2017 Audi A4
2017 is the first model year for the 5th generation of the Audi A4 sport sedan. But, wait a minute, if you throw in its Audi 80 ancestry, it’s actually the 9th gen b-series architecture for Audi. Regardless, over the years all those cars just keep getting better and better. So let’s find out if it’s b-car business as usual at Volkswagen’s premium brand.
The 2017 Audi A4 may be on the smaller side of four-doors, but it is both big-time polished and potent; boasting technology above any flagship luxury machine of 10-years ago.
That includes a Driver Assistance package with the latest safety technology; cameras to read road markings and even road signs, and of course automatic braking. So, you have to work pretty hard to crash it. We tried, but it stopped just shy of our barrier every time; applying the brakes in full, almost immediately after a warning chime.
As for interior technology, there is still a large MMI display on the dash; but it’s largely redundant if you opt for the huge 12-inch all-encompassing virtual gauge cluster as well as a new full color Head Up Display. With all pertinent info right before your eyes, and controls right there on the steering wheel; there’s no need to look or reach elsewhere.
Those are just highlights of what is a fantastic interior, fully upholding the lofty standards we have for Audi.
Leather seating is standard, and space is up over last year in all seating positions. Trunk space is very good at 13.0 cubic-ft.
Power sneaks up a little, with a revised 2.0-liter turbo-4 with 252-horsepower and 273 lb-ft. of torque for both front and all-wheel drive models. Now, that’s only 32 added ponies, but it feels like much more than that.
Possibly because weight is down slightly, but more likely because the 7-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission has been tightened up as well. No manual is available.
The exterior design is clearly an evolution of the previous A4, combined with style indicators from the larger A6-7 and 8. A4 suspension is 5-link independent all-around, with upgraded sport tuning available, as is adaptive damping, integrated into Audi Drive Select.
Our car’s optional, rear-biased quattro all-wheel-drive aids that sporty feel as well, with its self-locking center differential and selective torque control.
With quattro, understeer is minimal, challenging the best of its rear-drive competition. And while the A4 has once again gotten bigger, it surely doesn’t drive like it. Though, we will stop short of saying its loads of fun to toss around; it’s more of a case of sterile mechanical precision.
Steering is very light at lower speeds, but firmed up quickly here at our track as the pace increased. After some slight lag off the starting block, the power eventually started getting put down in a smooth and steady fashion; ushering us to 60 in a fine 5.8-seconds.
There’s a nice growl from the engine, but not much from the exhaust, while the transmission keeps the gears coming quickly; clearing the 1/4-mile in 14.3-seconds at 99 miles-per-hour.
Braking was most impressive, a 104-foot average from 60; with rock steady stability and zero fade.
In everyday driving, everything about the A4 is smooth; as it absorbs bumps and pavement imperfections more like a full-size sedan than any compact. The dual-clutch tranny is mostly seamless, with the only hiccups coming during low-speed maneuvering.
Ride quality can be dialed to your liking, but even in full comfort mode, body control is well managed, and it never feels soft.
The low seating position will not endear it to those crossover inclined, but visibility is excellent all around.
Though very well-equipped in standard Premium trim, Prestige is where you want to be with 18-inch alloy wheels, S-line aluminum trim, and full LED lighting outside; along with Bang & Olufsen surround sound and heated seats for inside.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 25-City, 33-Highway, and 28–Combined, with our average coming in at a fine 29.1 miles-per-gallon of Premium. For an average Energy Impact Score, of 11.8-barrels of oil burned yearly, with C02 emissions of 5.2–tons.
Pricing starts at $35,850, that’s just a bit more than a base BMW 3-series, but significantly less than a base Mercedes-Benz C-class; Prestige trim with quattro however, will have you at $48,950.
And while those other German sport sedans are certainly the logical competition for the 2017 Audi A4. To us, it’s more in the spirit of the Cadillac ATS with luxury, performance, and technology addressed in equal balance. So, it is indeed business as usual; with another solid small-ish sedan from Audi.
Specifications
- Engine: 2.0 liter
- Horsepower: 252
- Torque: 273 lb-ft.
