fit. I bought a set - and in the tire. When you try to master tighten first bolt wheel drive stuck on the brake caliper ...

 

It turns out that the huge calipers (4 blocks to disk) and strictly costed kinematics allow to put in S4 the 1994 model year (the AAN engine) wheels and tires only one size - 225 / 50R16. I had to put the winter, but studless tire Bridgestone.

 

At 80,000 km I changed the clutch - drive more would be like, but the release bearing has failed. Clutch assembly cost DM1127.

 

Complete set of front and rear pads - about DM800. Branded alloy wheels - for DM70 apiece. Now, with mileage of 90,000 km, it is necessary to replace the power steering pump, front brake discs and timing belt. Prices accordingly - DM1700, DM307 and DM130 apiece. This is without a job.

 

And on dry, and on wet asphalt machine walks like glued. Rolls are minimal. No frog. The rearrangement, even at speeds far behind the hundred, is performed simply fantastically - it seems that changes are made at the same time: the car is like sideways from its band and returns back. I will not tell, at what speed I went to pouring rain on country tracks. The sense of control of indescribable, fatigue from control is no.

 

The sharpness of the steering mechanism saved several times from the collision in the urban stream. As soon as the steering movement - and the bumper sharply slowed down in front of me the car remained aside. Thanks to the excellent dynamics, it was possible to leave lateral clashes.

 

Quick transition to reduced gear, and if the speed is above three thousand - simply gas in the floor - and literally jump out from under the sprinkled side of the car.

 

In the turns of S4, it looks like a cord model - as if someone holds her on a stretched cord. No attempts to scalp out, not counting rare cases when the wheels fell into the sand or just fired asphalt. The front axle in such cases began barely with noticeable jerks to go from the turn path, but this process was easily controlled: the gas reset - and instant stabilization. On a snowy or ice-covered road, the business is much worse. No, there are still stable in direct sites, but the turns can be given surprises. God forbid god, reading reports on all-wheel drive tests, start doing something similar.

 

First, the sports car, in the usual understanding, S4 is impossible at all (as, however, and any other, not prepared specifically). Motorsport, more precisely, its types that most test pilots of our automotive editions involve managed driving, side slip, movement with wheel slip, and the S4 electronics opposes this in every possible way.

 

The car makes superbly preserves the course stability - with short-term losses of the clutch of the wheels with expensive and, accordingly, small demolitions of the axes of the mechanisms of the redistribution of torque and electronics perform their functions perfectly. But only with small. If you give the rear or demolition of the front axle to develop a lot or release the car into the lateral slip, the electronics flows into lethargy, and it becomes unmanaged. Somehow I tried to fulfill a police turn. Nothing like that did on the eight, I did not come out. Instead of turning in place - intermittent rotation in a circle of a fairly large radius.

 

Electronics aimed primarily on the stabilization of the car, tried with all his might. At the fraction of a second, she succeeded, then - again the breakdown to slip all the wheels, again short-term stabilization, disruption, and so until a complete stop ...

 

Secondly, in Russia, the whole-wheel drive situation resembles the situation in the drug market. All protruding advantages, but no one talks about side effects. Although, even reading the press, you understand that not everything is so cloudless. Yes, Uspensky successfully chases on Subaru, but Vasilyev Volvo AWD on tests in Germany lost, noting that Subaru is better. And the truth, with Impreza he coped perfectly, but for nothing - Vlad Nikitin, who tested the same car, made a sensational conclusion: ... I am not Vasilyev. The fact is that, except for Vasilyev himself, we are not Vasilyev. Subaru, Audi, Volvo, Mitsubishi - Each company has its own system of full drive with features only to it. And, it seems, it would be proper not only to offer the attention of readers with general reasoning about the benefits of the full drive, but also to acquaint people with those surprises that can tide them in an abnormal situation, learn how not to make mistakes. I specifically bought all the Brochures of the Tsygankova, there is only front and rear-wheel drive.

