LIVE24SEVEN // Motoring, Sport & Entertainment
Audi A4 Avant A GREAT START FOR THE NEW A4
The new A4 is Audi’s most important new car this year and it seems to have got off to a great start, picking up the WHATCAR? ‘Car of the Year 2016’ award in January, with the judges praising its standard of refinement, interior quality and technology. I recently put the Avant version of Ingolstadt’s mainstay of over four decades through its paces…
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I picked up my review car from Birmingham Audi, a halo dealership for the brand. Staggering in size, with the new car display downstairs, as well as public and private handover areas and a used car showroom upstairs that is accessed by its own lifts and escalator, this showroom really is enormous, whilst also retaining a truly welcoming atmosphere. Upstairs also plays host to a rather exclusive CPL (Customer Private Lounge) where you can sit comfortably with coffee in hand in front of a 60 inch screen and create your own perfect Audi to visualise in all its glory, a great way to dwindle down those thousands of options, colours, accessories etc. You can then email it to yourself so that you can remember your perfect spec and the unique QI code will retain your preferences in case you need them in the future.
The all-new A4 is up to 100kg lighter than the old car. Lightness equals more agility and greater efficiency, while over 90% of the components used are brand new. Audi have brought new features to the cabin, put more power under the bonnet and, as will be the feature of this review, pushed what is possible technology-wise to levels that are simply beyond its main rivals in regards to driver assistance, safety and comfort.
THE EXTERIOR The first thing to note is that the all-new A4 features sharper lines than before, with a bolder shape and a lower stance. From the shoulder line that runs the length of the car, to the detailed styling of headlights and sculptured air intakes, the latest-generation A4 has a very distinctive presence and adds some lovely touches, such as the boot lid (not normally very interesting, I admit) but the shape takes air (and therefore dirt) away from the rear of the car, meaning you don’t get dirty hands when opening it. Just one small example of the level of detail Audi engineers have gone to.
THE INTERIOR The brand has a strong reputation for its interiors and the
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all-new A4 doesn’t disappoint, the cabin that surrounds you is luxurious with plenty of headroom and legroom and gives a real feeling of space.
If cabin noise irritates you (which it does me), I’m pleased to say the new A4 is much quieter than its predecessor, again through lots of small changes, such as incredibly tight panel gaps and side mirrors which are now fixed to the door – it doesn’t sound like much, but these create a lot of noise, especially at speed with wind rushing over them. Just these two improvements have reduced the noise considerably and with the optional acoustic glass the new A4 is actually quieter at motorway speed than the A8 super saloon – which is about as quiet as you (used) to be able to get.
THE TECHNOLOGY Technology over the last decade has come on leaps and bounds and we are nearing the point of autonomous cars. Now the A4 can’t do that… yet… but it can do pretty much everything else! Audi have designed many new features to make the all-new A4 easier, more relaxing and safer to drive; the car that I drove benefited from many of these and I have picked out some for this review.
I loved the ‘advanced’ parking pack; this clever option, which many find a godsend, does exactly as it says, it parks the car using ultrasonic sensors. The car searches for spaces that are big enough and when it finds one, it can park itself, all you need to do is operate the accelerator and brakes (in manual cars you will also need to operate the gears).
Another wonderful option is the ‘pre-sense’ system which has cameras and sensors that constantly monitor the vehicle’s surrounds and should a danger be detected, such as a vehicle approaching quickly from behind, the all-new A4 will prepare the vehicle to keep you as safe as possible. It will tighten the seatbelts and close the windows so should the unfortunate happen, you’re in the safest environment possible. Peace of mind – tick box.
To help ensure that the worst doesn’t happen, Audi’s side assist lets you know if a vehicle is in your blind spot using visual warning lights in the side mirrors.
I travel many miles with my work, both on motorways and
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