Audi A4 New Car Review - Car Reviews

Audi A4

VERDICT:

A new Audi A4 that has all the hallmarks of a wonderfully engineered car, but has the soul been forgotten?

Performance

It's the two-litre TDI that will be the big seller. As you'd expect from any VW Group diesel, it's an excellent unit, revving cleanly and quickly. It doesn't throw too much noise into the cabin either - though it's not as hushed as the equivalent BMW or Mercedes - and returns a decent fuel economy. It develops 143bhp and 236lb ft of torque, which isn't bad, but that crucial torque figure trails the Mercedes C220 CDI's 295lb ft and BMW 320D's 251. Of the other engines we've sampled briefly, the big 3.0 TDI probably suited the Audi A4 best, while the 2.7 diesel felt a bit tardy. For overall ability, the 160bhp 1.8 TFSI petrol ran the three-litre TDI close.

Driving

Driving isn't exactly the complete pleasure of a 3-Series or a C-Class, both of which have a slightly better mix of ride and handling, but that doesn't mean the Audi is bad. It isn't. Punt along a challenging road and the A4 is nimble and neat, doing nothing spectacularly well but not letting the driver down, either. The steering has enough directness and feel to make driving it quickly quite good fun and although it changes direction swiftly, with minimum body roll, push harder and inevitable understeer kicks in. It also felt borderline choppy over bumps.

Space

Thanks to it being big, feeling more like the original A6 than an A4, this is a spacious car. There is plenty of shoulder, hip and head room front and back and the whole effect is open and airy. The boot is generous at 480 litres and more than big enough for a set of golf clubs. Well, it would be, wouldn't it?

Build quality

The cabin is efficient and well screwed together, and Audi has used good quality materials throughout. The German firm's engines are normally very durable with very few problems, but it's worth bearing in mind the car finished in just 65th position in Top Gear's latest reader survey.

Equipment

Just two models, standard and SE. The standard A4 comes with 16in alloys, single CD-player, air con, four-spoke leather-clad steering wheel and keyless entry. The SE adds 17in alloys, Audi Concert Radio CD player with MP3 capability, three-zone climate control and an interior chrome insert package.

Safety

Both models have driver, front and curtain airbags, stability control plus the usual anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution and ISOFIX child seat clamps.

Owning

The two-litre TDI and 1.8 TFSI engines are both clean and so both are in low bands for road and company car tax. The 2.0 TDI also offers the best fuel economy of the range at 37.7mpg.

Value

The A4 easily beats rivals from BMW and Mercedes, but that's before you start adding extras - a £40,000 Audi A4 is a surprisingly easy car to buy.

Verdict

Beautifully designed and beautifully made, but we still can't help thinking it's just a little bit soulless. Still, choose one as your company car to storm up and down the motorway all day every day, and you won't regret it for a moment.

Don't want a roof?

A4 Cabriolet

There are two sides to the A4 Cabriolet. The first is family friendly, with a spacious interior and range of powerful but affordable engines, including a 2.0-litre TDI. The second is its fire-breathing side, the RS4, that has a 4.2-litre V8. It's enough to scare the kids.

Fancy something bigger?

Audi A4 Avant