2002 A4 review by 'What Car' (Long)
11-02-2000, 01:24 PM
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2002 A4 review by 'What Car' (Long)
<center><img src="http://www.whatcar.com/magazine/ArticleTemplates/ArticleGraphics/wc0010-2600-audia4-200.jpg"></center><p>Audi A4 - WhatCar? Verdict
It will be interesting to see how Audi goes about advertising the new A4 when it comes to the UK next spring. The current model has always been portrayed as a mature, thinking driver's car compared to the brasher, flashier image of the
rival BMW 3-series. You might remember the A4 TV ad. A bloke wearing a sharp suit and braces, having been for a test drive, tells the salesman: `Nah, not really me. Know what I mean?'
The newcomer probably won't be to the tastes of people like that, either, for it has the same non-aggressive presence as its predecessor, albeit with a totally new look. Anyone who dismisses it purely on perceived image is doing themself a disservice, however.
Despite the understated first impression it gives, there's real ability in its make-up. Those things that don't work so well in the current car, such as its driving dynamics and rear cabin space, have been largely put to rights. Those that are strengths, not least the class-leading standards of assembly and trim, remain.
It is virtually an all-new car. The platform around which it is built, the five engines that will be available at launch, two of the three gearboxes and large chunks of the suspension have never been seen in an A4 before. The overall length has grown by 2.5 inches, only half of which goes into the wheelbase, but with the restyled, repackaged body this is enough to liberate much more rear legroom. Active and passive safety equipment has been upgraded, too.
Despite liberal use of aluminium, the new A4 has piled on weight: it's up to 110 kilos heavier than the old car, which means that in most cases fuel economy has worsened. But Four of the engines deliver superior performance to those they replace.
The line-up starts with a 2.0-litre 130bhp four-cylinder petrol unit. This is the one engine that requires less fuel than its immediate predecessor, despite being 200cc larger and 5bhp more powerful. The entry level turbodiesel, based on the familiar 1.9-litre engine block but fuelled by the Volkswagen Group's latest high-pressure injectors, also delivers 130bhp. However, what's most impressive is its 212lb ft of pull (a record for a four-cylinder engine) at just 1750rpm.
Despite the thundering mid-range performance it's only fractionally thirstier and worse for carbon dioxide emissions than the old 115bhp TDi motor. All other engines produce less CO2 than those they replace, which will please company-car drivers bearing in mind that the car they choose now will be subject to the new emissions-based tax regime which comes into force in April 2002.
The engine line-up is completed by the 150bhp 1.8 turbo - but a new, lower-emissions unit rather than the one in the current car - and two V6s, a 220bhp 3.0-litre petrol motor and a 180bhp 2.5 turbodiesel. A lesser-powered V6 turbodiesel and a replacement for the 2.4 petrol V6 are likely later. Front-wheel drive is the standard arrangement, but the quattro
four-wheel-drive system of the present car will be available, in which case you'll get a six-speed gearbox. Six gears will be optional with the front-drive cars, as will the continuously variable `multitronic' automatic borrowed from the A6.
However, the powertrains have rarely been the problem with Audis, although the extra smoothness of the manual shift on the five-speeder we tried is a change for the better. It's the chassis which has often let the side down. There's encouraging news on that score, though: the new car has a 45 per cent stiffer body making it easier for the suspension to do its job, and widespread use of aluminium in the suspension itself reduces unsprung weight and therefore the mass of car clattering over each bump and obstacle.
The rear suspension of all A4s is now based on that in the current quattro, which always performed better than that on the front-drive models, but even then the geometry at both ends is different with the aim of quickening the car's responses. A battery of traction and braking electronics is fitted to counter skids and slides, while
alloy wheels are standard - 15in on four-cylinder models and 16in on V6s, with 17in rims optional.
The effect of all this has been to raise the whole level of precision and control. The new A4 corners more fluently and rides undulations without the float and bounce that blights the current car. It's also kinder to its passengers over rough surfaces, though it is firmly set-up, something that's exaggerated by the 17in wheels fitted to the car we drove. Narrower tyres with deeper sidewalls ought to patter less.
