Some people have said the A3 sedan makes the A4 obsolete. That might be true in the looks department, where the outdated design of the executive car falls way short of its smaller brother. It's also true in the active safety area, but there are things the A3 will never be able to do.
For example, the A3 will never come with a big 3-liter diesel engine and as everybody knows, there's really no replacement for displacement. Today, we're going to look at a relatively new A4 Limousine model, fitted with the best tech available short of an S or RS model. It's called the 3.0 TDI clean diesel and packs 245 PS, delivered though quattro all-wheel drive. Gone is the old lineatronic CVT, replaced with a quicker S tronic twin-clutch with seven speeds.
Official numbers suggest this flagship A4 will sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds on its way to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). And you know what? Audi really isn't lying. This acceleration test video shows how the sedan will actually perform in the real wold and is hugely impressive, considering the platform itself is six years old. And check out the launch control function, which works surprisingly well.
The all-new C-Class that was launched just a few month ago doesn't come with a big six-cylinder diesel any more. Its place has been taken by the C 300 BlueTEC Hybrid, which combines a 204 PS 2.1-liter engine with a 27 PS electric motor. 0 to 100 takes a leisurely 6.4 seconds and you can't order it with all-wheel drive, but the fuel consumption is about 50% lower.
Are there any downsides to the A4? Well, as you'd expect, adding all that tech to an old platform has made it quite heavy, tipping the scales at 1805 kg (3979 lbs). We've already established that the A4 isn't a looker, especially when you compare it to the W205 C-Class. Prices also start at €46,500 in Germany and for that many buyers will be tempted by the bigger, newer A6 instead.
Video by Sawomann
Official numbers suggest this flagship A4 will sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds on its way to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). And you know what? Audi really isn't lying. This acceleration test video shows how the sedan will actually perform in the real wold and is hugely impressive, considering the platform itself is six years old. And check out the launch control function, which works surprisingly well.
The competition
Starting from €47,750, BMW can sell you an even more impressive 330d xDrive with an 8-speed automatic. Its inline six delivers 258 horsepower and a 0 to 100 km/h time of only 5.6 seconds.The all-new C-Class that was launched just a few month ago doesn't come with a big six-cylinder diesel any more. Its place has been taken by the C 300 BlueTEC Hybrid, which combines a 204 PS 2.1-liter engine with a 27 PS electric motor. 0 to 100 takes a leisurely 6.4 seconds and you can't order it with all-wheel drive, but the fuel consumption is about 50% lower.
Are there any downsides to the A4? Well, as you'd expect, adding all that tech to an old platform has made it quite heavy, tipping the scales at 1805 kg (3979 lbs). We've already established that the A4 isn't a looker, especially when you compare it to the W205 C-Class. Prices also start at €46,500 in Germany and for that many buyers will be tempted by the bigger, newer A6 instead.
Video by Sawomann