NEW A4 SALOONS ARRIVE IN FEBRUARY
28 January 2008 - Audi

The new Audi A4’s classy design comes as standard as does the beautifully crafted interior and supreme build quality.

“Audi has evolved a restrained image for its cars whilst at the same time offering high performance. The new A4 continues this tradition”, so wrote Jeremy Hicks, director of Audi UK at the media launch for the new A4 range held in Portugal this week.

The A4 is Audi’s best selling model range in the UK, narrowly ahead of the A3. The new A4 saloons, which arrive in February, and Avant estate models, which go on sale in the summer, achieve around 21,000 annual sales in the UK. Add in other variants such as the Cabriolet and RS derivatives and total annual A4 sales are in the region of 31,000 units.

2007 was another record year for Audi UK sales that topped 100,000 units, 17.9% more than 2006, which was also a record year. Worldwide Audi expects to break the 1 million new car sales milestone in 2009.

To date in 2008 Audi UK seems to be heading for another record year of sales. With 11 months still to go they have 25,000 confirmed orders for new cars from their entire model ranges. This already equates to 25% of total annual sales.

The UK is Audi’s third largest market in the world behind Germany and China and Audi expects to become the top premium brand in the UK within the next few years. That means overtaking BMW who sold 121,575 news cars in the UK last year. Mercedes-Benz achieved 82,321 UK sales in 2007 and increase of 1.5%.

Much of Audi’s growth has been achieved by entering new market sectors with additional model ranges. Ten years ago Audi had 12 model ranges, today they have 25 and by 2012 they will have 40 – hence their claim that they will become the top premium brand in the UK.

2008 will be a busy year with new Audi model introductions. In addition to the new A4s these will include the RS6, the A3 Cabriolet and a facelifted A3 range, the new medium sized Q5 SUV, the Audi TTS and the huge Q7 6-litre, 500hp, V12 TDI SUV.

The introduction of new model types attracting new customers takes the pressure of Audi to force sales of their best selling A4 range. The A4 range sells in the ‘premium’ sector of the D upper-medium segment and around 70% of customers are fleet, business and business user-choosers. Diesel models account for 79% of all A4 UK sales with the new 2.0 TDI diesel engines expected to take 45% of all A4 sales. This is the first application of the new 2.0-litre TDI, four-cylinder, common-rail, turbodiesel diesel VW engine and it will also soon be used by other brands within the Volkswagen family.

Of the new A4 models we currently know about the next most popular engine will be the 1.8-litre TFSI turbocharged direct injection petrol unit with 20% of sales followed by the 2.0 TFSI petrol unit and the 3.0 TDI quattro both each accounting for 10% of sales. The 2.7 TDI unit is expected to appeal to 7% of customers whilst the 3.2 FSI quattro should attract around 3% of sales.

To date Audi UK has 4,000 orders for the new A4 models with deliveries starting in February with SE saloon variants. The S line saloons will follow in May and Avant estate in the summer. Audi A4 saloon prices start at £22,590 for the 1.8 TFSI in SE trim rising to £32,790 for the 3.0 TDI Quattro in S line specification. The most popular model, the 2.0 TDI SE costs £23,940. Avant estate prices are yet to be released.

In addition Audi offers a wide range of extra cost options for the A4 and the average spend on extras is £2,000 per car but it is quite possible to add £12,000 to the final price if more perceived must-have extras are added. Around 40% of Audi A4s are sold with the £525 optional Bang & Olufsen sound system and the £1,975 satellite navigation system is also popular.

Views
The all new and much larger Audi A4 saloons might be classed as ‘upper medium’ sector cars with ‘premium’ positioning but size wise the newcomer is almost as large as the previous Audi A6.

The main sellers in this segment are the BMW 3 Series and the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, all larger than the models they replaced, and all from German manufacturers.

The new Audi A4 is 4,703mm in length with a wheelbase of 2,808mm, both longer than its main 3 Series and C-class competitors. The A4 is wider too at 1,826. This means much more rear legroom at 909mm than both it rivals and 480 litres of boot space, again the best of the three.

The all-new bodyshell is 10% lighter than the outgoing A4 range and it is has 5% greater torsional rigidity. The bodyshell is constructed of 30% high strength steel. Some engines are more powerful and some models are faster, but overall the new range has 15% better fuel economy with 15% lower emissions.

But advances in bringing the latest technologies to the customers does not stop with the body construction. All the engines are Euro5 compliant, all the petrol engines are direct injection, all the diesel units are common-rail and all the four cylinder diesel units are turbocharged.

