The performance of Audi A4 is spectacular

The previous generation A4 should have been a runaway success when it was first launched in India about eight years back. It was superior in terms of rear space, comfort, materials used, the then-pioneering drive select system, as well a choice of great engines including V6 options.

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However Audi was still finding its feet in the country and the Q-range was more easily accepted. However, in its new generation the A4 again seems ready to take on the competition with liberal doses of technology, comfort and oomph.

The interiors are trimmed using the best materials and give passengers a feeling of being in a truly premium car.

The design is not radically different with Audi preferring to keep the sedan's understated looks. But that is more than made up by either end of the car. The front gets a new look with the lower and wider single frame grille, new headlamps with serrated bottom edges and the wrap-around hood. The rear is also sharp and characteristic Audi with tail lights featuring 48 LEDs in a unique 3D design.

Overall the car is slightly longer and a little wider, liberating even more in-cabin space. Audi engineers also claim its coefficient of drag of 0.24 is the lowest in-segment. This combined with a 120kg lighter body ensures a car with good fuel efficiency and better handling.

In its new generation the A4 again seems ready to take on the competition with liberal doses of technology, comfort and oomph.

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Audi retains its mastery of interior design and materials and the best view of the car is definitely from the inside. While the A4 was spacious, it seems even more so now and given the tech and the interior layout, one could be mistaken for thinking that it's a larger sibling.

On the instrument panel the A4 gets the virtual cockpit that can be customised according to the driver's needs. In addition the MMI has been completely reworked and though I did not get to try it out, features better voice control as the system can understand sentences instead of pre-defined commands.

The A4 gets the virtual cockpit where a high-res screen can be customised according to the drivers needs.

In addition the infotainment platform includes a quad-core chip that processes all functions. With a clock rate of more than one gigahertz and a powerful graphics card, it can carry out eight billion calculations per second. That's huge computing power for the entertainment system of a car! And that's not all. The A4 comes with a B&O system, a 755-watt, 16-channel amplifier, 19 speakers and 3D surround system.

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We drove the A4 powered by the 2-litre diesel engine that was good for max power of 190bhp along with peak torque of 400Nm.

In India the car will be available with the top-of-the-line four-cylinder engines, the 2-litre TFSI and TDI. We drove the car with a 2-litre diesel engine that was good for max power of 190bhp along with peak torque of 400Nm. The engine was mated to a 7-speed S-tronic gearbox and quattro.

To drive the car feels like a larger car. Gone is the crispness from the suspension despite the car being lighter and the car absorbs whatever undulations one could find on German roads without a shimmy. That bodes well for India and the effort has been to focus on the comfort aspect of the car. The fully revised electromechanical steering is direct and does not feel vague around the centre like most electric units do and Audi has worked out a good compromise there.

The rear is also sharp and characteristic Audi with tail lights featuring 48 LEDs in a unique 3D design.

The performance of the car is spectacular but what is even more pleasing is the effort that has gone towards NVH and the car again seems to have grown up in that respect.

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In Germany the car was equipped with all the latest Audi drive assist and safety systems and it remains to be seen what will come to India although the traffic jam assistant could work wonders in the heavy traffic of India's metros.

Audi A4 vs Competition

Verdict

The A4 has grown up much like its younger sibling, the A3 and now offers the technology, features, ride, handling and comfort of its much larger siblings.

And that should comfortably put it back at the top of the pile in its segment once its launched later on in the year in India with the only challenge coming to it once the other German premium car companies launch their next-gen models in this segment.

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