Road Test: Audi A4

By Damien Tomlinson - 15/Feb/2006

This is a time-saving road test, and luckily for me (and you), Audi gave me access to three sedans from its revised current generation B7 range of A4s - the 2.0T FSI quattro tiptronic, the 3.2 FSI multitronic and the 2.0 TDI multitronic. 

It’s a scenario for buyers that is becoming more common, and one that will continue while manufacturers keep introducing diesel and hybrid models.

Most cars in the luxury segment now offer at least petrol and diesel versions of their models, with Mercedes spearheading the sexier new image of the less refined fuel.

Having driven the 1.8T S Line and S4 of the previous series, I was keen to see what had changed in the revised line-up. Most obviously, there are the cosmetic changes to the exteriors of the A4s, bringing the range in line the rest of the Audi family, but there have also been a number of upgrades inside the cars too, but thankfully none of which take away from the car's pragmatism.

With the competition as strong as ever from both its countrymen in the form of BMW and Mercedes and also from newcomers such as Lexus, Audi needs to be mindful of its new products and not get too carried away with being all things to all people. And with this in mind, let's see where the next generation of A4s take us:

Audi's new generation A4 gets new front and rear end treatment and more interior room for 2006

To be honest, the changes to the new A4 are mainly cosmetic, bringing the A4 into line with the rest of Audi’s “single-frame grille” range at the front, and giving the rear end a very classy visual enhancement.

Another new addition to the A4, though this one's on the inside, is the Audi Navigation Plus sat-nav system, which incorporates the first use of the company’s MMI interface from the more expensive A6 and A8 models.

The cut-down MMI interface is an interesting way to navigate many automotive  systems, comprised of a large central control dial that can be turned and pressed in order to activate certain systems (entertainment, control of vehicle systems, sat nav, etc.), and is surrounded by four control buttons. It's a fairly intuitive system that doesn't take too long to become accustomed to.

Getting back to the look of the new 'B7' designated A4 models, and I must say that I preferred the late model’s nose treatment, as I think the new rounded features give the car a “happy” look as opposed to the previous more business-like face. However, I love what the designers have done with the back end.

The new front and rear ends together add 38mm to the car’s overall length (41mm for Avant), which also improves interior room slightly, while other significant changes include new clear-glass headlights and body-colour bumpers across the range.

The slightly increased interior room appears to have been opened up more space in the rear, not a bad thing that, and in general the interiors of these cars are seriously impressive. Fit and finish is impeccable for the most part and the materials used give occupants a feeling of subtle opulence, but not at the expense of ergonomics or practicality, and one which increases somewhat as you rise through the range up the snappy V6 model.

From the outset, I must confess that the 3.2 FSI was always going to win out in a comparison of this range. It might sound pretty unsurprising, given that it’s the most expensive, but it had nothing to do with the extra fruit included. Mostly it was due to the inclusion of that sweet 188kW 3.2-litre V6, coupled to the wonderful CV transmission.

I took the 3.2 for a good long drive on a weekend away, and with the CVT in seventh “speed”, I was doing 120km/h at 1400rpm. That sent the distance-to-empty computer figure spiraling upwards to the point where it was telling me I would get about 900km to a tank of premium unleaded - that’s almost Brisbane to Sydney.

The CVT behaves similarly to a regular automatic transmission, with tiptronic gear changes available in manual mode, but the major difference is very smooth changes, up and down (seamless, in fact), and the unbelievably tall top gear. Apart from the satisfying drivetrain, the 3.2 Audi A4 included TV/sat-nav - always a nice touch for a weekend away - bi-xenon headlights and a stripped-down, miniature version of the A8’s useful multimedia interface, as explained earlier.

While the 3.2-litre V6 is a real smooth piece of work - refined, quiet and highly responsive - the other engines from Audi are also very good mechanically. Let's take a look:

With two nice big exhaust pipes hanging out the bag, subtle sports styling and the go to match (0-100km/h in 6.8 seconds), the 3.2 FSI, even at its premium over the others, rates as my favourite. It's a very rewarding car to drive - both in terms of everyday driving and 'enthusiastic' driving, as the Ed so fondly refers to it.

So why didn’t the others measure up? Well, in a sentence, the 2.0 T was underpowered and the 2.0 TDI was uninspiring. In the 100km/h cruising test, the diesel was doing much more work than its V6 cousin, so much so that it negated any economy benefit the motor and transmission should, in theory, provide.

The directly injected gasoline turbo model (2.0T FSI) simply didn’t impress as much as I thought it would, even when one considers it's packing the same plucky engine as the highly-rated Golf GTI and features a quattro AWD system. It has all the looks and ample traction, but doesn’t back up its potential with grunt, which is a bit of a shame. Though 0.9 seconds behind the V6 model, the 2.0-litre model seemed to take a long time to decide to spool up the turbocharger, and even then it doesn't offer white-knuckle force (0-100km/h in 7.7 seconds).

All three of these cars chassis' are set up similarly, with the main differences, apart from engines, being wheel sizes (16-inches on the TDI, 17-inches on the others). All ride fairly firmly, which means they are responsive, but some drivers will be surprised at how stiff they are. The stiffness extends throughout the A4’s body, and everything has that lovely Audi heaviness.

Overall: 4/5

All in all, the 3.2 was the clear winner, followed by the TDI - which I gave marks for value for money - leaving the T FSI trailing in last place. I just don’t think this car can justify its almost $66k price tag, given that it was largely underwhelming in the area that it claims to take care of best - go-forward pace.

That said, the new A4 range, from what I’ve experienced, is an excellent progression for the brand as a whole, and will serve Audi well in its relentless pursuit of sales in this country.

Of course, this test didn’t include the minimum and maximum of this range - the 1.8 T or the rampaging S4. I can probably get away with a few assumptions as to the 1.8 T, and I’ve driven the previous incarnation of the S4, but I hear Mr. Torr is going blue holding his breath for a ride in the B7 S4 sometime soon. But at the end of the day all three models proved to be very fine motor vehicles, with the V6 the stand out performer in the test.

All three of these models on test can hold their heads high when facing other entry-level luxury saloons who may want to pick a fight, such as the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class, and it will be interesting to see how the sales race goes this year (Audi sales have picked up in 2006), particularly with the upcoming launch of its new luxury SUV, the Q7.