Vorsprung springs back
AMAZINg to think that 25 years have passed since the first Audi A4 hit the road in 1994. And over that quarter century the saloon and Avant estate versions of the A4 have become the german car firm’s biggest selling model ever, shifting more than 7.5million globally and 576,000 in the uK — despite the popularity of suVs. so with the new ‘69’ plate looming on september 1 I’ve just been driving the ninth generation A4 across the scenic Cotswolds ahead of first uK deliveries next month, taking on strong competition from BMW and Mercedes.
styling has been sharpened up to make it look more dynamic and athletic. every body-panel, except for the roof, bonnet and boot lid, is new. Priced from £30,750 and available in 12 colours, the full A4 and s4 range has a total of seven turbocharged engines — three petrol and four diesel — with four-wheel drive ‘quattro’ options. For the
standard A4 there are five trim levels: technik, sport, s-Line, Black edition and the range topping Vorsprung — with a choice of 6-speed manual and 7-speed automatic (with manual override paddles).
the sportier s4 has three trims — s4 quattro, Black edition and Vorsprung — with the eightspeed tiptronic transmission.
Families and executives seeking a sensibly practical and frugal option will go for the 150 horsepower front-wheel drive A4 35 tFsI sport s-tronic — expected to be the biggest seller.
It is powered by a 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol engine linked to a smooth seven-speed automatic gear-box and features a mild hybrid system linked to the car’s 12v electrics. Running on 17in wheels it is aimed at nononsense customers who want a smart but sensible set of wheels that look good, perform well, but keep the fuel bills down.
It’s a civilised and comfortable drive, priced from £33,050.
the biggest change under the skin, however, is that the s4 versions of the A4 compact saloon and estate have ditched all petrol options in favour of a ‘greener’ all-diesel ‘mild hybrid’ line-up.