- 0-60 mph: 5.8 seconds
- 1/4 mile: 14.3 seconds @ 99 mph
- EPA: 25 mpg city / 33 mpg highway
- Energy Impact: 11.8 barrels of oil/yr
- CO2 Emissions: 5.2 tons/yr
2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV
It May Not Make A Whole Lot Of Sense, But It’s Still An Awesome Vehicle
The reborn GMC Hummer all-electric pickup delivered all the off-road chops we expect from a Hummer, plus the supercar-like acceleration of a high-performance EV that we didn’t expect. Well, now things have come full circle, as the Hummer is once again an SUV. So, let’s burn up some rubber, and some electrons, and learn what’s next for Hummer.
What a roller coaster the Hummer has been on. In seemingly no time at all it went from aspirational military-inspired ruggedness, to the poster boy for excess and environmental irresponsibility; and then just as quickly, it disappeared altogether as a casualty of GM’s 2009 bankruptcy.
Well, then under the GMC banner, the 2022 Hummer EV Pickup flipped the script by becoming the ultimate pollution-free EV at a time when EVs were just becoming mainstream. Since this 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV more closely resembles the original, it looks like we’ve come full circle.
Most of the same stuff that made the pickup version so unique and so awesome are here: interactive LED lighting, Crab Walk, Super Cruise, Extract Mode, Watts to Freedom… just slightly less of it as the SUV version has four fewer modules in its double-stacked battery assemblies that make up this Ultium platform.
This 3X uses the same three-motor arrangement as the pickup, one up front and two in the rear, but “only” 830 horsepower here, due to the smaller battery; though 11,500 lbs. of torque is plenty enough for any land-based automotive task we can imagine. As to range, if you opt for the Extreme Off-Road package, which comes with mud-terrain tires, you’ll be limited to just 298 miles; but the standard setup here is rated for 314.
We saw as much as 305 available in the gauge display, so we planned a 302-mile road trip and still had an indicated 46 miles remaining at the end of it, putting us on pace for a range of 348 miles.
It can be a handful when you give it a foot-full, as Watts to Freedom launches are no joke.
With a 9-inch-shorter wheelbase, the SUV’s tidier package makes for better off-roading agility; that is, if you’re comfortable hammering through trails in your six-figure EV showpiece. And the SUV has also brought a few new things to the Hummer portfolio such as satellite-based trail mapping as part of the myGMC app and a Power Station onboard generator that gives you 19.2-kW of power for charging things out on the trail, including other EVs.
Much like the Hummer EV Pickup, it can be a handful when you give it a foot-full, as Watts to Freedom launches are no joke. Then only 3.6 seconds to 60 for a borderline cinematic experience with unique displays and sounds along for the ride.
Nothing is held back here. Full power is unleashed whether there’s enough grip for it or not, so you tend to get pulled in different directions as you take off and, for the most part, the whole way down the track. We cleared the quarter in 12.3 seconds at 112 mph as power never really lets up.
It’s easy to say that an 8,500-lbs. vehicle probably shouldn’t be moving that fast, but a few trips through our handling course reveals it has more than enough stuff to handle that weight. If you’re not afraid of some body roll, you can push it quite hard, and it will turn in without issues; the four-wheel steering clearly helps. And it dealt with that weight just fine in panic braking runs too, stopping us from 60 in a respectable 130 feet with no drama.
With everything forward of the rear seats the same as the Hummer Pickup, the interior is very familiar. There’s plenty of comfort and space for three in the rear seats, plus lots of flexibility. Cargo area is accessed through a side-opening, power-operated door that reveals 35.9 cubic-feet of space, which expands to 81.8 cubic-feet with the seatbacks folded; and of course, there’s also 11.3 cubic-feet in the front under hood cargo area.
But even with the shift to battery power, this Hummer remains very thirsty, using 63 kWh of energy per 100 miles. Pricing for this 3X starts at $106,945, the two-motor 2X at $98,845. Both the same as the Pickup.
While it can seem more ridiculous than practical, it’s hard not to love the reborn Hummer. Not only is it a purely unique automotive experience, but it’s a rolling example of what’s possible with battery power, while at the same time being incredibly fun and surprisingly easy to drive. The 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV delivers much the same macho bravado of the original Hummer H1, but does it for a new era.
Specifications
As Tested
- Motor Setup: Tri Motor
- Battery Size: 212 kWh
- Horsepower: 830
- EPA Range: 298 miles
- 0-60 mph: 3.6 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 12.3 seconds at 112 mph
- Braking, 60-0: 130 feet (avg)
- MW Test Loop: ~ 349 miles