Offerings from Audi build on past success
New A4 and S4 sedans and e-tron SUV concept boast performance, efficiency
FRANKFURT, GERMANY— Audi’s corporate slogan, or branding statement if you will, is vorsprung durch technik, which means advancement through technology in English.
Judging by what the company revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show, it also means high performance, efficiency and rapidly advancing technology.
Exhibit A is the all-new 2017 Audi A4, which comes as a gas and dieselpowered sedan, an Avant (wagon), an e-tron plug-in hybrid, a g-tron natural gas version (not likely to land on our shores anytime soon) and a spicy sports sedan variant, the S4.
Not messing too much with a good thing is key for Audi with the A4, a car that is its bestselling vehicle worldwide and the one that is often most closely associated with the brand, particularly in places such as Canada.
As a result, the new A4 — scheduled to go on sale beginning in the spring, with the S4 to follow later next year — bears a strong resemblance to the outgoing car. There are changes aplenty, but they don’t reveal themselves until closer inspection.
The production version of the S4, revealed publicly for the first time, provides a good example of the evolutionary path.
On the outside, the car sports a taught and more creased look with slightly revised front and rear ends. Up front, the trapezoidal single-frame grille that adorns all Audis remains prominent and is flanked by new LED headlights.
Aluminum housings cover the side mirrors and the rear features other trim details to set the S4 apart from its A4 siblings: a black honeycomb grille, an S-style diffuser clip and quad exhaust outlets. LED tail lights and dynamic turn signals are also part of the standard kit.
Under the hood, Audi’s revised 3.0litre turbocharged TSFI V6 engine is mated to an 8-speed dual clutch automatic that puts power to all four wheels through Audi’s venerable Quattro all-wheel drive. Peak power output jumps to 354 horsepower (from 333) and torque increases to 368.8 lb.-ft. (from 325). The extra power lowers the 0-100 km/h time to 4.7 seconds from 5.1.
The Quattro’s self-locking centre differential remains rear-biased, de- livering 60 per cent of engine torque to the rear axle under normal driving conditions. It can jump to 70 per cent to 85 per cent depending on operating conditions.
Despite the jump in performance, Audi is claiming the new S4 will deliver impressive efficiency. European testing has pegged its average fuel economy at less than 7.4 L/100 km.
While the A4/S4 is all about Audi’s present, the e-tron Quattro SUV concept is all about the future.
Foreshadowing what’s to come, the sleek, electric-powered concept has a projected range of more than 500 kilometres with a drag co-efficient of 0.25.
Power will be delivered by three electric motors, one that drives the front axle, while two others power the rear. Total power output is pegged at 429 horsepower and 590 lb.-ft. of torque. Charging from a 150 kW source is projected to take about 50 minutes.
Because it’s an Audi, it also delivers impressive performance, covering 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds with a top speed of 210 km/h.
Audi says we can expect to see a production version of the e-tron Quattro in 2018. Freelance writer Lee Bailie is a frequent contributor to Toronto Star Wheels. Travel and other expenses for this story were paid by Audi. To reach him, email wheels@thestar.ca and put his name in the subject line.