2021 Audi S4 Review

Name: 2021 Audi S4 Review
Brand: Audi

Price: $36,998

Audi S4 Prestige quattro Sedan Exterior Shown

The 2021 Audi S4 excels at combining eye-opening performance with a refined ride, and it offers excellent all-day practicality and comfort. Unfortunately, Audi hasn't integrated its latest technology into the S4 as smoothly as we'd like.

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Price & Payment

20 cars

$38,864 avg. price

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Audi S4 model years

Audi S4 for Sale

2021 Audi S4 Review

by the Edmunds Experts

What's new

Wireless functionality for Apple CarPlay
Premium Plus and Prestige trims are now equipped with a few features that were previously optional
Part of the fifth A4 generation introduced for 2017

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Audi S4 Premium 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $4.45 per gallon for premium unleaded in Illinois.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Illinois

$236/mo

$172/mo

Avg. Midsize Car

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Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

2.5/5Average

#61 out of 68 among Luxury Midsize Cars

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

^{The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Audi S4 from 2008-2022.}

$847/yr

vs. $607/yr
for Average Luxury Midsize Car

Frequency

^{The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).}

2.21x/yr

vs. 1.36x/yr
for Average Luxury Midsize Car

Severity

^{The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).}

19.8%

vs. 10.5%
for Average Luxury Midsize Car

powered by RepairPal ^{Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.}

Audi S4 Reviews

Owner Reviews

4.4

22 reviews

5(73%)

4(9%)

3(9%)

2(0%)

1(9%)

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Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Simply Fantastic! Coast to Coast! 2018 S4 Prestige

Chris, 07/24/2017

2018 Audi S4 Prestige quattro 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A)

Coming from a 328i and being a BMW fan in general I was very skeptical, with high expectations, for the S4 and I felt like I was taking a risk when I purchased this car. Looking back, I honestly feel I could not have made a better decision. This car is simply amazing in every way. I recently drove this car coast to coast from New Jersey to San Diego and had plenty of time to break it in. …

2018 vs 2010 Audi S4 Prestige

Twowheelsgood, 08/10/2017

2018 Audi S4 Prestige quattro 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A)

My 2018 Audi S4 (Sport, Cold Weather, and Driver Assistance packages, Dynamic Steering, Nappa leather, 19" wheels, carbon inlays) just passed 60,000 miles so I'm rewriting the whole new review. This car replaced our 2010 Audi S4 Prestige (7A) and we cross-shopped the Mercedes C43 AMG and BMW 340i xDrive. For the right buyer, that is someone looking for a highly competent real-world … daily, this is a near-perfect car. It is plenty quick for the street (4.3 sec to 60), has strong brakes that are not grabby, and good handling helped by the torque-vectoring diff to give bit of rotation that doesn't feel too artificial or unpredictable. The suspension is supple and allows just enough body roll to give a nice sense of loads and the car has high limits (0.99 g). A sportier suspension would eliminate the roll, but at the expense of brittleness and the sensation of cornering. Steering is accurate, if numb, and has good on-center feel. A sportier exhaust might be more entertaining at times, but I think they judged it well enough, so it makes a decent sound without droning. The cabin is outstanding, and I much prefer it to the latest generation of Audis and BMWs. The seats are adjustable, supportive for me (5'7", 150 lb), and comfortable for long trips. The dash has the perfect sport layout, namely a central round tach with digital speedo and gear position in the middle. The Bang and Olufsen sound system is very good, though not exceptional. Compared to my 2010 (B8) S4, the new B9 car has far better suspension compliance and less grabby brakes. Our B8 had the DCT, which was more engaging than the ZF 8-speed in the B9, but put the car at risk of costly repairs. Our DCT started misbehaving around 40,000 miles and various low-cost "repairs" like reprogramming did not cure it. I felt lucky to trade it in before facing a Mechatronic replacement. Tuning of the ZF is decent and the peace of mind is worth the lost character. Over 60,000 miles following the factory maintenance schedule, our car has had zero mechanical problems. With mostly highway driving, the lifetime average fuel consumption has been 29 mpg. Consumption in the teens is easily possible if you hoon it. There are few cons, one of which one is serious. In any mode other than Dynamic, the car can be very slow to respond to strong throttle inputs. This can be dangerous if traffic conditions require an immediate burst of acceleration. Tubro lag might be contributing, but I think the main issue is with transmission and accelerator pedal programming. Now that I understand it, I flip to Dynamic mode whenever I anticipate a need for best throttle response, like merging traffic or in some intersection crossings. This is easily done by giving the shift lever a second tug from D. My minor complaint is with poor backup camera image quality. That is compensated by the overhead view that works well. My only non-OEM changes were fitting Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires and getting aftermarket 18" wheels fitted with Nokian Hakkapelitta winter tires. Both seem like good choices. The OEM Continental summer tires may have had better dry grip, but the Michelins work better in wet and cool conditions and seem to give a bit more feel. Overall, this is a fantastic car fro the street. From my n=1 experience, buying a used B9 would probably be safe. If I was buying a new car to replace it today , I would probably go with the new BMW M340i which is better in many ways but suffers from iDrive 8. As I'm approaching retirement and will be driving more for fun and less for necessity, I might try to replace our S4 with a new RS3 once the former passes 100,000 miles and if I can snag the latter without dealer markup. * Acceleration and cornering numbers from a 2018 Car and Driver review.

