Audi A4 creates new entry as affordable German touring sedan
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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For active drivers who favor precise performance of exacting German touring sedans, a new compact model rolled ashore recently wearing a new name, with new hardware aboard and price tags tallied well below $30,000 to pit it favorably in competition against deluxe Asian imports.
This one looks strong and aggressive, with shapely canted front hoodline, sharply raked windshield and rolling rear lines, all features underscored by big 16-inch speed-rated performance tires.
It behaves like an ultra-expensive European machine, providing quick acceleration from a nice V6 engine, crisp corner-cutting agility from special suspension rigging, plus tight steering and braking mechanisms.
It also provides an interior laced in comfort fittings, with firm bucket seats up front and a rear bench big enough for three riders.
Yet the name seems unremarkable -- A4.
The A4 represents new nomenclature for Audi, the German automaker which pioneered the concept of front-wheel-drive vehicles more than six decades ago. And in case you may wonder how that alphanumeric title was derived, the A stands for Audi and 4 is the size of platform in Audi lingo.
New A4 replaces Audi's 90 in a streamlined package with the right ingredients installed for hands-on driving. It reaches America after a year on the market in Europe, where A4 captured all of the automotive awards for its class.
A recent week behind the wheel convinced me to include A4 on my own short list of most impressive models for 1996, although in America Audi rarely registers among consumer choices because it's Germany's overlooked line.
As a classy but economical alternative to expensive German sedans, Audi as a brand suffered a setback in North America in the 1980s following unfounded mechanical claims levied against one of Audi's former models.
Audi was eventually exonerated of the alleged problem, but not before a dramatic drop in consumer confidence and plunging sales that spelled hard times for dealers.
Audi's line today bears no resemblance to 1980s era Audis, and to prove the point prices were rolled back dramatically on all models last year to differentiate these cars from other German lines and make them more competitive against Japanese entries.
The new Audi A4, now equipped with frisky V6 and all modern safety equipment, demonstrates quite clearly that Audi continues to build finely crafted touring cars whose roots are anchored firmly in German precision engineering.
Everything about A4 feels tight and right.
It wiggles through a set of curves with zigzag tautness to the variable-assist rack and pinion steering system. In an instant, you recognize this is a car that means business -- and you as driver have total control.
A new multi-link independent front suspension manages the impossible for front-wheel-drive vehicles by eliminating torque steer, whereby the car pulls to one side when rapidly accelerating or drifts to the other when braking hard.
Quattro, an optional 4-wheel-drive variation, also employs the new front suspension while distributing power to all four wheels for improved traction on slippery pavement.
As an ultimate safety system for controlling traction, Quattro adds about $1,500 to A4's bottom line but scores as the only all-wheel-drive model in the near-luxury class.
The feel of A4's ride quality may be firmer than what you'd expect from the Japanese, but it helps communicate and translate the feel of the road. A responsive driver can use this information to judge how best to drive the Audi.
Stomp on the brake pedal and big brake calipers at every wheel clamp to discs and do their thing as the fully integrated 4-wheel anti-lock system takes over in a measured manner to bring about the quickest stop possible, and without a single tire's telltale squeal.
Like all Audi models, A4's chassis integrates energy-absorbing crumple zones fore and aft of the steel safety cage wrapped around the passenger compartment.
Dual front airbags and height-adjustable front 3-point safety belts have also been installed.
Inside, securely strapped in a body-hugging driver's bucket, you feel ensconced in ergonomic practicality, with every item you touch -- from sport steering wheel and gear shift knob to climate controls -- feeling like it was strategically placed to become an extension of self.
On-board analog instruments, like tachometer and voltmeter and oil temperature and pressure gauges, have been arranged in display to see them best. At night, instruments glow with low-glare backlit red indicators.
Then there's that statement of V6 power.
Displacing 2.8 liters and mustering 172 hp, Audi's longitudinally-mounted plant features twin single overhead cams and electronic sequential multi-point fuel injection.
When teamed with the standard 5-speed manual shifter, it speeds A4 to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds.
Audi's optional new 5-speed electronic automatic transmission, listing for $930, applies to either front-wheel-drive or Quattro edition. Adding a fifth overdrive gear to an auto shifter means it competes favorably against a manual transmission for fuel efficiency.
As to outward appearances, Audi's designers dressed the A4 in a new exterior package with windswept styling that appears aggressive and swift.
It looks vaguely like a European model but less boxy and certainly more slippery.
Climb aboard and you may be surprised with the caliber of A4's appointments.
The driver's seat features 8-way power controls, and genuine polished walnut wood inlays show up on instrument panel, console and side doors.
That console stretches the length of the center section, adding a storage bin and fold-out dual cupholder.
Standards range from a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel to air conditioning keyed to automatic climate controls, electronic cruise control, power windows and power door locks, split-folding rear seatbacks and a stereo sound package with cassette deck and six speakers.
Options include a power sunroof and leather upholstery.
1996 AUDI A4
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| 1996 AUDI A4 VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Compact sedan |
| Model Options: |
Compact sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
FWD: 103.0 inches
Quattro: 102.6 inches |
| Overall Length: |
178.0 inches
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| Engine Size: |
SOHC 2.8-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/5 |
| Drive: |
FWD, AWD |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
FWD M/5: 19/27 mpg
FWD A/5: 18/28 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 27,000 to $ 33,000 |
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