2009 Audi A4: beauty more than skin deep

BRIAN EARLY FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Engine and transmission have move rearward, improving front/rear balance and thus handling in the new A4.

Brian Early

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

BOWMANVILLE–As charming and attractive as Audi's previous generations of A4 have been, they've always come up a little short in the handling department compared to their premium compact-segment contemporaries.

That's ironic, given the motorsports success that Audi has enjoyed in the past few decades, a point driven home by the two R10 race cars sitting in the pits just metres from Audi's technical briefing here at Mosport Park.

It's not that the Audis couldn't generate decent performance numbers; it's that they lacked a certain joie de vivre in doing it.

Some of the blame for this has to lie in the basic design of the A4's chassis, which in previous iterations has hung all of the engine and part of the transmission over and ahead of the front axle, much to the detriment of front to rear weight balance and manoeuvrability.

Even the German automaker's excellent quattro all-wheel drive system couldn't mask the fact that this was effectively a nose-heavy, front wheel drive-based design; throw a hammer and the head invariably ends up leading.

Consequently, the old A4 felt reluctant to turn and understeered stubbornly when driven with any kind of real enthusiasm.

When one of your primary competitors is the BMW 3 Series (which features a near 50/50 balance), that won't do.

Last year's A5/S5 revealed much of what we could expect to see in the new A4, as that model is essentially this car's two-door coupe version. Nevertheless it's good to see that the A5/S5's handsome styling translates well into sedan and Avant (wagon) variants. (You may be distressed, however, to learn that the cool R8-inspired LED daytime-running lights – fast becoming an Audi styling device – are not a standard A4 feature.)

Like the 5-cars, the A4 uses Audi's new "B8" platform, which makes some important changes to the previous A4's layout. Primary among them is the relocation of the front differential to a position ahead of the clutch or torque converter in the car's longitudinal drivetrain.

This important change moves the front axle ahead several centimetres, effectively moving the large mass of the engine and transmission several centimetres rearward, to the benefit of front/rear balance.

Moving the steering rack down to the front of the front suspension crossmember (from its previous firewall location) improves precision, feel, and even centre of gravity.

As is often the case, the 2009 A4 is larger than the 2008; every major dimension save height has grown. Increases in width (5 cm), length (11.7 cm) and wheelbase (a considerable 16.6 cm) have created a larger cabin with more rear legroom (very much needed) and a 100 L larger trunk on the sedans.

The increased track width and wheelbase also aid balance and handling.

Tweaks to the available quattro system now direct 60 per cent of the power rearward under normal conditions, the goal being to give the A4 a more rear-drive feel.

The overall result of the changes is more neutral handling, with a greater eagerness to turn-in.

Interestingly, the Avants appeared to be more willing to rotate (and thus more entertaining when driven hard) than the sedans, possibly from the additional rear-end mass of the wagon body style.

In either case, both versions are now willing dance partners whose grip ultimately fades into predictable mild understeer (and stability control intervention) should you push too hard; it's still clearly all-wheel drive, but it's not as in-your-face about it, and you'll be well into Fantino's wrath before it becomes an issue.

Engine choices remain your pick of four-cylinder turbo or naturally aspirated V6 power. Both use Audi's FSI direct fuel-injection system, and both have been reworked to incorporate the company's new Valvelift System, which uses electronically actuated pins and laterally sliding cam lobes to provide multiple cam profiles with different amounts of valve lift. Efficiency and power production are said to benefit.

Accordingly, the 2.0 litre, turbocharged 2.0T now produces 211 hp and 258 lb.-ft. of torque, while the 3.2 litre V6 makes 265 hp and 243 lb.-ft. of torque.

There are several drivetrain combinations: the 2.0T can be paired with a CVT in "FrontTrak" front-wheel drive guise, or your choice of six-speed Tiptronic automatic or six-speed manual with quattro, while the 3.2 litre V6 comes strictly six-speed automatic with quattro.

Having driven both engines in auto/quattro form back to back, I'd prefer the 2.0T, which feels sprightlier (even if rated a few tenths slower to 100 km/h by Audi), as it seems to better suit the A4's nature. It is more than ample for most driving situations. Turbo lag is nearly non-existent.

This Audi's beauty is more than skin deep – Audi's reputation for nicely built interiors remains intact. Oh sure, the standard leather seats could use more lateral support, but my primary criticism has to do with secondary controls.

Audi is taking its Vorsprung durch Technik (Advancement through Technology) ad tagline too seriously, using variations of its five-buttons-and-a-knob MMI (Multi Media Interface) controller for the climate controls, radio and vehicle interface. Some versions have three of these mini MMI knobs on the dash. Navigation-equipped cars have a larger primary MMI knob on the console by the shifter.

As is becoming expected in this class, there are a host of available electronic aids and systems: Drive Select can vary suspension damping, throttle, steering and transmission responses; Side Assist is a blind-spot monitoring/warning system; and the infotainment system can incorporate iPod interfaces, navigation and even a 14-speaker, 505-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system. Two sport packages exist (depending on engine choice), with wheel sizes up to 19 inches (17 inch alloys are standard).

The German automaker has sold nearly 50,000 A4s in Canada since the model replaced the Audi 80 in 1997. Although there are now more competitors than ever in the A4's segment, these changes – and public perception, thanks to "halo" models like the R8 – should see the A4 continue its success as Audi's sales leader.

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