Nearly a year after its debut in Europe, the new Audi S4 has finally come to North America, and more so than ever, this new S4 should be cause for trepidation at BMW. That's because this generation of the S4 is more changed than ever before: Its reconfigured powertrain moves the engine rearward for better chassis balance. The all-wheel-drive system now sends a majority of the thrust to the rear wheels and also can actively apportion torque across the rear axle. The new, supercharged V-6 is lighter and more economical than the previous V-8. Oh, and it's had an almost three-grand price cut (plus shed its gas-guzzler tax).

That pricing move, in particular, has allowed Audi to realign the members of the A4/S4 lineup as they face off against the genre-defining BMW 3-series. The rather milquetoast A4 V-6 is gone, so while the A4 2.0T pairs off against the 328i, the S4 now matches up against the turbocharged 335i. The old eight-cylinder S4 and RS4 previously bracketed the BMW M3, but for now Audi is leaving that player uncovered - presumably until the arrival of a new RS4 sedan and/or an RS5 coupe...Continued