The new Audi A4 has been revealed, the luxury saloon car will look to rival the likes of the Mercedes C Class and BMW’s 3 Series.
Keen to make its mark on this sector of the market, Audi also revealed the A4 Avant estate variant at the same time, making it the first time both models have been revealed simultaneously.
Pricing and full specification are still to be confirmed but it’s expected the car will sell for just under £30,000 and it will officially debut at Frankfurt in September this year.
The new Audi A4 and A4 Avant are said to feature numerous premium technologies which set higher benchmarks for their class. According to Audi both variants are ahead of the competition in terms of infotainment and assistance systems. UK customers who will begin taking delivery of their cars in late 2015, are promised a truly high-tech experience ― ‘an innovative synthesis of technology and aesthetics’.
When it comes to aerodynamics, the two new models dramatically outpace the competition, with the best drag coefficient in its class at 0.23, and the A4 Avant pierces the air almost as cleanly with a 0.26 figure. The new models also have impressively low CO2 emissions which in the 2.0 TDI ultra dip below 100g/km.
The new Audi A4 and A4 Avant will launch with seven engines – three TFSI and four TDI. Their power output has increased significantly and ranges from 150PS to 272PS, but fuel consumption has been reduced by up to 21 percent. CO2 dips below 100g/km in the 2.0 TDI ultra Saloon. All engines combine high efficiency with outstanding responsiveness and refinement. This applies in particular to the two 3.0 TDI six-cylinder engines.
The new Audi A4 has a groundbreaking innovation for the petrol engines: The 2.0 TFSI ultra with 190PS uses an absolutely new combustion method that makes it especially efficient. During the model lifecycle, a g-tron version will be launched in markets with the appropriate infrastructure which can use natural gas or the sustainably produced Audi e-gas as fuel.
At 4.73 metres long and with a wheelbase of 2.82 metres – the new Audi A4 and A4 Avant have a confident stance on the road. A prominent horizontal line on the front and rear emphasises the car’s width. The flowing design with concise lines communicates the sporty elegance of the brand. The Singleframe grille is wide and low; the optionally available headlights in LED and Matrix LED technology (including dynamic indicators) make technology a visual trademark.
The A4 and A4 Avant come complete with numerous driver assistance systems. The predictive efficiency assistant helps drivers to save fuel, Audi active lane assist helps them to stay in lane and the Stop&Go adaptive cruise control including traffic-jam assist eases driving in slow-moving traffic. One special feature of traffic-jam assist is its control strategy. It takes into account a large number of parameters such as road markings and the traffic ahead. Some more innovations that make important contributions to safety are parking assist, rear cross-traffic assist, exit warning, collision avoidance assist, turn assist and the Audi pre-sense systems. Camera-based traffic-sign recognition is also available.
The two new Audi A4 models will be available to order in the UK later this summer – deliveries of the Saloon will begin towards the end of the year and the Avant will follow in early 2016. Their standard equipment is even more comprehensive than that of their predecessors. It includes 17-inch alloy wheels, xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, the Audi smartphone interface, keyless go, a Bluetooth interface, Audi drive select, a 7-inch MMI colour display and three-zone climate control.
