Audi recently announced that 2.4 million of its cars are involved in Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scandal. Good news, the all-new 9th-generation A4 is not one of them!
Walkaround
Based on exterior looks, you would hardly know that the 2017 A4 is a new car at all. One thing you can say about Audi design, is that it’s consistent. The A4 is handsome, and it should age well. Crisp lines and Audi’s latest LED headlights abound. Audi says it’s also the most aerodynamically efficient car in its class, with roughly the same drag-coefficient as an arrow.
The only issue for us is that to the untrained eye, it looks an awful lot like Volkswagen’s Passat.
Interior
The A4 is so nice inside the cabin.
Audi has been knocking it out of the park when it comes to interior quality lately. It’s not just the quality of the buttons and materials, but the design itself. It’s different enough to be interesting, but not so different as to be challenging. The air vents that run the width of the dash are a nice retro nod, and the new buttons — which reveal their function when you touch them, before pressing — are genuinely helpful. It makes BMW's 3 Series look conservative, and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class feel cramped.
The A4 also has more room inside than ever before. From the driver's seat, the extra millimetres of headroom are noticeable while rear passengers will appreciate some additional legroom. The number of possible variations in leather colour, materials and trim meanwhile are seemingly endless, letting you really get the interior of your dreams.
Tech
The 2016 A4 is built on an all-new platform, one that will also underpin all of Audi’s medium and large vehicles going forward. What does this mean for you? Only good things. Any high-tech safety system you can get on the new range-topping Q7 SUV, you can also get on this compact sedan: adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assistant, GPS-connected predictive cruise control, lane keeping. This car has more radar than an F35.
In some situations, it can essentially drive itself. A warning alarm will go off if you don’t touch the steering wheel at least every few seconds. But, Audi hopes the law that makes this alarm necessary will be changed in the next few years.
Quattro all-wheel drive will be standard on all A4s initially with an option of front-wheel drive likely coming later.
Performance
The first thing you notice, rolling down the highway in a new A4 is just how quiet it is inside the cabin. It’s like a library. Whispering seems the most appropriate speaking volume.
The ride is firm-ish, but still plenty compliant enough to be comfortable. There’s a new adaptive suspension system on offer, which has a “Dynamic” setting to help keep the chassis under control when you want to go fast. The steering meanwhile is somewhat light, and feels slightly artificial. But, man, is it ever quiet in the cabin.
Globally, the car will come with a choice of seven engines. Yes, seven. Alas, in Canada, at launch, there will only be two. Both engines — a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel, and 2.0-litre TFSI gas — are perfectly adequate. The gas motor is the more fun, with 252 horsepower. The diesel is the EA288 — not the EA189 motor involved in the scandal. The EA288 has an “AdBlue” urea system which helps cut NOx emissions.
An S4 will arrive later, for speed demons. That car ditches the old supercharged V6 for a turbocharged unit that produces with 354 hp. Canada will likely also get the jacked-up Allroad wagon eventually.
Did we say the A4 is quiet? Because it is.
Value
Prices haven’t been announced for Canada yet, but assume they’ll be quite close to the 2016 A4 (which is $41,200 with quattro). We also don’t have Canadian fuel economy figures yet, but expect modest gains.
The A4 will go head-to-head against its old rivals, BMW’s 3 Series and the Mercedes C-Class. The 3 Series is the oldest of the bunch, but it just got a mid-cycle refresh, complete with new engines. For those keeping score: BMW is the only one offering manual transmissions, rear-wheel drive, and true wagons in the core compact luxury segment. (But, nobody except car reviewers look for that stuff.) Other strong options to consider are the new Jaguar XE, which is beautiful, and the Cadillac ATS, which is American.
Conclusion
For us, the A4 has the best interior in its class, both in terms of design and materials. It’s roomier than before, and feels roomier than the competition too. The exterior design is pretty plain, but you’ll be spending too much time inside to care.
The 2017 Audi A4 will arrive in Canada late in spring 2016.