Now technology doesn’t come cheap. Priced from £22, 590 the new A4 saloons are 2.7% more expensive than the models they replace but with their added specification they are actually 3.2% better value said Audi this week.

The SE variant saloons are first to market in February and standard specification includes three zone climate control, multifunction steering wheel and on-board driver information computer, 17-inch alloy road wheels, a 180 Watts, 10 speaker Audi sound system, split folding rear seats with automatic boot opening which makes the saloon even more versatile, automatic windscreen wipers and automatic headlights, rear parking sensors, daytime running lights, (LED R8 style are an option), electronic stability programme, front and rear foglights, alarm, aluminium interior trim detailing, electrically operated windows and door mirrors.

There is a host of extra cost technical options that can be ordered including Audi Drive Select. This allows the driver to tune the driving characteristics of the vehicle to their choice with Comfort, Auto and Dynamic settings. But if the satellite navigation package is taken as another option, then an Individual setting is added where the driver can tailor in their own exact handling requirements and these cover suspension, steering and throttle response settings. Other options include radar controlled Side and Lane Assist which warns of approaching vehicles in blind spots as well as approaching a slowing vehicle in front.

The new Audi A4’s classy design comes as standard as does the beautifully crafted interior and supreme build quality. The larger bodyshell now has sharper styling lines and it looks muscular on the road. The rounded bland shape has gone. The much improved interior space will be enjoyed by all but in particular rear sear passengers. This is a serious car and deserves serious consideration by more and more customers wanting a slice of the Audi brand image.

Star model in the saloon line-up, and it will be in the Avant range, is the 2.0-litre TDI SE priced at £23,940. Nearly half of the customers will go for this engine and the SE specification makes the most financial sense both for the purchase price and the related company car tax bill.

The four-cylinder engine is a huge improvement, indeed it bears no comparison with the current VW 2.0-litre TDI unit. Now of common-rail design, with the usual turbocharger, this unit is very quiet, no rattles and no harshness. With 143PS of power (141bhp) and 320Nm of torque from 1,750rpm the engine pulls strongly, it doesn’t get stressed or noisy yet it remains really very responsive and flexible. In its way it is just as impressive as the new A4 itself. Top speed is 133mph, 0-62mph is covered in 9.4 seconds and the published average fuel consumption is 51.3mpg although our test drive on fantastic mountain roads with little or no other traffic reduced that average figure to 37.2mpg, but we were pushing the new A4 hard just to see how good it was. The engine is mated with a slick 6-speed manual transmission. Automatic transmission options, both CVT and torque converter types, will be available on various models in the A4 range.

The 2.7 TDI and 3.0 TDI quattro engines and drive-trains were also available at the media launch. Petrol models are still in production. The 2.7 V6 unit returned 26.9mpg and the 3.0-litre V6 with quattro all-wheel drive 27.2mpg, which rather tells a story. The 2.7-litre unit has to be worked harder to get the best out of it while the larger 3.0-litre unit has the torque and power to take it all in its stride and even powering all four wheels returns better mpg figures.

However the star of the show is the 2.0-litre TDI model. As for handling, like all front wheel drive Audi’s understeer is always present but the grip is predictable. Initial reports from an early press launch held with left hand drive models in Sardinia was that the new A4’s ride comfort was suspect with the suspension being bouncy and unable to absorb potholes and poor road surfaces. The SE versions we tried didn’t suffer in the same way. The ride comfort was excellent, handling was well balanced and the suspension absorbed holes and ripples in the tarmac effortlessly. I would suggest that the S Line specification will provide for a firmer ride and the bigger optional wheels on offer should be avoided.

So which is best, the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 or Mercedes-Benz C-Class? There is no definitive answer; it’s too close to call. The Audi has the best image for most people, the best interior quality and design, the most passenger space and the best residual values. The BMW has the sportier drive because it is rear wheel drive layout and the C-Class has the most desirable traditional brand values for some people. Perhaps the A4 has the most plus points.

MILESTONES. Audi A4 Saloon 2.0 TDI SE. Price: £23,940. Engine/transmission. All new 2.0-TDI common-rail turbodiesel 143PS, 320Nm from 1,750rpm, 6-speed manual gearbox, front wheel drive. Performance: 133mph, 0-62mph 9.4 seconds, 51.3mpg (37.2mpg actual), CO2 144g/km, VED Band C £115. Company car tax: 18%. Insurance group: 12. For: Just about everything, more passenger space, classy interior design, build quality, image, new 2.0-litre TDI engine, handling refinement. Against: High option costs will push up the final price, don’t go for the bigger wheels if you want ride comfort, wind noise from the front doors.

Miles Better News Agency

http://www.audi.co.uk

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