There's still a hint of vagueness about the steering in a straight line, but it weights up nicely as you turn and alters the car's course swiftly. So far we've only tried the newcomer with the 3.0-litre engine and front-wheel drive, a combination that calls for the assistance of the traction aids when pressing on through tight turns. You'll notice the steering feedback disappear then, too. Mostly, though, Audi's newcomer is a really satisfying car to drive.
The 3.0 V6 pulls with impressive flexibility and sounds terrific under acceleration, though it's perhaps not as strong in the mid-range as you'd expect. A Volkswagen Passat turbodiesel we used as a camera car had no trouble keeping up until speeds topped 80mph, when the superior power of the Audi told. On the motorway it's very refined until you're some way beyond speeds that are legal here. Then both engine and wind noise make themselves heard. There's also a hint of roughness in the engine above 5000rpm.
The car looks like a scaled-down version of the A6, with the same absence of fuss about the shape or clutter in the detailing, and just the right amount of chrome trim.
We think it's stunningly appealing. Like the A6, it's a saloon, but the curve of the rear roof and the shortness of the boot deck make it look as though it could be a hatch. If that's what you want, a new Avant estate arrives in about 12 months.
With the longer wheelbase, the rear doors are no longer cut around the arches, making it easier for stiffer-jointed passengers to get aboard. By far the biggest benefit, though, is the extra rear legroom (about 1.5in more) which means you now step rather than wriggle in. There's also more head, elbow and shoulder space front and rear, though the wide central tunnel to accommodate the extra propshaft of the quattro versions effectively restricts the back to two people only. The
rear-seat backrest is split, the two portions folding down individually to expand a well-proportioned, 15.7cu ft boot. The enlarged floor space is not flat, however.
The interior is pure Audi, superbly built and with a distinctive character. The look of this one is much like the old A4's -
a dash sliced in half by a stripe of what may be wood (we couldn't quite make up our minds whether it was genuine), the tapering centre console with its orderly stack of stereo and climate control switches, and the logic of the whole thing. In dark grey, the A4 does come across as a mite stuffily-dressed, but we're told there are lighter tones on offer which lift the mood.
You certainly can't fault how well it all works, typified by the cupholder, business-card tray and cigarette lighter, which glide out of their recesses with that soft action now being copied by all and sundry. The driving position is superb
and there's a suitable range of adjustment to both wheel and seat. Visibility isn't quite in the same league, though, mainly due to the thickness of the roof pillars.
Most things are exactly where you'd hope to find them, but the one disappointment is the unimaginative lack of oddment space. There's nowhere suitable for your mobile phone, CD cases, sunglasses or a hard-backed atlas - not everybody wants to splash out on a built-in phone kit or satellite navigation system.
Details of the car at launch are currently sketchy, other than that it will be here some time in spring. But the current car offers four-wheel drive on all but the least powerful petrol and diesel engines, plus specific models with sports suspension, so expect something similar again.
Standard fitments will definitely include six airbags (two front, two side and curtains running the length of the cabin at each side) plus crash-severity sensors which detect how to deploy the front two, traction and braking anti-skid electronics, climate control with separate left-right temperature settings, and alloy wheels. New options include a voice-activated in-car phone.
Verdict
Even the current A4 could not be entirely overlooked because of the quality of its interior and its ability to retain almost half of its value over three years, but it held little appeal for buyers needing rear-seat space or who put the accent on driving dynamics. The new one presents a much stronger case for itself - on any grounds you care to mention.
Roger Stansfield
It will be interesting to see how Audi goes about advertising the new A4 when it comes to the UK next spring. The current model has always been portrayed as a mature, thinking driver's car compared to the brasher, flashier image of the
rival BMW 3-series. You might remember the A4 TV ad. A bloke wearing a sharp suit and braces, having been for a test drive, tells the salesman: `Nah, not really me. Know what I mean?'
The newcomer probably won't be to the tastes of people like that, either, for it has the same non-aggressive presence as its predecessor, albeit with a totally new look. Anyone who dismisses it purely on perceived image is doing themself a disservice, however.
Despite the understated first impression it gives, there's real ability in its make-up. Those things that don't work so well in the current car, such as its driving dynamics and rear cabin space, have been largely put to rights. Those that are strengths, not least the class-leading standards of assembly and trim, remain.
