At 4.73 meters long and with a wheelbase of 2.82 meters – the new Audi A4 has a confident stance on the road. A prominent horizontal line on the front and rear emphasises the car’s width. The flowing design with short lines communicates the sporty elegance of the brand.
The Single-frame grille is wide and low; the optionally available headlights in LED and Matrix LED technology (including dynamic turn indicators) make technology a visual trademark.
BrilliancIn its construction, the A4 adopts more lightweight materials than perhaps any other car in its segment—and a number of them above it. For example, some steering and transmission components and the rear-seat structure are made of magnesium, while the multilink front and rear suspension setups incorporate a large amount of aluminium.e On Demand.
Designed with the largest digital instrument cluster in its class, the A4 merges intelligence with convenience. Available features like the Audi virtual cockpit, traffic jam assist and head-up display keep our driving innovations at your command.
The A4 brings Audi’s excellent Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster, inductive phone charging, 30-hue ambient lighting, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto functionality. Its laundry list of driving aids includes Traffic Jam Assist (radar-based semi-autonomous driving up to 40 mph, including steering) and Exit Warning, which audibly and visually warns occupants exiting the car when an approaching motorist or bicyclist might strike an open door.
Powerful Four-cylinder Engine
The new Audi A4 has a groundbreaking innovation for the gasoline engine: The 2.0 TFSI ultra with 190 hp uses a new combustion method that makes it exceptionally efficient and allows the fuel consumption of 4.8 litres per 100 km and CO2 emissions of 109 g/km.
Braking System
Something that the A4 does very, very well is stop. With four-piston front and two-piston rear callipers, the A4’s brakes bite crisply and offer a brilliant feel. Much of the braking force is summoned near the top of the pedal travel, like many clampers of Teutonic origin, yet the pedal doesn’t feel like a rock on a stick; it travels and gives heaps of feedback along the way.
Returning to Dubai on the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, we explored the A4’s demeanour at speeds up to 140 mph—some 15 mph shy of its top speed—and found it to remain wholly unfazed. The steering generally remained comatose, and the ride stayed pleasant. However, the lack of wind noise at those speeds bordered on eerie, another indication of its general goodness as a luxury car.
On the back roads between Umm Al Quwain and Dubai , the TFSI engine proved impressively torquey and willing to rev to its power peak, and while turbo lag is minimal, mid-range throttle response is fabulous.
2017 Audi A4 comes with a new, smoother and more powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder (252 hp, 273 lb-ft of torque) that produces best-in-segment acceleration. Brakes and handling are also stand-outs, but driver engagement’s not enough.
Standard equipment includes a sunroof, a rear-view camera, leather seats, xenon headlights, power front seats, an auto-dimming mirror, 17-inch wheels, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Selecting the Premium Plus trim level adds LED headlights, 18-inch wheels, a 755-watt 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system, an anti-theft alarm, heated seats with memory, and the expensive-looking S-line body kit.
As with every Audi sedan, the A4 has most of its weight over its front wheels, a product of four-wheel drive and perching the engine ahead of the front-axle line. The Quattro four-wheel-drive system is set up to send 40 per cent of the torque to the front and the remainder rearward, but the system continuously adjusts the split, front to rear.
Ignoring the 12.3-inch LCD screen behind the perfectly sculpted three-spoke steering wheel is more complicated. Introduced on the TT, and now also on the Q7 and the R8, the display can be configured with either full-size or miniature gauges, and the background can show a detailed Google map or trip information.
Even in direct sunlight, the display remains as legible and crisp as accurate gauges. The rest of the interior is just as good, even when rendered in dull black. The A4 doesn’t try too hard; its luxury is born of expensive plastics, natural aluminium, artfully sculpted shapes, and switchgear that looks great and clicks satisfyingly in your hands. It’s a soothing interior, from the shifter that doubles as a handrest to the supportive sports seats.
Autos Community Ranking
Audi’s new A4 is a class leader in refinement, technology, and interior design in the final analysis. Its chassis dynamics and exterior haven’t made as giant a leap, but the car remains an adept, if secure, handler wrapped in an elegant four-door envelope. It doesn’t make much noise about it, but the A4 possesses a quiet competence that is as wonderful as it is easily misunderstood.
The well-rounded 2017 Audi A4 should be just-right for entry-level luxury sedan shoppers. It offers the same performance, efficiency, driving experience and interior quality (or better) as top-rated German rivals while boasting a lower price and easier-to-use electronics. Your heart and head should be equally pleased.
Specs
Exterior Design and Body
- Athletic proportions and sporty elegance;
- 4.73 meters long, 2.82-meter wheelbase, 1.84 meters wide, 1.43 meters high
- Optional LED headlights and matrix LED headlights with dynamic turn indicators
- Light body: weight reduced by up to 15 kilograms compared with the previous model
- Best drag coefficient in its class: 0.23 for the Sedan; aeronautics ensure peace on board
Interior
- The most extended interior and greatest shoulder width at the front compared with competitors
- Interior design with large decorative surfaces and continuous air vent strip; new colours and materials, spacious interior; LED interior lighting as standard equipment, first-class artistry.
- Most extensive range of lightweight seats amongst the premium competitors
- Automatic climate control with a new interface
- Optional LED interior lighting packages with colour-adjustable ambient lighting
- New equipment concept with sport and design selection – for the first time with exterior differentiation
Controls
- Optionally available: head-up display and Audi virtual cockpit
- Wholly redesigned MMI operating concept, including free-text search
function - It can also be operated by the multi-function steering wheel and natural-language
voice control
Infotainment
- Optional top-end infotainment system MMI Navigation plus with MMI touch and an 8.3-inch MMI monitor including Audi phone box with inductive charging
- Audi smartphone interface for connecting Apple and Android phones
- Bang & Olufsen Sound System with innovative 3D sound and Audi tablet as the mobile rear-seat entertainment
Drivetrain
- New generations of the S Tronic transmission. S Tronic in A4 for the front-wheel drive for the first time, automatic transmission with freewheeling function
- Front-wheel drive or Quattro drive with wheel-selective torque control
Suspension
- Redesigned, light five-link axles at front and rear, the significant increase in comfort with accentuated sportiness
- Newly developed electromechanical power steering, with dynamic steering on request
- Audi drive selects a dynamic driving system standard of 190 hp, with suspension with adjustable shock absorbers available.
Driver Assistance Systems and Integrated Safety
- Stop&Go adaptive cruise control, including the traffic-jam assist for slow-moving traffic
- Audi active lane assist and Audi side assist.
- New: parking assist, rear cross-traffic assist, exit warning, turn assist, collision avoidance assist
- New safety systems: Audi presence city, bare and rear
Super duper review! Well-done guys!
Very good review.
Thanks Rayan.
Many thanks,indeed.