There was a time when a German sport sedan like the 2025 Audi S4 was considered the ultimate driving machine (to borrow a phrase from BMW). Small and nimble in the city, effortlessly capable on the highway, and a thrill to drive in the twisties, cars like the 2025 S4 offered practicality during the week and a good time on the weekend.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
For some people, that remains true, but today, what constitutes driving fun is just as likely to involve mud as macadam. Add the ongoing infatuation with SUVs like the Audi SQ5 and the effortless speed available in many electric vehicles, and traditional gas-fueled German sport sedans are seemingly fading to black.
But it's not time to pour a bottle of Deutschöl in remembrance just yet because the 2025 Audi S4 remains available, a pure expression of classic stealth with a big helping of a stupid grin on any driving enthusiast's face.
Audi offers its compact sedan in A4 and S4 model series, and in Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige trim levels. The A4s have a turbocharged four-cylinder engine in different states of tune, while the S4 features a turbocharged V6. Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive (AWD) system is standard on all versions, and base prices range from $44,100 to $61,500, not including the $1,295 destination charge.
Since JD Power last published an Audi A4 expert review, there have been a few changes.
In 2024:
In 2025:
This review focuses on the sport-tuned S4 driving experience, the updates for 2024 and 2025, and how they potentially impact the car's overall consumer appeal.
For this 2025 S4 review, Audi provided a test vehicle equipped with Prestige trim and the following options:
The test vehicle's price was $68,445, including the $1,295 destination charge to ship the car from the Audi assembly plant in Ingolstadt, Germany, to your local dealership.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Before I dive into my review, let's set the stage by comparing the Audi S4 to the Audi A4 45. What are the differences that justify the S4's $10,800 price premium?
To start, the S4's drivetrain is different, boasting a unique engine, transmission, and Quattro AWD system. The S4 has a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine making 349 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque—increases of 88 hp and 96 pound-feet compared to the A4 45's turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder.
The S4 also swaps the A4's seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT) for an eight-speed automatic, and it has a regular Quattro AWD system instead of Quattro Ultra with a fuel-saving rear axle disconnect function. According to Audi, the S4 accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, shaving eight-tenths of a second off the A4 45's time, and it gets 24 mpg instead of 26 mpg in combined driving.
Audi backs up the extra power and performance with standard 19-inch wheels wrapped in summer performance tires, an upgrade over the A4 45's 18s with all-season rubber. The S4 also features S Sport suspension tuning and larger 13.8-inch front brakes with six-piston calipers.
Minor design changes for the S4 include decorative grille detailing, simulated aluminum exterior trim, a body-color rear spoiler, quad exhaust outlets, and a unique rear diffuser panel. The S4's interior features stainless steel pedals, Carbon Atlas interior trim, S sport seats with adjustable side bolsters and massage, and leather and artificial suede upholstery.
A Sport S package is exclusively available for the S4, equipping the car with a sport rear differential and adaptive damping suspension. Dynamic steering with a speed-adjustable variable ratio is also available for the S4.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Dressed in Arkona White paint, the Audi S4 test car displayed an anonymity that the Black Optic Plus package served to amplify. That's fine with me because I prefer a big helping of stealth to go with the main dish of speed.
Based on what I see on the Los Angeles region's highways and byways, that is a fading philosophy, replaced by garish wraps, loud exhaust systems, and genuinely irresponsible driving. Nevertheless, despite its invisibility on the road, the Audi S4 is a sheer pleasure to drive, and with the Sport S package, it delivers eye-opening capability in the local canyons.
The outward visibility is one of the best things about driving the S4 on a winding mountain road. You can see clearly in every direction, so the S4 feels smaller, easier to place in a turn, and more confidence-inspiring. I've driven faster machines on my evaluation loop, but the S4 offers an uncanny level of velocity preservation through the kinks and corners.
Of course, the S Sport package's sport rear differential and adaptive damping suspension contributed to the test S4's thrilling drive, as did the dynamic steering. My test car was nothing short of unflappable during a rousing run-down Mulholland Highway near Malibu, and thanks to its muted exhaust, excellent tire grip, and "blank slate" design, it attracted no unwanted attention.
