By Ben Pulman
First official pictures
29 August 2007 09:30
This can't be the new A4! It look just like an A5...
That it does, but should you really complain? The Audi A5 is one of the best-looking coupes around, and that Ingolstadt’s latest four-door offering bears more than a passing resemblance to its brother is no bad thing. In fact the new A4, which will go on sale in the UK in the first quarter of 2008, shares much of its platform with the A5. The modular longitudinal platform (MLP for short) is supposed to finally make Audis sporty, rather than just nose-heavy front-wheel drive cars, thanks to a rearranged layout that pushes the engine back in the nose to the benefit of weight distribution. Audi's claims of a newfound sportiness may fall on deaf ears, though. We’re sure both the BMW 3-series and new Mercedes C-class will take some beating.
So is the new A4 really that sporty?
Only CAR’s first drive will reveal how much of the new Audi A4’s sporting ability is gospel and how much is marketing bumf. The basics are promising though, because that new platform means the front axle has been moved forward 154mm compared with the current car, so the engine now sits further back in the chassis. And those cars with quattro four-wheel drive now have a 40:60 front:rear torque split to more closely mimic the behaviour of a rear-driver. Well, that's the idea anyway. There is also a whole host of gadgets and acronyms that Audi claims makes the car a sportier drive, though like the techno-laden BMW M5 they may stop us seeing the wood for the trees. For instance, if you spec the MMI control system, as well as comfort, auto and dynamic settings for the suspension, the fourth ‘individual’ mode allows you to twiddle with 24 different settings to personalise your set-up. Other gadgets include a take on BMW’s Active Steer system, a reversing camera, a blind spot warning system and another to warn you if you change lanes without indicating.
First official pictures
29 August 2007 09:30
This can't be the new A4! It look just like an A5...
That it does, but should you really complain? The Audi A5 is one of the best-looking coupes around, and that Ingolstadt’s latest four-door offering bears more than a passing resemblance to its brother is no bad thing. In fact the new A4, which will go on sale in the UK in the first quarter of 2008, shares much of its platform with the A5. The modular longitudinal platform (MLP for short) is supposed to finally make Audis sporty, rather than just nose-heavy front-wheel drive cars, thanks to a rearranged layout that pushes the engine back in the nose to the benefit of weight distribution. Audi's claims of a newfound sportiness may fall on deaf ears, though. We’re sure both the BMW 3-series and new Mercedes C-class will take some beating.
So is the new A4 really that sporty?
Only CAR’s first drive will reveal how much of the new Audi A4’s sporting ability is gospel and how much is marketing bumf. The basics are promising though, because that new platform means the front axle has been moved forward 154mm compared with the current car, so the engine now sits further back in the chassis. And those cars with quattro four-wheel drive now have a 40:60 front:rear torque split to more closely mimic the behaviour of a rear-driver. Well, that's the idea anyway. There is also a whole host of gadgets and acronyms that Audi claims makes the car a sportier drive, though like the techno-laden BMW M5 they may stop us seeing the wood for the trees. For instance, if you spec the MMI control system, as well as comfort, auto and dynamic settings for the suspension, the fourth ‘individual’ mode allows you to twiddle with 24 different settings to personalise your set-up. Other gadgets include a take on BMW’s Active Steer system, a reversing camera, a blind spot warning system and another to warn you if you change lanes without indicating.
Looks like an A5 inside too!
Indeed it does, and like every new car these days Audi claims the A4 is more spacious, safer and stiffer than its predecessor. So it should be. At 4703mm long and 1826mm wide, it’s a substantial 117mm longer and 54mm wider. The good news, however, is that Audi claims the new A4 is lighter, although it's not backed this up with hard stats yet. The only figure we have is that the new 1.8 TFSI will weigh 1410kg; but the outgoing 1.8 T is 1390kg. We still need to be convinced... Blame that extra weight on extra equipment including standard air-con (on a compact exec! Whatever next?) and a 6.5-inch black-and-white screen. Also standard are six airbags while a larger colour sat-nav screen and swivelling headlamps are optional extras. Also on the options list are vented seats with a built-in safety function that switches the heater on so you don’t freeze anything off. There is more space inside, both for bodies and baggage. The electro-mechanical handbrake frees up space, and the boot can hold 480 litres, five more than the Merc C-class. The A4 is available in four trim levels: Attraction, Ambition, Ambiente and sporty S line.
