2006 Audi S4 Test Drive

Draggin' Wagon

Zero to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds will blow away a Dodge Charger R/T and stay a tick ahead of a Honda S2000 roadster, even with two bicycles in back and a kayak on the roof.

Interior

+ click to enlarge | view gallery >

Audi long ago got the basic elements of interior design very right. The company has diverged little from that clean, sophisticated pattern.

There’s nothing tricky about it, and the switchgear and gauges remain superbly clear and comfortingly familiar to anyone who has spent time in an Audi during the last decade. Swoopy styling is clearly secondary to utility.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the Multi-Media Interface (MMI), which is Audi’s LCD-screen controller for the navigation and audio systems. It’s a scaled-down version of the one used in the big A8 sedan and somehow seems far less intuitive to use.

Yes, Audiphiles can complain, “Read the manual,” but those of us who drive early-production test vehicles are often required to identify with typical buyers who don’t, because these new cars aren’t equipped with yet-to-be-published owner’s manuals. If a system isn’t intuitively operable, we’re stumped, just as you might be.

+ click to enlarge | view gallery >

All four of the S4’s main seats are sporty, substantially bolstered Recaros (a fifth passenger can be squeezed into the middle of the backseat, but not for long trips). But they’ll strike some buyers as being too firm for commuting or for long-distance travel. Rear-seat room is only moderately good, though there’s plenty of space up front.

Cargo room is substantial, as befits a wagon. With the rear seat folded down, the area is big enough to easily swallow a full-size mountain bike lying flat.

Even with the rear seats occupied, the Avant has more than twice the luggage space of the sedan version of the S4. There’s a strong safety net that can be deployed between the rear seat back and roof to keep objects from flying forward in the event of a hard stop or to keep the family dog penned.