NEW A4 PUSHES UP AUDI UK SALES
28 May 2005 - Audi

There is no going away from the fact that everything Audi currently does just enhances their reputation and grows their appeal to UK customers.

Having had a record year for UK sales in 2004 and pushed ahead of Mercedes-Benz and so far this year just edged ahead of their other German rival, BMW, Audi’s sales are still increasing in a market slipping into recession. After the first four months of UK sales Audi’s share had increased by almost 12 per cent.

BMW might have the reputation for outright sports performance and exciting driveability, Mercedes for the prestige of owning a ‘Merc’, but Audi just keep producing really good quality, well manufactured cars and I suspect owning an Audi is a little more desirable now than owning a BMW in certain quarters.

Fundamental to their growth is the all-new A4 range of Saloons and Avants (estates) that went on sale in January with a 24 model line up with an initial nine engine line up. Of course there remains the option of front wheel drive and the famous Quattro four-wheel drive models. 2005 is the 25th anniversary of Audi’s Quattro system.

Prices for the new A4 models start at an affordable £18,765 and rise to £28,725. Although prices for specialist non-mainstream models such as the S4 Quattro cost up to £38,125. On the face of it very competitive at the ‘premium end of medium size car segment.

However those prices don’t tell the real story because Audi produce a huge list of heavily marketed options that can turn your car of choice into an expensive motor.

Take for instance my test car, the run of the mill A4 2.0-litre TDI SE Saloon with manual transmission. Retail price as standard is £21,200 but by the time ‘must have’ options are added, items such as 17 inch alloy wheels, parking sensors, the fantastic BOSE sound system, satellite navigation system, mobile phone kit, heated front seats, leather upholstery, towing kit and Xenon headlights and this car suddenly becomes a £30,000 purchase. Just remember add only the ‘extras’ that work for you, there is very little trade-in value for many of these items after three years and if it is a company car just remember the extra benefit in kind tax you will be paying.

The Audi A4s biggest competitors are the equally new BMW 3 series and the well-respected Mercedes C-Class.

The A4 has every body panel except the roof of a new design over the previous model. Much of this has been done to achieve higher levels of crash protection and the car achieves future passive safety standards including the new fast rear crash test.

The new generation car also has the new family deep Audi grille. Other changes include four new engines, two petrol, two diesel, new manual, Tiptronic and CVT transmissions, modified suspension, steering and brakes and a substantially upgraded interior. And it is most beautifully done achieving production qualities the competitors can only dream about. Hence the growing popularity of the Audi marque, great cars, great quality and best of all good dealer service.

My test model had one of the four new engines added to the new the new range line-up.

This Euro IV unit with four valves per cylinder and a turbocharger uses the latest direct injection diesel technology. Balancer shafts iron out noise and vibration make this a very smooth unit and once driving is underway the sense of it being a diesel as far as noise goes disappears. The power and torque though make it a very responsive unit right through the rev range so it is compliable at low in town speeds as it is at very high speeds on the motorway. Maximum power is 140PS developed at 4,000rpom with a massive 320Nm of torque developed from just 1,750rpm, hence its responsiveness at low speeds. Top speed is 131mph with the 0-62mph acceleration time of 9.7 seconds. Drive to the front wheels is through a manual 6-speed transmission which is a delight to use with a short gearchange throw and with sensible gear ratios. These meant that I was able to use sixth gear in relatively low-speed urban traffic conditions. The factory fuel consumption figures for the combined cycle say this model will return 47.9mpg. Not so my test car. 36mpg was the overall average and that was a 10mpg deficit over the similarly powered Mercedes C-Class Saloon I drove the following week over virtually the same roads.

Where the A4 scores over the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class is the quality of the product and the design and choice of materials and finish for the interior. It is not as roomy in the rear seats as the BMW or Mercedes but it appears to have a larger or better shaped boot for luggage. The BMW excels for sportier driveability with better driving dynamics. The Mercedes for comfort of ride and perhaps still just the edge with brand appeal.

MILESTONES: Audi A4 2.0TDI Saloon. Price £21,200 or as tested £30,035. Engine, 4-cylinder, direct injection turbo-diesel, 140PS, 320NM of torque. Performance, top speed 131mph, 0-62mph 9.7 seconds. Fuel economy, 47.9mpg (as tested 36mpg), CO2 158 g/km. Tax liability 20%. Insurance group 12E. For: build quality, strong brand image, sporty engine performance, good residual values. Against: high cost of must-have options, less interior space and poorer mpg than Mercedes C-Class.

Miles Better News Agency

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