Audi revealed a redesigned A4 sedan for the 2008 model year, which has been updated to share many design cues with the new A5 coupe, the A4's two-door sibling. It's also much larger and more powerful, too. It targets the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

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The new C-Class and 3-Series rival is 185 inches long - 4.5 inches longer than the previous A4, seven inches longer than its BMW counterpart, and four inches longer than its Mercedes rival. The new A4 is also wider, at 71.9 inches. It exceeds the 3-Series in width by a fraction of an inch, while surpassing the C-Class by two inches and the previous A4 by just as much.

The proportions have a new balance compared with the previous model: the front body overhang has been considerably reduced and the bonnet and wheelbase are now noticeably longer. A long, coupe-style roof line meets the side sections of the body at an almost invisible zero-gap joint.

The car's wheelbase has grown to 110.6 inches, while interior space has increased by nearly an inch. Rear passenger knee room has grown 1.5 inches to a respectable 35.75 inches. Compare to the C-Class and 3-Series, the new A4's wheelbase is two inches greater.
New "Xenon Plus" headlights feature daytime driving lights that consist of 14 white LEDs.

The A4's new body shell is 10 percent lighter than the outgoing model, despite being much larger. Overall weight is up very slightly, but more efficient engines mean fuel economy is better across the board.

The new 3.2 FSI is the most powerful engine available in the new A4. It develops 265 hp and also delivers 243 lb-ft of torque all the way from 3000 to 5000 rpm. The car accelerates with a manual gearbox from a standstill to 62 mph in only 6.2 seconds. As an alternative from 2008 onwards, this engine can be combined with the 6-speed tiptronic automatic transmission.

The smaller of the two gasoline engines, the compact four-cylinder 1.8 TFSI, delivers 160 horsepower and peak torque of 184 pound-feet.

The three diesels for the new Audi A4 are two V6 units and a four-cylinder inline engine. The 3.0 liter mill delivers 240 hp and and 369 pound-feet of torque from 1500 rpm to 3000 rpm. The 2.7 TDI engine offers 190 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque between 1400 and 3250 rpm. The four-cylinder powerplant serves up 143 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque between 1750 and 2500 rpm.