Audi reinvented itself with the first-generation A4 back in the mid-1990s. Replacing the forgettable 80, the A4 went down in Audi history as the model that single-handedly kept the boys and girls in Ingolstadt employed. So after two successful generations, where does Audi go with its third-gen model?
What is it?
The A4 is Audi ’s entry-level sedan, and it’s totally redesigned for 2009. If you’re a few years out of college and just landed your first “real†job, this is the car Audi wants you to buy. If your last child is a few years out of college, and you can finally think about getting a nicer car without worrying about room for offspring, the A4 also may be for you.
What’s it up against?
The A4’s main competition is a familiar grouping, consisting of the BMW 3-Series and the Mercedes C-Class. Infiniti’s G37 would like some consideration, as would Cadillac’s CTS.
Any breakthroughs?
Much like the 2009 A5 we reviewed in last year, the A4 rides on Audi’s new, super flexible MLP (Modular Longitudinal Platform) chassis architecture. This platform is designed to allow the powertrain to be set farther back behind the front axle, which creates a more even weight distribution and less understeer.
Another feature we liked on the A5, Audi Drive Select, graces the dash of this ’09 A4. The steering, suspension, throttle tip-in and transmission shifts points are all adaptable to your driving style. Press dynamic and your steering and suspension firm up while your throttle and shift response get more aggressive. Hit comfort mode and you’ll receive just the opposite. Select auto mode and you’re at the mercy of the computer to decide what settings you need.
During our one-week affair with the A4, it was more than just a little impressive how comfort mode smoothed out the bumpy roads around Metro Detroit that are in such bad repair that one colleague describes them as “returning to nature.â€
Audi Side Assist is Ingolstadt’s version of blind spot monitoring. Orange lights in the side mirror housing will light up to varying degrees depending on how close a car is to your rear. Generally we like the system, but on more than one occasion, Side Assist alerted us to a car in our blind spot that just wasn’t there. Our only guess is that it may have been “seeing†a snow bank two lanes to our right.
How does it look?
Some people like to say the A4 is a four-door A5. Well, no. The schnoz of the A4 is cribbed from the A5. Once past the nose, the A4 just doesn’t have the desperately beautiful, curvaceous body of the A5. That’s not to say the A4 looks dull, just not as exciting as its two-door brother.
A pair of sweeping character lines runs the length of the car, flowing from fender to fender, anchoring the artistically sculpted sheet metal. Once you reach the very rear of the A4, however, you’re again in familiar territory with an almost carbon copy of the A5’s posterior.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Audi’s “angry brows,†aka LED daytime running lights. While the A5’s LEDs are strictly angular, the A4’s lights are curved. It’s still a very unique, mean design element that you won’t see anywhere else on the road. When you order your A4, don’t you dare opt for the base level, “Premium†trim or you will find yourself without the bespoke headlights.
The short and sweet version is this: They look badass.
Too bad they’ll show up on just about everything else in due time, just like the fancy interior digs that defined the A4 from the start.
And on the inside?
Audi has a long-standing tradition of clean, well-executed interiors that use high quality materials. That tradition certainly isn’t broken with the A4, and we’re not sure we need to say a lot more than that.
If you’re tired of drowning in black and aluminum interiors, opt for the lighter Cardamom Beige with Ash wood trim. With the modest aluminum trim around the dash, door panels and shifter, you’ll be breathing a sigh of relief from the status quo.
The one downside inside may be the base level seats. Comfortable? Absolutely, but something a little less flat sure would be nice. You’ll have to opt for one of the “Sport†packages or the “S-Line†package for seats you can really sink into.
But does it go?
To find out, we took the A4 a few clicks outside of Jackson, Michigan, where civilization gets sparse and the roads get curvy. A place where the scenery consists of a deer processing station, trailer parks, cows, and a correctional facility for low-risk prisoners. We’re probably lucky we didn’t end up in the latter.
Don’t let the fact that the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, turbocharged motor in our test car is the smallest motor in the A4 lineup fool you. It’s no slouch and can still get you into trouble (the good kind.) It can also get you to 60 mph in the mid-six second range with almost no turbo lag to slow your sprint. That’s almost half a second quicker than its BMW 328i xDrive rival.
With about 99 out of every 100 A4s sold in the United States equipped with the 2.0T, it’s no shock that Audi decided to can the V6 option, at least until a direct-injected version arrives.
Another reason you might go for the 2.0T instead of the V6 is the smaller motor’s 258 lb-ft. of torque, a number slightly, and surprisingly, higher than the V6’s 243 lb-ft. rating. Don’t forget that this turbo 2.0 is also a very tunable, mod-friendly platform for those so-inclined.
The smaller engine also means less weight hanging over the front of the car, which, in turn, means more precise handling and less understeer.
That is not to say that understeer has been eliminated completely. It did pop up a few times, though to be fair, on the most offensive occasion, my corner entry speed was a little, let’s say, optimistic. Even then a quick dab of brake brought everything back in line quickly.
While it was nice to have Audi Drive Select onboard this A4, we definitely missed the firmer, sport suspension from the S-Line package we experienced on the A5. Body roll was a little more prevalent than we would have liked. On the brighter side, turn-in still feels sharp and Quattro all-wheel-drive inspires confidence when bolting from the corner exit.
Audi’s six-speed Tiptronic transmission still gets the job done with smooth, fairly quick shifts, though, we feel like it’s getting a little long in the tooth. It’s not that it performs poorly, but it could be faster. A week before driving the A4, a Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, with its TC-SST transmission, was in this writer’s driveway. If a $27,000 Ralliart can have a far superior dual clutch transmission, why can’t this $46,675 Audi have one?
Why you would buy it:
The LED daytime running lights sucked you in and it’s faster than the BMW 328i xDrive and probably better looking. Opt for the 2.0T, toss in an engine ECU re-map or chip, and you’ll be making power well above spec. We’re not responsible for warranty glitches, of course.
Why you wouldn’t:
To many buyers, the A4 is a lot of coin for a four-banger. Go easy on those options.
Leftlane’s bottom line
Though it has grown in size and price, the third-generation A4 is a worthy successor to the car that helped get Audi back on its feet. Though our tester was equipped more like a luxo-barge than a sports sedan, it’s impossible to ignore the corner-hugging soul that seems built into the A4. You can’t go wrong here.
2009 Audi A4 Sedan 2.0 T quattro Tiptronic base price, $32,700. As tested, $46,675.
Prestige package, $7,300; Audi Drive Select, $2,950; Navigation, $2,500; Ash Almond Beige wood inlays, $400; Destination, $825.
Words and photos by Chris Doane.
