Audi A4 Avant review (05/09/2012)
It is hard to blame Audi for that fact, though, especially as the generic look across its entire model range has been so successful in generating serious volume sales worldwide and also placing the marque at the top of the premium sales list here in Ireland, which is no mean achievement given the competition.
The A4 is, of course, a hugely important part of Audi’s success and this week we are testing the Avant version of the new machine. I have to say from the outset that it was a car which I liked immensely, but one which instilled in me a vague sense of unease.
Regular readers will know that your correspondent has long been an Audi fan and has owned quite a few of their products down the years. The A4 has long been a particular favourite and a two-litre turbodiesel quattro currently decorates the driveway chez moi.
One of the main attractions of the A4 for me has been the quattro system which has made Audi a legend among motoring enthusiasts. It provides a rock-solid driving proposition and genuine peace of mind when tackling a variety of driving challenges other than the day-to-day stuff.
Unfortunately for me — or Audi, depending on which way you look at it — the test car was a regular front-wheel drive model and I have
to say this is largely where the aforementioned disquiet emanated from. Having so recently driven several variants of BMW’s new 3 Series, and also having had much by way of praise to heap on the new C-Class from Mercedes, one felt that the A4 was going to have a lot to live up to. And so it turned out.
While there is no doubting the outright class of this car, and while one can only stand back and revel in the manner in which it has been put together — few, if any manufacturers do build quality as well as the Ingolstadt concern does — you’d nevertheless have to conclude that Audi is going to have a massive battle on its hands to maintain its stance at the head of the premium brand segment when it comes to the compact executive class.
Driving the ordinary A4 Avant felt a lot different from any quattro version and to a certain degree there was a feeling driving this car that you were operating without a safety net, such was the niggling feeling at the back of your mind that something was missing.
That said, the standard car now performs much better in the handling
department than its predecessor and undoubtedly this has much to do with the new platform on which the car is based.
This has allowed for a reduction in the front overhang due to a longer wheelbase and provides for more precise steering and a better chassis balance.
However, Audi’s decision to create a host of optional choices, such as their new Audi Drive Assist, was a little annoying. This is an option which only costs 275 and allows you to trick damper settings, steering weight and throttle response, as well as the shift points on those versions fitted with automatic transmission, which was not the case with the test car which had a manual ’box. It should, in my view, be standard.
While the driving dynamics have definitely been improved, I was left pondering whether or not the car in this guise was any better than its rivals, and the 3 Series in particular. The conclusion I arrived at was negative, albeit not by much.
It has to be said that Audi is not alone in making many of the attractive driver-oriented systems optional extras, but that does not make it right. BMW does exactly the same and I’d have the same criticism of them.
The engine is one we are very familiar with, the two litre turbodiesel outputting 177 bhp and capable of 0-100 kph in 8.4 second and a top speed of 213 kph. It will also return 4.7 l/100 km (59 mpg) over the combined cycle.
Elsewhere, the car is all but faultless and the quality of the interior, the excellence of the décor and the overall stoutness of the build quality are all part and parcel of why Audi is where it is today. Most of the opposition must weep every time they see a new Audi on the horizon, simply because they know they are going to find it hard to match.
Some might have problems with the off-set pedals which make the driving position slightly unusual, but I found myself completely at home in the cockpit and easily at one with my surroundings.
But again — and like many of its rivals — Audi is content to have a moderate standard spec while leaving many things you’d like to see as standard as cost options instead. The difference of nearly 9,000 in price between the standard version of the Avant and the model I tested, tells its own story.
I did like this car a lot and my loyalty to the brand remains undimmed, but I’d have to say the car I would buy and the one I tested would be two completely different animals.
