Was the Audi S2 any good?

[Baryonyx]

Having seen a comment in a recent Chris Harris post about the RS6, I noted that he mentioned the S2 and that it wasn't very good. Now, I don't for a second trust the article to be truly objective, as it's easy to shower praise on a free modern car and pour scorn on one from over 20 years past, though Audi have definitely had some woeful cars in their 'performance' stable.

But was the S2 a crap car? I'd always thought of it as the slightly underwhelming successor to the almighty Quattro. Well, that was always going to be a hard act to follow, wasn't it? Handsome looks, charismatic five cylinder turbo engine, nice interior. What's so wrong with that? Was the handling dreadful? Typical Audi controls (mostly numb?)?

Sadly, it's another nice looking car that was consigned to the scrapheap thanks to Euro emissions regs. I came close to buying one a few years ago when £5000 would net a nice one, but that never came to pass. What was the contemporary opinion on these? Have you ever driven or owned one?

[Dave Hedgehog]

he wasnt that keen on the RS6 when he put it up against a merc, but living with a car day to day is very different to thrashing them sideways around a track for a couple of hours

i always liked the S2, it may not be the cutting edge in handling compared to modern cars but the blown 5 pot is a legendary lump with a stonking noise and classy looks as well

but then the urquattro is probably a bit of dollop to drive now compared to a M235i etc

[MJK 24]

If you can cope with numb steering and understeer from the entire engine being mounted in front of the front axle, you'll enjoy build quality no longer available from modern Audi's in a fast and reliable package. I also think they look superb!

[oldcynic]

Owned one for 3 years and absolutely loved it - dark green with black leather Recaros.

Comfortable, fast , civilised and understated - a very different character from the brash Subarus & Evos which I could have chosen.

I think the biggest reason it had to go was its drink habit - 21mpg in normal driving falling to 17 or less when 'pressing on', although I managed 36mpg on one journey when I really tried.

[Gettoff]

MJK 24 said:

If you can cope with numb steering and understeer from the entire engine being mounted in front of the front axle.

Pretty much what I remember, but really enjoyed my one I owned back in '97 for a few years. The interior was very good, well laid out and a step up from its rivals of the time - sierra cosworths, 21 turbos, imprezas, etc.

It made a great noise, traction was very good and was reasonably brisk in a straight line. Not the most exciting car to drive, but it was my only car at the time and did everything I asked of it with minimal fuss. I did think it looked like a bit of a breeze block though.

[djdestiny]

I owned these two and LOVED them!
Very very well built, and totally over engineered.
Considering their age they didn't have a single knock or rattle, and an engine sound to die for!
With a just a remap they are great fun, good old fashioned crash, bang wallop all or nothing turbo performance.

[ging84]

I hope that comment about the build quality being much higher than a modern audi
my friend had one and it was incredibly shonky

[djdestiny]

One single car thats a bit rough doesn't mean they all are

[Gettoff]

djdestiny said:

Like both of those, to me, the Avant is a better looking car, same on many newer Audis too.

[Leins]

djdestiny said:

I owned these two and LOVED them!
Very very well built, and totally over engineered.
Considering their age they didn't have a single knock or rattle, and an engine sound to die for!
With a just a remap they are great fun, good old fashioned crash, bang wallop all or nothing turbo performance.

Super! One of the nicest looking estates ever made IMO

[AuthurDaley]

I really like these! I would certainly own one if the example and price was right

[mikes2w]

I had two of them. Did 70k miles over 7 years of ownership as a daily driver.

There's not many around now unfortunately.

[blade7]

Good luck finding a straight one that's been properly maintained. I fancied an S2 or RS2 3 years ago but a lot of them have been neglected. The few that hadn't seemed to sell quickly via word of mouth.

[h0b0]

My neighbour had pre ordered an S2 before their release. He told everyone because he was excited about it. On delivery he was so disappointed that he moved it on within a month. He said that it just didn't live up to the hype.

[s m]

h0b0 said:

My neighbour had pre ordered an S2 before their release. He told everyone because he was excited about it. On delivery he was so disappointed that he moved it on within a month. He said that it just didn't live up to the hype.

Was it ever 'hyped'?

Edited by s m on Monday 8th September 11:40

[F1GTRUeno]

It's a bit unfair to compare it to the Quattro isn't it?

I guess magazines at the time didn't realise what Audi S models were supposed to be about.

[s m]

F1GTRUeno said:

It's a bit unfair to compare it to the Quattro isn't it?

I guess magazines at the time didn't realise what Audi S models were supposed to be about.

I agree - I think they're nice, well-made cars

But the S2 invariably was compared to the old Quattro

I don't remember them ever being hyped that much - all the mags I read at the time were a bit lukewarm about them

[Alucidnation]

I think a lot of 'people' miss the point of the Audi S range to be honest (and i don't mean the s-line).

[Baryonyx]

s m said:

I agree - I think they're nice, well-made cars

But the S2 invariably was compared to the old Quattro

I don't remember them ever being hyped that much - all the mags I read at the time were a bit lukewarm about them

An interesting read. It seems the pundits weren't fussed, Chris Harris wasn't either, but they definitely have their fans here! I still feel it's a bit of a shame I missed out on it. I was also offered a first generation Nogaro Blue S6 for sale the other day, again with the turbocharged five cylinder. I declined ultimately, but an interesting and rare car.

[anonymous-user]

Baryonyx said:

Having seen a comment in a recent Chris Harris post about the RS6, I noted that he mentioned the S2 and that it wasn't very good. Now, I don't for a second trust the article to be truly objective, as it's easy to shower praise on a free modern car and pour scorn on one from over 20 years past, though Audi have definitely had some woeful cars in their 'performance' stable.

But was the S2 a crap car? I'd always thought of it as the slightly underwhelming successor to the almighty Quattro. Well, that was always going to be a hard act to follow, wasn't it? Handsome looks, charismatic five cylinder turbo engine, nice interior. What's so wrong with that? Was the handling dreadful? Typical Audi controls (mostly numb?)?

I read Chris' article and had exactly the same thought. I even tried to find some reviews of the S2 with no luck. I always wanted one and I love the styling but despite having never driven one I feel they were never going to be the most exciting car in the world. When I was in a position to buy one I couldn't bring myself to commit and I bought a similarly styled 80-based Cabrio instead (my wife wanted another soft top in the household).

I pondered getting an S2 when it was time to sell the Cabrio (due to now having a baby to move around) but I went for an A4 3.0 V6 Quattro Sport and from that to an D2 S8. The upshot of this is that i would suggest there are far more capable fast, affordable Audi models in the market that overshadow the S2 now.

Whenever I see these on the road I do give them a second look as I think the styling is spot on (I'm a sucker for boxy old cars) but in terms of performance I can't help but feel there are better choices out there - Audi or otherwise. So not a terrible car perhaps, but maybe one that was good rather than great.