The compact executive car market used to be a niche sector, but now thanks to the Celtic Tiger 'Beemers' and 'Audis' are common as muck! Let’s not forget also that cars like Mondeo, Passsat and C5 were once in a lower class category but can now compete head to head with posh machines at a far cheaper price.
You can't throw a stone in any town in Ireland without hitting a premium German made car. The latest A4 is a very handsome car to look at and it certainly has more road presence than the 3 series.
The front-end has a high level of sophistication and of course Audi's new signature headlights that feature 14 little lights. BMW was first to use a unique headlight signature gimmick with its halo lights on the 5 series; now Audi has taken the idea of using headlights as jewellery one step further.
Viewed side on, the latest A4 is much longer than the car it replaces. The car's side profile reveals how much the cabin has grown. In the last few years Audi has had some of its premium brand status eroded by sister company VW with the Passat.
Passat has closed the gap with excellent build quality and styling. Passat remains a very classy car to look at and, not only is it more spacious than the A4, but a hell of a lot cheaper. A4's rear end gets a major overhaul also, but to my eyes mimics the Volkswagen's a little too much.
My 2 litre TDi test car is perhaps the best offering as the turbo diesel engine has loads of poke and pulling power (320nm). It's frugal too as I managed close to 1,000kms on just one tank of diesel.
On the road the A4 has a revised chassis and new suspension that has transformed the front wheel drive car into quite an interesting handler. I'd still prefer a BMW 3 series with its rear-wheel drive for driving enjoyment, but on the open road the A4 is a beautiful drive.
A word of caution - if you opt for large alloys from the options list, poorer ‘B’ roads will prove hard on the spine. My test car had almost €11,000 worth of Audi listed extras but remarkably I didn’t feel overly pampered.
It's sad, but your bog basic Audi costs a pretty penny and is quite bleak when it comes to standard kit. In fact Audis are easily shamed by most hatchbacks when it comes to standard kit. Unless you have company money in your pocket to load up your A4 with extras the additional cost is hard to justify.
The A4 has one of the best driving positions I've experienced this year. The range of seat adjustment is comprehensive. The six-speed gearbox has a nice short shift and is positioned relatively close to the steering wheel.
My only gripe with the A4 is the switchgear. While BMW got a lot of stick for its i-Drive control set up, you could at least get used to it fairly quickly. The secondary controls in the A4 are frustrating. Where some dials and switches are positioned under you left palm in the Q7, A5 etc. the A4's are mounted on the dash above the climate control and are awkward to use.
Audi is on a roll with some very good looking offerings like the R8 super car and A5 ‘uber’ coupe, and the latest A4 will prove very popular also.
Michael Sheridan
