In an era of turbocharged all-wheel-drive Group B rally cars, the Audi Sport quattro S1 was the big daddy of them all. Naturally, many challenged the Group B category with extremely radical homologation rally cars, but none could hold a candle to Audi's dominance in the sport.
How dominant was Audi? Competing automakers fielded purpose built racing machines thinly disguised as compact hatchbacks including the ferocious mid-engined Lancia Delta Integrale S4, Peugeot 205 Turbo, and Renault 5 Turbo. In fact, Ford built the RS200 four-wheel-drive sports car specifically for Group B rally competition. No matter, Audi remained unrivaled. 25 years after racing legend Walter Rohrl drifted up the mountain edges of Pikes Peak In the Audi Sport quattro S1, the 10:48.85 dirt record was never, and never will be, toppled.
Audi's success in motorsports expanded to endeavors beyond rallying. In fact, reigning supreme in multiple disciplines, the FIA would eventually ban the legendary Quattro all-wheel-drive system from further competition due to its "unfair advantage."
It would be a shame if that was how the Quattro story ended but, obviously, Audi didn't let that happen.
The beauty of the Sport quattro S1 racing car was Audi's ability to apply its technology onto its road cars. The Audi 80-based Audi Quattro coupe, the brand claims, was the "first road vehicle with permanent four-wheel-drive to be produced in quantity."
Fast forward to 1994 and Audi discontinued its Audi 80 line-up to introduce the succeeding Audi A4 compact sedan (check out this earlier post to see the lineage side-by-side). Almost immediately upon the A4's release, Audi enjoyed record sales. To date, the compact luxury sedan remains the best selling Audi product in the line-up.
The A4 is important for Audi and the expectations that ride on the A4's shoulders are high. For 2014, Audi will be introducing its fifth generation "B9" chassis Audi A4. However, right before the B9 arrives, Audi has released one final refresh for the current "B8" generation for the 2013 model year.
Our tester 2013 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro Tiptronic in Phantom Black Pearl Effect features a number of distinguishing features that manage to seem subtle and distinctive at the same time -- the front fascia of the 2013 model year features a redesign of Audi's Nuvolari single-frame grille. A bit more chiseled and pushed inwards, the hexagonal grille provides a more handsome and aggressive design.
New headlights appear to have narrowed and some might even say the visual tweak makes the car seem more focused. In fact, the combination of the new headlight treatment and hexagonal single-frame grille plays a part to making the A4 seem visually wider, lower, and more sporty. Naturally, daytime running LED lights complete Audi's signature look.
From the side, the 2013 Audi A4 actually looks quite modest and it could even be accused for being bland. An upright greenhouse and a soft character line hardly draws any attention from the average passerby. If I dare be so bold, there's even something Volkswagen about the way it's proportioned. Thankfully, one key element that really helped set our tester apart was a great set of simple yet elegant 18" ten spoke wheels.
Underneath, the Audi A4 powerplant for North America is unchanged, featuring the tried and true 2.0 TFSI turbocharged direct-injection inline-4 engine mated to a trick 8-speed Tiptronic transmission. EPA ratings are a decent 20 mpg city/ 30 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined. While that figure might not sound stellar when we're so used to hearing about the great leaps in improvement from all the small displacement turbocharged 4-cylinders, it's quite acceptable considering the turbocharged engine manages to produce a respectable 211-hp and an impressive 258 lb.-ft. of torque, enough to propel the 3,600-ish lbs. A4 from 0-to-60 mph in just 6.3 seconds.
Inside, the cabin is top class. The 12-way adjustable seats provide excellent support and there were definitely moments where I found myself simply sitting in the driveway just running my hands across the surfaces of the aluminum inlays and taking in the quality of Audi's fit and finish. The Audi also features automatic 3-zone climate control, a music interface with iPod connectivity, satellite radio, mobile phone linking, MMI navigation and voice control, and a neat driver information display. But, of course, this is meant to be a road test, so let's get moving.
An early strike against the A4 was its finicky MMI on-board system. Navigating through its infotainment and GPS system requires the constant scrolling of its rotary wheel to select everything from letters to lines on a list. What's more, it wasn't even intuitive. You know what else had a rotary? Corner table telephones back in the 80's.
Nevermind, sometimes a drive should be more about the journey rather than the endpoint. So, without a destination marked on the GPS, I was off.
Somehow, the reported 211-hp output seems modest. While the A4 isn't meant to be an enthusiasts car the same way its big brother S4 is, the 2.0 TFSI engine certainly packed enough grunt to get a giggle out of me. The engine note is throaty and noisy but not annoying, a difficult thing to accomplish. Everything the car does feeds confidence to the driver. What more could you ask for?
It's the confidence the Audi A4 delivers that truly shines. Admittedly, I haven't driven every car on the face of the Earth. That said, of the select number of vehicles that I have driven, Audi's suspension settings are the best of the lot.
Usually, suspension tuning might be a bit of a compromise. For engineers seeking agile, responsive, top-notch handling, a rigid chassis and a firmer suspension is necessary for optimal control. On the other hand, a softer setup offers a more comfortable ride, coddling the spines of the occupants inside. Somehow, Audi managed to discover its own 'Goldilocks."
The A4 features a five-link front suspension and an independent trapezoidal-link axle at the rear. Over the bumps, the dampers really know how to soak up the potholes and its impressive how poised the A4 feels over NYC's pockmarked surfaces (which are everywhere, and will probably be an ongoing theme in many reviews ahead... Queens borough, make some noise). Turning in, the A4 stays planted with a touch of understeer and never feels wallowy or unsettled -- certainly a direct result of the Quattro awd system as well. Finally, while the Audi's electromechanical speed-sensitive steering could stand to provide a little more feedback, the A4 feels predictable and the leather wrapped steering wheel is a joy to wrap my fingers around too.
The specs on the window stickers don't really grab your attention the way a typical performance vehicle would but I genuinely believe the key to understanding what the A4 stands for is to appreciate the sum of its parts. It's not the quickest but it's certainly quick. The steering feedback may be a bit vague but it only pushes corners ever so slightly and it offers one of the best ride qualities you'll find in a car. For those that are looking for a daily commuter with a bit of driving pleasure, and that's probably most of us, the A4 can quite possible fulfill your needs perfectly. It truly is an everyman's proposition.
If this is the outcome of decades of racing development and Quattro evolution, then I say congratulations to the boys at Ingolstadt. The Audi A4 is every bit the best-seller that it deserves to be.
However, will I buy one with my own money? Hm, I'm not so sure. The total price of our tester A4 came out to be $43,910. The price is a bit steep and as much as I adore the vehicle mechanically, the Audi MMI infotainment click wheel left me pretty frustrated and I don't understand why can't Audi implement a touchscreen interface like everyone else. The Kia "UVO" infotainment system in our previous road test was exemplary in this regard and the Optima only cost three-quarter the price.
The Audi A4's second shortcoming is its rear interior space. The A4 might be considered a driver's car but that doesn't mean that the rules of being a sedan no longer applies. Rear legroom is poor and I even felt it necessary to sincerely apologize to the friend that sat directly behind me during a forty minute trip.
On that note, I realized that perhaps the Audi A5 coupe might stand to make a stronger case for itself. Similarly outfitted with an eight-speed Tiptronic and Quattro all-wheel-drive, the Audi A5 coupe starts at a near-as-makes-no-difference $42,600. Who ever criticizes a coupe for a lack of rear legroom? That's like complaining about how wedges make your feet hurt. You know exactly what you're paying for. Besides, whether it's the A5 coupe or the Salvatore Ferragamo platform pump, you'll feel that much sexier getting into one anyway.
