Believe me when I say that I have all the love in the world for the B5 and definitely feel you on the bloat over the years. That said, I have a B8.5 S4 and it's a totally different beast. Turbos are great for making big power, but the powerband is so flat on this thing that you plant the right foot and it goes. Quickly. And that's in stock form. Also not even a close comparison between interiors, etc.
All that said I still miss our old B5 like crazy!
I'm not saying that I wouldn't drive a newer S4, because I would, in a heartbeat. I'm just particularly fond of the B5 variant, and I knew I would own one after one ride in a buddy's imola yellow 2000 at Sebring.
I'm also a sucker for forced induction, but I've only had cars that have turbos so I don't really have hands-on experience with superchargers. I have read up on the subject and there are inherent advantages to both. I have found it very easy to make additional power and/or vary it on demand in my turbo cars, vs having to change a pulley for a supercharger. For example, I made my first "boost controller" on my Z31 300zx from a repurposed EGR valve, allowing me to vary the pressure at the wastegate with flip of a switch. But as you said, with a supercharger you have near instant power in a nice, linear fashion which is very appealing, particularly on corner exit, I would imagine. With a new S4, I might be happy with the power it already has and not feel the need to mess with it, who knows? I do know that I love those flat-bottomed steering wheels and I'd be happy to drive it everyday.
speaking of which, have you posted photos? I follow this thread pretty closely so I've probably already seen it, but post some more anyways!
