NEW MODELS Of Audi is Lightier

NEW MODELS Of Audi is Lightier

AUDI has ripped more than 100kg from the next-generation A4, making it the most economical of the mainstream German premium mid-sizers, even as it gains more luxury, ride comfort and safety equipment.

NEW MODELS Of Audi is Lightier

It is now one of the slipperiest sedans in the world through the air and, after seeing the car in the flesh last week, it has an interior that draws its technology from the all-new Q7 and looks set to become the class benchmark.

At 4.73m, the A4 is only marginally longer than its predecessor (12mm) and its wheelbase is a fraction longer, even though it found another 23mm of rear legroom by reshaping the back seats. It is more or less the same height as the B8, though it is 16mm wider.

Though the body and engineering is all new, it is so conservatively done that you could be forgiven for mistaking the B9 (code for B-Segment, ninth generation) for a facelift of the B8. Not so fast, said A4 technical project leader, Burkhard Wiegard. "It’s more of a three-box sedan now, rather than the old one which was a bit coupe-ish.

"The grille is a lot lower and wider, the bonnet line is low and the total line that runs from the clamshell bonnet through to the tail lights is now the defining visual feature of the profile."

The move to more comfort and simplicity started early, with Audi ditching its traditional naming strategy, replacing them with just Design and Sport packages. "The base suspension uses a steel spring, and that’s more comfort oriented than the predecessor in the standard setup. A lot of people said the old one was too firm, that’s why it’s softer. Then there are two adjustable damper packages as options, but no air suspension. It’s not necessary," Wiegard said.

"One active damper suspension option is for comfort, and it’s 10mm lower than the standard ride height. The other is for sport and it’s 27mm lower, but all of them have Audi Drive Select to switch between the modes."

The A4’s safety system package is more or less the same as the Q7, so autonomous city braking is now standard, as are systems to check for cars or cyclists when you open the doors, or when you reverse out of car parks. Plus about another 25 more systems.

One big change is the move to having a fixed multimedia screen on top of the dashboard, which frees up space beneath it and allows for a shorter dashboard.

"There’s a fixed dash-top MMI screen, because it’s better for the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and the air flow from the vents. It’s a high definition system and a huge screen (seven-inch, or 8.3-inch as an option). The standard instrument cluster is analogue, but there is an option to have a TT-style big screen digital instrument cluster, with a choice of what’s shown there, and there’s also a head-up display option."

It’s a high-quality interior, with more space in the rear than before and more than 2cm more front headroom. There is a standard single-zone air conditioner, but there is a triple-zone option and the controller is proximity activated. When your finger nears the button, it brings up a list of options, which you then toggle to select from.

Just a little movement near the HVAC buttons brings up the menu for each button. It only has to be a proximity movement. Similarly, instead of trying to find the buttons for the interior lights (up front) you just wave your hand past them and they light up or turn off.

The two most economical models duck comfortably beneath the 100g barrier for CO2 without the complications, weight or expense of hybrid or plug-in hybrid technology, but that does not mean interesting powertrain tech has been ignored. A Miller Cycle variant of its EA888 2.0l petrol motor, which Audi calls B Cycle, revives an infrequently utilised engineering quirk to develop 140kW of power and 320Nm but still pulls the consumption figure down to a claimed 4.8l/100km.

That is not the most economical of the new A4 family, with the 2.0 TDI Ultra diesel posing only 3.7l/100km and emitting only 95g of CO2, though Audi claims its 3.0l V6 TDI just happens to be the world’s most efficient six-cylinder engine, with an economy claim of 4.2l/100km.

The engine line-up begins with the 1.4l version of the four-cylinder, turbocharged, direct-injection engine, delivering 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque (from 1500rpm). Audi claims it will slide through to 100km/h in 8.9 seconds and has a top speed of 210km/h.

The company has not ignored its power plays with the eco-focus either, with its seven launch engines ranging form 110kW of power to 200kW, even though it has culled the petrol V6 from the A4’s inventory. Until the supercharged V6 S4 arrives in 2017, the A4 range will not have a petrol-powered V6, though there will be two V6 TDIs and two four-cylinder turbodiesels as well.

While the entry-level version of each powertrain will be front-drive, Audi will also deliver its quattro all-wheel drive as an option for the strongest petrol motor, plus the 140kW TDI, while it’s standard on the 200kW TDI V6.

A new seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission sees the end of the disliked continuously variable transmission, though six-speed manual boxes are the entry level on most engine packages. Even the manual has been upgraded, with a (mostly) magnesium casing lowering its weight so that it’s 16kg lighter than the old one.

Audi will launch the B9 sedan and Avant (wagon) almost on top of each other in November in Europe, with local sales due to start early in 2016.