 

As for S4, here special attention should be paid to the selection of rubber. Since on machines, stuffed with all sorts of antiysystems, the electronics all their actions converts with the magnitude of the clutch of the wheels with the road, the ability of tires to keep to the latter turns out to the fore.

 

My opinion: Audi S4 is an outstanding car with pronounced sports habits. And if driving techniques used in the rally, it is contraindicated, then the style of driving is mentioned for, for example, NASCAR or Formula-1 is his element. The inconvenience of the same period of addiction then with more than paying off by the indescribable sense of flight and a complete merger with the machine experienced in motion.

 

In conclusion, I note that the Riding properties of S4 suggest that the driver has quite serious preparation. In the absence of such drive, especially at high speeds, it's just dangerous.

 

This machine is for people with head. She makes thinking.

Stanislav Tarasov, Moscow

 

A year and a half to deal with your own car? Something is wrong here. We dealt with various Audi cars, including the 100th series, and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to ride another model of this company, despite the fact that S4 is similar in design on the A6, which visited our hands more recently (Motor # 3 ). In addition, frosts finally changed to the thaw, and the asphalt covered with wet snow cashem created interesting conditions for the test. However, the weather was still deceived - for the night everything frozen ...

 

First, a few words about the car. The S4 model debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in April 1991. A distinctive feature is a all-wheel drive transmission that distributes the torque between the axes depending on the road conditions. In ideal conditions, each leading wheel accounts for exactly 25% of the torque against 50% - in cars with one leading axis (by the way, in addition to increasing the sustainability on the road, it leads to a smaller wear of the tires). In the other situations, the design features of the transmission and electronics control provide the transmission of the maximum torque to the wheel, which has a better coated grip (as opposed to ordinary machines, where everything happens on the contrary). At margins, it can even be only one wheel, but the car will move.

 

The transmission provides for the possibility of forced locking the rear axle. It will come in handy, if, for example, you need to touch on slippery coating. Or get out of dirt. The blocking is automatically turned off when the vehicle speed reaches approximately 25 km / h, up to this point in view of the obvious uselessness (differential is blocked!) The ABS does not work. The blocking of the bridge on the move is prohibited - there is a chance to break the plastic foril, moving the coupling.

 

While I was located and adjusted a driver's seat under myself, Stanislav said that the engine torque grows sharply after 5000 rpm, and after 6000 rpm. The car generally animals that for some time he did not guessed about it and drove according to old habits, surprised by the stupidity of the car ...

 

In addition to ordinary adjustments, the driver's seat can be lifted-omitted, and also - adjust the roller under the knees. Sorry, the steering column is not regulated. Baranca is slightly viable, her leather sheathing over time polished and with an intensive handling of her hands slide on it.

 

The car is attributed to the category of sports, but this does not mean that it is deprived of comfort and amenities. On the contrary, the owner's life facilitates the electric drives of mirrors and all glass windows, air conditioning, native radio tape recorder with eight speakers, CD changer and thumping in the trunk of the subwoofer. Tescht gaze stretched into a row classic-round appliances lined with matte aluminum.

 

Narrow wooden inserts emphasize the exclusivity of the car. However, the main thing in S4 is not this.

 

The car was clearly designed for chic European autobahn. Having adopted (with some stretch) for such a sufficiently long segment by places of gladesy asphalt, I take overclocking. Motor try not to twist, switch thousands by 2-2.5. On the straight machine perfectly holds the road - as she sucks.

 

The free move of pedals and the steering wheel is not observed, everything is pressed and tightened. The grip is tugged, but this is forgiven, if we take into account what torque is passed through it.

 

The steering wheel is lightweight, on a dry coating allows you to feel the front wheels and not lose control over them. The feeling of some uncertainty occurred sometimes in slippery turns, when the tires lost the clutch with the road, and the car tried to get out of control, sluggishly reacting to my attempts to change the trajectory.

 

In general, the car seemed enough Shrushroy, but strong emotions did not cause. Here I remembered the words of Stanislav.

