By: Denis Droppa
Venice - “Park it in the dark and switch on the headlights. There’s your ‘wow’ factor”.
So I was told by an Audi representative at the world launch of the new A4 in Italy, in response to my question on why Ingolstadt’s new junior-executive sedan looked like such a soft evolution of its predecessor.
He explained that the brand’s most important volume model has to still look like an A4, and that too big a styling shake-up might scare off loyal customers. Not an invalid comment, and those sharp-edged headlights really do look cool in the dark and give the new A4 a striking new face to go with its generally sharpened-up “tech” look, but Audi still seems to be in a styling slump after previously being prepared to shock us with that oversized single-frame grille it introduced a few years back.
However evolutionary the new skin might be, the car it clads has undergone major upgrades particularly in refinement and technology, which makes the new A4 feel very much like a down-scaled A8.
HIGH-TECH TOYS
Some of the tech found in big luxury limos has now filtered into the A4 for the first time in this market segment: for instance the detachable android tablets in the rear seat, the facility to wirelessly charge cellphones, and the car’s ability to drive semi-automonously.
A new adaptive cruise control including traffic-jam assist feature, an extra-cost option, guides the A4 through traffic by automatically controlling the throttle, brakes and steering. It uses the navigation and camera-based recognition of traffic signs to automatically conform to the speed limit and adapt to the topography of the route.
It’s a devastatingly clever system and I spent long sections of the test-drive in northern Italy leaving the car to its own devices, but as self-drive technology isn’t yet foolproof it still requires the driver to be an active participant, and the system disengages if you take your hands off the wheel.
Many other high-tech safety mechanisms are available if your budget allows you tick those options boxes, but all A4 versions come standard with Audi ‘pre sense city’ which scans the road for other vehicles and pedestrians and, if there is the threat of a collision, the car warns the driver and if necessary applies the brakes.
Xenon plus lights are standard equipment and Audi also offers LED headlights, as well as matrix LED headlights that “curve” around other traffic to prevent blinding their drivers.
‘VIRTUAL COCKPIT’
The new A4 also inherits the optional ‘virtual cockpit’ first introduced in the new Audi TT, a fully-digital instrument panel that offers a choice of views, for instance with the odo and speedo minimised against a panoramic navigation map.
Twinned with all this impressive technology is a car that’s grown up, both physically in the added cabin room it offers, as well as in its quiet-running sophistication. When Audi told us before our drive that the new A4’s as silent as an A8 we took the claim with a pinch of salt, but the car really does hum along with the quiet reverie of higher-league luxury limos. Improved aerodynamics give the car a class-leading drag coefficient of just 0.23 Cd.
The cabin has Audi’s usual premium look and feel, now further smartened-up with metal-finish climate control buttons. These buttons now have haptic feedback (touch them to bring up the relevant menu, then click to select).
SMOOTH NEW ENGINES
When the new A4 sedan goes on sale in South Africa in January 2016 (we won’t get the avant version) it will be powered by a choice of turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, all front-wheel driven. The high-performance S4 quattro will join the range at a later stage.
The new 140kW/400Nm 2-litre turbodiesel ultra is a gem of an engine and the pick of the range. The six-speed manual I drove was smooth, punchy, and the 5.5 litres per 100km consumption of the test car came respectably close to Audi’s 4.8 litre claim.
The 140kW/320Nm 2-litre turbo-petrol version, with seven-speed S tronic auto transmission, was reasonably spirited in performance too but sounded slightly gruffer and was also much thirstier at around 9.5 litres per 100km, and nowhere near Audi’s 4.9 litre claim.
The 110kW/250Nm 1.4 petrol, a supercharged and turbocharged engine that’s used for the first time in the A4 after premiering in smaller Audis, despite its small capacity gave a good account of itself and didn’t feel overwhelmed in this larger car.
All three of these engines will be available in South African A4s, along with a lower spec 110kW/320Nm 2-litre turbodiesel which I didn’t get to drive.
LARGER YET LIGHTER
The new A4 sedan has shed a considerable amount weight, up to 120kg in certain versions, despite having grown into a car that swallows four full-sized adults more comfortably than its predecessor.
This lightening made for a very surefooted handler on the curvy roads of northern Italy, and the front-wheel-drive car whips through curves with great balance and composure.
The five-link suspension is optionally available with variable-stiffness shock absorbers that can be set softer or firmer by the driver in cars equipped with the Audi drive select system, which also affects the responses of the accelerator pedal, automatic transmission, and steering.
The new A4’s quiet sophistication, paired with some very clever technology, makes it a formidable rival to the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series.
Exact details and prices will be revealed at the local launch early next year.
Star Motoring
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