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From YourSITE.com Reviews & Road Tests Depending on your perspective, 25 years may or may not be a long time. In car years the quarter century is long enough to qualify a vehicle as officially an antique. In a metric of Audi progress 25 years are a lifetime as proven recently when we gathered a a brand new 2009 Audi A4 2.0T quattro S-line and its officially antique ancestor the 1984 Audi 4000S quattro for a quick comparison.
1984 was the last year for the original Giugiaro-penned body of the early B2 Audi 4000 sold as the 80 everywhere else in the world. Even still, the S quattro model benefited from a fair share of upgrades. While it didn’t get the coupe’s box flares or turbocharged engine it did get a bump in displacement from 2.1 to 2.2-liters for the normally-aspirated I-5. Running Bosch’s then cutting edge KE-jetronic fuel injection, the 2.2 produced a maximum of 115 hp at 5500 rpm and 126 lb-ft at 3000 rpm – a welcome surplus over 4-cylinder variants with just 88 hp and 96 lb-ft. Those 1984 numbers may not seem like much but it is important to remember that even with the added weight of the quattro system the 4000 only weighed 2745 lbs. Also, unlike today’s market in which Audi offers automatic transmissions across the board and exclusively for many of their products, the 4000S quattro was solely built with a 5-speed manual gearbox. In 1984 Audi claimed its new 4000 quattro could knock out 0-60 mph sprints in 9.5 seconds and was rated 21 mpg city / 28 mpg highway by NHTSA standards of the time.
The quattro’s equipment list grew to include air conditioning, a larger front air dam, tinted glass, dual heated power mirrors, AM/FM cassette player, a boxy decklid spoiler, leather-wrapped four-spoke steering wheel, trick ‘quattro’ script defogger element in the rear window and 14X6 Ronal alloys in the same design as the Ur quattro but with a 4x108 bolt pattern. The only available options were a two-way electric sunroof and metallic paint. Since the 4000 on the precipice undergoing a facelift inlcuding a significant interior upgrade, Audi relied heavily on existing partsbin to outfit this earliest quattro sedan. The move might be most quirkily evident when you consider the center console – lifted straight from the Ur-quattro, it did have the required controls for the vacuum operated differential lock but only two window switches meant the sedan would have to fare with power windows in the front and roll-ups in the rear. Also, you could have the interior in any configuration you wished so long as it was brown velour.
Opening the door of our ’84 all-original surivor, the smell of Reagan era plastic takes you back to the days of the Berlin Wall and MTV moonman commercials. Inside is a sea of brown, including seats, door panels, roof liner, switchgear, vents and more. Typical of the time, cupholders were nonexistent - not even a sparkle in Ronald McDonald’s eye. In its day, the cabin of the 4000 was comparable and competitive, though it is here that the car looks most dated. Plastics are brittle and the vinyl on the dash is prone to cracking when exposed to sunlight. We even spot a few exposed fasteners holding together the center console – something virtually no manufacturer does today. On the outside, a closer inspection reveals Giugiaro’s lines are surprisingly artful and complex in spite of its two-box profile. Paint colors were limited to just Black, Tornado Red, Alpine White and our subject’s optional Zermatt Silver metallic.
As is typical of the time, American market differences were much more apparent and easily discernible than today. In addition to the ‘4000’ nomenclature, Audi of America was unable to use aero-look glass Cibie headlights as fitted on the European 80 quattro and instead used the quad square setup compatible with American sealed beam lights of the period. Where the ‘80’ and ‘quattro’ badges at the rear of the European variant were vinyl decals just like the Ur-quattro, the ‘4000 S’ and ‘quattro’ badges of the US car were black moulded plastic with satin silver finish. Inside the ‘4000S quattro’ logo is painted on the top of the center console housing. American 4000s were also fitted with heavier and less elegant-looking US-mandated black bumpers with one-piece driving lights / turn signals built in. These bumpers are the most obvioud way to identify an American ‘84 quattro as this was the only year all-wheel drive variants were built for the States with the older bumper design.
While 1984 may have marked the last year for that early B2 bodystyle, fast forwarding 25 years finds the B8 A4 in its first year of production and times have changed. Audi has matured as a car manufacturer and technologies have come a long way. Materials used to build today’s A4 are some of the finest in the industry and the chassis is more capable than any Audi sedan to date. Pricing has gone up considerably from the ’80s but the car has grown in size while power and efficiency have also made great strides. In its day the S quattro was both the enthusiast’s choice. In as much, the 2009 A4 2.0T S-line is a worthy spiritual successor. Equipment levels on the S-line are high and its packaging, especially configured with a 6-speed manual transmission, make cars like our Misano Red test car highly sought after by enthusiasts.
