Audi’s plans for world domination continue apace. The launch of the all-new A4 comes barely halfway through the brand’s much-vaunted onslaught of new product, with another 15 fresh models scheduled to arrive before 2015. That will see the four rings represented in every segment and sub-segment of the premium car market, including several Audi has invented itself. Global sales are on course to break through one million units this year, and sales in the UK continue to increase as rivals struggle to keep their numbers up.
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But none of this really matters here. The big question is a simple one: can this A4 really go one better and prevail where none of its predecessors have quite managed in what’s probably the most intensely-contested chunk of the luxury car market in most parts of the world; the entry point to a world of premium motoring? This is a battlefield packed with some particularly vicious weaponry. What was once called the ‘compact executive’ segment has long since outgrown its erstwhile moniker; the days when entry-level premium saloons required you to downsize your life into their cramped dimensions have long since passed.
But to make its mark here, the new A4 is going to have to give people a genuine reason not to choose either of the most complete cars on the planet: the BMW 3-series and the Mercedes C-class. It’s a task that its predecessors have only managed to pull off sporadically, the outgoing, M3-beating RS4 possibly the best example of such. But it’s a task the new car is going to have to prove capable of if Audi’s reach for the stars is to continue.
ADDING UP THE THEORY
Looks are all-important in this image-conscious segment, and although handsome styling isn’t enough by itself to guarantee setting the sales charts alight, it’s certainly a precondition of success. And the new A4 looks pretty good, especially in the metal. It’s certainly far better than the slightly awkward facelift that was given to its predecessor. Indeed, the new car’s tight lines and well-contoured flanks give it the visual edge over its slightly under-detailed A5 coupé sister.
The A4’s design brief is predictably filled with inevitable references to the all-important ‘sporty’ aesthetic, but even basic versions benefit from a nice bit of wheel-arch flare and some respectably chunky bumpers.
The base wheel size will be 16-inch alloys, although the popular option should be the six-spoke 17s. Like the A5, ultra-bright LED running lights (arranged under the headlamp’s main element) will be standard on plusher trim levels and optional on the cheaper ones.
The new car also sticks to previous A4s’ slightly odd mechanical layout, with the engine mounted longitudinally despite driving the front wheels. But like its sister, the A5, the drive is taken from the gearbox to a front differential mounted ahead of the front axle, allowing the wheelbase to be extended and the front overhang to be kept in check. Design chief Walter de’Silva’s team has also done a good job in disguising the raised height of the trailing edge of the bonnet, with front wings making a gentle transition along their length.
The shutlines are predictably impressive, although the effect at the front is spoiled somewhat by the view through the gaps to chunky connectors at the top of the front wings. These are intended to shear during low-speed collisions, protecting pedestrians from injury.
The new A4 is also a far bigger car than the model it replaces. BMW began this particular size war with the current-generation E90 3-series, Mercedes escalated it with the even-longer C-class and now Audi has gone 122mm (or five inches) better with the A4, which measures up at a whopping 4.7 metres in overall length. That’s enough to risk confusing the spatial stratification of Audi’s own model line-up; the new A4’s 2808mm wheelbase is just 35mm short of that of the A6.
Clever sub-surface engineering means that the increase in space hasn’t come at the cost of increased mass. The new A4’s bodyshell makes extensive use of both ultra-high-strength steel and aluminium, making it considerably stiffer and 10 per cent lighter than the old model. That means that even with an increase in standard equipment, the new A4 weighs almost exactly the same as the outgoing models. On Audi’s figures the new TDI has a 1460kg kerb weight, just 30kg more than the old one.
The engine choice will be limited at launch in the UK to two petrols and three diesels, with other motors and body styles following later (see panel). The new heartland petrol motor is the latest 1.8 TFSI, which combines turbocharging and direct injection to deliver 158bhp. That’s more power than the 150bhp BMW 320i. And until the S4 gets here next year, the flagship will be the 3.2 FSI quattro, using a developed version of the previous car’s smooth-spinning 3.2-litre FSI V6 motor, mated to the familiar quattro four-wheel drive system.
Oil-burners can be had as either a 2.0-litre four-cylinder, producing a similar 141bhp to the old car, and 2.7-litre and 3.0-litre V6 diesels carried over from the outgoing model. The 3.0-litre version has been turned up slightly to deliver 238bhp and 51kgm ft of torque – 6bhp and 5.1kgm more than the old car.
PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE
In terms of driving dynamics, the message being pushed hard by Audi is of agility, responsiveness and – that buzz word again – sportiness. Blame BMW, for the 3-series’ dominance of the segment is clearly regarded in Ingolstadt as a function of how well it drives, and the ambition has clearly been to make a car that can take on the Beemer – and the equally impressive new Mercedes C-class – on equal terms.
