Audi's A4 is back in our garage for a long-term test and not without good reason.
Everyone knew the BMW 3 Series was going under the knife for 2006. So rather than watch potential customers slip away until the A4's next scheduled redesign, Audi got serious with a midcycle refresh.
Two sophisticated new engines constitute the meat of the upgrades. There's a 200-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four and a 255-hp, 3.2-liter V6, and both use direct injection, making them among the most responsive and fuel-efficient motors in this class. Meanwhile, suspension parts transplanted from the S4 and A6 have increased the A4's handling thresholds while smoothing out its highway ride.
You really have to get behind the wheel to appreciate the gravity of these changes, so we let a 2005.5 Audi A4 2.0T quattro go one-on-one with a 2006 BMW 330i.
The BMW came away the winner, but the Audi had us intrigued. Its turbo four pulled hard, it just wasn't as quick as the inline six it was up against. Its retuned chassis was ready for a good time, it just couldn't match the one-of-a-kind feedback of the 330i. "This is a great car," said our author. "It's just not quite as great as the new 3 Series."
Now we've decided to give our second-place finisher more time to impress us. Or not. It's all up to the Dolphin Gray A4 2.0T with quattro all-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission that recently joined the long-term fleet.
The car is loaded with every conceivable option, except navigation, wood trim (it has real aluminum instead) and a tire pressure monitor. It has the Sport, Premium, Lighting, Audio and Cold Weather Packages, which means it has 17-inch wheels, a sport-tuned suspension, a leather interior, adaptive bi-xenon headlights, a Bose sound system and seat warmers for five. This also means it has a sky-high $37,195 MSRP. That's still a couple grand cheaper than a comparably equipped 325i, but nonetheless tough to take on a car with a four-cylinder engine.
Of course, the 2.0T isn't exactly your garden-variety inline four. "It's an interesting engine," Executive Editor Richard Homan wrote in the logbook. "It doesn't lag and then 'whoop spool' up like so many other turbos, it has a much more progressive roll on power."
Power really kicks in at about 2,000 rpm, at which point the 2.0T is ready for just about anything. "I made an evening run on the back roads and was delighted with the engine's long, flat torque band," said Erin Riches, senior content editor. "You really don't need six cylinders to have fun. Sure, you dip into second gear a little more often when coming into a corner, but that's the only real difference."
Until you hit the interstate. There our A4 2.0T quattro shames bigger-engined competitors with its outstanding fuel economy. "This is the first time I've driven a luxury-brand vehicle and not felt like I was sacrificing mileage for performance — at all," Erin jotted in the log. "During a road trip to San Francisco, my best tank was 30 mpg over 418 miles. That's better than I did driving a four-cylinder Honda Accord on the same route. Plus, it rides better than our previous 2002 A4 long-termer while providing a more serene cabin environment."
Rich and Erin had mixed feelings about the A4's six-speed manual transmission, however. Both found it easy to shift in relaxed driving, with a clean clutch take-up and nice, tall cruising gears, but they were slightly annoyed by the imprecise shifter action. "It's an Audi trademark," Rich noted, "but a spirited flop from sixth to fourth is a vague proposition. You'd never swear you weren't going to catch second by accident." Aside from this grievance, the Audi A4 2.0T quattro has thus far found a welcoming home with our staff. Its logbook is already filling up with tales of long drives taken on the spur of the moment, and the Audi's keys are always in demand. Let's hope the love affair continues as the miles pile on.
Current Odometer: 2,737
Best Fuel Economy: 29.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 16.1 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 22.5 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None
Everyone knew the BMW 3 Series was going under the knife for 2006. So rather than watch potential customers slip away until the A4's next scheduled redesign, Audi got serious with a midcycle refresh.
Two sophisticated new engines constitute the meat of the upgrades. There's a 200-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four and a 255-hp, 3.2-liter V6, and both use direct injection, making them among the most responsive and fuel-efficient motors in this class. Meanwhile, suspension parts transplanted from the S4 and A6 have increased the A4's handling thresholds while smoothing out its highway ride.
You really have to get behind the wheel to appreciate the gravity of these changes, so we let a 2005.5 Audi A4 2.0T quattro go one-on-one with a 2006 BMW 330i.
The BMW came away the winner, but the Audi had us intrigued. Its turbo four pulled hard, it just wasn't as quick as the inline six it was up against. Its retuned chassis was ready for a good time, it just couldn't match the one-of-a-kind feedback of the 330i. "This is a great car," said our author. "It's just not quite as great as the new 3 Series."
Now we've decided to give our second-place finisher more time to impress us. Or not. It's all up to the Dolphin Gray A4 2.0T with quattro all-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission that recently joined the long-term fleet.
The car is loaded with every conceivable option, except navigation, wood trim (it has real aluminum instead) and a tire pressure monitor. It has the Sport, Premium, Lighting, Audio and Cold Weather Packages, which means it has 17-inch wheels, a sport-tuned suspension, a leather interior, adaptive bi-xenon headlights, a Bose sound system and seat warmers for five. This also means it has a sky-high $37,195 MSRP. That's still a couple grand cheaper than a comparably equipped 325i, but nonetheless tough to take on a car with a four-cylinder engine.
Of course, the 2.0T isn't exactly your garden-variety inline four. "It's an interesting engine," Executive Editor Richard Homan wrote in the logbook. "It doesn't lag and then 'whoop spool' up like so many other turbos, it has a much more progressive roll on power."
Power really kicks in at about 2,000 rpm, at which point the 2.0T is ready for just about anything. "I made an evening run on the back roads and was delighted with the engine's long, flat torque band," said Erin Riches, senior content editor. "You really don't need six cylinders to have fun. Sure, you dip into second gear a little more often when coming into a corner, but that's the only real difference."
Until you hit the interstate. There our A4 2.0T quattro shames bigger-engined competitors with its outstanding fuel economy. "This is the first time I've driven a luxury-brand vehicle and not felt like I was sacrificing mileage for performance — at all," Erin jotted in the log. "During a road trip to San Francisco, my best tank was 30 mpg over 418 miles. That's better than I did driving a four-cylinder Honda Accord on the same route. Plus, it rides better than our previous 2002 A4 long-termer while providing a more serene cabin environment."
Rich and Erin had mixed feelings about the A4's six-speed manual transmission, however. Both found it easy to shift in relaxed driving, with a clean clutch take-up and nice, tall cruising gears, but they were slightly annoyed by the imprecise shifter action. "It's an Audi trademark," Rich noted, "but a spirited flop from sixth to fourth is a vague proposition. You'd never swear you weren't going to catch second by accident." Aside from this grievance, the Audi A4 2.0T quattro has thus far found a welcoming home with our staff. Its logbook is already filling up with tales of long drives taken on the spur of the moment, and the Audi's keys are always in demand. Let's hope the love affair continues as the miles pile on.
Current Odometer: 2,737
Best Fuel Economy: 29.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 16.1 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 22.5 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None
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