There’s a 2.0 litre trubo FSi, a 2.0 twin turbo (theTTS) , a new 2.0 litre diesel with 168bhp, a 2.5 litre 5 cylinder (the RS) OR A 3.2 litre V6 quatrro.The 197 bhp FSi is all torque and no lag and has a proper bark at high revs. The TTS uses the same 2.0 litre trubo charged FSi engine , but lots of clever engineering tweaks allow it to produce considerably more power .268 bhp and 258 lb ft. However , its got to be singing over 2,000 rpm before you get much response from it so keep it reviewing and constantly shifting through the gears and you will be rewarded with a quick car.

Its got the V6 engine beaten, plus there is genuine eagerness here to obey your throttle inputs the makes the V6 lethergic. Not that 250bhp 3.2 litre is slow , dishing out a swift kick in the back the instant you flex your foot on the accelerator any place on the rev dial. The diesel is a revelation . Smooth at idle , low turbo entry point of 1,700rpm then surprisingly rattle free all the way to the red line. Its also quite quick and revs easily. finally, torque spews out of the RS’ five cylinder like floodwater : the whole nine yards can be had from well below 2000rpm to well beyond 5,000.its so strong it would reduce a DSG gearbox to tears.

S4 has got 5 engines available,tow petrols (a 2.0 FSI and 3.2 V6) and three diesels (2.0,2.7 V6,3.0 V6). None of them throw up any surprises . The two -litre TDI is a strong and refined as ever,however the two-litre petrol is so much smoother and quieter its enough to put you off diesel for life, especialy if you dont notch up too many fuel-consuming motorways miles.

The A4 is a big seller and you’d expect from any VW group diesel , its an excellent unit , reviewing cleanly and quickly. Its doesnt throw too much noise into cabin either and returns decent fuel economy.it develops 141 bhp and 236lb ft of torque, which isnt bad but trails the mercedes C220 CDI’s 295lb ft and BMW 3200’s 25l. The bid 3.0 V6 TDI with 187 bhp probably suits the car best, while
the 2.7 diesel felt a bit tardy. Yet for overall ability, the 158bhp 1.8T FSI petrol runs the threelitre TDI close-it accelerates confidently ,is responsive and despite being small engine, albeit trubo-charged, still has plenty of torque. For the new S4 , Audi has replaced the tried and tested V8 with 3.0T FSI V6. Its not as visceral as the M3S V8 but the power delivery is silky smooth throughout the rev range
no hammer blow of torque, but instead a flat, urgent linear wave of acceleration. Its the sort of engine tht lulls you into triple figures ratherthan scaring you .