AUDI has ripped more than 100kg from the next-generation A4, making it the most economical of the mainstream German premium mid-sizers, even as it gains more luxury, ride comfort and safety equipment.

It is now one of the slipperiest sedans in the world through the air and, after seeing the car in the flesh last week, it has an interior that draws its technology from the all-new Q7 and looks set to become the class benchmark.

At 4.73m, the A4 is only marginally longer than its predecessor (12mm) and its wheelbase is a fraction longer, even though it found another 23mm of rear legroom by reshaping the back seats. It is more or less the same height as the B8, though it is 16mm wider.

Though the body and engineering is all new, it is so conservatively done that you could be forgiven for mistaking the B9 (code for B-Segment, ninth generation) for a facelift of the B8. Not so fast, said A4 technical project leader, Burkhard Wiegard. "It’s more of a three-box sedan now, rather than the old one which was a bit coupe-ish.

"The grille is a lot lower and wider, the bonnet line is low and the total line that runs from the clamshell bonnet through to the tail lights is now the defining visual feature of the profile."

The move to more comfort and simplicity started early, with Audi ditching its traditional naming strategy, replacing them with just Design and Sport packages. "The base suspension uses a steel spring, and that’s more comfort oriented than the predecessor in the standard setup. A lot of people said the old one was too firm, that’s why it’s softer. Then there are two adjustable damper packages as options, but no air suspension. It’s not necessary," Wiegard said.

"One active damper suspension option is for comfort, and it’s 10mm lower than the standard ride height. The other is for sport and it’s 27mm lower, but all of them have Audi Drive Select to switch between the modes."

The A4’s safety system package is more or less the same as the Q7, so autonomous city braking is now standard, as are systems to check for cars or cyclists when you open the doors, or when you reverse out of car parks. Plus about another 25 more systems.

One big change is the move to having a fixed multimedia screen on top of the dashboard, which frees up space beneath it and allows for a shorter dashboard.

"There’s a fixed dash-top MMI screen, because it’s better for the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and the air flow from the vents. It’s a high definition system and a huge screen (seven-inch, or 8.3-inch as an option). The standard instrument cluster is analogue, but there is an option to have a TT-style big screen digital instrument cluster, with a choice of what’s shown there, and there’s also a head-up display option."

It’s a high-quality interior, with more space in the rear than before and more than 2cm more front headroom. There is a standard single-zone air conditioner, but there is a triple-zone option and the controller is proximity activated. When your finger nears the button, it brings up a list of options, which you then toggle to select from.

Just a little movement near the HVAC buttons brings up the menu for each button. It only has to be a proximity movement. Similarly, instead of trying to find the buttons for the interior lights (up front) you just wave your hand past them and they light up or turn off.

The two most economical models duck comfortably beneath the 100g barrier for CO2 without the complications, weight or expense of hybrid or plug-in hybrid technology, but that does not mean interesting powertrain tech has been ignored. A Miller Cycle variant of its EA888 2.0l petrol motor, which Audi calls B Cycle, revives an infrequently utilised engineering quirk to develop 140kW of power and 320Nm but still pulls the consumption figure down to a claimed 4.8l/100km.

That is not the most economical of the new A4 family, with the 2.0 TDI Ultra diesel posing only 3.7l/100km and emitting only 95g of CO2, though Audi claims its 3.0l V6 TDI just happens to be the world’s most efficient six-cylinder engine, with an economy claim of 4.2l/100km.

The engine line-up begins with the 1.4l version of the four-cylinder, turbocharged, direct-injection engine, delivering 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque (from 1500rpm). Audi claims it will slide through to 100km/h in 8.9 seconds and has a top speed of 210km/h.

The company has not ignored its power plays with the eco-focus either, with its seven launch engines ranging form 110kW of power to 200kW, even though it has culled the petrol V6 from the A4’s inventory. Until the supercharged V6 S4 arrives in 2017, the A4 range will not have a petrol-powered V6, though there will be two V6 TDIs and two four-cylinder turbodiesels as well.

While the entry-level version of each powertrain will be front-drive, Audi will also deliver its quattro all-wheel drive as an option for the strongest petrol motor, plus the 140kW TDI, while it’s standard on the 200kW TDI V6.

A new seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission sees the end of the disliked continuously variable transmission, though six-speed manual boxes are the entry level on most engine packages. Even the manual has been upgraded, with a (mostly) magnesium casing lowering its weight so that it’s 16kg lighter than the old one.

Audi will launch the B9 sedan and Avant (wagon) almost on top of each other in November in Europe, with local sales due to start early in 2016.

source-bdlive