BEHIND THE WHEEL: Audi A4 35 TFSI
MONDAY MAY 2, 2022
This facelifted B9 A4 looks even better than it already is. It is always good to be back in a normal height car, no climbing in and out and some fun can be had tackling roundabouts. The fact it loses out to an SUV’s vision when pulling out junctions cannot be denied and it’s because there are so many of these tall boxes parked by the road where people can’t see out of a normal car.
Once inside, you are welcomed by a big touch screen that doesn’t look very cohesive to the overall interior design. It is the same one found in the updated Q5 which gets toasty especially in summer but at least, this one does not rattle.
PRO
Quick box
Fuel economy
Looks
CON
Value
SPECIFICATION
2-litre inline-4
148hp 270Nm
7-speed S-tronic
0-100 km/h: 8.9 s
From A$61,800
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BEHIND THE WHEEL: Audi A4 35 Sline
BEHIND THE WHEEL: Audi Q5 45 TFSI
This car is a lot better specified compared to an original B9 I drove last year. It has all the options to make driving a lot less tiring with the assistance package which includes adaptive cruise, all-round camera, head up display and few more stuff. That aside, it has sunroof and heated front seats. On the outside, we’ve got matrix beam headlights, 19-inch wheels and metallic paint.
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Even in comfort mode, the steering is more weighted than I would like and it gets heavier in auto and even more in dynamic mode. On the freeway, 245/35 19 Y tyres’ roar is pronounced which is to be expected from these low profile rubbers. In the older car, I experienced a lot of wheel slippage but not today because it has been fixed with super grippy Y rating tyres.
Off the line refinement and the shoddy tuned transmission in the last generation have been patched which made things substantially better. This refinement is likely due to jumping from a 1.4 to 2-litre engine which has a slower on paper acceleration but feels more potent in person. Probably due to the extra torque furthermore the bigger engine returned better fuel economy with me behind the wheel.
Its lowered sport suspension come as standard with or without Sline provide sufficient comfort for city run. They do not offer much benefit to handling dynamics or driving feedback but wear its occupants when it comes to longer journeys. Hence I’d consider upgrading to 45 TFSI just to have variable dampers because I like weekend getaways. Cabin noise is all right for its class however if a quieter cabin is desired, there’s always the A6 and A8.
Having done 300 kilometres in a day, it averaged 5.7 l/100kms and that’s with full-throttle whenever safe to do so. This is seriously impressive because on the same route, the SQ5 will require 2 more with a light foot. Surely, it’d be slightly nicer with some more toys like B&O thrown in but is it necessary? Because the Audi A4 35 TFSI in this configuration is already a well rounded car. It doesn’t have a lot of power but when flogged, it goes. If you’re not bothered by engine and exhaust acoustics, why pay more for a car that goes faster and pay more for fuel?
Another thing to consider is that for the similar money, you can have a Kia Stinger GT that comes with even more toys as standard. It is an even better place to be in, a lot faster and equally as good looking. The good continues because the rear-wheel drive Kia is better to drive and comes with a longer warranty. I’ve liked the Audi A4, still do and my very own B8 is still in the garage but if I were to choose today, head is above heart.