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Audi A4 2.0 TDi 190 Ultra review: Meet the new A4 business champion

Audi A4 2.0 TDI 190 Ultra
The new A4 should frighten its competitors in more ways than one...

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14 September 2015

A4 2.0 TDi 190 Ultra review

What is it?

ANOTHER new compact executive challenging for top position, this time it’s the all-new Audi A4.

Larger, lighter and even more efficient than its predecessor – but should rivals such as the Jaguar XE and BMW 3 Series be having sleepless nights over the new German contender?

We drove the expected best-seller for business use, the 2.0-litre TDi 190 Ultra, to find out.

What’s hot?

  • The exterior styling of the all-new Audi might be more evolution rather than revolution, but look closer and there’s some sharp metalwork going on with this new model. This starts at the front with the single frame front grille – which has grown. That grille starts a straight line which runs to the rear spoiler. Our favourite parts of the design are where the clam shell bonnet sits crisply on the front wings and the distinctive kick to the upturned rear spoiler that’s been formed into the boot panel. No wonder Audi claim an almost class-leading drag coefficient of 0.23 for the new A4 saloon!
  • Audi claim the new A4’s design generates A8-levels of wind noise and on the Italian test route, even at high speed, the new Audi’s interior remained pleasingly hushed. The ride on our test car’s 17-inch alloys also remained impressively refined on whatever the Italian roads could throw at us.
  • Audi has previously set a trend with its headlights and their use of LEDs and with the new A4, it looks like they’ll move the game on again with the choice of not just LEDs, but even Audi’s clever Matrix LED light system. Go for the Matrix option and you’ll also get Audi’s sweeping rear indicators too.
  • Get inside the A4 and the first thing you’ll spot is the A3-like horizontally-designed dashboard, which unusually, like the all-new Volkswagen Passat launched earlier this year, features a full-length air-vent strip. Although the part below the passenger airbag is obviously fake. Highlights of the centre console include the climate control, featuring an impressively easy to operate, new interface. The next is the standard 7-inch MMI colour infotainment system, which sprouts from the top of the centre console. Like every other Audi, it’s hard not to be impressed by the A4’s premium feel and the use of quality plastic and finishes.
  • After the dashboard and quality, the next thing we spotted over the outgoing car was the more spacious interior. Sit in the front or back of the new A4 and the extra 24mm of headroom means even the tallest drivers won’t be touching the headlining. Passengers will also welcome the extra 23mm of rear legroom – four large adults can realistically travel on long trips in the A4.
  • Audi scores more points against the opposition with the new A4 saloon’s 480 litre boot, its practical shape swallowing bulky suitcases or even a couple of sets of golf clubs with ease.
  • One of the areas where the last A4 fell down against its compact executive rivals was in the driving experience. When Business Car Manager went to see the new A4 at a reveal event in July, we were promised that Ingolstadt Engineers had put the new A4 on a diet, shaving up to 110kg from the old car. Plus, they’d spent more time benchmarking this new Audi saloon against rivals and we were told to expect a more dynamic drive. Have they succeeded? Well, yes mostly. On a twisty, hilly test route, our 2.0-litre TDI 190 Ultra on modest 17-inch wheels, certainly steered with more precision than we remember and was keen to turn into sharp hairpins with negligible body roll and impressive levels of grip. It’s not quite up to BMW 3 Series levels of involvement or enjoyment, but it’s a big step forward and bodes well for future sporty versions of the new A4.
  • Our A4 was powered by what Audi believe will be the top seller for SME buyers – the 188bhp Ultra version of the 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine. Pulling well right from the bottom of the rev range, it is well-matched to the carefully spaced ratios of the six-speed manual gearbox. Volkswagen Group TDI diesel engines tend to be a bit clattery at idle and when cold, but you’ll be pleased to know that the new A4’s excellent noise insulation means the clatter is nothing but a distant thrum in this Audi’s interior. Acceleration to 62mph takes just 7.7 seconds and the top speed is 130mph. Yet this A4 is still capable of a Combined consumption of 72.4 mpg, falls into the 17% tax band and also boasts 99g/km emission figures.

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