Audi A4 2006 review

Like sister company Volkswagen, Audi sees diesel as the way to go forward in Australia. Volkswagen's diesel sales results speak for themselves. The company's Golf diesel has been selling great guns, with oil burner sales accounting for more than half of Golf sales in certain months last year.

Audi already offers a diesel in both the A3 and the A6 (diesel makes up about 35 per cent of total A6 sales) and by April will add a 171kW 3.0-litre A4 TDI and a 4.2-litre V8 TDI A8.

The recently launched 2.0-litre A4 TDI is the entry-level diesel in the A4 range.

Audi expects this new A4 model will account for about 250 units of A4 sales. And at $56,990, a price that would have to be at least $15,000 cheaper than the coming 3.0-litre TDI A4 and $11,500 cheaper than its closest competitor the Mercedes-Benz C220 CDi, the A4 TDI is appealing.

For those who want a comfortable cruiser equipped with the Audi badge and all the attributes that come with the four rings, the TDI fulfils its role well.

It may not be the best diesel going around but it is quiet and does its job well. Apart from a slight hesitation on take-off, the TDI moves up to speed swiftly and smoothly with little noise interruption in the cabin.

The constantly variable transmission (CVT) is refined with quick and clean gear changes, although balks a bit when quick acceleration is needed for overtaking.

Audi's infamous DSG box would be a ripper with the diesel, but with a sports and manual shift option, the CVT does well to use the engine's capabilities.

The TDI is not a sporty ride (it's not supposed to be) and the tiptronic option does little to improve that.

As with all diesels, the 103kW power figure is somewhat irrelevant. It is all about the torque and the TDI has plenty of that. The four-cylinder turbocharged diesel produces 320Nm of torque between 1750rpm and 2500rpm, with the bulk of that from 2000rpm.

The steering is a little light and uncommunicative but the TDI holds on well on a twisty road. It is, however, when cruising the open road and the freeway where with the needle sitting under 2000revs at 110km/h, and the average fuel consumption hovering around 6.4 and 7.0 litres every 100km, it becomes hard not to have a smile on the dial.

With the bundles of torque available the needle rarely goes over 2500rpm at all. The ride is more firm than not but the comfortable seats save the backside from the hourly sleep. And, the height and reach-adjustable steering makes finding a comfortable driving position easy. Rear-seat legroom is reasonable and again the seats are both supportive and comfortable.

Like even the most sophisticated of diesels, the A4 is still slightly noisy on start-up when standing outside.

The sensible and stylish cabin is appealing. The black interior with chrome/metallic highlights and the red-lit instrumentation is stylish while the quality and soft-feel materials and Volterra leather upholstery give the TDI a luxurious finish.

The car comes with lots of bits and pieces, although paying for the ability to fold the rear seats is a bit rough.

It sits on 16-inch alloys and has all the safety attributes one expects from the four-ringed badge, including active front head restraints, eight airbags, electronic stability program which incorporates ABS, electronic differential lock (EDL), anti-slip regulation (ASR), a brake-disc wiping system and brake assist.

Adjustable and heated power mirrors, fog lights at the front and the rear, DataDot microdot identification, centre armrest, leather steering wheel with audio and cruise controls and a 10-speaker CD system are just a few of the additives that make the A4 a typical Audi.

Other features include automatic airconditioning with separate dual-climate control for driver and front passenger and the driver information system with trip computer.