Driving Impressions

The A4 is Audi's counterpoint to the BMW 3 Series, and to a lesser degree, the Acura TL. As such, it's clearly competitive in the quantifiable, objective measures. Much of the subjective and visceral is present and accountable, too. Even where it follows a different track, it doesn't stray too far. But in one, hugely significant measure, it's far ahead. The TL comes only in front-wheel drive. The 3 Series now offers all-wheel drive, but Audi's quattro system is almost legendary and remains the benchmark in sporty sedan all-wheel drive. Both engines employ the latest technology in engine management, phased intake runners and variable valve timing, to boost horsepower and flatten the torque curve, making the power more usable over a wide range of speeds and the engine more responsive to the driver's right foot. Both engines use a new type of fuel injection called direct injection, which pumps the fuel directly into the cylinder, instead of into the intake runner where it would haphazardly mix with the air on the way to the engine cylinders. This new system allows more precise metering of the fuel and the timing of its introduction as well as a better blending of the fuel and air, all of which combines to yield more efficient combustion. With this system, both of the A4 engines not only make more horsepower and more torque than last year's, but also get the same or better fuel economy. Of the two engines offered in the A4, the smoother, more refined is the V6. But all anybody really needs today is the turbocharged four-cylinder. And while traditionalists will swear by the six-speed manual transmission, the Tiptronic is almost as responsive and by far the more accommodating in day-to-day traffic. The Multitronic CVT with the four-cylinder and front-wheel drive is a competent package, but it's a combination that doesn't deliver what we look for in an A4. Nor are any of the other combinations perfect. The Tiptronic falls short in the sporty, manu-matic game. An algorithm in the powertrain management computer shifts up a gear when that will put the engine at the optimum point in the torque curve, and a button beneath the gas pedal shifts down a gear when mashed, say, when passing on a grade. This is all fine and good as far as an impressive application of computerization is concerned, but it mocks the Tiptronic's promise of a manual-override automatic. In practice, the downshift is occasionally helpful, but the upshift is truly disconcerting when it occurs in the midst of a corner. On the other hand, it works great for holding a lower gear on a grade. The four cylinder suffers some turbo lag, more noticeably with the Tiptronic than with the manual, as with the former the engine management system instead of the driver's right foot controls engine speed during acceleration. The shift throws in the manual could be shorter, and the path from second gear to third gear is a bit notchy. Steering response is crisp, with comforting directional stability. Brakes, though, are difficult to manage, almost as if all the electronic assist systems confuse each other. Stopping power is impressive, and we noticed no fade, but smooth stops are nigh impossible, as the brake pads seem to continue pressing against the discs even as the pressure on the pedal is eased. Ride and handling with the base suspension is firm, not stiff; the optional sport suspension tends more toward stiff, almost harsh, although not quite in the kidney-belt range. With either, there's little pogoing over undulating pavement on fast and narrow winding roads. Quick left-right-left transitions are handled with finesse, in the Avant, too. The V6 models, which weigh in about 150 pounds heavier, feel a mite less agile and a tick or two slower in response to driver inputs. All models, both sedan and Avant, and regardless of powertrain, feel planted and confident at speed, even into the low three digits. Wind and road noise

Final Word

The all-new Audi A4 is fun and spirited, if not quite fully satisfying in some mostly minor ways. It's a bit pricey, but not uncompetitively so. It delivers plenty of power, respectable gas mileage for its class, state-of-the-art sound and, above all, quattro all-wheel drive. That makes it hard to beat. New Car Test Drive correspondent Tom Lankard filed this report from Tucson, Arizona.