A joy to drive!

Robert, 08/20/2017

2018 Audi S4 Premium Plus quattro 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A)

As advised by Edmunds, going with Premium Plus and adding Technology package and S Sport Package seemed to be the best value. Coming from 21 years of driving BMWs, I was doing a lot of research on why change. But with technology platforms changing so fast, I wanted to keep an open mind. It was a surprise that Audi S4 came out on top for me after two test drives and a lot of research. …

Amazing

K Rein, 08/16/2017

2018 Audi S4 Premium Plus quattro 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A)

I purchased the S4 a couple months ago after researching many other similar vehicles, to include BMW and MB. I came from a 2011 Infinite G37X and while I loved that car, you really cannot compare the two. The Audi is simply the best vehicle I have ever driven. My S4 has the Napa leather package and the S Sport package which I highly recommend. This car handles amazing, it actually …

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2021 Audi S4, so we've included reviews for other years of the S4 since its last redesign.

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2021 S4 Highlights

Trim:

Premium

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$49,900
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	23 MPG
Cost to Drive	$236/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	12.0 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	all wheel drive
Warranty	4 years / 50,000 miles

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Safety

Our experts like the S4 models:

Audi Pre Sense City: Detects the threat of a front collision, warns the driver, and applies the brakes if the driver doesn't act.
Audi Active Lane Assist: Alerts you if you start to drift out of your lane without signaling and can steer to help nudge you back.
Audi Connect: Includes a variety of connection services, such as roadside assistance. In an accident, emergency responders are contacted automatically.

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
DriverNot Rated
PassengerNot Rated
Side Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
Side Barrier Rating
OverallNot Rated
DriverNot Rated
PassengerNot Rated
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front SeatNot Rated
Back SeatNot Rated
Rollover
Rollover5 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover9.9%

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2021 Audi S4 Review

Price & Payment

2021 Audi S4 Review

What's new

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Audi S4 Premium 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $4.45 per gallon for premium unleaded in Illinois.}

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Audi S4 Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Trending topics

Simply Fantastic! Coast to Coast! 2018 S4 Prestige

2018 vs 2010 Audi S4 Prestige

A joy to drive!

Amazing

2021 S4 Highlights

Safety

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2021 Audi S4 Review

Price & Payment

2021 Audi S4 Review

What's new

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2021 Audi S4 Premium 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $4.45 per gallon for premium unleaded in Illinois.

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Audi S4 Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Simply Fantastic! Coast to Coast! 2018 S4 Prestige

2018 vs 2010 Audi S4 Prestige

A joy to drive!

Amazing

2021 S4 Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2021 Audi S4 info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Audi

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Audi S4 Premium 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $4.45 per gallon for premium unleaded in Illinois.}