This Audi is also deceptively quick. The BMW M340i xDrive and Mercedes-AMG C 43 sedans are a little faster to 60 mph, but not by much, and when you factor in the Audi S4's substantial value proposition, you realize those bragging rights come at a cost. You can get the S4 Prestige for less than a base M340i xDrive or AMG C 43.
Overall, the Audi S4 exemplifies the traditional ethos behind German sport sedans, and as my fuel economy average of 20.4 mpg attests, I had a blast while driving it. Not only that but there is a discernable difference between the S4 and the A4 45, particularly with the former's dynamic steering upgrade. Is it worth the added cost and lower fuel economy? That's for you to decide.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Since my last go-round with the A4, Audi has added numerous features to the MMI infotainment system. When you start the car, a new Home screen offers quick access to the various features and functions, from a MyAudi user profile login and the Audi app store to an Amazon Alexa login and fast access to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Swipe to the right, and Audi's familiar grid of icons and descriptions will appear.
Overall, the test car's MMI worked well, from easy pairing to Bluetooth and running Apple CarPlay to using the voice-recognition system to get directions. After a day at Disneyland, while exiting the parking structure, it even warned my family of a wrong-way driver on a nearby freeway. And the thundering 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system is reason enough to buy an Audi S4 over its rivals. The sound quality is stupendously good.
Unfortunately, on evaluation day, I decided to see what the Google TalkBack feature does. Activate it, and the digital assistant tells you it's a screen reader for people having trouble seeing the display. However, in the test vehicle, it must have malfunctioned because it ruined the MMI user experience. Menus became inaccessible, and whenever I found a pathway to functionality, the technology seemingly choked on its software when trying to respond to inputs.
Worse, there wasn't an obvious way to turn Google TalkBack off, and the voice-recognition system was useless for this task because I'd forgotten what Audi calls the feature, and the test car didn't have an owner's manual in the glove compartment.
Ultimately, I stumbled on a solution by logging in as a guest user. Still, this incredibly aggravating experience soured me on the "advancements" Audi has made to the MMI during the past two years.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
For the 2024 model year, Audi added several standard advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) to the A4 and S4 models. However, it is hard to understand how, in 2025, a blind-spot warning system remains optional instead of standard equipment on a luxury-branded vehicle. That's right. To get this vital safety feature on an A4 or S4 with Premium trim, you need to buy the Convenience package.
In 2024, the newly standard ADAS included adaptive cruise control with lane-centering assistance, while the Premium Plus trim added a traffic-sign recognition system with a predictive cruise control function. An inconvenient stalk mounted low and out of the driver's line of sight controls the adaptive cruise, while the lane-assistance activation button lives on the tip of the turn signal stalk.
During testing of the hands-on driving-assistance technology, the Audi briefly attempted to swerve onto a freeway exit ramp, but only that one time. That wasn't a consistent problem, but with nearly every exit and entrance ramp, when the right lane marker disappeared, the S4 would move to the right side of the lane before correcting when the lane line resumed.
In addition, the technology also wavered when cresting small rises in the road, such as when approaching and driving across overpasses, and wandered in freeway curves when climbing a local mountain grade. Unclear lane markings also appeared to cause more system confusion than I've observed in other vehicles, and reaction time to changing traffic conditions ahead proved too slow.
Ultimately, the S4's ADAS is effective. But it is also unrefined and seemingly always a beat or two behind what's happening, as though it can't "see" or "sense" its surroundings well enough.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Audi hasn't redesigned the A4/S4 family since the 2017 model year, making the car nine years old. For the most part, it doesn't look or drive that way, and it has aged gracefully. I particularly like the fast but not flashy Audi S4 for its adherence to traditional German sport sedan principles. But my experience this time shows the car needs a comprehensive technology overhaul, which likely requires a redesign.
Christian Wardlaw is a veteran automotive journalist with 30 years of experience in the field and has held automotive editorial leadership positions at Edmunds, JD Power, and The New York Daily News. Today, Chris owns a content agency called Speedy Daddy Media, and in addition to JDPower.com, his work appears on Capital One Auto Navigator, CarGurus, and Edmunds.
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