The 2009 A4 looks wider, lower and longer than before, in part because it is wider and longer without being taller and in part because the front end is shorter, crisper, leaner and more tapered. It shares the split-grille common to all front-engine Audis, points on the lower air dam that mimic crab pincers, the headlamp housings are more horizontal, and the light elements themselves draw the eye up and back at the corners.When equipped with the bi-Xenon headlights and LED daytime running lights, the A4 looks a bit meaner, especially when the daytime running lights are on (on any A4 the daytime running lights can be enabled/disabled through MMI). They also provide better nighttime vision for the A4 driver (including speed-dependent adjustment) and make the A4 stand out so other drivers see it sooner.
The grille is stone gray on four-cylinder cars and gloss black on V6 units. S-Line models add a silver center lip below the grille, sleeker air intakes, side skirts, and finer wheels to give the A4 a more imposing, hunkered-down stance.
The wheelbase, the space between the front and rear axles, is 110.6 inches, long by compact sedan standards. To minimize any limousine look the lower character line along the doors sweeps progressively upward toward the rear wheel, and the shoulder character line just below the windows tapers off as it passes the rear door and curves through the taillight lens as it fades in to the fender.