PRICE RANGE: $24,900 - $36,000
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FUEL ECONOMY (city/hwy): 22/31 MPG
SAFETY FEATURES: Driver, front passenger, side front and rear, head curtain airbags. ">Antilock Brakes are standard. Electronic Stabilization Program is standard.
IMPRESSION: Audi was unjustly criticized in the sensational press but has returned with industry leading innovations, First all-wheel drive, now CVT transmissions.
(Middleburg, VA) August Horch entered the automobile business in 1899 and built cars bearing his name. Herr Horch formulated the HORCH philosophy as, "in all circumstances, build only strong, good-quality cars". After a falling out with the board of directors in 1909 the old company carried the rights to the HORCH name, so he used a foreshortened Latin form of his name which can be construed as "to hear" in German. That Latin verb is "audio" and subsequently the "Audi" badge has been on cars since then.
Unfortunately in the 1980s, Audi's name was unjustly besmirched in the US by some questionable and self-serving 'investigative' reporting. Since those bleak days, Audi USA has made a spectacular comeback based on the strength of its product. That comeback can be traced directly to the philosophy that August Horch espoused for the company that bore his name.
The entry-level luxury market is getting crowded. The ever-popular 3 series BMWs and C-class from Mercedes have been joined by up and commers like the X-Type from Jaguar, the ES300 and IS300 from Lexus, the Infiniti GS35 and a host of others. Most of these cars are external symbols for the buyer's personas. The Audi A4, however, is an internal statement.
Without the cachet of a recognizable image, like a three-pointed star or leaping cat, the Audi must play to the internal musings of its potential buyers. It is Audi's recognition of their buyers' desire to have a harmoniously designed, luxuriously appointed, vehicle that drives them to produce their extremely elegant lineup of vehicles and they donât rely so much on brand image for their appeal.
Audi's quality can be seen throughout its current product line and most notably in its entry-level A4 series. Encompassing sedans, wagons, cabriolet, and sports tuned variants, the A4 lineup is probably the most complete entry-level luxury series on the market.
Audi's styling has been exceptionally sleek in the last two iterations of their entry-level platform. With the latest redesign of the A4 they have captured the styling queues of its glamorous sibling, the A6.
Like a Henry Moore sculpture, the exterior styling hints at its purpose through graceful, clean unadorned curves and edges. There is nothing 'busy' or 'fussy' on the exterior of this car. The 'B' pillars are blacked out giving the side the look of one full sheet of glass from the front pillar to the rear window. Further the bottom line of the glass slopes downhill from the rear to the front, imparting a rake to the car. The A4 simply exhibits elegant and exciting styling.
All A4 models' interiors ooze quality from their design, materials and fit and finish. Open the door and you're treated to one of the best vehicle interiors available on the market. Again, the styling is clean - great gauges, easy to use climate controls and audio system. The attention paid to how individual pieces fit together, which provides a harmonious whole that is the envy of the industry.
The seats follow the German school of firm support; you sit on them not in them and are exceptionally comfortable over long distances. The seats in the 1.8T engined cars can be upholstered in cloth or vinyl leatherette; the 3.0 V6 can be had with optional full leather seats.
The engine selection and choice of driven wheels determine which drive train options are available. The 1.8T front wheel drive or Quattros (all wheel drive) standard transmission is a five-speed manual. The optional automatic transmission on the 1.8T, front wheel drive is the fabulous new Multitronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The Multitronic automatic transmission is a truly outstanding piece of engineering. It is an automatic that continuously varies the transmission's ratios, taking full advantage of the engine's powerband. There are no gears as in most transmissions, and the available ratios are infinite, so the car can select the optimum ratio at any one time. It can deliver power when needed, and economy when just cruising.
It uses an electronically controlled 'wet' multi-plate clutch, rather than a torque converter to couple the transmission to the engine. This further aids in producing good fuel economy. Curiously, the Multitronic has six electronically simulated preset gear ratios that give the driver the impression of a standard geared transmission. Audi apparently doesn't trust us to understand the smooth, seamless CVT shifting. Using this ploy, a driver can manually "shift" using either the shift level or switches on the steering wheel.
The Multitronic is the only transmission available with the 3.0 V6 front wheel drive. The 3.0 V6 Quattro comes standard with a six speed manual transmission. The 1.8T and 3.0 V6 Quattros are available with the optional Tiptronic five speed automatic. In operation the Multitronic is a very good gearbox and the best yet of the CVTs. It is a very polished piece as is and one can only wonder how good it will get as improvements are introduced. It delivers better fuel mileage and better 0-60 performance than the available manual transmissions -- quite a feat. The Multitronic is smaller and lighter, but only available on the front wheel drive A4s at the moment. Audi is working on providing a power take off for Quattro versions of the A4.
The A4 is a blast to drive with either engine. The 1.8T is a 170 hp four cylinder that employs a lot of technology to provide a broad power band that makes driving fun. The 3.0 V6 offers more power than the 1.8T and a slightly bigger smile in use.
The sport ">suspension package, available throughout the lineup, includes 30% stiffer shocks and #glossary"springs as well as larger stabilizer bars and high performance 235/45 - 17 tires and wheels.
The Quattro versions of the A4 provide a slightly different feel in spirited driving than their front wheel drive siblings. The Quattro equipped cars allow you to power out of corners just a bit sooner and of course the all wheel drive capabilities are very welcome in inclement weather.
The Audi A4's suspension provides great ride and handling characteristics. In both front wheel drive and Quattro models the rear suspension has been optimized for both handling and space efficiency. The sedans have a reasonable 13.4 cubic feet of luggage space.
The A4 comes with a high level of standard equipment, as you would expect in the entry-level luxury segment. Standard features like "One touch" power windows raise the bar for the other players. Dual zone automatic climate control, power door locks and fog lights are standard throughout the A4 line.
The standard audio system is exceptional. It has 150 watts of available power through 10 speakers from an in-dash 6 CD player, AM/FM radio and cassette. An optional premium Bose system is also available. The A4 is a very quiet car with exceptional noise isolation which makes the excellent audio systems that much more enjoyable.
Safety is heavily emphasized in the A4 line. Passive safety starts with passenger protection from the Audi's space frame construction. Intelligent sensors control the deployment of front airbags, side airbags (at all outboard seating positions) and Sideguard head protection airbags in the event of a significant collision.
Further Audi insists on building active safety into its vehicles. It strives to provide 'neutral' or balanced handling capabilities. Its latest version of Electronic Stabilization Program, standard throughout the A4 lineup, takes advantage of standard ABS brakes and traction control. New for this model year is "Brake Assist" that automatically increases braking force when the speed and position of brake pedal operation indicate an emergency braking situation.
Audi further protects your investment by offering one of the best warrantees in the business. A comprehensive 4-year/50,000 mile warranty covers the car from bumper to bumper and all regularly scheduled maintenance during the warranty period is performed at no charge.
Audi offers two high performance variants of the A4 the S4 sedan and S4 Avant station wagon. The S4 packs a twin turbocharged 2.7L 250 HP V6 into a tweaked A4 Quattro chassis to provide exceptional performance. In stock sedan racing the S4 has been so successful that the governing bodies have taken to adding additional weight to the car to keep the competition even.
To complete the lineup Audi recently introduced the A4 Cabriolet. A stunning four-place convertible offering the advantages of the A4 sedan in an open air two door package.
