Audi S4 vs Ford Transit Custom

What's the difference?

The S4 and S5 range continues to represent a great formula for performance you can live with every day. They're arguably the sweetest balance Audi produces, actually. All come fantastically equipped, with cabins that feel truly special, and we’re lucky they can be had in a choice of five bodystyles.  

There’s a lot to like here as it provides spacious and comfortable seating for up to five tall adults combined with a huge load volume, one-tonne-plus payload rating, 2500kg towing capacity, peerless safety and an appealing price. It sets a high benchmark for buyers wanting work-and-play practicality and with its sporty good looks and energetic performance is worthy of consideration as a genuine alternative to a conventional van, ute or US pick-up.

The S4 sedan and Avant have scored the bulk of design updates, with all new and recontoured side panels including the sedan’s C-pillar matching what was applied to the A4 earlier this year. 

This is paired with new front and rear facias and lighting for a subtle but extensive rework of the fifth-generation S4’s conservative look. 

The S5 Sportback, Coupe and Cabriolet get S5-specific new lighting and facias, but no sheetmetal changes. As before, the Coupe and Cabriolet ride on a 60mm shorter wheelbase than the Sportback, sedan and Avant.

The S5s also get Matrix LED headlights as standard which do a neat animated sequence when you unlock the car. 

Other visual hallmarks include new S4-specific 19-inch wheels, with S5 stepping up to its own unique 20-inch wheel. The six-piston front brake calipers are appropriately painted red, and there’s S-specific adaptive dampers under there too. All variants aside from the Cabriolet get a lip spoiler on the rear.

On the inside, there’s a new centre console and bigger 10.1-inch multimedia screen, while the Audi Virtual Cockpit driver instrument display now offers a hockey stick-style rev counter in additional to traditional dial layouts.

Our test vehicle rides on the LWB Transit Custom’s 3500mm wheelbase and its external dimensions of 5450mm length, 1999mm width and a height of 1985mm, which means it can comfortably access underground or multi-storey car parks. A 12.1-metre turning circle is more compact than 1500-class US pick-ups and closer to Ranger/HiLux-sized utes.

The front-wheel drive chassis platform has smooth-riding four-coil suspension with MacPherson struts up front and an independent rear. Steering is rack and pinion and there’s a quartet of powerful disc brakes.

It’s arguably the best-looking mid-sized van on the market with aggressive frontal styling, wedge-shaped side contours and protruding wheel arches that shroud its alloy wheels.

The interior has a spacious and airy feel, with a stylish mix of contrasting two-tone grey surfaces throughout. This is enhanced with bright blue highlights courtesy of the dual ‘racing’ stripe pattern on the fabric seat facings, which provides visual cohesion with the external stripes.

The biggest practicality change among the five S4 and S5 variants is their upgrade to the latest version of Audi’s MMI multimedia system, which steps up to a 10.1-inch touchscreen and drops the scroll wheel from the centre console.

It also boasts ten times the computing power of the version it replaces and uses this and an on-board sim card to access Google Earth maps for navigation and Audi Connect Plus that offers driver information such as fuel prices and parking information as well as point of interest search and weather information, plus the ability to make emergency calls and seek roadside assistance.

There’s also a wireless phone charger, but using Apple CarPlay will still require a cord as per Android Auto.

I only drove the S4 Avant and S5 Sportback at their media launch, which are clearly the most practical of the five, but from our experience with the previous versions, each looks after its occupants well in terms of space and storage. Back seat accommodation is clearly not a priority in the Coupe and Cabriolet, but there’s three other variants if that’s what you’re looking for. 

The Cabriolet can open its automatic folding soft top within 15 seconds, at speeds of up to 50 km/h.

With its 2167kg kerb weight and 3225kg GVM, our test vehicle has a big 1058kg payload rating, so it’s a genuine ‘one tonner’ designed to carry a full crew and heaps of cargo. Up to 155kg of that can be carried on the cleverly-designed trio of roof racks, which lie flat when not in use but in seconds can be rotated to an upright position and locked in place.

It’s also rated to tow up to 2500kg of braked trailer and with its sizeable 5725kg GCM (or how much weight it can legally carry and tow at the same time) it can legally carry its maximum payload while towing its maximum trailer weight, which is impressive for a 2.0-litre powertrain.

Standard cargo bay access is through rear barn-doors, but an optional swing-up tailgate is available. These doors open to 180 degrees to optimise loading access and the hinges have enough resistance to keep them open in light winds.

