Audi S4 Cabriolet is quantum quality

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

The Audi S4 Cabriolet, the high-performance quattro all-wheel-drive variant of the A4 soft-top, has slipped quietly into New Zealand.

Audi importers European Motor Distributors has already pre-sold three S4s and says the car will be available in limited numbers. It is priced at $159,500. The drop-top S4 is the direct competitor to the rear-drive $151,900 BMW M3 convertible.

The S4 is powered by a 4.2-litre V8 engine developing 253kW (340bhp) at 7000rpm and 410Nm at 3500rpm, mated to a six-speed automatic/manual Tiptronic gearbox.

The M3 uses a 3.2-litre straight-six producing 252kW (338bhp) at 7900rpm and 365Nm at 4900rpm coupled to either a six-speed automatic/manual which BMW calls SMG, or a straight six-speed manual.

The big boomer in the German soft-top mix is the rear-drive Mercedes-Benz CLK 55, priced at $215,900. It uses a 5.5-litre V8 putting out 270kW (362bhp) at 5750rpm and 510Nm of torque at 4000rpm, linked to a five-speed automatic/manual Touchshift gearbox.

All three cars have a governed top speed of 250km/h (155mph) and sprint from zero to 100km/h in five-plus seconds.

EMD says it has sold more than 150 A4 soft-tops _ including the three S4s _ since the range went on sale here in December 2002.

"The A4 Cabriolet is not a seasonal car, or it hasn't appeared to be yet," says EMD marketing executive Rachel Matthews-Ward. "Sales of about eight or nine a month have been consistent, even through winter last year and so far this winter."

The A4 Cabriolet comes with a choice of two engines and two drivetrains _ the front-drive 2.4-litre V6 or the all-wheel-drive quattro 3-litre V6. The S4 is available with a V8 only.

The S4 clearly stands out from the A4 crowd. It rides on 18-inch alloys and looks more aggressive. Inside, the S-series quattro trademarks include grey instrument dials, carbon fibre fascia and door inlays, and a leather-rimmed sports steering wheel with the S emblem.

The car is a mix of muscle and subtle elegance. The interior is of benchmark quality. Fit and finish is superb. Interior designer Stefan Sielaff has been responsible for Audi interiors in recent years. Mercedes-Benz liked his work so much it lured him away. Sielaff, a German in his early 40s, is putting the finishing touches to the interior of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, due next year.