When the previous A4 came along, its interior raised the bar on perceived quality among compact premium saloons, but since then Audi’s rivals have had time to respond.
As a result, you wouldn’t say the new A4 blows all of its rivals into the weeds on apparent cabin quality in the way that the previous one did. And yet this is undeniably an interior of deeply impressive integrity, masterfully designed and executed to look and feel clean, modern and uncluttered. It’s reserved rather than in any way eccentric, and slightly lacking in warmth, maybe, but the quality is outstanding from carpet level upwards.
The car’s very minor growth spurts have made extra room in both rows of seating. According to our tape measure, the back ones offer competitive leg room but slightly disappointing head room for larger adults.
The boot, at 480 litres, is identical on claimed size to that of a Mercedes C-Class or BMW 3 Series, and bigger than a Jaguar XE’s – and its expandability has been bolstered by the addition of 40/20/40 split-folding rear seatbacks. The Avant comes with 505 litres of boot space which is more than its closest rivals - the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate and BMW 3 Series Touring - but is on par with them when its rear seats are folded flat.
Occupant space in the front is good, and so is the driving position. Our S line test car came with comfortable manually adjusted sports seats with extendable cushions, plenty of base height and angle adjustment, and lots of leg room.
As standard, the car is fitted with analogue instruments and a typical trip computer-style central screen, but they can optionally be swapped for the same 12.3in Virtual Cockpit TFT instrument cluster as the one offered in the TT. Unlike in the TT, it can be partnered with a head-up display and a central 7.0in infotainment screen.
The flexibility of what information you choose to be displayed in which location gives the A4’s driver the ultimate in configurability: two widescreen high-resolution navigations maps displayed simultaneously, for example, in case you want to be guided in bird’s-eye and north-up modes at the same time.
Even the most ardent critic of Audi would find it difficult not to be impressed by the technological sophistication of the A4’s interior and the substance and tactile appeal of its fittings, right down to the sculptural indicator stalks.
