Audi’s next generation A4 has an infotainment system that will blow the competition out of the ground
The first time I drove the next-generation Audi A4, it was on a drive between Munich Airport and the alpine lake of Tegernsee on the German-Austrian border. Driving the 2.0 diesel with a six-speed manual transmission and the 3.0 diesel with a seven-speed dual-clutch (DSG) automatic, the cars we drove were not cars that would be launched in India anytime soon. Because there are no manuals in Audi India’s line just now, and it is highly unlikely that Audi will launch the bigger diesel engine option A4 here.
However, spending a few hours on both German country roads and the autobahns on what was a dreary day in May with the next-generation (B9 platform) of the A4 made one thing quite clear. First, the new A4 feels a lot larger inside than the outgoing A4 and second, the vehicle is a tech-geek’s paradise but more on that later. But, yes, large, quite large indeed. This feels almost as big as an A6 from a couple of generations ago and surprisingly comfortable at the back too.
While we knew Audi India was likely to launch the next-generation A4 before the festive season this year, the carmaker did surprise us. Not by changing the date, but by giving the A4 a surprising engine choice, a 1.4-litre petrol engine. It would not be wrong to say that Audi, like all carmakers, were caught out by the Supreme Court’s decision to bar the sale of cars with diesel engines larger than 2000cc.
Although the ban only impacted the Audi A8 and Q7; the controversial EA189 engine that was the root cause of the Volkswagen Group fiasco globally actually was under 2000 cc in capacity and thus managed to continue to be sold on the A3, A4, A6, Q3 and Q5. The ban impacted the Indian consumer to the extent that the consumer started to rediscover the virtues of petrol engines, particularly for cars that really don’t get driven that much.
Diesel engine sales, even of smaller capacity diesel engined cars, began to slow as consumers also began to question the obscene premium that manufacturers charged on diesel cars. So all sorts of minor things changed. Toyota launched a petrol variant of the Innova and began a major marketing campaign around it. Hyundai launched a automatic variant of the petrol-engined Creta and Mercedes, deeply impacted by the ban, launched multiple new petrol variants.
But Audi has one step further. They are launching the new A4 with just a petrol-engine option. Not a big plonker of an engine or even a snorting mid-size petrol engine like the Jaguar XE in India. No, Audi India in their wisdom have decided to launch the ninth-generation of their mid-sized saloon with a 150-horsepower 1.4 litre turbocharged petrol engine, dubbed the 30 TFSI.
Do not ask me to explain Audi’s new model nomenclature; but rest assured that they have beaten BMW and Mercedes here for utter confusingness. Basically put, Audi has fit a very large hairdryer under the bonnet of this engine and while the new A4 is (spec-for-spec) a whole fat person lighter than the outgoing model, the engine leaves a bit to be desired. It sounds like it is trying damn hard to get the car moving at speed. This is not a car for wannabe racers. Dynamic mode gearshifts are not the way for this car. This, as I discovered on the manic rural roads of Odisha driving back from Konark to Bhubaneswar, is a car that is very comfortable at speeds between 60-90 km an hour — the speed limits on various highways. And if you decide to get up to speed nice and easy, the engine delivers very good fuel economy as well, returning around 12 km per litre on a combined highway/urban driving cycle.
And it is a very comfortable ride, the suspension just dulls all but the worst potholes and while roads of all colours are excellent in this part of Odisha, the “Marine Drive” between Puri and Konark seems to have its own speedbreaker factory. Handling is not compromised by the comfortable ride and the little bit of roll is not disconcerting in any way. That said, if you had to buy a petrol car and wanted to have a bit more fun with it, there’s the BMW 320i, Mercedes C200 and even the XE, all of which are likely to be more expensive than this car. Audi India will likely launch a fun petrol version of the A4, but they will likely go the whole hog and get the S4 variant whenever that is launched on the new platform sometime in 2017 with a 400-horsepower option. This 30TFSI option on the A4 also means that the petrol-engine option on the A3 might get a do-over, the 1.8-litre engine option likely to be retired. But Audi India is on the verge of launching the refreshed A3 soon, and if the A4 is any indication, this means the amazing 1.0-litre pocket rocket engined A3 could just make it to India.
But the hero of the A4 is the virtual cockpit. let us get one thing quite clear now, Audi’s Multimedia Interface (MMI) System is now clearly, by far and away, the best car interface system out there. BMW’s iDrive is still excellent though, but Mercedes’ COMAND system feels a bit outdated as does the interface on most JlR vehicles (which have another issue). First the idea of replacing physical dials with a 12-inch lCD screen might seem a bit ridiculous, but the amount of information you can pull up just by easily navigating through the steering controls is amazing. Ever since this system came on the new TT, the new Q7 and now the new A4, I have utterly enjoyed playing around with it. Even the central lCD display is angled towards the driver. The A4 30TFSI may not go like beans on the highway, but in the city, stuck in traffic, it will keep you entertained as I’m sure Audi will continue to add features to the MMI.
And the inside is very comfortable as well, this car being equipped with all the toys you think necessary in a luxury German car. Along with nice seats, a bit too much plastic though whereas you expected a bit more fabric and leather. But the 30TFSI A4 is likely to be some kind of price warrior, undercutting the BMW and Mercedes. And there is one more unfortunate thing about the A4, the amount of technology aimed directly at the driver will mean that this is a car best self-driven. Which is a pity, because it is rather comfortable at the back.
The new A4 will possibly convert some BMW and Mercedes customers and give a nice pathway to upgrade for A3 owners. The way I see it, there is only one problem for the new A4, that is called the Skoda Superb. However, that is where the power of Audi’s brand will come into play, and in that they have been very successful. And Audi will launch a diesel engine model of the A4 in India soon enough, maybe early 2017, likely one that shares the 190 horsepower engine of the A6 as the A6 itself readies for an upgrade shortly.
The A4 30TFSI is expected to go on sale in mid-September 2016.