By Mark Kleis
Thursday, Oct 27th, 2011 @ 9:12 am

Looking to keep its strong-selling A4 lineup fresh, Audi has applied a handful of subtle and substantial touches across its entire A4 lineup for the latest model year, many of which will eventually be heading stateside.

As is often the case with Audi vehicles, at first glance you may not even notice any changes to the refreshed A4, A4 Avant of A4 allroad quattro, but Audi did in fact apply a thorough list of changes from front to back on each vehicle to bring even the most specific details in line with the rest of the current model range.

(More after video – Audi A4 allroad quattro)

For example, the entire front fascia, including the hood has been reworked down to the last minute detail, with tapering on the upper corners of the single frame grille, while the cross ribs and Audi rings are three-dimensionally highlighted. The front bumper gained angular air inlets for a more defined style, along with flat fog lamps, while the A4 allroad quattro gains unique round fog lights.

Look closely and you will also notice detail changes abound within the confines of the headlamp housings, adding a slight wave to the bottom edges as well. Audi has also added Xenon plus headlights to the option list, as are adaptive light and dynamic and static cornering lights.

Swing around back and you will find a very similar modernization of the details within the taillamps, which retain the same basic form, but gain new details within their borders. Added are a strip of LEDs, intended to tie-in to the headlamps – while below the bumper sees a reworking including a new diffuser.

Differences between A4 models
While the Europeans are quite familiar with the varying models within the Audi lineup, some may not be so familiar with model names such as “Avant” or the model-specific allroad quattro. The Avant model is simply a wagon variant of the A4, while the allroad quattro basically builds upon the Avant model and adds wide fender flares and gains more of an off-road style and function.

The A4 allroad is expected to come stateside along with the A4 Sedan and Avant models, starting in 2013.

Interior changes
Being luxury cars, the importance of a modern and elegant interior was certainly not forgotten in the refresh, says the German automaker. For example, the steering arm and the ignition key have been modified, while many new steering wheels with chrome and high-gloss inlays have been added, along with a leather sport steering wheel featuring a flat bottom.

Audi says the new finishes and changes make the operation more intuitive, not just serving cosmetic purposes. Functional changes includes the halving of buttons on the MMI navigation system from eight to four, along with the addition of a script function that has been integrated into the volume control dial.

Other interior functional tweaks include a re-working of how users operate the automatic transmission, heating and air conditioning system, Audi drive select and the multi-function steering wheel controls.

Leaving no stone unturned, Audi says it re-worked the entire interior color palette as well, sans black, along with the replacement of Valcona leather with Fine Nappa leather. The new A4 gains a single-piece cluster which is now styled to incorporate the inlays of the interior, which now includes Aluminum Trigon, walnut dark brown, fine grain ash natural and Beaufort oak plywood inlay.

What’s under the hood?
Powertrains seem to define the modern luxury car as much as the luxury appointments that it is tasked with lugging around, so for 2013 Audi has made updates throughout, increasing fuel economy and power alike. While Audi hasn’t fully specified which powertrains the U.S. will be given access to, we know the Europeans will have access to a total of 23 engine-transmission combinations.

In the A4 Sedan, optimal fuel economy is achieved with a 2.0-liter TDI that is food for 136 horsepower, achieving a highway rating of 56 miles per gallon on the easier European test cycle (U.S. gallon), while a more powerful 2.0-liter TDI variant produces 163 horsepower and drops just slightly to 53.46mpg. These engines can be had in the Sedan and Avant variants.

Three other four-cylinder TDI engines can be had in Europe, ranging from 120, to 143 to 177 horsepower, all available with the allroad quattro (except base model). If that isn’t powerful enough for you, there is a trio of V6 TDI units as well, starting with the 204 horsepower 3.0-liter unit (not available on allroad quattro), good for 48mpg on the Euro test, then a 245 horsepower variant as well. (Figures were not provided for the third variant).

What about gas engines?
One of the major changes for the 2013 Audi A4 lineup is the addition of a new 1.8-liter TFSI engine that can be had in the Sedan and Avant models. This engine is good for 170 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque, and still returns 42mpg on the Euro test (a nearly 20 percent improvement over the engine it replaces).

The base 1.8-liter engine is good for a less sporty 120 horsepower, which is joined by a 2.0-liter TFSI – the only gas engine available on the allroad quattro – that returns 211 horsepower. For those wanting peak horsepower, a 272 horsepower 3.0-liter V6 is available in the A4 lineup, while the S4 and S4 Avant have access to a 333 horsepower variant.

Transmission talk
To join the extensive list of engines is a wide range of transmissions, including a six-speed manual that comes standard on the Sedan and Avant models equipped with front-wheel drive. Quattro models come either with manual transmissions or the seven-speed S tronic transmission.

A4 allroad quattro models come either with the manual or S tronic, while other models also have an optional CVT transmission.

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