Audi have revealed their all-new A4 with both the saloon and the Avant being unveiled earlier this week as the German manufacturer hope to do-battle with rival models at BMW and Mercedes.
On the face of it, one of Audi’s most popular models doesn’t seem to have been altered a single bit, but bear with us – Audi HAVE made some changes and they are quite important.
This is the fifth generation model and due to the vehicle’s quality Audi have refrained from completely remodelling it’s style for a number of years. The A4 is far more lightweight with 120kg shaved off despite the vehicles length and width increasing. Boot capacity has been increased 15-litres on the Estate model to 505-litres but stays the same on the saloon model.
The subtle design tweaks include a more effacing grille that is certainly more distinctive than the current model. There’s also the small matter of the centre console and spacious dashboard which has been completely remodelled according to industry professionals. In terms of the design, it could be ‘wait and see’ job for most of us with Audi keeping some of their cards close to their chest about what exactly has changed on the vehicles outer side. There is expected to be a host of new trim levels on offer in conjuction with the interior’s facelift.
In relation to the engines Audi have made a number of changes to what was an already successful lineup. There will be three petrols (TFSI) and four diesels (TDI). An electric (E-Tron) engine is also expected to be available in the coming months. Starting at 148bhp and ending at a staggering 272bhp, the A4 will certainly have a bit of power in it’s reserves. If you’re looking towards the other end of the spectrum you’ll find the 2.0-litre TDI Ultra coming out on top with an incredible 95g/km of CO2. All of these engines will benefit from Audi’s traditional six-speed manual gearbox, but you can upgrade to seven, or even eight if you upgrade to 3.0-litre.
Audi have been very keen to show of the sheer amount of technology that this updated A4 will be showcasing. Some of the vast range of options will include a 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen system and tablets for passengers in the vehicles rear. After all, they don’t say “Vorsprung durch technik” for nothing. The main crux of it being the piloted driving which includes adaptive cruise control which is rumoured to make the A4 up to 10% more efficient but perhaps the stand-out feature is the traffic-jam assistance which will drive itself in speeds no higher than 40mph and the car will even drive itself as long as you don’t go hire than 8mph. Giant steps for the autonomous market which is only getting bigger and Audi continue to be an integral part of.
