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"           If the Audi S4 sedan was a worthy enough competitor to best the BMW M3 in our December 2003 issue, then figure this 4-seat S4 Cabriolet as mighty bad news for the M3 drop-top. In that test, the Audi sedan proved the victor more because of its nice overall nature, rather than outright performance abilities, and the convertible version of the S4 carries a similar demeanor.   The transformation from A4 Cabrio to S4 was fairly simple, because \u2014 aside from extra air intakes up front \u2014 the S4 Cabrio is almost identical to the regular A4 ragtop in terms of structure, exterior panels and most of the interior. Meanwhile, the drivetrain, tuning of the suspension plus the wheels and tires are plucked directly from the S4 sedan/Avant.   We love the S4&amp;#039;s deep-throated 4.2-liter V-8, which Audi claims propels this 4090-lb. car to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. It&amp;#039;s basically the same expensive-sounding, 5-valve-per-cylinder engine that sees duty in various states of tune in the A6, A8 L, formerly the S8, and the Allroad.   A twin-turbo version also powers the RS 6. So it&amp;#039;s a well-known quantity, and in S4 guise it makes 340 bhp at 7000 rpm and 302 lb.-ft. of torque at 3500.   What&amp;#039;s different here is that the 4.2 won&amp;#039;t fit into the A4. Audi&amp;#039;s engineers solved the problem by removing the belt drives from the front of the engine and replacing them with chain drives at the output (rear) end, resulting in a 2-in.-shorter length for this longitudinally mounted, 430-lb. unit.   The S4 Cabrio comes standard with a 6-speed manual; a 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic shifting is available for an extra $1150. Audi had only manuals at the press launch (just fine by this editor), but expect the automatic to provide very smooth \u2014 albeit somewhat slow \u2014 shifts, performed manually if you&amp;#039;d like with paddles behind the steering wheel. The slick-shifting 6-speed manual, on the other hand, has very precise gates and helps you make good use of the engine&amp;#039;s midrange punch.   At the touch of a button, the fully automatic three-layer cloth top \u2014 with heated glass rear window \u2014 retracts into the body in 24 sec. This is a good-looking car \u2014 top up or down \u2014 and the control of air in top-down mode is excellent, especially with the wind blocker in place. Top up, the lack of outside noise (other than some whistling from the aluminum-trimmed mirrors) is remarkable.   Changes to the S4 Cabrio&amp;#039;s front and rear multilink suspension consist of stiffer shocks and springs (the latter lowering the ride height by slightly more than an inch) and larger anti-roll bars. The brakes are upgraded to 13.6-in. vented rotors up front and 11.9 vented at the rear, and while very strong and secure, they have the usual VW/Audi touchy initial pedal feel that disrupts clean heel-and-toeing when using only moderate brake pressure.   With the added weight of the V-8 plus larger wheels and tires (18 x 8-in. cast alloys shod with 235/40 Continental ContiSportContact2 tires), the S4 Cabrio weighs about 80 lb. more than a Quattro-equipped A4 3.0 drop-top, and 265 lb. more than an S4 sedan. No additional bracing has been added to the Cabrio, Audi being confident the structure of their convertible is stiff enough. Cowl shake is well controlled, with just a few vibrations making their way through the well-bolstered, leather-covered seats and steering wheel.   The driving experience is, simply, quite pleasant; for sure it&amp;#039;s not as nimble or crisp or sporting-feeling as the M3 convertible, or its own sibling, the S4 sedan. The best part of the package is the V-8, making this one of those cars that you downshift more because you want to hear the melodious engine note, rather than because you need to. Handling is predictable, a little heavy feeling, but the car is fun through the tight stuff.   We&amp;#039;ll be surprised if Audi can&amp;#039;t find 2100 or so buyers a year willing to throw down $53,850 (manual transmission) for top-flight Audi luxury, all-wheel drive and a V-8 in their sporty convertible purchase. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a10122/audi-s4-cabriolet/>