 

Turbocaddv wakes up for about 3000 rpm., And, it means, the motor to obtain the maximum return should be twisted as it should. That's just a long straight plot - we went.

 

Indeed, after 5000 rpm. The engine has opened a second breath - the tachometer arrow came to life noticeably, and I immediately crushed into the chair. If you switch to 6000-7000 rpm., S4 is transformed unrecognizable and becomes similar to the trolley with a powder accelerator running along the rails. Even terrible, the road is not so hot.

 

The brakes liked. Even when on the one hand was asphalt, and on the other, the ice, the car remained on the course without a hint of departure and waggery, while absorbably scrambled apart somewhere under the foot and did not interfere at all.

 

In an attempt to deal with possible surprises from an unfamiliar car, appropriate literature was studied. There a lot was mentioned about stability, dynamics and good controllability of the car on the asphalt - and dry, and wet, and even covered with raw foliage. About ice - no word. We leave on the field covered with a thick layer. Here you can try to feel the features of the behavior of the car without fear to sow some pole. It is a pity that the rubber is not academic ...

 

To begin with, I just ride for a large radius. With a sharp start of S4, the share of a second helplessly flush in place, then, of course, goes - a little more confident than an ordinary front-wheel drive car, but, in general, it seems. A sharp addition of gas does not cause destabilization. Changing the direction of movement occurs with a small delay. However, everything is quite predictable.

 

Sports suspension is a hard for ice bumps, and all the suffering caused by the car are perceived as their own. Well, where are you, peculiar behavior?

 

In the execution of the managed drift, it manifested itself. The entrance to the skid was easily successaken after a small turn of the steering wheel with simultaneous excess podgeask. Like on the rear drive. But when leaving ... It turned out that in this case it is necessary to add gas, turning the steering wheel towards the drift. As on the front drive.

 

Very peculiar behavior of S4 on the snake was. Here the car behaved as a front-wheel drive, but sometimes - suddenly it became completely unpredictable, and it was not possible to straighten it. Then S4 very much resembled a cow on ice.

 

Of course, you can get used to these features of the car by trading a long time for a long time. First, it is better in sterile conditions a large platform. The brain of a normal driver, which has developed certain algorithms for the front or rear-wheel drive, does not sleep behind the electronics and flying torque and wheels.

 

Audi S4, despite the unique features of the full drive and remarkable sustainability on good coating, requires an extremely delicate relationship and does not tolerate panibrates.

 

The machine has excellent sustainability on good coating, but when the well-known clutch limit is passing, only a specially prepared driver will cope with it - only he can predict unpredictable.

 

By the way, 2.2 liters, with a turbine and intermediate air cooler, the engine, as well as the suspension and transmission of the vehicle are designed by Porsche designers having a rich sports experience. This allows you to drive S4 in a very aggressive manner, unacceptable for most other machines.

 

After acquaintance with Audi S4, we managed to talk with several owners and employees of service stations. All owners of these machines are in love with them, and provocative questions about the possibility of sale cause them bewilderment.

 

Although the car was designed completely for other operating conditions, these German clean and on Russian off-road feel quite confident. One of the owners in year-round rides to Lake Seliger prefers S4 even to SUVs, assuring that the last permeability is worse.

 

Repairmen did not inform anything particularly interesting - too few of these cars in Moscow. True noted, the rapid wear of the brake discs, which begin to beat in several years of operation.

 

Disks are still manufactured, but their quality has decreased - they say that even new things are beaten.

 

With approval Audi, the installation of brake mechanics is allowed from a more modern model S6, however, only with all the front suspension is about $ 3000.

 

It is also allowed to install another computer block of controlling the operation of the engine and the sports graduation system, which gives a tangible power increase. Naturally, all of these reassembling of the engine operating in the progenic modes reduce the already not too large (150 thousand km) its resource. But for the pleasure you have to pay.

 

Text: Alexey Routers
 
 

 

A source: Motor magazine