The cargo bay, which is separated from the cabin by a moulded composite bulkhead, has a huge load volume of 4.3 cubic metres which is about 70 per cent of that available in conventional two-seater vans.

Its 2004mm of load-floor length and 1392mm between the wheel-housings also allows it to carry either a standard Aussie pallet or Euro pallet if required, secured by a choice of six load-anchorage points.

The load floor is protected by a composite liner, the walls and doors are neatly lined to mid-height and bright LEDs on the roof provide ample illumination.

There’s generous room not only for the driver and front passenger but also those seated behind. The large sliding doors and assist handles on each side provide easy access to the rear bench seat where even tall people are treated to ample kneeroom, given I’m 186cm and have more than 100mm of knee clearance from the driver’s seat set in my position.

There’s also ample shoulder and headroom, combined with a carpeted and flat floor which with no transmission tunnel provides welcome floor space for those seated in the centre. It feels much like the rear seat of a US pick-up.

Front cabin storage includes a bottle-holder and bin in each front door, plus bottle/cupholders on each side of the dash, a large open storage area in the dash-pad, upper and lower lidded glove boxes and two more bottle/cupholders in the centre console.

Rear passengers also get a bottle-holder and bin in each sliding door, plus there’s considerable storage space under the bench seat with a removable frame at the front to retain items.

The only missing item that could make this well-designed cabin even better would be an assist-handle on the left-side A-pillar to help front passengers of shorter stature to climb aboard. Yes, we did have complaints.

The Transit Custom Sport Double Cab comes standard with the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel and eight-speed automatic as all other (non-electric) Transit Customs, for a list price of $62,990. Our example is finished in 'Magnetic', which is a metallic 'Prestige Paint' option that adds $700 to this price.

For that spend, the standard equipment list includes 17-inch matt black alloy wheels with 215/60R17 tyres and a steel spare, LED headlights with DRL signatures, LED tail-lights, a unique Sports grille, dual ‘racing’ body-stripes and side decals, a unique Sports body kit (including a rear spoiler) plus soft-close sliding side-doors.

Step inside using the smart keyless entry/start and you’ll find a carpeted floor, 'Sports' seating with blue accent stripes, dual fold-down armrests on the driver and front passenger bucket seats, dual-zone climate control, a lidded upper glove box, six front and two rear USB ports, a centre console with 12V socket and wireless phone-charging, a moulded composite bulkhead with internal window, pop-out latch-style windows in the sliding side-doors and more.

The driver also gets a 12-inch colour digital instrument cluster with configurable display plus there’s a 13-inch colour touchscreen display for the multimedia system which includes four-speaker audio, digital radio, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto/Bluetooth connectivity and 'SYNC' voice-activated commands.

Audi has taken an ‘if it ain’t broke’ approach with the mechanicals, with all S4 and S5 models unchanged with this update. So the centrepiece continues to be the single-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 that produces 260kW and 500Nm, with the latter available from a broad 1370-4500rpm.

The rest of the drivetrain is also unchanged, with the venerable but excellent ZF eight-speed torque converter auto paired with the Quattro all-wheel drive system that can send up to 85 per cent of drive to the rear wheels. 

The 'EcoBlue' 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine produces 125kW of power at 3500rpm with peak torque of 390Nm tapped between 1750-2500rpm. It uses AdBlue to minimise emissions.

The eight-speed torque converter automatic provides the option of sequential manual-shifting using the column-mounted stalk, which can be preferable in some situations when hauling heavy loads. It also offers five drive modes comprising 'Normal' (default), 'Eco', 'Sport', 'Slippery' and 'Tow/Haul'.

Official combined fuel figures range from 8.6L1/00km for the S4 sedan to 8.8L/100km for the Avant, Coupe and Sportback, while the heavier Cabriolet steps up to 9.1L/100km. 

All are pretty good considering their performance potential and the size of these cars, plus the fact that they only require 95 RON Premium Unleaded fuel.

All have a 58-litre fuel tank, which should enable a range of at least 637km between fills based on the Cabriolet’s figure.

Ford claims official combined average consumption of 8.0L/100km and the dash display was showing 8.7 when we stopped to refuel at the completion of our 274km test, which comprised the usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving of which about one third was hauling a heavy payload.

Our own numbers calculated from actual fuel bowser and tripmeter readings were close to these figures at 9.1, which is still excellent sub-10L/100km economy for a vehicle weighing more than two tonnes dealing with a variety of loads and roads.