Especially for 2009, the A4 has grown. Overall length of the A4 has grown 8.6 inches since 1984 and width has also grown 5.5 inches. This latest B8 chassis makes use of Ingolstadt’s modular longitudinal architecture, dropping weight and placing the engine further back in the chassis. Where the 4000’s radiator is set off to the driver’s side of the car to make room for an I-5 positioned surprisingly far forward, the new car’s 55/45 weight split is also one of the best ever seen on an Audi sedan. Under the hood is the award-winning 2.0T – a four-cylinder with direct injection and turbocharger that produces 211 hp and a substantial 258 lb-ft of torque capable of 0-60 sprints in just 6.4 seconds – substantially faster than the 4000. The new car is capable of 18 mpg city and 26 mpg highway, though we understand NHTSA’s recently updated math used to determine ratings is a bit more conservative.
On the outside, Audi design has grown much more dynamic. The squared-off Giugiaro lines of the B2 look conservative and rigid compared to the more flowing lines of Audi’s modern design language. The more anonymous horizontal grille used then has given way to Ingolstadt’s trademark Auto Union inspired shield grille, while creased surfacing, a strong tornado line along the shoulder and signature LED daytime running lights further define the four-ring brand. The S-line goes a step further with bumpers identical to those found on the more upmarket S4 while anything smaller than the S-line spec 19-inch ‘Tri-Five’ alloys looks small underneath the massive arches of the B8 A4’s fenders. Worth noting, the so-called tri-five wheel design used on our 2009 model has been reapplied to the S4 for 2010 while the A4 S-line now comes with 19-inch version of the iconic 7-spoke design first seen on the B7 RS 4.
In modern times, Audi has built its reputation on its nearly unrivalled interiors. Amongst them the A4 S-line is most impressive – available only in black for the S-line, but with handsome and with more accented silver stitching, perforated leather, aluminum and black perforated Alcantara than you can shake a gear-levered stick at. This configuration is one of our favorites in the Audi lineup – not overly opulent by A8 standards but with all of the elements an enthusiast would seek including sport seats like those standard in S4 and S5 models. In addition to 19-inch wheels, bumpers and uprated interior of the the S-line Package ($2,450), our A4 as-tested was liberally equipped with Audi’s Prestige Package ($7,350) that adds a Bang & Olufsen Sound System, Audi Side Assist blind spot warning system, rear parking sensor system, Advanced Key for keyless start and stop, Xenon headlights, Bluetooth phone integration, three-zone climate control, heated front seats, Homelink universal garage door opener, exterior chrome window trim, auto dimming rearview mirrors with compass, six CD symphony radio, Audi Music Interface for full iPod and music device integration, memory driver seat and mirrors, trip computer and rain/light sensor for wipers and auto headlights. It also came with their Navigation Package ($2,500) including navigation, voice control and rearview camera, as well as Audi’s impressive Audi Drive Select ($2,950) that allows drivers to control settings for suspension, steering weight and ratio, throttle, and shift points on automatic cars. Add these to the A4’s base price and an $825 destination charge and this new A4 as equipped prices out at $48,400.
Some traditional Audi consumers will grouse at the notion of a 2.0T moving into striking distance of $50K. Forget inflationary rates applied to 1984 dollars, this latest A4 also demands a significant premium over the B7 A4 it replaces, though it should be noted that it is a substantially better car. Chassis dynamics are significantly improved, size is significantly larger and the amount of standard equipment is more in league with the A8 toting amenities such as the latest fiber-optic based MMI system, keyless start, a rearview camera and the adjustable suspension, throttle, steering and more of our car’s Audi Drive Select system. Choose to forego such niceties for the more conservative route and you can still back an A4, even an S-line, back down into the mid 30s. Taking the long view, the addition of quattro all-wheel drive to the 4000 was a game changer that made Audis so-equipped world beaters and not just on slippery roads. The 2009 A4’s new modular longitudinal chassis architecture may be nearly as significant to Audi over the longrun, allowing today’s Audi to beat the world in new and different ways. 25 years on and 100 years into Audi history the 2009 A4 2.0T S-line is a worthy torch bearer fitting for today’s world of required efficiency and demanded level of luxury and performance. Check out additional high-resolution photos of the 2009 Audi A4 2.0T quattro S-line and the 1984 Audi 4000S quattro via the gallery link below.
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