2017 Model Audi A4 review executive cars don’t get much better than this the Audi a4 isn’t just one of our favourites executive models it’s a form of what car car of the year and that’s the highest accolade we can bestow on any new car now if you’re in the executive car market the a4 bad is probably familiar to you whether you’re
a company car driver or a private buyer it’s a common sight on UK roads along with its main rivals the BMW 3-series mercedes-benz c-class and increasingly the Jaguar XE as well.
2017 Model Audi A4 review
now the a4 has been around in one form or another since 1995 and with each passing generation has got better and better and this fifth generation car.
promises to be the most complete package yet the trouble is though that in the intervening years the competition has got tougher as well and now it’s no
longer just Mercedes BMW Audi and Jaguar who compete in this market the likes of the Ford Mondeo Volkswagen Passat and Mazda 6 are all contenders too and all
are significantly cheaper so why should you still buy the Audi well buyers in this market are looking for a specific set of criteria they need a car that can
cover motorway miles in a hush way they need a car that can be comfortable for a cross-country commute and they need a car that can function as a mobile office when needed.
there’s plenty of engine choice in the Audi a4 ranging from entry-level petrels through to frugal diesels and honor to arrange topping three litre v6 petrol in
the performance-oriented s4 the 1.4 and 2 liter petrol x’ which kick off the range offer enough power but the mai core of the Audi a4 range is in diesel
the 2-liter 148 very course power model offers acceptable performance if you want punchier power though it’s worth looking at the 187 brake horsepower
model the engine we ultimately recommend is the one we’ve got in this car the 3 litre diesel we recommend it because it’s silky smooth that while also
offering plenty of power and impressive a fuel economy and so on to ride comfort and remember this is where the aiport really needs to do well there are four
different suspension setups to choose from but we’d recommend paying extra for adaptive sports and suspension this sets you choose between different driving
modes or indeed paler different settings to your individual taste so you can cruise along the motorway or a dual carriageway like we’re doing now in
comfort before switching to a firmer setting for smaller country roads remember too that the larger your alloy wheel sides the worse the ride comfort
becomes so in this case smaller is better it’s safe to say that handling prowess isn’t really a priority for executive saloon buyers and the truth is
You’ll get a sportier driving experience in either the BMW 3 Series or Jaguar XE both of which are natively rear-wheel drive but that said the a4 does handle
rather predictably it grips the road well and if you’ve gone for 4 wheel drive it’s pretty much unflappable the standard steering is precise and well.
weighted but don’t expect to get too much feedback through the wheel yo cannot do something called dynamic steering which helps with low speed
cornering but it’s a pricey extra and in our opinion isn’t worth the money all of the Audi a4s engines are quiet and refined and barely transmit any
vibrations into the cabin again though is this 3 litre diesel which impresses the most it offers the kind of refinement you’d usually expect to find
in a larger and far more expensive luxury limousine wind and road noise are both kept at bay and the standard manual gearbox offers light and precise
changes you can also get the s-tronic automatic gearbox which we’ve got in this car it’s little dirty at low speeds that overall it works very well the
interiors of modern outies are pretty much in a class of their own even among other premium saloons there are a few which can match the same sense of
comfort and luxury as is on offer here there are plenty of soft touch materials on display and you’ll have to look pretty hard to find any hard touch
plastics now most drivers will be able to get comfortable behind the wheel very easily as plenty of adjustment both in the seat and the steering wheel adjusts
for reach as well as height we would recommend though opting for adjustable lumbar support to help ward off potential back problems on longer
journeys looking out through the windscreen there’s a great view of the road ahead but as is the same with many modern saloon cars it’s a different
story looking out of the back window now fortunately every a4 comes with reversing sensors as standard and you can pay extra to have front sensors and
a reversing camera if you wish the priciest options will also Park the Audi a4 for you and also offer a 360-degree view of your surroundings you can choose
from se sport and S Line trim levels in the a4 you get plenty of equipment as standard including three zone climate control cruise control and a 7-inch