Therefore, based on our consumption figure, it should deliver a real-world driving range of around 770km from its 70-litre tank.

The S4 and S5 range were already an excellent balance between everyday comfort and a genuine sporting edge, and nothing has changed with this update.

I spent time behind the wheel of the S4 Avant and S5 Sportback at their media launch, and both managed to deliver the proper Audi luxury experience over some pretty rough rural roads, while always feeling a bit more sporting than a regular A4 or A5. That’s with the Drive Select left in the default mode, but you can shift that sporting personality up a few notches (while scaling back the comfort), by selecting Dynamic mode. 

My preferred means of adjusting their personality is by simply tugging the transmission selector back to activate S mode, which livens up the engine and transmission without stiffening up the suspension. 

Across the five S4 and S5 bodystyles, there is some variance in performance potential, with the S4 sedan and S5 Coupe topping the performance chart with 0-100km/h boasts of 4.7s, with the S5 Sportback trailing them by 0.1s, the S4 Avant by a further 0.1s and the Cabriolet managing a still-fast 5.1s claim.

Another area I consider the S4 and S5s to get just right is their exhaust note. It is adaptive, but there’s nothing synthetic about it, and the generally muted and distinctly V6 burble is always there to remind you that you’re aboard a proper performance model, but not in such a way that it will annoy you, or your neighbours. Polite performance, if you will.

It’s spacious and comfortable with a car-like driving position, large left footrest and plenty of steering wheel/seat adjustability including 10-way power adjustment for the driver's seat including lumbar support.

This van is particularly well suited to long-distance driving, given the fold-down inboard and outboard armrests for the driver and front passenger seats. This ‘captain’s chair’ design provides ideal elbow support to minimise neck and shoulder strain during long days on the road.

The 2.0-litre turbo-diesel’s ample 390Nm of torque ensures spirited response regardless of drive mode, with the well-calibrated auto ensuring most driving occurs within the engine’s peak torque band which is right where you want it.

Ride quality and handling are excellent and remain consistent regardless of payloads. Although the driver’s rear view is minimal through the small bulkhead window, the large truck-style door mirrors combined with a reversing camera and active driver aids like blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and parking sensors make it easy to live with in busy urban settings.

It’s also an effortless highway cruiser, with the engine only needing around 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h which is comfortably within its peak torque band. Most noise at these speeds, which is far from intrusive, comes from the tyres as engine and wind noise are negligible.

To test its GVM rating, we loaded 650kg into the cargo bay which combined with our two-man crew equalled a total payload of 830kg. Although sizeable, that was still more than 200kg shy of its legal limit.

The coil-spring rear suspension compressed 55mm under this loading, with long cone-shaped jounce-rubbers mounted on the chassis rails above being pressed into service to provide a second stage of weight support. This design is very effective in providing a smooth ride free of any jarring thuds over bumps when heavily loaded.

It made light work of our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, easily hauling this heavy payload to the summit. Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, was equally competent as no pedal-braking was required to stay below the 60km/h posted speed limit during this descent.

Our only driving criticism was an annoying rattle coming from the window in the right-side sliding-door (close to the driver's ear) and another emanating from the cargo bay over larger bumps.

The Transit Custom comes with a maximum five-star ANCAP rating (from testing in 2024) during which it achieved a premium 'Platinum' grading with a near-perfect 96 per cent score in the Commercial Van Safety Comparison for collision avoidance.

It features seven airbags including side-curtains for the rear seat, AEB with intersection assist, roll-over mitigation, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, trailer sway control, tyre pressure monitoring, front/rear parking sensors, a 180-degree reversing camera and lots more. Both outer rear seating positions have ISOFIX anchors and top-tether child seat restraint points.

Audi continues to offer a three year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which is in line with BMW but lags behind the five years offered by Mercedes-Benz these days. This also contrasts with the five year norm among mainstream brands, which is punctuated by the seven year warranties of Kia and SsangYong.  

Service intervals are a convenient 12 months/15,000km though, and the same five year ‘Audi Genuine Care Service Plan’ offers capped price servicing for the same $2950 total over five years applies to all S4 and S5 variants. This is only marginally more than the plans offered for regular petrol A4 and A5 variants, so you’re not being stung for the thoroughbred versions.

The vehicle is covered by a five year/unlimited km warranty.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/30,000km whichever occurs first. Capped-price servicing for the first four scheduled services up to four years/120,000km totals $1996 or $499 per service.