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Well, I love this car. I love its sleeper quality. And I especially love the audacity of its engineering: As pointed out in my “Audi’s Greatest Hits” post, at a time when performance in the automotive world in general was on the wane, and Audi in particular was still emerging from their stolid, conservative image in the US, the automaker brazenly decided to stuff a pair of turbos into the B5’s cramped engine bay alongside the AWD gear and sell it to the public. You want mechanical density? Here it is, folks.

I can’t think of a single line I’d change on the exterior. I don’t say that about many cars. I even like the stock ride height and 17″ “Avus” wheels. Starting with the already spot-on shape and detailing of its lesser statemate, the A4, Audi added extra grille vents, side skirts and gave the S4 a much more aggressive stance overall—but not overpoweringly so. It represents the quintessential sleeper, its visual prowess deriving not so much from secondary elements as its proportions. The upshot is a much more timeless kind of style, understated but communicated in a way enthusiasts of many different automotive eras can appreciate.

Audi consistently makes the best interiors in the industry, and the B5 S4’s fits right in with their pattern of excellence. The consummate driving environment, all business yet perfectly tasteful, demonstrating a mastery of materials unrivaled by any other automaker.

The S4’s “biturbo” 2.7l, 251-hp (in US trim) V6 marked the beginning of a new era for Audi vis-a-vis performance engines. Eschewing the inline-5 that had served them well for nearly 20 years, they began hanging a pair of turbos off the sides of “V” engines, starting with the S4’s and progressing through the later RS6‘s V8, and so on. Another noteworthy detail is the fact that the engine sports 5 valves per cylinder, a configuration adopted only by Audi and Ferrari, and later abandoned by both as not worth the added complexity. The benefits with respect to airflow are undeniable, though, as demonstrated by the fact that the S4’s engine is capable of generating twice its rated horsepower with the simple addition of larger turbos, some enlargement of intake and exhaust paths, and some software tuning. No changes to the engine core whatsoever.

Fitting all that kit under the hood is a masterpiece (or nightmare; take your pick) of packaging, and I stand amazed Audi decided to entrust its buyers with a level of powerplant and driveline complexity more in line with that of high-end race cars. And truth be told, the B5 S4 has developed a bit of a reputation for fragility, but when everything’s working properly under that perfectly-penned bodywork, there are few cars I’d rather own.