Steadily and surely, all the luxury is bleeding out of the Audi A4. The LED headlights that were standard when the 2016 model was launched now cost extra, and some underpowered engines have become available.
At €32,550, the A4 Sport equipped with a 1.4 TFSI engine and a 6-speed manual is the cheapest Audi luxury compact sedan you can buy in Germany. The question is: does this still qualify as a luxury car?
The 1.4 TFSI was announced from the beginning but is only now becoming available. It's the same engine as in the A3, right down to the 150 PS and 250 Nm output. The only major difference is that it's been set up longitudinally.
This is the smallest engine available on a car based on the MLB Evo platform and replaces the 1.8 TFSI unit while offering a lot less power. We believe the main reason Audi chose to downsize is because the company wanted to claim weight savings of up to 120 kilograms compared to the outgoing model. With a manual, the basic A4 tips the scales at just 1,395 kilograms.
As you would expect, the performance isn't quite there, as 0 to 100 km/h sprints take 8.7 seconds and the top speed is 210 km/h. Fuel consumption isn't as great as on the 2.0 TDI either. When equipped on the VW Passat, the same engine takes the car to 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds and gives it a higher top speed of 220 km/h.
The same model is also available in Britain, where the entry-level A4 1.4 TFSI SE model costs £25,900 on the road. Standard features include xenon headlights with LED running lights, three-zone climate control, switchable damping, automatic city braking, keyless go, stop-start and cruise control with a freewheeling mode. If you are going to buy one, we suggest paying £950 for the Sport model and getting sat-nav, 17-inch wheels, extendable squab sports seats, an upgraded sound system and a nice three-spoke steering wheel.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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