2009 Audi A4 Sedan

It’s time to get out the yard stick, because it looks like Audi’s compact A4 sport sedan is all grown up and ready to play with the big guys. Now we tested the A4 Avant wagon last fall and came away suitably impressed that the new generation A4 is a job well done. Now, it’s the mainstream A4 sedan that has our attention, and maybe a lot of others too.

Like the Audi A4 Avant we tested last fall, the 2009 Audi A4 Sedan is all new. But, with its latest total redress, it aims to cement its place on the short list of Europe’s most desirable compact sport sedans - a list that traditionally is headed by the BMW 3-Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

And, the new A4 certainly looks like it has the right stuff to keep its spot. With a stiff new modular chassis, the A4 is now longer, wider, and lower, riding on over 6 inches of added wheelbase, the same stretch as the Avant.

But, with its 3-box form, the A4 sedan wears the brand’s aggressive design language far better than the wagon.  The available Bi-xenon headlamps are accented by stylish LED daytime running lamps inherited from the R8, and its taut profile is even more dynamic with the help of a trimmer front overhang and sweeping character line.

The rear view improves too, with a sporty trunk lip spoiler and bright exhaust tips, all sitting atop either 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels. 

The A4 sedan’s start button fires up one of two direct injected, variable valve timing engines. Standard is an all-new 2.0-liter turbo four, outputting 211 horsepower and a stout 258 pound-feet of torque. Our car came with the enhanced 3.2-liter V6, with 265 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque.

Direct Injection is the main reason for roughly 10 percent greater efficiency over last year’s powertrains. Government Fuel Economy Ratings for the 3.2 V6 are 17 city/26 highway on Premium gas.  We saw a predictable 22.7 miles-per-gallon in everyday driving.

The A4 Sedan’s Energy Impact Score is a moderate 17.1 barrels of oil consumed per year, with a Carbon Footprint of 9.2 annual tons of CO2. A footprint of 4 is low and 16 is high.

Gear changes come from a 6-speed manual gearbox for the 2.0, or a Tiptronic 6-speed automatic with Dynamic Shift Program, that’s standard with the 3.2.

The 2.0 comes in front wheel or quattro all-wheel drive models. The 3.2 V6 is quattro only with 40/60 torque rear-biased in normal driving. A new option for the A4 is Audi Drive Select. It coordinates engine mapping, shift points, steering, and suspension damping through driver selected modes.

With the throttle down, our 3.2 V6 dashed from 0 to 60 in 6.7 seconds and finished off the quarter-mile in 15.1 seconds at 95 miles-per-hour. Pretty good, but actually a few ticks slower than the torquer 2.0T only A4 Avant. Still, the 3.2 V6 has a smoothness not found in the 2.0, and it sounds great too. Tiptronic shifts are a little soft, but quick.

The longer wheelbase allowed Audi engineers to reposition the engine and help neutralize the push of previous A4 quattros - that, plus greater body rigidity, and new, multi-link front and rear aluminum intensive suspensions really seems to pay off.

Our car proved tight and very nimble. Like the Avant, there is a lightness to the rear-end that adds to the fun factor. Turn-ins are direct and the tires are good and grippy. 

With ABS and Brake Assist, hard stops were stable and straight, averaging 127 feet from 60 to 0. A good result, only it just didn’t leave us with the same sporty impressions as the rest of the car.

Inside, the cabin is more spacious, airier, as well as more elegant than before with finer details borrowed from the flagship A8. The driver’s cockpit blends classic Audi gauges and commons sense controls with a large new central display.

Our 3.2’s perfectly-shaped front heated seats came with memory for the driver.  The A4’s Prestige package brings extras such as three-zone climate control and Bluetooth, while the optional voice activated navigation adds on a driver information system, and a rear-view camera.  The standard Audi symphony stereo can be upgraded to the A8’s 505-watt Bang Olufsen sound system.

Occupant safety comes from six standard airbags, plus technologies such as Blind Spot Warning.

The expanded dimensions added badly needed legroom to the three-person rear seat. A 60/40 split fold feature makes carrying large items easier.

The trunk itself includes a reversible cargo floor and opens up to a very usable 34 cubic feet with the seats down.
 
Competitively priced with the 3-Series and the C-Class, base sticker for the A4 2.0 is $33,525, while the A4 3.2 begins at $40,825. 

The 2009 Audi A4 certainly deserves a spot as one of Europe’s finest compact-sports sedans. It matches expertly coordinated performance, with head turning styling, and an interior package that is just about perfect. In short, the A4 is one very desirable car.