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living:
autocade
 Audi A4—eight speeds to efficiency
Jack Yan tests the Audi
A4 1·8 TFSI, and says one’s choice of junior executive
saloon comes down to which part of Germany you feel a greater affinity
with
photographed by the author
THE NEW AUDI
A4 has a hard act to follow. Since the A4 moniker appeared on Audi
models, they’ve become the mainstream line in the range, and considered
one of the prettiest “junior executive” cars around.
When we drove the S5 a few years ago, we knew
that the future A4 would be on the same platform. Audi claimed it
was better balanced, for reasons we won’t go in to here (Audi’s
Carolyn Cox posted down two huge volumes on the technical stuff,
emphasizing Vorsprung durch Technik), allowing for proportions
that were more closer to the rear-wheel-drive BMWs
and Mercedes. Gone are the days of the nose-heavy (in appearance)
Audi 80.
The S5 and the A5 coupés were so smooth
and the chassis so capable, we expected great things of the A4,
as we sampled the entry-level 1·8T.
This is a front-wheel-drive model, and we had
a particularly lovely one, in bright red. But since we have been
accustomed to Audis with bigger noses, the new A4 seems less Bauhaus
in its execution. Since the advent of the single-frame grille fronts
on the Audis, there’s been a greater feeling of ostentation, though
on the A4 the execution is very tidy. Relative to the A6 and A8,
the front is relatively restrained. The overall proportions grow
on you, even if you can’t help but think that Audis of old appeared
more efficient and more subtle.
But never mind that: the late 2000s are not a
time to be subtle as cars have become more decorative. If you’re
spending on a German luxury brand, these days you want people to
know it. At least the A4 is actually efficient, with a drag coefficient
of 0,27, which makes it go through the wind a little better. (Note
to design geeks: I know, I haven’t factored in the frontal area.
But this is still respectable.)
Audis have always been lovely on the inside and
the A4 is no exception: the interior is a nicer place to be than
in its recently updated rival, the Mercedes C-Klasse.
Earlier Cs and BMW
3er-Reihe models had been so spartan on occasion that I called them
‘German Cortinas’. It’s partly thanks to Audi that its main German
rivals have upped their game.
Apart from the sat-nav not recognizing the Wellington
motorway bypass, I couldn’t fault the interior. I even tried tricking
it to see if it would tell me to drive across the Cook Strait by
plotting an inter-island trip, and it directed me to the Wellington
ferry.
There’s a sense of Teutonic elegance to the inside
and the controls are where you expect them to be.
The eight-speed gearbox (yes, eight) was geared
toward economy, so if you drove the car right, it would look after
your wallet. Audi claims 39·7 mpg combined, which is not far from
the truth in our test.
The 1·8T’s turbocharged powerplant is smooth,
but there’s one thing about the driving experience that I couldn’t
forgive.
For a modern car, the base A4 did not have the
level of grip that I expected, as it struggled (admittedly in wet
weather) to get traction in its front wheels. Misbehave a little
with the accelerator and the A4 didn’t like leaving our street.
While there is a bit of a dip at the street entrance,
lesser Fords and Renaults have been able to conquer it without fuss.
There were similar experiences whenever I was
slightly heavier with my right foot.
I’ve since spoken to A4 owners who opted for the
Quattro models, and they have not encountered the same problem.
What they do share with me are stories on how miserly the fuel consumption
is, and this seems to be the A4’s real party trick.
Drive the A4 gently and it’s a perfectly decent
sedan with near-40 mpg economy. It’s not as balanced as the Mercedes-Benz
but it’s nicer to be in. It’s probably not as sporty as the BMW.
It’s what it’s designed to be: ruthlessly efficient without looking
it. It’s the school swot who is still popular, even though it’s
not that good at PE. While it would
never be the German Cortina, because it’s really much too nice inside
for that label, it’s a reminder that Deutschland does small executive
saloons better than most people.
We’ve yet to drive the new BMW
3s, but early indications from our foreign colleagues are positive.
It depends, at the end of the day, what one has: a dislike of filling
up, versus a heavy right foot; whether one is northern German in
mentality or southern. Because this is a very northern car indeed.
•
Jack Yan is publisher of Lucire.
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From top: The Audi A5 was a preview to what the A4 could be
like. But the sporting models are superior dynamically. The 1·8
T engine, which has a smooth power delivery (photograph courtesy
Audi). The interior is still the best in its class: logically laid
out and well put together (photograph courtesy Audi).
Apart from the sat-nav not recognizing the Wellington
motorway bypass, I couldn’t fault the interior. I even tried tricking
it to see if it would tell me to drive across the Cook Strait by
plotting an inter-island trip, and it directed me to the Wellington
ferry
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