infotainment screen but our favorite sports specification comes with extra luxuries like satellite navigation and upgraded stereo and front sport seats
one option which is well worth considering and one who’ve got fitted to this test car is outies virtual cockpit display this replaces conventional dials
with a twelve point three inch customizable digital screen and it puts all of the relevant information including the full satellite navigation
display right in your eyeline you can scroll through the different menus using buttons on the steering wheel and the different screen show you the cars trip
computer radio and media information your phone directory and of course the satellite navigation you can also use these buttons on the steering wheel to
control just how much of the screen is given over to things like the map now of course you also have the central info pane screen and the to work really well
together you can have the map on both screens or you can have the map on the screen in front of you and then radio or media or telephone information on the
central screen this rotary dial also has a touchpad on top of it which you can use to spell out things like post codes addresses and even radio stations using
your handwriting if you navigate to a menu in here you can type using your hand there you go it’s already found kiss FM and we’re listening now like any
executives on the move you’ve probably got a lot of devices to charge up no problem because looking under the a4 central armrest you’ll find two USB
ports and an auxilary in socket so plugging your phones are here will not only charge it but the a4 can also support apple carplay and android auto
and if your phone supports it there’s also a wireless charging map in here as well and there’s also a 12 volt socket down the front here which you can charge
other devices if you have one of these handy adapters and if you’re carrying children with you there’s another 12 volt socket in the rear if you’re into
in-car technology then it’s worth looking at outies optional technology pack which replaces the standard infotainment screen with a larger 8.3
inch screen and also gives you a 10 gigabyte hard drive to store all of you music nowadays MMI infotainment system is among the best it’s easy to set a
route in the sat-nav and the map is very detailed it’s not quite as slick to use as BMWs iDrive system but is well ahead of the likes of mercedes-benz and Jaguar
there are plenty of storage options in this Audi a4 each door bin will carry a one liter bottle and there’s also cupholders here in the center console in
addition there’s space underneath the central armrest and there’s a large glovebox on offer to the interior of the Audi a4 is a very comfortable place to
be there’s plenty of space up front and although those sitting in the rear do you get marginally less space than they do in a BMW 3-series there’s still
enough space for two six-foot adults unfortunately and as is usually the case here anybody relegated to this central middle seat will be more uncomfortable
especially over longer any’s the REA four edges ahead of its rivals thanks to standard split folding rear seats and that makes loading larger
heavier or bulky items like this pram a lot easier now as with any saloon the actual boot aperture is quite narrow and that’s because of the saloon body style
but there is still more than enough space for a couple of suitcases or for a large weekly shop and if you do find yourself needing more space than there’s
also the a for a vamp estates to consider – when it comes to buying it’s not just list price it’s important the a4 when its kin are very popular as
company cars and they’re its co2 that dictates how much tax you’ll be paying the most efficient version of the a4 is badged as the ultra and it emits just 99
g/km of co2 and that’s competitive against rival cars from BMW and Jaguar now if you go for the automatic gearbox which is an option than that number
Rises very slightly but even the more powerful 2-liter diesel image is 105 grams per kilometer again though it’s this 3 litre diesel engine which really
impresses if you stick with front-wheel drive it emits just 109 that g/km and it’s impressive real-world fuel economy means you won’t be spending too much
time at the pumps either as you’d expect for private buyers list prices on the a4 and match very closely against the BMW 3-series but it’s also good news when it
comes to selling because the a4 is predicted to hold onto its value very well by executive saloon car standards now every car gets automatic emergency
braking and six airbags are standard and Euro encap has already given the a4 its top 5 star mark for safety the Audi a4 is one of the very best new cars on sale
it’s hard to fault in almost every area and impresses whether you’re a privatecar buyer or company car driver the 3 litre diesel engine we recommend is
smooth and responsive and our favourite Sport trim level gets you plenty of goodies inside being no doubt that if you want to buy the very best executive