Audi Allroad 3.0 TDI long-term test review

By the CAR road test team

29 December 2008 09:30

Long term update - 29 December 2008

Yes, it really did fit. Even I was amazed when the Allroad swallowed the 6ft fridge freezer I’d bought second-hand when we moved house recently, saving me the hassle and expense of hiring a van. I wondered if the sloping rear window might cause trouble but all I needed to do was jiggle the front seat settings. And after I’d finished shifting white goods I filled the Allroad with junk and treated it to a trip to the tip.

But once the rubbish was gone all I had to do was give it a quick vacuum and it immediately resumed its limo role. The odometer now reads 18,000 but the black leather is wearing well and the very smart browny orange-flecked carpets (sounds revolting but looks very tasteful) are brilliant at hiding dirt when you haven’t got time to spruce up the interior. I still really look forward to climbing behind the wheel of the Allroad no matter where I’m going. Of course there are occasions when I long for something a little more agile, but for the most part it really does tick almost every box I’d want ticking.

Being useful at PCotY - 26 September 2008

Useful, the Allroad, as you might expect. Big boot, perfect for stashing sandwiches, crisps, fruit, water, crisps, biscuits and more crisps to feed the 20-strong PCotY crew, and sufficient rough-road ability to make ferrying trips up and down Anglesey Circuit’s gravel access lane a piece of proverbial.

But there’s one situation in which the Allroad moniker is a bit of a misnomer, and it’s called the A5 – not Audi’s coupe but a fabulous route that winds through rural Wales. Specifically, one section of the A5, a series of S-bends west of Cerrigydrudion. In extraordinarily wet weather. The Allroad aquaplaned so severely and so unexpectedly that I ended up on the wrong side of the road facing oncoming traffic. A couple of seconds later and it would have done more than wipe the smile off my face (still there since I’d passed signs for the Ewe-phoria Sheepdog Centre).

The rest of the 180-mile drive to Angelsey? Great fun actually. The Allroad proved swift yet unusually relaxing, and was well capable of maintaining an ‘enthusiastic’ average speed in spite of all those bends. Until the water got the better of us, anyway.

A week's Scottish adventure - 19 August 2008

Our Allroad long-termer has been on a 11-day adventure north – taking in wedding duties and a touring holiday of Scotland. For the nuptials, where I was ushering at a friend’s Cheshire country wedding, the Audi with SUV pretensions scrubbed up well and looked the part in a lounge-suit-and-wellies sort of way. Which was fitting, as the reception was held on a farm.

To be honest, I had asked to take the editor’s Lexus IS-F as flashier wedding wheels, but a quick peek inside the saloon’s 378-litre boot made me pick the Audi’s cavernous 565-litre hold-all. We tagged a week’s holiday in Scotland onto the wedding trip, you see, and that meant taking a good proportion of our worldly possessions. I’m sure I even spotted my wife popping the kitchen sink in there when we loaded up.

How did the Allroad fare? Brilliantly. At risk of sounding like another journo-takes-estate-is- gobsmacked-by-big-boot, it did remind me that the A6 is a great load lugger. We didn’t have to lower the seats to pack 11 days’ luggage for three, and it’s the only car I’ve driven recently that allows our baby buggy to fit widthways, allowing more bags to be packed within reach of the tailgate. (These things count for dads).

Even loaded up to the gunwhales, our 3.0-litre TDI quattro performed faultlessly, gliding up motorways, slinging around Scottish B-roads with abandon and generally gripping the sodden Dumfrieshire roads and beach tracks with a Velcro-like grasp. The ride was better than I remembered, too (at least once Comfort was selected on the air springs) and we averaged a parsimonious 32mpg over 800 miles – just 0.5mpg shy of the official combined figure. A BMW 530d claims 41.5mpg, but I doubt the reality would be as saintly.

The A6 Avant is full of family-friendly touches, such as the built-in sunblinds, and the MMI controller and sat-nav were quickly mastered by my wife without recourse to the manual. And – get this – the sturdy brown footwell carpets hide beach holiday grime really well and brush up easily. Such details make family life much easier, believe me.

