Commuter Special. Review on Audi A4

Note: I am the Executive Editor at CAR India, and first wrote this review for the magazine. It's being posted here so it can reach a wider audience.

Over the last year or so, I’ve driven some pretty impressive Audi cars. The very formidable A8 4.2 Quattro, with its 340PS, 4200cc engine, made a big impression. In its own quiet, understated way, that A8 seemed as near indestructible as a Challenger 2 MBT, and as searingly fast as a Lockheed SR-71 ‘Blackbird’ fighter plane. You have to experience the way an A8 4.2 spears through traffic, to really understand what I’m on about.

I also had the opportunity to drive the slick, suave A6 3.0, from Mumbai to Pune. This very good looking car was, again, mighty impressive in the way it drove and handled. And as a bonus, its Multitronic CVT felt distinctly better than any conventional automatic that I’d ever driven. So, having formed a suitably high opinion of Audi cars over the last few months, my expectations were running high when I set out to drive the A4 2.0 TDI. This car comes with Audi’s 1968cc, SOHC, 16-valve, inline-four, direct injection turbodiesel, which makes 142PS@4000rpm and 320Nm of torque between 1750-2500rpm. The extremely high injection pressure, and a VTG turbocharger, with adjustable guide vanes, are said to improve throttle response.

Audi haven’t concentrated all their efforts on the engine alone – safety has also been looked at. There are dual stage front airbags, side airbags and curtain airbags (a total of six), the latest generation electronic stability program (with traction control), anti-lock brakes, ‘Servotronic’ speed-sensitive steering, and ‘Multitronic’ continuously variable transmission.

All of the above notwithstanding, how is the A4 2.0 TDI to drive? Well, things didn’t start very well. The first time I fired up the engine, I was rather taken aback by the loud diesel clatter. Though the engine becomes relatively quieter once it’s warmed up, this A4 is still nowhere near as quiet as, say, a Mercedes-Benz C220 CDI. And frankly, I wouldn’t expect this kind of noise from a car that costs a whopping Rs 33 lakh (on-road, Mumbai). On the move though, things get better. There’s 142PS on tap, but what’s more important is the 320Nm of torque, which is available between 1750-2500rpm. The engine is mated to Audi’s very efficient Multitronic CVT, which actually works best in ‘Sport’ mode. Here, you get seven pre-determined ratios, which makes the CVT feel like a smooth, seamless seven-speed automatic gearbox. It just works, and works beautifully. There’s also the option of clutchless manual shifting (just prod the lever up or down to shift…), but I must admit I think it’s totally irrelevant – the CVT is quite capable on its own, especially in Sport mode.

With Sport mode selected, the car accelerates from zero to 60km/h in 4.4 seconds. Zero to 100km/h takes 10.75 seconds, which is not too bad considering the fact this is, after all, a four-cylinder diesel. The standing quarter mile (400m) run takes 17.59 seconds, while measured top speed is an adequate 203km/h. It isn’t a very refined engine – the noise and the vibes see to that – but it’s a capable unit, delivering sufficient thrust on demand. You don’t exactly blast past traffic the way you do in an A8 4.2 Quattro, but you still sail past most other cars. The A4 2.0 TDI never really feels short of grunt – it’s just that the power delivery is never very exciting. You won’t drive this car for the heck of it. You’ll drive it because you have to, not because you wantto. It’s a very capable family saloon for commuting and/or long-distance touring. Just don’t expect any emotional involvement from it…

If the engine doesn’t encourage any emotion, the handling follows suit. At the front, the A4 has four-link suspension, with upper and lower wishbones. At the rear, there’s independent, trapezoidal-link suspension, while anti-roll bars are present front and rear. With the engine powering only the front wheels (no Quattro 4WD here), the car never really feels like it’s up to some spirited driving. Try pushing it hard around bends, and there is a pronounced tendency to understeer. If you insist on keeping the throttle pinned in high-speed bends, the front end just washes wide, while the ESP really struggles to earn its keep and keep things from going awry. The steering ‘feel’ is just about adequate, but enthusiasts will want more feedback, more involvement. Riding on 16-inch alloys, wearing 205/55 R16 Michelin rubber, our A4 never ran out of grip, but it seemed quite disinterested in going fast around corners. At the end of the day, you just have to admit that this car was meant to be a commuter special, and if ‘sport’ is what you were looking for, sorry, you came to the wrong place.

On a more positive note, the A4’s ride quality isn’t too bad. The suspension is pliant – not too stiff, not too soft. The A4 takes potholes and bumps and road irregularities in its stride, without threatening to fall apart and without jarring your bones and teeth. The dark, somber interiors, on the other hand, are nothing special. There’re no power adjustments on the front seats, which I think is a bit sad on such an expensive car. And the instrument console, with its red LEDs, looks a bit 1980s. At least there’s automatic dual-zone air-conditioning, and that Bose sound system should brighten up your life a bit. The four-spoke steering wheel is nice and chunky, and has two scroll buttons on it with which you can control multiple functions. There’s also a multi-function display unit there, and cruise control for those long distance drives. No fake wood here – you get brushed aluminium trim, which looks quite nice. The whole package feels quite solid and well-built, if a touch too dark and austere. And like with the Mercedes-Benz C-class, rear seat legroom is quite limited.

To conclude, if this road test sounds like I'm not too impressed with the Audi A4 2.0 TDI, that’s right, I am not. It’s a capable tourer and a good family saloon, but offers little in the way of emotion or excitement, and isn’t refined enough. There’s no verve here, no passion – just straightforward Teutonic efficiency. If this car were pitched against a C220 CDI, I’d take the plusher, more refined and more luxurious-feeling Merc every time. The A4 2.0 TDI, at Rs 28.35 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai), needs to be more, and to do more. If you are looking at spending in excess of Rs 30 lakh on a car, I'd recommend that you weigh your options carefully before signing on the Audi dotted line.