2009 Audi A4

Stout four-banger, quiet cabin, quality interior, nice overall road feel

High price, exterior a bit too understated, light steering feel

The updated four-banger's added power, in conjunction with the effective six-speed automatic, helps move the 2009 Audi A4 up the time sheets. The A4 boogies from 0 to 60 in 6.5 seconds on to a quarter-mile sprint in 15 seconds flat at 98 mph.

There has been plenty of applause for the Audi A4's bigger cabin, which proves nicely isolated at freeway speeds and is well-trimmed and loaded with the latest in entertainment and navigation options channeled through the nicely executed MMI interface. The cheering stops though when word spreads of the tester's price: an eye-watering $46,675. Yes, the base quattro price is $ 33,525, but the option list is full of stuff most luxury car buyers now take for granted.

With its all-new 2009 A4, Audi has pulled off a rare hat trick -- producing a car that's bigger, faster, and more fuel efficient.

The updated four-banger's added power, in conjunction with the effective six-speed automatic, helps moves the 2009 Audi A4 up the time sheets. Our A4 tester boogied from 0-to-60 in 6.5 sec, more than a sec faster than a 2008 Audi A4 2.0L, on to a quarter-mile sprint in 15 sec flat at 98 mph.

So while our test crew hesitated to dub it a true sport sedan (sporty sedan is more like it), and carped some about the price, the consensus is the latest and greatest A4 further solidifies its position a worthy player in the midsize luxury segment.

And Audi expects a 15-percent increase in EPA fuel mileage, which would get the 2009 Audi A4 Avant a 25-mpg combined average, up from 22 mpg for the 2008 A4 Avant quattro FSI automatic.

Let this be a warning to those about to buy the A4 sedan. The 3.2 V-6 doesn't add much to the party versus the TFSI, except add weight, fuel consumption, and numbers to the sticker price.

Quattro AWD does get the party going, however. Like every other front-drive Audi A4 this humble reporter has ever driven, the 2.0 wagon's steering feels twitchy on long, fast straights, while the 3.2 quattro, admittedly with the extra weight of a V-6 up front, feels perfectly planted.

The Audi A4 sedan's daytime running lights are carried over intact to the A4 Avant, while the Xenon plus headlights feature 14 white light-emitting diodes -- another borrowed item. Inside the 2009 Audi A4 Avant, many features are inspired by Audi's flagship sedan, the A8. The center stack places a navigation screen prominently at its top, and optional leather, aluminum, and wood trim provide for a feeling of quality beyond the A4 Avant's price point.

Handling is one of the areas Audi focused on when designing the 2009 A4, and the car's performance is enhanced by a new lightweight suspension and variable-ratio steering." "Safety systems include six airbags, with the front airbags linked to sensors in the front seats that record the exact position of the seat to limit the force of the airbag and seatbelt tensioners.

The 2009 Audi A4 also will be offered with Audi's lane-departure-warning system and a rear backup sensor. Stability control is standard as well.

Luxury options are plentiful. For instance, the optional "climatic comfort" seats are equipped with small cooling fans in the seatback and seat cushion in addition to heating elements.

Other equipment includes a 14-speaker 505-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system, navigation with a seven-inch color touch screen, and the electric-mechanical parking brake seen on the Audi A8, which assists the driver when the car is moving from a stop, a handy feature for manual-transmission cars driven in hilly areas and adaptive cruise control.

There's no denying it -- Audi's smallest sedan is growing up. Stretched nearly five inches overall, more than two inches wider, and on a six-inch-longer wheelbase than the previous generation, the 2009 Audi A4 is sneaking up on A6 dimensions (its wheelbase is only 1.3 inches shorter).

When the Audi A4 goes on sale here, it will initially be offered in quattro form only, with one engine and transmission -- a new 3.2-liter, 265-horsepower V-6 backed by a ZF six-speed automatic. A second engine will follow -- expect an all-new 2.0T four and a manual and/or DSG with quattro as an option. The direct-injection V6 uses Audi's two-stage valve-lift system, which makes more efficient use of the engine to improve fuel economy by six percent. The V6 A4 is smooth and responsive off the line, but doesn't offer nearly the thrust of the 4.2-liter V-8. But the V-6 is by no means underpowered: the 2009 A4 gets to 62 mph in an estimated 6.2 seconds when backed by the manual, and the transmission's shifts are quick and easy to control with the steering-wheel-mounted paddles.

We liked the flatter cornering and slightly higher steering effort afforded by the sport mode, but compared with the standard steering, the active steering is less predictable and too twitchy and nervous in low-speed corners. Other new technologies include a blind spot warning system, intelligent cruise control, a rear-view camera, and a power tailgate. The 2009 Audi A4 is nearly five inches longer and is wider as well, which yields fractionally more interior space - six-footers can sit in back, although there's not much room to spare. The dramatically sloping roofline is bad news for anyone who wants to carry bulky items; apparently they're expected to switch over to the new Q5. The Audi A4's interior is a close kin to the A6's, which is good company indeed.

Significantly longer and wider than the BMW 3-series and the Mercedes-Benz C-class, the 2009 Audi A4 also provides a more expansive stretch between the axles, with a 110.6-inch wheelbase versus 108.7 inches for its closest competitors. This translates into a roomy interior, to which Audi adds a generous trunk. The cockpit of the new Audi A4 is definitely more high-end than middle-class, and we're not just talking about materials and finish. There's also more space for long legs, broad shoulders, and tall heads than before, and the overall layout--with the navigation monitor mounted high--is much more practical. But these are fringe factors compared with truly decisive qualities such as ride, handling, and roadholding.

The 2009 Audi A4 Avant will feature the 2.0 TFSI, a new high-powered four-cylinder turbocharged engine that has 211 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The current A4 Avant offers 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. The 2009 Audi A4 Sedan will also offer drivers the 2.0 TFSI or the option of a 3.2 FSI V6, with 265 hp and the patented Audi Valvelift Technology (AVS).

Technology options for the new model include a complete range of high-tech systems. These include the Audi parking system (a parking aid and standard for the A4 Avant), Audi lane assist (the lane departure warning system) and Audi side assist (which warns of hazards when changing lanes). The adaptive cruise control option maintains the distance to the vehicle in front.