What they said when the Audi A4 was new… (Dec 7 2004)
HIGH-FLYING Audi will soar into the New Year with the seventh generation of its much-admired A4 premium saloons and estates.
Between the start of January and the end of February an amazing 24 models will take to the road, with four new engines among the line-up.
Transmissions, styling, chassis, equipment and safety features are all advanced in the new A4, which is priced from £18,765 to £28,725.
The cars, saloon and Avant, have grown only marginally, improved crash protection measures being responsible for the extra few centimetres of length.
But every body panel bar the roof is new and the look is classy but sharp, right from the bold single-frame grille to the enlarged twin tailpipes.
Similarly, the interior design, seating and materials, always one of the great strengths of Audi, are enhanced still further, with some fine-looking aluminium facings among the choices.
But the latest A4 is far from being just an appearance job.
For a start, considerable attention has been paid to the suspension and the car achieves a superb balance between a creamy ride and excellent control and feel.
Noise and vibration levels have been thoroughly quashed, to the extent that you are aware of wind hiss off the pillars and door mirrors, even at moderate speeds. I'm not saying these are excessive, just that everything else is muffled so well.
Nine longitudinally-mounted engines will be available almost immediately, four of them diesels, an acknowledgment that petrol/diesel sales in this segment are now just about equal.
The initial roll-out in early January comprises four options, a 2.0 multitronic, 2.0T FSi
quattro six-speed manual, 2.0 TDi six-speed manual and 3.0 TDi quattro. The other engines - starting with a 1.6 - and transmissions appearing in the following weeks.
Even among the initial quartet, which I sampled, there's something to appeal to a wide range of driving tastes.
The normally-aspirated 2.0 with continuously variable - CVT- transmission is just the job for Steady Eddies. With 130PS and 143lb/ft of pull, there's not a huge amount of verve about it and if you demand special acceleration the engine sounds as though it's working a bit hard.
Overtaking needs consideration and it is best to drop out of the seven-speed CVT into manual change. But the car is fine for regulation driving.
The 2.0T in quattro mode, on the other hand, will be in demand for those who like fun and involvement in their motoring.
There's 200PS and 206lb/ft of torque from 1,800 revs on tap and a 0-62mph sprint time of 7.3 seconds on offer. The quattro drive keeps everything well under control and if you don't mind the fuel bills - official average 35.3mpg, but in my experience 26.2 - it's a version to put a smile on your face.
The diesels are more wallet-friendly, of course. The pleasant 140PS, 236lb/ft 2.0TDi six-speed manual delivers an average of 48mpg, while there's grunt in abundance in the 3.0 TDi V6 quattro - 204PS and 332lb/ft of torque. Quick, all right, although the car feels at its best in motorway cruise mode.
Comfort generally is high for those distance journeys, but it's a shame Audi hasn't been able to create more room for those in the back. It was tight with me at the wheel, and I'm not that tall - with a long-legged driver pushing the seat right back it would certainly be cramped.
Both the saloon and Avant have generous luggage capacity and an inch or two pared off this and given to the rear-seat area would have been helpful.
New offerings include two-stage airbags, active head restraints and latest-generation power steering, braking and stability systems.
Among other standard fittings are dual-zone climate control, side airbags and head protection, height-and-reach-adjusting steering wheel, electric front windows, 150w 10-speaker radio/cassette player, alloys, fogs and halogen headlights.
Pay the extra £610 for SE trim and you gain such items as cruise control, electric rear windows, information system, leather grips and a CD player.
There's more gained in S Line specification, but you have to pay still more if you want, for example, satellite navigation and parking sensors.
And if you favour Sport models, with their special suspension, alloys and seats, there's £1,400 extra to find.
I suspect all this won't deter buyers in the upper-medium premium car market who have bucked the trend in sales by keeping up their demand for little motoring luxuries.
They can place their orders now for the new A4 in all its various guises for early New Year delivery.
Words: John Scantlebury
Copyright