On the move, the A4 is extremely refined and boasts of a sublime ride quality. The four drive modes — comfort, auto, dynamic and individual — allow you to play around with its dynamism and response types, not just for the engine and shift times, but also for suspension setup on the fly. Since we were starting off on the highway, it was ‘dynamic’ to begin with. The first thing that’s evident is the setup of the dampers. The A4 feels agile and planted and takes every change of direction, casual or urgent, in its stride. Even in ‘dynamic’ mode, the ride quality is exceptional. The undulations are soaked up and sound deadening is good. Alas, like the best of Germany inevitably fall prey to, deep ruts and potholes manage to let the thuds through.
The engine doing the job is actually the 1.4-litre turbocharged fuel-stratified injection in-line four. It moves away from the old Multitronic CVT and on to a seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch box driving the front wheels. Badged ’30 TFSI’, it does have the performance to match some older, larger-displacement engines. With 150 PS and a more than usable 250 Nm spread between 1,500 and 3,000 RPM, the A4 can pick itself up and sprint in any gear at any time. Don’t let its displacement fool you. The engine management is well-thought-out and, depending on drive mode, you can cruise at 100 km/h in seventh gear at 1,600 RPM, or hammer down the power in fourth at 140 km/h. The engine is extremely refined and is inaudible at lower revs. Shift to ‘S’ using the chunky gear selector, and the engine snarls in response, letting you know it’s ready to dance to an up-tempo beat.
Modern turbo engines seemingly have done away with torque peaking as the revs climb, but the A4’s TFSI motor keeps the excitement alive. As the revs pick up, the accompanying soundtrack is definitely smile-inducing, especially if you’ve bought the A4 to drive yourself. The engine note getting up to 6,000 RPM, where ‘dynamic’ mode will hold the revs for a decent amount of time, sounds raucous for what is essentially a new-age fuel-saving engine. If there ever were Dr-Jekyll-and-Mr-Hyde engines, this one is damn near the best of them. The red-line at 6,250 RPM seems a stone’s throw away from the needle at that point of time.
Getting off the highway was a bit of a sudden snapping back to reality with the appearance of large speed-humps, designed to decimate the underside of low-riding cars. Thankfully, the A4 was high enough to take these without any belly-scraping antics. Amidst cattle crossing the road and people moving at cattle’s pace, the A4 kept its cool and carried on. The light steering feel in ‘traffic’ was appreciable, as was the effectiveness of the three-zone climate control. I also glanced at the indicated fuel economy hovering at just above 10 km/l. Not too bad at all, considering the range with its 54-litre fuel-tank.
From Bhubaneswar to Puri it had been, and we were at the Konark temple, beach-side. The A4 had its share of mud, slush and sand over the 100-odd km and had come out on top. There’s nothing really that upsets it on the road. It’s a sensible all-rounder and, unlike some of its competitors, there were no annoying rattles or squeaks emanating from around the cabin. It feels sturdy and functional, yet appears very elegant and suave, more Dr Jekyll indeed. It will face off against the Mercedes C 200, BMW 320i and Jaguar XE, all of which have more power. But, we’re told, the A4 30 TFSI is merely the start.
Audi reckon the luxury car market will move from its 90:10 diesel state to 70:30 in favour of petrol in the near future. Refinement, efficiency and acceleration being considered as priorities, turbo-petrols do have a lot going for them. We may not have a diesel A4 or a more powerful petrol for now, but there’s one thing for sure: this A4’s to be reckoned with, and not just on paper.
Need to Know – Audi A4 30 TFSI
Price: Rs 38.10 to 41.20 lakh (ex-showroom)
Engine: 1,395 cc, in-line four, turbocharged, direct-injection, petrol
Max Power: 150 PS @ 5,000-6,000 RPM
Max Torque: 250 Nm @ 1,500-3,500 RPM
Transmission: Seven-speed, twin-clutch, automatic, front-wheel drive
Weight: 1,450 kg
