Audi A4: review

There’s a huge array of engines on offer, the seven choices including a 2.0-litre TDI Ultra aimed at the fleet market, emitting just 99g/km of CO2 yet producing 148bhp, up to a 3.0-litre V6 TDI that has emissions of only 109g/km with 215bhp. The car tested here is the 2.0-litre TDI in S line form, producing 187bhp through the seven-speed dual-clutch auto box.

On the go you soon become aware that this is tuned for low emissions more than exciting driving. The transmission tends to shift up earlier than you’d expect – thus giving itself more of a job when it has to kick down – and there seems an emphasis on cruising rather than driving. Shifting into Sport mode did address some of those issues though.

With the S line trim you get 19in alloys and perhaps they weren’t a good choice. There was a noticeable intrusion of road noise into the cabin, made more noticeable due to the amazing soundproofing of every surface, metal, glass, plastic, that adorns the cabin.

The interior in the previous model set the bar high, but this fifth version manages to raise it slightly higher. Materials, design, build – they’re all exemplary and give the junior exec brigade a remarkably fine place to sit.

Naturally the tech has been ramped up and you can customise what you want to see with the option of the 12.3in Virtual Cockpit TFT instrument cluster that can be joined by a head-up display. There are more than enough windows, displays and information to keep you satisfied and connected for long journeys.

After driving the A4 for a while you come to the conclusion that a lot of testing must have been done to ensure it could be comfortable and secure on high-speed stretches of autobahn. It’s great at steady-state speed, to German or British limits, but once away from that it becomes less impressive.

The suspension movements are short and that makes the whole thing a big jiggly and reactive to surface changes. Handling is fine, but understeer comes in predictably early and the steering doesn’t really tell you much at any speed, other than that the wheels appear to be steering left or right.

It’s pretty comfortable, but also a bit noisy in this configuration. We might go for smaller wheels. They might also slightly improve the fuel consumption. According to Audi we should be looking at 65-68mpg for this model yet our True MPG testing couldn’t better 44.8mpg. That’s not particularly impressive and what does that say about the emissions attainable?

If you want an Audi A4 then you probably want a premium product with tremendous interior, a relaxing driving experience and a modicum of prestige to go with your strong residuals. These the new A4 delivers most definitely. If you want a driving experience then we’d probably go elsewhere in this sector, like the BMW 3 Series or the Jaguar XE. Heck, a new Ford Mondeo has a more involving driving experience.

But if you want an Audi A4 that probably doesn’t bother you much as you sit in your chrome-edged, high-tech bubble of calm.