The Audi A4 celebrated its silver jubilee recently. More than 7.5 million units have been produced worldwide and in 2018, the company sold 344,586 units, making the A4 one of the most successful models from Ingolstadt. The A4 line-up has now received a facelift and new technology.
The updated line-up includes A4 Sedan, S4 Sedan, A4 Avant, S4 Avant, and A4 allroad quattro. The design language probably reminds you of the 2019 A1 that we saw almost a year ago. The Singleframe grille is now broader and flatter, and the horizontal lines emphasize the width at the front and rear.
A4 Sedan
The side profile is defined by the muscles above the fenders and a lower set shoulder line in between, while a sharp crease connecting the wheels forms a character line. The rear-end looks more sophisticated than before; one might easily confuse it for an A6. The 18-inch wheels are standard for Europe. In the A4 allroad quattro, the ground clearance is up by 35 mm, and also gets chunkier tires.
A4 allroad quattro
It differs from the A4 Avant through details such as the underbody protection or the wheel arch trims and also by its 12 mm (0.5-inch) larger wheels and its wider track – 6 mm (0.2-inch) wider at the front and 11 mm wider (0.4-inch) at the rear.
LED headlights now come standard, while the buyers can go for Matrix LED technology with fully automatic high beam. Dynamic rear indicators are standard as well for Europe. Buyers can choose from 12 paint colors, including a new Terra Gray option.
A4 Avant
According to Audi, the MMI system with a 10.1-inch TFT display offers a user experience similar to a contemporary smartphone. The MMI touch display with acoustic feedback replaces the functions of the previous rotary/push-button control on the center tunnel console (not sure if that’s a good idea). The natural-language voice control, another function of the new system, understands many of the phrases used in everyday speech, apparently.
The Audi connect and Audi connect plus offers a host of online services, such as Car-to-X services, which take advantage of the swarm intelligence of the Audi fleet. Apart from online traffic sign and hazard information, as well as the on-street parking service, traffic light information is a new addition to the lineup. By networking with the urban infrastructure, the car receives information from the traffic light central computer via a server so that the driver can choose their speed to match the next green light. More on that topic here.
The Audi connect services emergency call and service come standard; the free myAudi app connects the customer’s smartphone to the car.
S4 Sedan TDI
Options include Audi connect key that lets the customer lock/unlock the vehicle and start the engine using a compatible Android smartphone; Audi phone box, Bang & Olufsen 3D Premium Sound System, and 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit plus.
The A4 models are available with a host of driver assist systems. The optional systems are bundled into the “Tour”, “City” and “Park” packages. An important system of the “Tour” package is the adaptive cruise control including Stop & Go function for automatic distance control.
A4 Sedan
As for suspension, buyers can choose between the standard setup and the sport suspension. There are also two adaptive suspensions. One option is the comfort suspension with damper control, which reduces the ride height by 10 mm (0.4-inch) and offers superb ride comfort, apparently. The other is the sport suspension, either with or without damper control, which is lowered by 23 mm (0.9-inch).
S4 Sedan TDI
The S4 gets S sport suspension as standard while the S sport suspension with damper control is an option. The A4 allroad quattro model gets an option of allroad-specific suspension with damper control.
S4 Avant TDI
The A4 Avant offers a luggage capacity of 495 liters, which increases to 1,495 liters with the rear seats folded down. With the additional offroad mode on the Audi drive select dynamic handling system, the driver can choose from 6 profiles in the A4 allroad quattro.
A4 Sedan
Powertrains
At market launch, the A4 will be available as “Edition One”, available as a Sedan or Avant with a choice of three engine versions – the 2.0 TFSI with 180 kW (245 hp), 2.0 TDI with 140 kW (190 hp), and 3.0 TDI with 170 kW (231 hp). The special edition starts at €53,300.
Audi will be offering the A4 model line with six turbocharged engines at sales launch in Europe. Their power outputs range from 110 kW (150 hp) to 255 kW (347 hp). Three engine variants will feature a 12V mild-hybrid system that is claimed to reduce fuel consumption by up to 0.3 liters per 100 km.
Transmission continues to be a 6-speed manual, 7-speed S tronic or 8-speed tiptronic. Buyers can go for an optional sport differential that can actively distribute power between the rear wheels. In this way, more power can be directed specifically to the outside wheel when cornering at speed.
S4 TDI Avant
The S4 TDI packs a 3.0 unit that offers 255 kW (347 hp) and a maximum torque of 700 Nm (516 lb-ft). The Sedan can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). An electric compressor is present to deliver a powerful drive-off performance and to eliminate any turbo lag.
The 48V mild-hybrid system here is claimed to offer a maximum recuperation power of up to 8 kW when braking. A compact, air-cooled lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 0.5 kWh, which is located under the luggage compartment floor, acts as an energy management center. The mild-hybrid system on the S models has the potential to reduce customer fuel consumption by up to 0.4 liters per 100 km, Audi said.
In the markets outside Europe, Audi is offering the S4 and the S4 Avant with a 3.0 TFSI that produces an output of 260 kW (354 hp) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque. The V6 accelerates the S4 Sedan TFSI from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.7 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).
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