Road Test: Audi’s slick A4 stays ahead of the curve

Audi’s new A4 could never be billed as a radical overhaul. And, in light grey, the test car did little to stand out on the rain-soaked roads in December.

In reality Audi was never going to mess too much with the recipe for its saloon success. It could have tried harder, but we understand its reticence to do so. It's a new A4 that couldn't be mistaken for anything else.

The most striking detail is in the front nose, which looks smart, but it struggles to make much of an impact with its rather strait-laced side profile. Frankly, rivals from BMW, Mercedes and even the new Jaguar XE seem to be more sharply styled. Yet that hasn't held back sales in the past, and you can be sure it will not do so in the future. The reality is that premium executive saloon buyers are as conservative as their mass-market counterparts.

A low score on the looks front belies a much more radical change underneath, where a new platform boasts 90 per cent new components. Before we get bogged down in the engineering detail, the big boon for Audi buyers remains the solid fit and finish, along with a cabin that rightly stands alongside luxury cars. It’s evident to even the most untrained eye that there has been an incredible level of attention put into the tactile quality, fit and finish of every curve, surface and button in the car. Recently, Mercedes closed the gap, but with the recent TT and now this car, the four-ringed brand has opened up a lead again.

Much is being made of Audi’s Virtual Cockpit these days, an impressive feature on the high-end TTs. The graphics are certainly impressive when you compare it to the standard analogue fare, though the idea of using a screen instead of regular dials is not new.

Shrink the dials

The ability to shrink the dials and blow up the Sat-Nav map, or go through the music library, is impressive, but again simply on a par with what you get from quality tablet computers these days. It’s smart, of a quality that’s in keeping with the rest of the cabin, but when you opt for the €2,500 Technology Pack it adds between €350 and €700 to the price, depending on the car’s equipment level. Judge for yourself whether it’s worth it for digital dials. Our test car didn’t feature the screen and it took nothing from the car.

Aside from its strength in build quality and finish, there’s decent legroom in the back, while the boot is deep enough to house a few suitcases and a chunky pram. Across the back you can get two childseats but there’s little room for anything else. As family cars go, the A4 is competent but not in the same sphere of ability as its sibling the Skoda Superb, for example.

The new underpinnings have also strengthened the car’s driving dynamics, though the BMW 3-Series remains the benchmark in this class, and in terms of driving fun and dynamics it’s still out in front. The A4 is no slouch and tackles corners and s-bends with agility and impressive grip. There’s a bit of jarring on bumpy roads even in comfort mode, but it’s pretty roll-free in bends. It’s certainly advanced from the outgoing version.

Focus on refinement

In keeping with Audi’s focus on refinement, engine noise is kept relatively muted – better, it would seem, than the BMW in this regard, though still a little rattly when running from cold.

Our car featured the best-selling 2-litre 150bhp diesel with six-speed manual transmission. It’s a strong performer, well matched to a relatively short-throw gearbox, although the lower gears can quickly run out of steam meaning that in slow-moving traffic you do a lot of changes between first and second. That said, the engine itself delivers a nice low-rev torque that makes the car feel nippy. For urban commuters the automatic DSG transmission really makes the most sense.

The 150bhp diesel carries the “ultra” tag as well, which means it delivers low emissions, in this case 106g/km with an official fuel economy figure of 4 l/100km (70.4mpg). Admittedly when you set the car on 19-inch alloys – as with the test car – the emissions rise to 111g/km and tax goes from €190 to €200.

And so we come to pricing. Being a premium car it’s no surprise that you are looking at €40,000 or more for a well-equipped version. However, a brief splurge on the options list quickly turned our €44,200 S Line into a €55,546 mortgage. Added features on our car included automatic climate control at €973, LED headlights for €1,692, and a business pack that features traffic sign recognition, lane assist, adaptive cruise control and parking sensors for €2,100. It’s surprising that these features aren’t standard on a car in this class. Similarly, it was surprising not to have heated seats even on the top-of- the-range S Line version. These will set you back €500 regardless of the spec level.

Win back buyers

The makers of premium saloons are hoping to win back buyers currently transfixed by mid-sized crossovers. A car like this offers ample reasons why buyers shouldn’t automatically make a beeline for the bulky SUV lookalikes. For a start it’s incredibly well built. It has the refinement levels one would expect from a car in this class, if lacking the odd feature we would have expected to be standard fit.

Price-conscious buyers will still get a bigger bang for their buck from the likes of the Skoda Superb, but badge snobbery is still strong among saloon buyers. Current Audi buyers will be impressed with how far the car has come from the outgoing model, while BMW and Mercedes buyers bored with the current fare will be pleasantly tempted.

It might not set new benchmarks in driving fun, but the new Audi A4 delivers across the board in a way that makes it a sensible choice. Lowdown: Audi A4 2.0 TDI 150bhp S Line

Engine: 2-litre diesel putting out 150bhp and 320Nm of torque from 1,500rpm

0-100km/h: 8.9 seconds

Top speed: 221km/h

Emissions (motor tax): 106 g/km (€190)

Fuel economy: 4 l/100km (70.4mpg)

Price: €44,200