New Audi A4 review, test drive

Mid-life facelift brings with it a whole lot of subtle improvements.

Published on Jun 04, 2012 03:08:00 PM

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The facelift is subtle and you have to really stare to spot the differences.

The performance is satisfyingly brisk but not blindingly quick.

The ride is pliant and beautifully absorbent, but some pitching at high speeds.

The cabin gets a lot of small upgrades that make it feel a lot plusher.

Slip into the Audi’s seats, push the key into the slot and you’ll be shocked at how smooth and unbelievably quiet this four-cylinder engine is. There is some initial lag when you feed in the throttle, but when the engine crosses 2,000rpm there is a spike of power that sends the front tyres chirping. Controlling this surge of power in start-stop traffic requires effort, and this uneven power delivery is the only issue we had with this engine. Once past the initial hesitation, the engine pulls strongly, cleanly and smoothly right upto its 5900rpm redline.

Performance is aided by a CVT that thinks it’s a regular torque converter. It swaps its preset ‘steps’ like a gearbox with proper gear-ratios, the rubberband effect – the bane of regular CVTs – is minimal, and the transmission feels direct and responsive. It’s even fun to use in manual mode where it actually responds to requests for downshifts like a regular gearbox. The only time the CVT’s annoying rubberband effect does come into play is when you hit the kick-down switch. The revs shoot up to a constant 5000rpm and the car then catches up with it.

Performance feels satisfying rather than ballistic, and the 0-100kph time of 9.5sec is quick enough to see off most of its competition with comparable engines. Where the A4 feels best though, is on the highway because, once at cruising speed, it will happily stay there all day long, the engine’s supreme refinement adding to its long-legged nature.

Watch video review here