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From YourSITE.com Reviews & Road Tests When it was first introduced, the B7 version of Audi’s vaunted A4 series stirred up a fair amount of controversy. Certainly, the new Audi corporate schnoz could have taken some of the credit, but the rest of the controversy was based on Audi’s claim of an all-new car compared to the B6 version that preceded it.
A list of those important things regarding this A4 2.0T quattro starts with its engine. Up from 1.8 liters and outfitted with Audi’s fantastic FSI technology, all by itself this new 2.0-liter engine positively transforms the B7 A4. Simply put, the 2.0T is light years ahead of the 1.8T when it comes to power (200-hp vs. 170-hp), responsiveness, and aural appeal. Whereas the 1.8T suffered from turbo lag and offered a wound-up rubber band delivery, the 2.0T has zero lag and responds to throttle input right now. Whereas the 1.8T had all the sound appeal of your average riding mower, the 2.0T has an aggressive growl reminiscent of a 1980s Alfa 4-banger. FSI is a wonderful thing. In layman’s terms, it offers superior combustion efficiency, offering better fuel economy, more power, and reduced emissions. Can it get any better than that? Yes, it can – injecting fuel directly into the combustion chamber effectively cools the entire process, reduces the chance of detonation, and allows Audi engineers to raise the 2.0T’s compression ratio to a stratospheric 10.5:1 ratio – unheard of for a turbocharged engine designed to run on pump gas. This high compression ratio is mostly responsible for the 2.0T’s lack of turbo lag.
Driving an A4 equipped with the base engine (there is also available a 3.2-liter 250-hp V6) is no longer a lesser experience. The new 2.0T’s extra power, instant delivery and eloquent sound all combine to deliver a truly sporting straight-line experience. Yes, the new car is faster than the old one, but there’s much more to it. There’s been a complete personality transformation, and where the 1.8T B6 always felt like a decidedly down market first step into the A4 ranks, the new 2.0T now comes across as the choice for sporting drivers. Add in the available manual transmission – a slick shifting, perfectly ratioed 6-speed, no less – and you can rest assured there’s no V6 envy this time around. With the B7, Audi has reengineered suspension and steering geometries and the changes are very noticeable. Turn in is more immediate and the steering feel gains weight in a more linear fashion, even though, like all recent Audi products, there’s still a significant disconnected feeling between driver and road.
Our tester did not come equipped with the available sports package, but that fact alone made its neat and tidy handling that much more impressive. 4-cylinder A4 quattros are inherently better balanced than their 6-cylinder counterparts, and the B7’s new suspension tweaks really add some liveliness to the chassis. Sans the sports suspension option, there is considerable body roll and float at higher speeds, but the A4 never becomes unruffled. Its all-season tires stay planted and the car simply goes where it’s pointed. Dive too deep into a corner and understeer rears its ugly head, but a lift of the throttle will guide the nose back towards the apex and then it’s just a matter of mashing the throttle and letting Audi’s legendary Torsen-based quattro all-wheel-drive system power you through the exit. We wouldn’t call it an overtly sporty chassis - rather it’s more apt to use charm and friendliness to find favor. Brakes are sizeable 12.6” versions up front, with 11.3” rotors in back. Initial bite is excellent and fade is not an issue. Even without a bunch of fancy hardware, our A4 was a willing dance partner and inspired confidence in all who drove it. Add some more sports-minded suspension components (Audi’s or the aftermarket’s) and you have yourself a true 3 Series alternative.
As mentioned earlier, the B7’s interior is little changed from the previous generation. Genuine aluminum trim is now standard on all versions, but little else is changed. As Audi is consistently singled-out for superior interior design and execution, we can understand why they didn’t feel pressed to make a bunch of revolutionary design changes with this new A4. Still, this market is a hotly contested one and it certainly does not operate in a vacuum. Many of the A4’s competitors are making ground as far as their interior designs are concerned, and Audi had better not rest on their laurels for very long. With a base window sticker of $30,460 ($29,740 plus $720 destination charge), our test car added Moro Blue Pearl Effect paint ($475), Premium Package ($1,850), Sunroof Package ($1,400), and Sirius Satellite Radio ($350) for a grand total of $34,535. Were this our car, we’d have switched out the Premium Pack (Homelink, dimming mirrors, heated seats, rain sensor, etc.) for the available Sports Package ($250) and saved ourselves a big chunk of change in the process. Still with the average price of today’s new car edging past the $30k mark, it’s hard to argue that the A4 2.0T quattro isn’t a lot of car for the money.
So it turns out there’s actually very little controversy whatsoever regarding Audi’s new A4. By now, we’re all pretty much used to Audi’s giant corporate nose, and we’ve definitely discovered that there is a new car hiding underneath the ‘06 A4’s somewhat familiar exterior. The most important discovery is that by almost any measure, the new A4 is a much better car than the one it replaces. And with the new 2.0T, Audi has better fortified their desire to offer a truly desirable A4 at all price points, and at the same time they’ve widened the A4’s appeal in the marketplace. Those are some pretty significant accomplishments, wouldn’t you say?
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