Test drive Audi A4
The updated sedan has lost the most popular junior engine, but it definitely looks like a novelty and tries to at least keep up with modern electronic trends
A pocket smartphone can do more than the most expensive car media system, and this fact is very surprising in the era of universal digitalization. The automotive industry seems increasingly conservative and ponderous because the response to market changes, the speed of decision-making and the model refresh cycle do not always keep up with the frantic pace of technology and the economy.
Just a few days before the test drive of the new A4, I spoke with the engineers of a technology startup that offers various solutions in the field of multimedia systems and autonomous control. All of these guys unanimously argued that automakers are prohibitively slow.
Young engineers and electronics engineers are, of course, right that digitalization is going very aggressively. The nuance is that redrawing hardware is not as easy as writing new software, and getting a car to drive well is even more difficult. But, having found myself behind the wheel of a newly modernized Audi A4, every now and then I found confirmation of the thesis about the slowness of progress in the automotive industry.
The Audi interior looks a bit outdated already, although the model has been produced for no more than three years. There is still a button block for climate control, which has already been replaced with a sensor on the older A6 and A8 sedans. And the temperature displays on the adjusting handwheels generally seem to be an atavism. Although, to be completely honest, a couple of years ago I was absolutely delighted with them. Yes, spinners are convenient, but technology has changed our benchmarks very quickly.
However, Audi still tried to modernize the A4 interior a bit by integrating a new media system into the car. However, the 10,1-inch touchscreen sticking out above the low front panel looks somewhat alien - it seems as if someone simply forgot to remove their tablet from the holder. From an ergonomic point of view, it is also not very convenient. It is simply impossible for a short driver to reach the display without lifting the shoulder blades from the back of the seat. Although the screen itself is good: excellent graphics, logical menu, clear icons and instant reactions of virtual keys.
The new media system has added another pleasant detail to the interior. Since all control is now assigned to the screen, instead of the outdated MMI system washer, an additional box for small things appeared on the central tunnel. And the updated A4 has got a digital tidy with a very interesting design. But today, very few people can be surprised by this.
The surprise lay elsewhere. "There will be no more small 1,4 TFSI unit," the chief minder of the new A4 said at a press conference. From now on, the initial engines for the sedan are gasoline and diesel "fours" with a volume of 2 liters with a capacity of 150, 136 and 163 liters. with., which received the designations 35 TFSI, 30 TDI and 35 TDI, respectively. Up a notch are the 45 TFSI and 40TDI versions with 249 and 190 horsepower.
At the same time, all A4 versions now have so-called micro-hybrid installations. An additional circuit with a 12- or 48-volt circuit (depending on the version) is integrated into the on-board electrical network of all modifications, as well as an increased capacity battery, which is recharged when braking. It powers most of the vehicle's electrical systems and reduces engine stress. Accordingly, fuel consumption is also reduced.
Having tested the initial two-liter versions, I did not feel any fundamental differences from the previous version with the same motors. The additional power grid did not affect the vehicle's behavior in any way. Acceleration is smooth and linear, and the chassis, as before, seems refined to the limit. Comfort and handling remained at the proper level, and differences in the behavior of different versions depend on the type of suspension.
What really warmed me was the versions of the Audi S4. This is not a typo, there are really two of them now. The petrol version was supplemented with a diesel version with a three-liter "six", which has as many as three turbines, including one electric. Recoil - 347 liters. with. and as much as 700 Nm, which allows you to count on a very solid traction.
Such a car goes not just recklessly and incendiary, but in a sporty boldness. Thanks to the triple boost, the engine has no thrust dips throughout the entire operating rpm range. I don't want banal phrases, but the diesel S4 really picks up speed like a business jet: smoothly, smoothly and extremely fast. And in corners it holds up no worse than its petrol counterpart, except that adjusted for the barely noticeable stiffness of the suspension.
The intrigue is that in Europe the Audi S4 will now be offered only on heavy fuel without any indulgences on the topic of dieselgate. And the petrol version will only be available in large markets like China, the United States and the United Arab Emirates, where diesels are not in use at all. It would be superfluous to say that it is also good, but in direct comparison, the gasoline S4 seems a little more groovy and a little less convenient.
If the technical changes do not seem to be fundamental, it's time to pay attention to the appearance. And this is the very moment when an updated car can be sincerely confused with a new one. Given that each new generation of Audi models is not too different from the previous one, the current restyling could generally be timed to coincide with the generation change. Almost half of the body panels have been redesigned, the car has received new front and rear bumpers, fenders with a different stamping and doors with a lower belt line.
The perception of the car is also changed by a new false radiator grille. Moreover, its design, depending on the modification, has three different versions. On machines in the standard version, the cladding has horizontal strips, on the S-line and fast S4 versions, a honeycomb structure. The all-terrain Allroad gets chrome vertical gills in the style of all fresh Audi Q-line crossovers. And then there are completely new headlights - all-LED or matrix.
Sales of the updated Audi A4 family will start in the fall, but there are no prices yet, as well as there is no clarity about the exact form in which the model will reach Russia. There is a feeling that the Germans are not making big plans for our country, since the absence of a popular 1,4-liter engine in our country will not allow us to set an attractive price tag. Such a modification was a good entry ticket into the world of adult Audi sedans, which now seems to be gone. And in this sense, the new "treshka" BMW still looks a little more attractive.
| A type | Sedan |
| Dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 4762/1847/1431 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2820 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1440 |
| engine's type | Gasoline, R4 turbo |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 1984 |
| Max. power, l. with. (at rpm) | 150 / 3900-6000 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm) | 270 / 1350-3900 |
| Трансмиссия | RCP, 7 st. |
| Drive unit | Front |
| Acceleration to 100 km / h, from | 8,9 |
| Max. speed km / h | 225 |
| Fuel consumption (mixed cycle), l / 100 km | 5,5 – 6,0 Feet |
| Cargo space, l | 460 |
| Price from, USD | Not announced |
