Audi A4 TDI review

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Audi A4 2.0 TDI 143 SE Road Test

Test date 10 February 2008 Price as tested £24,405

For Diesel refinement, interior finish, interior space, improved chassis

Against Inconsistent steering weight, offset pedals, could be quicker, too small an advance over old A4

The A4 started life as the 80 in Audi genealogy, as the upmarket, 1972 version of the VW Passat that it pre-dated by a year. That was eight generations ago, but the principle of the car, as a compact and classy three-box saloon, hasn’t altered.

Unlike the BMW 3-series the Audi is front-drive, but quattro all-wheel drive continues to be offered, as it has been since 1982. Audi was also early with direct injection diesel engines too, back in 1989.

But today there is only one winner in the battle for supremacy in the compact premium saloon class and that’s BMW, whose 3-series outsells Audi’s A4, and the Mercedes C-class. But the A4 has gradually made ground on the BMW 3-series, and Audi believes this latest version, code-named B8, will take another bite out of BMW’s lead.

This time it has the increased firepower of an all-new platform, debuted last year on the A5 coupé, whose rearranged running gear is aimed at improving the car’s dynamic performance, and there’s now an arsenal of optional features not previously seen on the A4.

These include reconfigurable steering, throttle and suspension settings, lane assistance, a blind-spot monitor, comfort-cooled front seats, active steering, Bang and Olufsen sound systems and three-zone climate control, as well as Audi perennials such as quattro all-wheel drive. This A4 is also bigger, roomier, more aerodynamic, cleaner and features an all-new common rail 2.0 diesel.