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| Launch Report Audi A4 |
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Hey, Good Lookin'
Audi says its junior executive saloon has been given the keys to the management washroom in that it's now as big as the old A6 and utterly writhing with technology. I say it's the best-looking car in its class and, in a market sector where image is so important, that's what's going to make it a winner. When it first goes on sale the A4 will be available with a choice of four engines – one petrol and three diesel. However a second, base-level petrol engine will come along in a few months. All of them are either new or extensively revised versions of existing units. Neither petrol engine was available to drive at the launch event but coming soon to an Audi near you will be a 3.2-litre V6 petrol with the quattro four-wheel drive system. It'll turn out 261bhp and 243lb/ft of torque, and pass through the 62mph mark after just 6.2 seconds. The official combined fuel economy is just over 30mpg. The base 1.8-litre petrol engine, available in March, will have 158bhp, a sprint time of 8.6 seconds and average fuel economy of just under 40mpg. On paper, though, diesel seems to be the sensible choice.
Every one of the diesel-engined cars I tried was a torquish delight. The two-litre TDI has four cylinders turning out up to 141bhp which is fed to the road through a six-speed manual gearbox. It'll nip through the 62mph mark 9.4 seconds after take-off and dash on up to a top speed of 134mph. It's a smooth and quiet engine that seems to gather pace more rapidly than the figures suggest. Despite that, you can allegedly coax an average of over 50mpg from it. For a blend of performance and economy, it's difficult to see the downside.
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