Test drive Audi A4 B7 2004 - 2007 Sedan

On the platoon

Going to tests the new Audi A4, I expected a meeting with the previous generation of the model, however, completely new cars were waiting for me and my colleagues-journalists at Munich Airport.
 
The weather on the dough day turned out to be bad. Back in the plane, looking down at a layer of lead clouds, I realized: do not wait for good shooting. However, it is for the better - it will be possible to spend more time in the car, which means it is better to understand the new car. Yes, it is new: with some external resemblance to the predecessor, the current four has more than two thousand new details in the design.
 
The model is completely revised from the standpoint of internal body architecture. Its basis, as before, is a steel design, however, due to the use of aluminum body elements, it was possible to significantly reduce the mass of the car. In the front part, parts of high strength leaf steel were used, the main purpose of which is to absorb the energy of the impact in the frontal collision. In the area of \u200b\u200bthe floor, engineers used stamped parts with a variable wall thickness, so that the body's mass also decreased and its strength increased significantly. The suspension is completely redesigned, in the design of which more aluminum elements appeared. Something here, for example, supports, are borrowed from A6. Finally, the steering has become more acute and informative, which managed to see the mountain roads.
 
Compared to the previous model, the new A4 looks more spectacular. And the point is not even in the new corporate grille of the radiator, headlights and lanterns. The longitudinal ribs set dynamism of the silhouette of the machine, the dilated wheeled arches hint at its remarkable abilities, while the new bumper bloated down, emphasize the low center of gravity of the car, visually pressing it to the road.
 
It is strange that when designing the interior, designers limited themselves to a change in finishing materials, first of all, the upholstery of the seats. A little later, I noticed that the front doors panels have a different structure. From the passenger side, the pen in the usual place is the most convenient, while the grip is shifted a little back from the driver’s side, and the windows control buttons are placed in its place. At the time of fitting the seat, he drew attention to the fact that it moves almost unavailable - possibly thanks to the mechanisms of microsagainment of the position of the seats. Adjustments are very wide - both in the longitudinal direction and in the vertical, and behind the wheel you can safely seize a person with the growth of both lower and higher than average.
 
Each car has a navigation system of the latest generation. Its main difference from the previously established is that the carrier of information is not CD, but DVD, which provides a tenfold increase in the capacity. All the roads of Western Europe fit on one disk. In addition, the navigator calculates the route much faster and determines the expected arrival time at a given point, doing this, based not only at the speed of the car, but also on the load of the route. I especially liked the fact that before large interchanges, the system not only shows the direction of movement on the map, but also draws the denouement with an accuracy to the strip.
 
The first car on which I managed to drive was the A4 sedan with a 3.2 V6 FSI engine. This new motor is installed on the new four from the first day of its production (the same is placed on A6). More than 90 % of the maximum torque develops in a wide range - from 1900 to 5900 min -1. This gives completely unique dynamic indicators and the ability to move on the selected gear with a large speed range. And although the underwear gearbox Multitronic is installed on a car with such an engine in the standard, it is possible to feel this wide range on it, it is worth going into the manual mode of selection of gears, and there are already seven of them. But it is better to drive in the machine mode: there is practically no switching - the variator.
 
The car smoothly, like a plane, begins a confident run - the thrust is constant. It is a pity that it was not possible to accelerate to the speed of at least a piston aircraft. There are traffic jams on autobahns. Of course, there were sites where it was possible to develop a good pace, but this pleasure lasted for 3-4 minutes, after which again I had to stretch in the column until the next denouement. And even in such modes, I did not cease to be surprised at the efficiency of the new engine: I drove 150 km, and the arrow of the fuel level, as it stood in the full tank, is worth it. And this is with a volume of 3.2 liters and power of 255 hp.
 
Alas, the short time of the dough did not allow cars to drive with all gasoline engines. The completely new compact 3.2 remained not covered. Passed by in line 2.0, which combines turbine and direct injection. Of those that were presented on the previous model, 1.8t and 1.6 will also be installed on the new A4.
 
Of the diesel engines, I managed to try 2.0 TDI. Despite the insignificant litting, this 140-horsepower engine provides the car with quite tolerable dynamic indicators with a slight, only 5.7 liters, fuel consumption. The only thing that was alert was a low moment at low speeds. However, any turbocharged diesel has to be slightly twisted to confidently move out. In total, four diesel engines will be placed on the new A4, one of which is 3.0 TDI V6, presented earlier at larger A6 and A8.
 
Program nail - S4 Avant. All S4 differs from the basic A6 not only in the shape of the bumpers and the presence of a spoiler at the sedan and the rails on the roof of the station wagon. The main thing is four oval exhaust pipes that demonstrate the capabilities of the car, under the hood of which a V8 with a capacity of 344 horses is installed.
 
All S4 have all -wheel drive, which allows them to adequately dispose of a crazy torque of 410 N.M. The ratio of the mass and power of the car is only 4.8 kg/hp. At first, it seems that it is very difficult to cope with him, but the car is absolutely subject to the driver in almost any situation.
 
The S4 Avant, which was dessert, was equipped with an automatic 6-speed Tiptronic gearbox (6 stepped mechanics can stand here). Frankly, this is something. I especially liked the Sport mode. And in normal mode, the car is shaking with dynamics, but when you transfer the automatic transmission into position S, something unimaginable begins. The car shoots from under you, only you will touch the gas pedal, while even when you calmly driving, they practically do not drop below 2000. The machine, like a compressed spring, is ready to rush forward at the first request.
 
The standard equipment of all cars is rich. There is, for example, a system of wiping a brake disk that allows you to constantly keep the brakes dry. The idea is implemented through the ESP system, which makes sure that at equal intervals of hydraulics it slightly presses the pads to the disks. For the first time, an A4 button is used by the ESP two -stage shutdown button: the first press can be turned off the ASR traction force control system, and the second, longer, and ESP.
 
Of course, the future owner can stuff his car with a huge number of options. So, an adaptive lighting system can be installed on all A4 and S4.
 
As for prices, they promise that the novelty will not be more expensive than the previous model. Let's see, wait long: we have official sales of the new A4 will begin in January.
 
Text: Oleg Kalaushin
 

Source: Magazine 5 wheel [11/2004]