2024 Audi S4: Jetta on the outside, all Audi underneath

2024 BMW M240i Coupe vs. 2024 Audi S4 Sedan: Battle of the road rockets.

This week: 2024 Audi S4

Price: $69,340 as tested. The Prestige Package added 3D sound, memory seat, Audi Connect, heated rear seats, and more for $7,300; S Sport Package brake calipers and suspension for $2,500; dynamic steering for $1,150; Nappa leather seats for $1,000; Black Optic Package (black stuff outside) for $1,000; and Sport interior package (red stuff inside) for $900.

Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver likes the “stylish cabin, composed handling, strong performance,” but not that it has “grabby brakes around town, less character than rivals, slightly cramped interior.”

Marketer’s pitch: “More than just muscle.”

Reality: Power and fun, lurking in the body of a Volkswagen.

What’s new: The S4 gets a bunch of new standard features for 2024 but was last refreshed in 2020. So it still looks like a Jetta, and in Test Vehicle Gray was very easy to lose in a parking lot.

Competition: In addition to the M240i, there’s also the Lexus IS, Acura Integra, Genesis G70, and Alfa Romeo Giulia.

Up to speed: The turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine creates 349 horsepower. The race to 60 is plenty of fun, taking just 4.2 seconds, according to Car and Driver. Still, that’s half a second slower than the BMW.

Shifty: The T-bar shifter common to Audis is nice — knock it forward for Reverse and backward for Drive. A Park button sits on the crossbar of the T. Shiftability is in the shifter and paddles.

The 8-speed transmission functions well in either mode. I just finished testing an S7 that I found abrupt in shift mode.

On the road: Handling is superb, as you no doubt expected. The Quattro all-wheel-drive system helps keep it on the road and offers more balanced handling. Country roads and corners are just so much fun.

Handling on the highways is not bad either, and I didn’t find the ride on concrete highways like Route 202 to be uncomfortable.

Bonus: Audi is one of the few automakers that allows the vehicle to stay in the previously selected drive mode. So it came to me in Dynamic mode, and there it remained for the duration.

Driver’s Seat: Ooooh, I’m getting a little old for this, I guess. The seats are exceedingly firm and kind of painful, Nappa leather or no.

But they hold you in place, especially with the wing adjustments — you can really become fairly close with the upholstery. Still, the BMW has all the positives and none of the negatives.

The gauges are full Audi, easy to get around and follow, with nice graphics. The speedometer is digital with a flattening curve for the tachometer.

Friends and stuff: Rear seat room is not substantial. Legroom and foot room are snug, but headroom seems OK. It’s sort of the anti-M240i in this regard, which had poor headroom and entry-exit, but good everything else.

The S4 seat sits at a nice angle and almost matches the front for comfort.

Cargo space is 12 cubic feet, a touch less than the BMW. The entire rear seat folds down to make a nice space, though; I actually fit a mountain bike in there.

Play some tunes: Ooooh, Google Earth, so fancy. The Audi haptics are the best to me as well, requiring a bit of a push but offering clear feedback that you’ve done what you set out to do.

The sound from the system is nice, about an A-. Only on my favorite worst-engineered song did it fall below expectations.

Keeping warm and cool: Toggles control fan speed and air source, and dials control the temperature.

Fuel economy: I averaged in the low 20s while tearing from place to place.

Where it’s built: Ingolstadt, Germany

How it’s built: Consumer Reports gives the S4 a 2 out of 5 for reliability.

In the end: The Audi is bigger and does so many things quite well, so if you need the space and the four doors, it might be your choice.

But the BMW is a bargain in comparison, and the seats and stereo provide a much nicer experience. Plus no one will mistake it for a Jetta.

Editor’s note: The reliability rating for the BMW 2 Series in last week’s Driver’s Seat was incorrect. That model gets a 3 out of 5.

Also, the engine information for the S4 has been updated.