Our test car, a bells-and-whistles 3.2 FSI quattro in the full-on ‘S-Line’ specification that will arrive in the UK soon after the less visually aggressive SE, gets off to a good start. Lots of attention has been paid to the car’s initial points of contact; Audi’s marketeers know that the first few minutes spent with a car are the most important in terms of subliminal buying influences. The door handles have a nice, smooth action, the door itself opens with a traditional Audi level of weight and the cabin design, closely related to the interior of the new A5, is classy and contemporary.
All’s going well until we encounter the first of Sardinia’s many potholes, at which point the range-topping A4’s suspension gets a bad case of the jitters: a loud impact followed by a less-than-perfectly-caught rebound. The S-Line’s optional 19-inch alloys and stiffer springs undoubtedly aren’t helping matters here, but it’s not the sort of thing that augurs well for dealing with potholed roads.
As befitted its range-topping status, our test car came equipped with ‘Audi Drive Select’, a new variation on the ability to vary different settings. As with rival set-ups, the A4 allows the driver to stay in ‘auto’ or to choose between firmer and softer electronically controlled dampers, called ‘comfort’ and ‘dynamic’ modes. The more aggressive set-up also sharpens throttle response, increasing the weight of the power steering and — if fitted — switching the automatic transmission to a quicker-shifting map.
The difference comes with a third user-choosable setting, ‘individual’, which can be programmed to allow different combinations of softness and hardness. Hence, if so minded, it’s possible to select light steering and firm dampers, or an aggressive throttle map but smoother automatic gearbox changes. It’s a small step, but it is worth noting that selecting ‘comfort’ does improve the jagged ride quality to a useful degree. On Sardinia’s twisty roads, this A4 feels far tighter and more accurate than its predecessor did. Audi has paid serious attention to improving the front/rear weight distribution. In addition to the repositioned front diff, the battery has been moved to the boot, and the net effect is a car that’s keener to turn in and considerably more resistant to understeer.
On first impressions it’s still nothing like as tactile a driving experience as the 3-series or the impressive new C-class; even in its weightiest ‘dynamic’ mode our test car’s adaptable steering was still a bit deficient in both weight and feel. But there’s lots of grip and a nice, neutral and exploitable chassis balance; the transmission’s natural bias towards sending torque to the rear axle is clear on longer corners. The standard six-speed manual gearbox still feels a bit clunky, the empty-feeling shift not liking to be rushed and the over-light clutch tending to judder if released too abruptly. Most buyers of top-spec versions opt for the six-speed slusher, although Audi is working on a ‘longitudinal’ DSG system too. The brakes are strong and progressive, and although the pedal is still light, they are easier to modulate than the over-servoed stoppers of the previous model.
The only other real issue is road and wind noise, both of which seem on the high side by segment standards. At a standard 135kph cruise, a surprising amount of wind noise comes from the top of the windscreen and side windows, while the big wheels and tyres of the S-Line transmit lots of rumble into the cabin. A brief run in a 1.8 TFSI on 17-inchers and standard suspension proved that things are better on smaller wheels, but it still feels louder than experience of the highway-friendly previous-generation A4 led me to expect.
As before, a base A4 is going to be a cold, lonely place to spend time, with single-zone air-con, cloth seats and anaemic-looking 16-inch alloys that struggle to fill the arches. Indeed, our preliminary data suggests that non-upgraded A4s will even have to make do with a four-speaker stereo system. Even buyers of a Toyota Corolla get six. Of course, SE spec is (deliberately) where it’s at, with buyers prepared to upgrade getting 17in wheels, a colour display, dual-zone climate control, a 10-speaker audio system, automatic headlights and wipers, and rear parking radar. It will still be possible to add plenty more to that, of course, with a perusal of the price lists suggesting it would be alarmingly easy to get a 3.2 FSI quattro or a 3.0 TDI quattro through the Rs 32 lakh barrier. Those are the rules of this bit of the market, of course, and against obvious rivals the Audi offers good value.
There’s no revolution afoot here. The new A4 is bigger, better and more stylish than its predecessor, but it’s not going to redefine the segment, rip up any rulebooks or create blind panic in the boardrooms of BMW or Mercedes. Instead, it’s the sort of sensible evolution that you would expect from a brand possessing Audi’s current confidence. It’s certainly good enough to be a contender, but to find out just how well it deals with its most significant rivals, the Mercedes-Benz C-class and BMW 3-series, we’ll need to bring the three rivals together once more.