It is virtually an all-new car. The platform around which it is built, the five engines that will be available at launch, two of the three gearboxes and large chunks of the suspension have never been seen in an A4 before. The overall length has grown by 2.5 inches, only half of which goes into the wheelbase, but with the restyled, repackaged body this is enough to liberate much more rear legroom. Active and passive safety equipment has been upgraded, too.
Despite liberal use of aluminium, the new A4 has piled on weight: it's up to 110 kilos heavier than the old car, which means that in most cases fuel economy has worsened. But Four of the engines deliver superior performance to those they replace.
The line-up starts with a 2.0-litre 130bhp four-cylinder petrol unit. This is the one engine that requires less fuel than its immediate predecessor, despite being 200cc larger and 5bhp more powerful. The entry level turbodiesel, based on the familiar 1.9-litre engine block but fuelled by the Volkswagen Group's latest high-pressure injectors, also delivers 130bhp. However, what's most impressive is its 212lb ft of pull (a record for a four-cylinder engine) at just 1750rpm.
Despite the thundering mid-range performance it's only fractionally thirstier and worse for carbon dioxide emissions than the old 115bhp TDi motor. All other engines produce less CO2 than those they replace, which will please company-car drivers bearing in mind that the car they choose now will be subject to the new emissions-based tax regime which comes into force in April 2002.
The engine line-up is completed by the 150bhp 1.8 turbo - but a new, lower-emissions unit rather than the one in the current car - and two V6s, a 220bhp 3.0-litre petrol motor and a 180bhp 2.5 turbodiesel. A lesser-powered V6 turbodiesel and a replacement for the 2.4 petrol V6 are likely later. Front-wheel drive is the standard arrangement, but the quattro
four-wheel-drive system of the present car will be available, in which case you'll get a six-speed gearbox. Six gears will be optional with the front-drive cars, as will the continuously variable `multitronic' automatic borrowed from the A6.
However, the powertrains have rarely been the problem with Audis, although the extra smoothness of the manual shift on the five-speeder we tried is a change for the better. It's the chassis which has often let the side down. There's encouraging news on that score, though: the new car has a 45 per cent stiffer body making it easier for the suspension to do its job, and widespread use of aluminium in the suspension itself reduces unsprung weight and therefore the mass of car clattering over each bump and obstacle.
The rear suspension of all A4s is now based on that in the current quattro, which always performed better than that on the front-drive models, but even then the geometry at both ends is different with the aim of quickening the car's responses. A battery of traction and braking electronics is fitted to counter skids and slides, while
alloy wheels are standard - 15in on four-cylinder models and 16in on V6s, with 17in rims optional.
The effect of all this has been to raise the whole level of precision and control. The new A4 corners more fluently and rides undulations without the float and bounce that blights the current car. It's also kinder to its passengers over rough surfaces, though it is firmly set-up, something that's exaggerated by the 17in wheels fitted to the car we drove. Narrower tyres with deeper sidewalls ought to patter less.
There's still a hint of vagueness about the steering in a straight line, but it weights up nicely as you turn and alters the car's course swiftly. So far we've only tried the newcomer with the 3.0-litre engine and front-wheel drive, a combination that calls for the assistance of the traction aids when pressing on through tight turns. You'll notice the steering feedback disappear then, too. Mostly, though, Audi's newcomer is a really satisfying car to drive.
The 3.0 V6 pulls with impressive flexibility and sounds terrific under acceleration, though it's perhaps not as strong in the mid-range as you'd expect. A Volkswagen Passat turbodiesel we used as a camera car had no trouble keeping up until speeds topped 80mph, when the superior power of the Audi told. On the motorway it's very refined until you're some way beyond speeds that are legal here. Then both engine and wind noise make themselves heard. There's also a hint of roughness in the engine above 5000rpm.
The car looks like a scaled-down version of the A6, with the same absence of fuss about the shape or clutter in the detailing, and just the right amount of chrome trim.
We think it's stunningly appealing. Like the A6, it's a saloon, but the curve of the rear roof and the shortness of the boot deck make it look as though it could be a hatch. If that's what you want, a new Avant estate arrives in about 12 months.
With the longer wheelbase, the rear doors are no longer cut around the arches, making it easier for stiffer-jointed passengers to get aboard. By far the biggest benefit, though, is the extra rear legroom (about 1.5in more) which means you now step rather than wriggle in. There's also more head, elbow and shoulder space front and rear, though the wide central tunnel to accommodate the extra propshaft of the quattro versions effectively restricts the back to two people only. The
rear-seat backrest is split, the two portions folding down individually to expand a well-proportioned, 15.7cu ft boot. The enlarged floor space is not flat, however.
