Introduction
By Scott Oldham
Date posted: 03-17-2005
There are things in life you just don't think are possible. And then they happen. Things like the killing off of Oldsmobile, the Dukes of Hazzard on the big screen and Arnold the Governator. But the shocker of this young century has got to be Audi improving the A4.
Honestly, we didn't think it was possible. The last two generations of A4 saved the company and have been Audi's best sellers by a bunch. But the 2005 Audi A4 is better. A lot better. And almost in every way. It's more powerful, has new transmissions and its suspension has been retuned for a smoother ride and better handling. It even has a cool, new look.
Possum on a gum bush, what's next? The Red Sox winning the World Series? Halle Berry winning the Oscar? Man harnessing fire? Consider our minds blown.
Sixty-Percent New
Maybe we shouldn't be so surprised. Audi has been kickin' butt for about a decade now and has worked similar miracles with the recent redesigns of its A6 and A8 models.
This latest A4, however, isn't a total redo. Audi is calling it 60-percent new. Its platform, interior and overall dimensions basically remain as they have been since the previous generation (known internally as the B6) was introduced in 2002. That means things like the cargo space and rear-seat room on this new A4 Avant ("Avant" is station wagon in Audi-speak) are the same as they were on the previous version.
And just to make things more confusing, Audi is calling the new B7 a 2005 model even though the last of the B6 models were called the same. Repeat, this is not the 2006 Audi A4. According to Audi's national pubic relations manager, Jennifer Cortez, it has something to do with certification.
This year, like last, all A4 Avants get quattro all-wheel drive, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, but buyers can choose between two new engines and transmissions. Our test car had the new 255-horsepower, 3.2-liter V6 and new six-speed automatic with Tiptronic, which is the only transmission you can get with the V6 in the Avant. A new 200-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder is also available and it can be backed by the automatic or a six-speed manual. If you want the new Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), which can only be matched with the 2.0-liter, you have to buy a front-wheel-drive sedan or cabriolet.
Our test car did not have the popular sport package, which Audi says 50 percent of its A4 buyers pay for, but it was loaded with other options and packages, including the $2,050 Premium Package, $1,950 Navigation System and $1,000 Audio Package. All of which inflated its $37,120 base price to an MSRP of, hold on to your hat, $44,670.
Bonzai: Tucson to L.A.
We began this test with a 507-mile run from Tucson, Arizona, to our office in Santa Monica, California. Although we didn't have to be anywhere, we left Tucson at 7 a.m. and leaned on the A4 right out of the gate.
Several hours of interstate later, it was clear that the 2005 A4 Avant is a fantastic long-distance machine with excellent stability, abundant power, a comfortable and quiet interior and, for the first time, decent cupholders. Even the A4's new bodywork, which adds a couple of inches to its overall length and controversy to its design, had its benefits from behind the wheel. Its intimidation of left-lane bandits was undeniable. Everyone moved over as soon as that bold new trapezoidal grille filled their rearview mirrors.
This car is so good that, after seven hours on the road, our only quibbles are its overcomplicated navigation/audio system, which seems to be the case on every German car of late, and the perforated leather on the steering wheel, which started to feel rough on our hands after 400 miles. Besides that, the Avant was an awesome traveling partner. We averaged 73 mph and 22.5 mpg, with one gas stop and considerable traffic in Downtown L.A. That's a good run.
More Power
The Avant's new double-overhead cam 3.2-liter V6, which it shares with the recently redesigned A6, features a variable intake manifold, continuous camshaft adjustment on both the intake and exhaust side and direct fuel injection, which Audi calls Fuel Straight Injection (FSI). Direct injection is just what it sounds like. Instead of the fuel injector squirting the shot of fuel into the intake port, it sprays it directly into the combustion chamber, which improves power and efficiency.
We believe it. This V6 makes 243 pound-feet of torque at 3,250 rpm, more than 90 percent of which is available between 1,900 and 5,900 rpm. For comparison, we dug up the specs on the slightly smaller 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder in the new 2006 BMW 330i. It also makes 255 hp but its torque peaks at only 220 lb-ft.
Audi says the new six-speed Tiptronic is 31 pounds lighter than the transmission it replaces. We say it's geared perfectly to take advantage of the V6's output. Out on the road the combination gets the Avant up to speed quickly, and supplies plenty of passing power. Full throttle won't snap your head from your neck, but the six-speed is always ready with a quick downshift to make the most of the V6's horsepower, which peaks at 6,500 rpm.
Audi says our wagon, which weighed a hefty 3,858 pounds, should have squirted from zero to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds, but the best run we recorded was a disappointing 7.9 seconds. And our best quarter-mile run was 16 seconds at 90 mph.
Better Suspension and Brakes
To improve high-speed stability and steering response, the A4 has adopted several mounts as well as the considerably stiffer track rods on the front suspension from the high-performance V8-powered S4 model. Audi also retuned the shock absorbers and mounted them with large rubber bushings to better isolate suspension noise from the cockpit.
The results are nothing but impressive. Our A4 Avant, which wore Pirelli P6 tires, was completely locked in at speed. The steering also feels less contaminated, like it would in a rear-wheel-drive car.
Around town the tweaked suspension gives the A4 a better ride and a sportier feel. It's also more responsive. The slight floatiness of the previous car is gone. Understeer is still the Avant's most common cornering attitude, but its limits are higher. And the Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP), which is standard, works its magic without eliminating all of the A4's sporting personality. Plus it can be shut down with the push of a button.
In our slalom test, the Avant weaved through the cones at 59.4 mph, which is slower than the last BMW 330i we tested, which had a sport package (remember, our Avant did not), but equals the performance of Infiniti G35.
Audi has also increased the size of the A4's brakes, but with mixed results. Although they felt great on our road trip and around L.A., at the test track we measured an unexpectedly long stopping distance from 60 mph of 129 feet. The good news is that the Audi's brakes are seemingly impervious to heat. Their performance was consistent over four runs.
Feels Good Every Day
Everything that made the A4 terrific on our 500-mile interstate flog, also makes it a fantastic daily driver. It's hard to imagine this little wagon being more enjoyable on a day-to-day basis, or this car being better built. Its fit and finish inside and out is industry-leading. And by obsessively sweating every detail, Audi has turned its bread-and-butter model into one of the world's great cars.
"We are a company driven by engineers," Johan de Nysschen, Audi's executive vice president, told us during the car's press introduction in Tucson. "We have an obsession with building and creating great automobiles."
After a week of driving this beautiful Ocean Blue Pearl 2005 A4 Avant, we wish every car company had the same obsession.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=104940#8
<!-- end Primary Content --><!-- Footer content -->
