A word to avoid
The automotive facelift (also known as mid-generational refresh, or minor model update) is a tactic all are familiar with. “We avoid the term ‘facelift’”, says Audi product manager Markus Aigner, “ because we believe that after four years our A4 just needs minor retouching”. This, then, is the thinking behind to small changes made to the look of the A4 range.
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- The rear fender with the diffuser unit has been revised and the exhaust units for all version will have twin end-pipes.
Now the A4 approaches even more closely the styling of the A6 and the A8. The bonnet is more emphatically rounded, the upper corners of the single-frame radiator grille are slanted, the cross-struts and the Audi rings are more three-dimensional. The headlight arrays have been given lightly curved lower edges. The revised fender has squared-off air intakes, modified mesh inlays and flat integrated fog-lights. Optional for the A4 are ‘Audi Xenon Plus’ lamps, adaptive curve lighting and high-beam automation. The rear fender with the diffuser unit has been revised and the exhaust units for all version will have twin end-pipes. The car’s overall dimensions have been changed by only a few millimetres. Sedan and Avant are now 4.7 metres long, the A4 Allroad Quattro and the S4 measure 4.72 metres. In all versions the wheelbase is 2.81 metres and only the vehicle height varies according to the carosserie versions from 1.41 to 1.5 metres.
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- For the A4 interiors the stylists have been content to make only minor modifications.
Design restraint
For the A4 interiors the stylists have been content to make only minor modifications. The excellent quality of the workmanship is absolutely tangible, with every joint or seam speaking of pure precision. There is improved operability of the automatic transmission, the air conditioning system and the mode selection ‘Audi Drive Select’. The multi-functional steering-wheel has also been slightly amended. The boot capacity of the sedan remains unchanged at 480 litres, growing to 962 litres with the rear seats folded down. For the A4 Avant and the A4 Allroad Quattro the values are 490 and 1,430 litres respectively. For both of these models an electrically operated tailgate is available as an optional extra.
“The most important changes when we make revisions to our models are traditionally to be found under the cars’ skin”, says Audi spokesperson Josef Schlossmacher. There are on offer six TDI diesel power plants and four petrol-fuelled engines, all turbo boosted and with direct injection. All now produce both more horsepower and torque but call for from 11 to 18 percent less fuel. The economies come from the standard implementation of start/stop automation, braking energy recuperation, a complex heat management and new electro-mechanical steering. As standard the A4 models come with six-speed manual transmissions but the step-less ‘Multitronic’ and the dual-clutching S-Tronic transmissions are also on offer, making for a total of 23 different combinations of motor ad drive train.
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- There are on offer six TDI diesel power plants and four petrol-fuelled engines, all turbo boosted and with direct injection. All now produce both more horsepower and torque but call for less fuel.
Multiple motorizations
The basic engine is the 2.0 TDI with 120 horsepower (88 kW) priced at 29,900 Euros and demanding just 4.5 litres of diesel fuel per hundred driven kilometres and emitting 119 grams of CO2 per kilometre. New is a version with 163 horsepower (120 kW) which takes just 4.4 litres (115 grams of CO2). Both motorizations are available for the sedan and Avant models. From a European perspective the best mix of economy and motoring enjoyments is the top version of the four-cylinder diesel with 177 horsepower (130 kW). This motor delivers 380 Nm of torque and is as good for leisurely cruising with little gear shifting as it is for agile and speedy driving on winding roads. A further four-cylinder diesel with 143 horsepower (105 kW) and the two already familiar V6 TDI mills complete the portfolio. The 3.0 TDI with 204 horsepower (150 kW) is the most efficient six-cylinder motorization in its class worldwide… in an A4 sedan it requires just 4.9 litres per hundred kilometres driven (129 grams of CO2 emissions). The second six delivers 245 horsepower (180 kW) and with ‘clean diesel’ technology conforms with the EU6 norm. The highlight in respect of the petrol powered engines is the new 1.8 litre TFSI for the sedan and the Avant, with 170 horsepower (125 kW) and 320 Nm of torque has enough push for lively performance. Thanks to innovative heat management and the integration of the exhaust manifold in the cylinder head this 3.5 kilos lighter power plant needs in the A4 sedan on average only 5.6 litres of fuel, 19 percent less than previous equivalent engine. The entry level petrol-fuelled motor is the 1.8 litre TFSI with 120 horsepower (88 kW) and there is the 2.0 TFSI with 211 horsepower (155 kW) which is the only petrol engine on offer for the A4 Allroad Quattro. At the very top of the range there are two variants of the 3.0 TFSI. As V6 petrol engine with 272 horsepower (200 kW) it will come a bit later although right from the launch the S4 will benefit from the 333 horsepower (245 kW) version. In the sedan and the Avant this is good for a zero-to-a-hundred time of exactly five seconds but will still only call for 8 litres of petrol per hundred driven kilometres calculated according to EU Norm.
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- The excellent quality of the workmanship is absolutely tangible, with ever joint or seam speaking of pure precision.
Driving dynamics as an extra
The fact that the A4 seeks to bridge the gap between mid-class and premium class… not only visually… is evident from the technology and assistant systems from the A8 which have now been adopted. Now all A4 models can have as optional and sometimes costly extras refinements like the driving dynamics package ‘Audi Drive Select’. With this on board further modules can be added… adaptive cruise control, speed control unit, sports differential, suspension with shock absorber controls and dynamic steering. A lane holding assistant springs into action when needed. And ‘Side Assist’ uses radar to monitor the blind-spot.
Crowning the list of standard features are those which guarantee pure entertainment. All A4 models will come with ESP, CD radio with eight loudspeakers, light-metal wheels and with a fatigue sensor system which recognizes ’laziness’ in the driver's steering gestures and suggests that he or she should take a break. The prices for the A4 models will change only slightly. The entry to the range will cost 29,900 for the A4 sedan with the basic diesel power plant with the tag reading 56,550 Euros for the S4 Avant. But it is not only the range of motorizations which is daunting… the listing of the available extras takes 27 pages to present in full detail… and can easily lead to additional investment from ten to twenty thousand Euros..
