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"         To Audi&amp;#039;s talented cadre of engineers, the V-8&amp;#039;s two extra inches of length must have seemed like two kilometers. It was all that stood between them and shoehorning this melodious, 4.2-liter 4-cam 40-valve powerplant into Audi&amp;#039;s smallest U.S. offering to create the 2004 S4.   Fortunately, engineers aren&amp;#039;t easily denied and their solution was to pare the engine&amp;#039;s length by ditching its thick, toothed-belt cam drive and replacing it with a slender roller chain. While they were at it, lighter pistons (by 2.5 oz. apiece) and connecting rods (2.3 oz. per) were fitted, and the advance mechanism for the intake camshafts was changed from a two-step strategy to an infinitely variable design.   Result? A responsive, torquey V-8 that spins like a Dremel tool, is compact (only 18.3 in. long) and powerful...it&amp;#039;s rated at 340 bhp at 7000 rpm, and 302 lb.-ft. of torque at 3500. And at 430 lb. complete, the sleeveless, aluminum/silicon-block engine weighs no more than the 250-bhp twin-turbo V-6 it replaces.   Of course, the new S4 comes standard with the Quattro all-wheel-drive system to effectively apply the extra 90 bhp, with its compact Torsen center differential normally delivering a 60/40 front/rear torque split (depending on which wheels are slipping, as much as 75 percent can be sent forward or backward). Suitably chunky 235/40R-18 tires mount to the signature Avus 6-spoke wheels, which contain upsized brake discs (13.4 in. front, 11.8 in. rear) whose calipers are under control of a new dual-stage brake booster that increases assist above 0.5g deceleration. Two all-new transmissions are offered, a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic mode that has a 25-percent-greater ratio spread than the 5-speed it replaces. U.S. consumers, though, will have to wait six months or so after the S4&amp;#039;s fall 2003 launch for clutchless shifting.   We&amp;#039;ve long admired Audi&amp;#039;s stealthy styling approach to performance, and the new S4 doesn&amp;#039;t shout, but whispers with a 0.8-in.-lower ride height, larger front air intakes, titanium-hue headlight surrounds and body-colored bumpers. The biggest visual tip-offs are the silver rearview mirror housings and black rub strips along the bottoms of the doors (these will be body-colored on U.S. versions).   And perform it does, as we found out at Misano, a tight racetrack near the vacation town of Rimini on Italy&amp;#039;s Adriatic coast. Audi had invited no less than Le Mans race drivers Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro to give rides in the pouring rain. Braking deep into the hairpins, Pirro would set up beautiful mid-corner 4-wheel drifts, yet still expertly slither the car down to the apex, putting the inside wheels on the curbing, then nail the exit. Amazing.   We less-gifted journalists could also circulate at a pace quicker than the conditions might suggest thanks to the Quattro all-wheel drive, with its standard stability-control system offering an even greater safety net. The S4 resists roll (courtesy of 31- and 20-mm hollow anti-roll bars, front and rear), understeers only moderately and refuses to power-oversteer unless heavily provoked with throttle and steering.   On the 65-mile road loop that took us inland toward Bologna, heavy runoff from the rains created numerous patches of standing water, which the S4&amp;#039;s front 4-link suspension took in stride...no tugging of the wheel. Ride quality is nicely firm (though slightly more supple than a BMW M3&amp;#039;s). Likewise, steering feedback \u2014 through a quicker 14.5:1 rack \u2014 and shifting precision approach the level of BMW&amp;#039;s M3, and are markedly more satisfying than the A4&amp;#039;s.   Where the S4 differs from its Munich rival is in power delivery. Although packing similar power/ weight ratios, the M3 seems frenetic; the S4, mellow, never seeming to breathe as hard due to its displacement advantage, yet still capable of exhilarating slingshot passes on two-lane roads. Different horses for slightly different courses, I suppose.   The S4 is priced at the M3&amp;#039;s level too; official numbers aren&amp;#039;t yet available, but Audi spokesperson Jennifer Cortez says to expect a figure in the mid-$40,000 range, with the 132-lb.-heavier Avant (wagon) version being a bit more dear. Now all BMW has to do is respond with a 4-door M3. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a9573/2004-audi-s4/>