So what’s under the bonnet?
At launch in November (on the Continent), the new A4 will be available with five engines – two petrol and three diesel. In the gasoline corner are a 1.8 TFSI (158bhp, 39.8mpg) and a 3.2 FSI (261bhp, 30.7mpg). Diesel lovers can pick a 2.0-litre four-pot and two related V6s (2.7 and 3.0-litre). The four-cylinder engine comes with 141bhp and 51.4mpg. The 3.2 petrol and 3.0 diesel come with Quattro four-wheel drive; the 2.7 TDI is only available with front-wheel drive and a CVT ‘box. Daytime running lights come as standard on the A4 - they're fast becoming a feature across the whole Audi range. At the back all models get straight tailpipes. And when you’re looking at the back of the A4 you can also see the taillights which Audi preposterously claims ‘create a visual relationship with the road’. Quite.
Indeed it does, and like every new car these days Audi claims the A4 is more spacious, safer and stiffer than its predecessor. So it should be. At 4703mm long and 1826mm wide, it’s a substantial 117mm longer and 54mm wider. The good news, however, is that Audi claims the new A4 is lighter, although it's not backed this up with hard stats yet. The only figure we have is that the new 1.8 TFSI will weigh 1410kg; but the outgoing 1.8 T is 1390kg. We still need to be convinced... Blame that extra weight on extra equipment including standard air-con (on a compact exec! Whatever next?) and a 6.5-inch black-and-white screen. Also standard are six airbags while a larger colour sat-nav screen and swivelling headlamps are optional extras. Also on the options list are vented seats with a built-in safety function that switches the heater on so you don’t freeze anything off. There is more space inside, both for bodies and baggage. The electro-mechanical handbrake frees up space, and the boot can hold 480 litres, five more than the Merc C-class. The A4 is available in four trim levels: Attraction, Ambition, Ambiente and sporty S line.
So what’s under the bonnet?
At launch in November (on the Continent), the new A4 will be available with five engines – two petrol and three diesel. In the gasoline corner are a 1.8 TFSI (158bhp, 39.8mpg) and a 3.2 FSI (261bhp, 30.7mpg). Diesel lovers can pick a 2.0-litre four-pot and two related V6s (2.7 and 3.0-litre). The four-cylinder engine comes with 141bhp and 51.4mpg. The 3.2 petrol and 3.0 diesel come with Quattro four-wheel drive; the 2.7 TDI is only available with front-wheel drive and a CVT ‘box. Daytime running lights come as standard on the A4 - they're fast becoming a feature across the whole Audi range. At the back all models get straight tailpipes. And when you’re looking at the back of the A4 you can also see the taillights which Audi preposterously claims ‘create a visual relationship with the road’. Quite.
What else?
The current 2.0-litre petrol A4 cost £75 shy of £20k. So you can expect the 1.8 TFSI to just nudge past the 20 grand milestone when it goes on sale in the UK early next year. Up next after the A4 saloon will be an A4 Avant (nee estate), and a Q5 4x4. Audi is also readying an RS6 so neither an RS5 nor RS4 will be around for a while yet, though knowing how good the current RS4 is, we can’t wait for both cars.
The current 2.0-litre petrol A4 cost £75 shy of £20k. So you can expect the 1.8 TFSI to just nudge past the 20 grand milestone when it goes on sale in the UK early next year. Up next after the A4 saloon will be an A4 Avant (nee estate), and a Q5 4x4. Audi is also readying an RS6 so neither an RS5 nor RS4 will be around for a while yet, though knowing how good the current RS4 is, we can’t wait for both cars.