The interior is pure Audi, superbly built and with a distinctive character. The look of this one is much like the old A4's -
a dash sliced in half by a stripe of what may be wood (we couldn't quite make up our minds whether it was genuine), the tapering centre console with its orderly stack of stereo and climate control switches, and the logic of the whole thing. In dark grey, the A4 does come across as a mite stuffily-dressed, but we're told there are lighter tones on offer which lift the mood.
You certainly can't fault how well it all works, typified by the cupholder, business-card tray and cigarette lighter, which glide out of their recesses with that soft action now being copied by all and sundry. The driving position is superb
and there's a suitable range of adjustment to both wheel and seat. Visibility isn't quite in the same league, though, mainly due to the thickness of the roof pillars.
Most things are exactly where you'd hope to find them, but the one disappointment is the unimaginative lack of oddment space. There's nowhere suitable for your mobile phone, CD cases, sunglasses or a hard-backed atlas - not everybody wants to splash out on a built-in phone kit or satellite navigation system.
Details of the car at launch are currently sketchy, other than that it will be here some time in spring. But the current car offers four-wheel drive on all but the least powerful petrol and diesel engines, plus specific models with sports suspension, so expect something similar again.
Standard fitments will definitely include six airbags (two front, two side and curtains running the length of the cabin at each side) plus crash-severity sensors which detect how to deploy the front two, traction and braking anti-skid electronics, climate control with separate left-right temperature settings, and alloy wheels. New options include a voice-activated in-car phone.
Verdict
Even the current A4 could not be entirely overlooked because of the quality of its interior and its ability to retain almost half of its value over three years, but it held little appeal for buyers needing rear-seat space or who put the accent on driving dynamics. The new one presents a much stronger case for itself - on any grounds you care to mention.
Roger Stansfield
11-02-2000, 02:32 PM
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Oddment space... my sentiments exactly...
Because of the lack of oddment space, I've had my cell phone, glasses, lunch bag, cigarettes, and other loose items tossed around all over the car as I tossed my car all over the road. Definitely need more oddment space.
11-02-2000, 03:14 PM
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The new rear suspension helps elimate the annoying understeer...
that while predictable, kinda damps the driving fun. Also the steering has been improved to give a more precise and active feel. Although tons of fun, I have to admit I know EXACTLY what both reviews I've read meant about having to repeatedly adjust your line in corners in the current version. If after I drive one myself, I find the driving to be better in the '02 then I'll be getting one for sure. I don't have the aesthetic hangups others do.
11-02-2000, 03:32 PM
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Too bad new 1.8TQM has same power, same 5-speed, longer wheelbase and MORE weight...
than the original version. Like I've been saying, Audi IGNORED the 1.8TQM in this new design. They ignored the most popular, most sporting version with the largest base of enthusiasts, while the 30v gets an aluminum block , more displacement and power. Audi, how about a 225HP version of the 1.8T with a 6-speed?
11-02-2000, 03:46 PM
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Some suggestions...
*put the cell in the armrest
*put your glasses on
*buy lunch somewhere (P&J gets a little boring anyway)
*quit smoking
--and most importantly--
*stay in the left lane!
*put your glasses on
*buy lunch somewhere (P&J gets a little boring anyway)
*quit smoking
--and most importantly--
*stay in the left lane!
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11-02-2000, 04:24 PM
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Something doesn't seem right.
I compared several configs, 2002 vs 2001.
One was 100 pounds lighter, one 200 pounds lighter... the only time the 2002 was heavier was the 1.8T, which was only 27 pounds heavier. But I was comparing german figures vs US, maybe the car will get heavier when it comes to the US?
One was 100 pounds lighter, one 200 pounds lighter... the only time the 2002 was heavier was the 1.8T, which was only 27 pounds heavier. But I was comparing german figures vs US, maybe the car will get heavier when it comes to the US?
11-02-2000, 08:19 PM
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I think they got confused somehow, even Audi's press junket made a big deal out of the lower...
weights for the new, larger model. Someone trasposed their figures I suppose.
