Audi A4 3.2 FSI QUATTRO
If The A4 3.2 FSI quattro Represents The Future For
Audi, The Executive Car Establishment May Well Have To Up Their Game. Andy Enright Reports
Audi has something of a problem. After years of turning out some superb sporting cars, it still gets saddled with comparisons with the legendary Quattro model of the eighties. Whilst this may be a testament to its sporting success, the Ingolstadt company must be fed up with being upstaged by a twenty-year-old car. The latest A4 3.
2-litre FSI quattro exorcises the ghosts of the past and points the way toward a future of more dynamically capable Audis. The original A4 range was always the chief benefactor of Audis catchy advertising and effortlessly cool image though much of its sales success came from the less expensive versions. Pricier and larger-engined A4 models invariably suffered at the hands of
BMW - especially in terms of driving dynamics. After all, for £18,000, its easy to be impressed with tight panel fit and bulletproof build quality, but for over £27,000, you want something extra.
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Only top S4 and RS4 variants really had what it took and they were priced out of reach of mainstream buyers. For the latest A4 line-up, this had to change. Top V6 models had to be able to take on and beat sports saloon rivals like the
BMW 330i, the Mercedes C320 or the
Volvo S60 T5. Enter the car featured here, the A4 3.
2 FSI quattro, a car Ingolstadt says, that places its main emphasis on driver enjoyment. To make sure that this was more than an advertising slogan,
Audi adopted a remarkably simple tactic: namely, if you cant beat em, join em or more accurately, poach em. BMWs 3 Series was identified as the benchmark and Jos Van As, BMWs Dutch engineering Chief, targeted as the man responsible for its class-leading handling. He was offered too much money to turn down and joined Audi back in 1997 as Manager of Vehicle Dynamics. The results of his work are now becoming very apparent.
One of Van As first jobs was to improve the original second generation A4s 3.0 V6 quattro model, now replaced by the 3.2 FSI V6 variant we look at here priced from £27,665. Like its predecessor, this model features a front suspension constructed mainly of lightweight aluminium (saving 8.
5kg). Coupled with the wider front track, this gives the A4 a far more planted and balanced feel on the road.
"Its one of those cars that reassures the driver.."
Indeed its one of those cars that reassures the driver with plenty of steering feedback, despite quite a light feel to the helm. Due to the well-engineered differential system the quattro uses, torque steer, that tugging of the front wheels during hard acceleration, is absent, as is the strange inertness that afflicted many previous Audis as the limits of adhesion were reached. This quattro system works with the driver, informing and entertaining rather than enveloping the person behind the wheel in a numbing sensory deprivation. Other factors within the car are equally well considered.
The manual gearbox is smooth and positive, now fitted with a close ratio sextet of cogs. In truth the torque available from the magnificent 3.2-litre engine almost renders the additional gear redundant and the Audi would have enough pulling power to embarrass some pretty accomplished competitors, even if it came with a four speed box. This FSI powerplant offers the creamy smoothness of a good BMW unit due to the fitment of balancer shafts and variable timing on both camshafts.
It also produces a great noise; charismatic and suitably gutsy. With sixty mph being attainable in 6.4 seconds, the A4 3.2 FSI quattro can certainly punch its weight.
A 155mph top speed certainly bears favourable comparison with any classic Quattro of yesteryear. If you owned a top A4 in the past, the facelifted front and rear sections are probably the first things youll notice about this car but theres more to the improvements that that. Theres a more sophisticated 6-speed tiptronic automatic in this quattro version for as start. Or, theres a clever CVT 7-speed multitronic automatic for front-wheel drive variants.
On the road, a revised four-link front suspension borrowed from the roadburning S4 model should make the driving experience more involving, as should the hi-tech Servotronic speed-dependent power steering system. The brakes are upgraded across the range and the ESP Electronic Stability Programme is even more likely to keep you out of the ditch during emergency manoeuvres. Inside, youll notice Audis new steering wheel design and active locking head restraints that automatically minimise the distance between the restraint and the head in a rear crash situation. New two-stage intelligent airbags are now fitted for the driver and front passenger and theres a much cleverer DVD-based satellite navigation system for those who want it.
As ever, the fascia ergonomics are predictably perfect, the quality breathtaking. There can be no doubt that the A4 has leapfrogged to the top of the class, offering the highest quality of fit and finish with a level of driver involvement thats certainly on a par with the best of the rest. It doesnt move the executive class forward a generation, as other rivals have done in the past, but its certainly enough to keep Audi at the top of the tree for the foreseeable future. As for this A4 3.
2 FSI quattro, well its the aspirational executive model that has long been missing from Audis range. At last able to meet the gaze of Munichs finest, this A4 has achieved that end by employing a team of the best chassis engineers around. In an electronic world, its reassuring that Audi have gone back to basics and come out on top. The legacy of the Quattro legend is in good hands.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Audi A4 3.2 FSI quattro
PRICE: £27,665-£28,815 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 17
CO2 EMISSIONS: n/a
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 6.5s / Max Speed 155mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 19.0mpg/ (extra urban) 35.3mpg / (combined) 26.9mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags, side and curtain airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: (length/width/height) 181/70/61"
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