Gripes? Well, there’s only one cupholder available up front when the armrest is down; things slide around annoyingly in the underboot storage cubby; the electric parking brake isn’t as quick as some rival systems; and I’m still not sure I’d go for an Allroad over a regular A6 Avant.

To be honest, that’s nit-picking, though. Like owner road test ed Chris Chilton, I have nothing but respect for this lumbering big Audi. It’s a multi-skilled car – juggling family duties, slick exec skills and mild green laning ability in one well-executed, wholesome package.

Room for a decent camera? - 3 June 2008

Please excuse this terrible, hastily grabbed cameraphone snap of the Allroad’s bulging boot. I blame bucketing rainfall and a screaming child. But engage some auto-focus and crop out my finger, and you’ll see the Allroad in its natural habitat as superlative family transport.

Peer inside that blurry boot and you’ll spot a wheelbarrow, one travel cot, a child’s buggy, various gardening boxes and bags and our overnight bags for a family of three’s weekend away. That’s not bad for any car – but the Audi A6 confirmed itself as one of the best estates around. That loadbay is vast and it’s a cinch to lower the seats to swallow the odd wheelbarrow and the like.

This was the first time I’ve driven our long-term A6 and I rate its combination of 3.0 TDI and genuine auto gearbox. It’s punchy and refined, with none of the tearaway revving that can afflict its CVT sibling. Thing is though, I don’t buy into the Allroad philosophy. I’d do away with the faux-SUV body addenda, save £2000 and stick with the excellent A6 Avant.

I could even buy a decent camera with the spare change.

Meeting Nan - 28 May 2008

I’ve met the girlfriend’s parents, but now it was time to meet Nan. But what to take for the long slog to Blackburn and back? And to ferry family friends around? The answer was our big, black Audi Allroad, and it covered the 400-mile trip with absolute ease.

It schlepped up the motorway with little wind or tyre noise. It cruised into Blackburn town centre on Saturday night without attracting any attention despite that fancy front grille. And then it traversed the narrow lanes of Lancashire with ease on Sunday morning, and felt right at home with the proper 4x4s that we met.

The steering might lack any feel whatsoever, but in this sort of car it just doesn’t matter. There’s a big boot, room for five and a gorgeous and well-built interior. Our oil-burning Allroad is the consummate family car. And I got the thumbs from Nan too. Nothing to do with the car, mind.

A foolish trip to Ikea - 6 May 2008

A sunny Bank Holiday Monday? Could there be a better day to visit Ikea? Cue large estate car with air suspension to keep everything level once the Audi Allroad is loaded up with lots of flat-pack nonsense.

Except we couldn’t find anything we actually wanted. Between the better half and myself all we bought was a plastic storage box and a tray. Which, out of spite, I put on the back seat rather than in the boot. Never has so much ability been so wasted. And never have I been so annoyed at the Swedes. Still, at least we didn’t meet any traffic over the whole weekend...

Audi Allroad 3.0 TDi first report - 2 April 2008

Porsche 911: brilliant sports car; not so good when it comes to taking stuff to the tip or bringing back a load of flatpack from Ikea. I’ve got a scruffy but reliable Mk1 Focus that acts as back up but I couldn’t resist the offer of adding something to the fleet that would perfectly complement my Porsche by taking over sensible duties.

Which explains why there’s a mean-looking metallic black Audi Allroad parked on my drive. We’ve become accustomed to the concept of estate cars being desirable for reasons other than their carrying capacity and this Allroad is a perfect exponent. Okay, so it’s essentially a jacked up A6 Avant Quattro, but the Auto Union racer grille and chrome flashes at the bottom of the doors really make sure it won’t be mistaken for an M1 rep chariot.

There’s a price to pay of course, the bottom rung £34,295 Allroad 2.7 TDi commanding a £2215 premium over the equivalent A6 Avant Quattro. There are other benefits to minimise the pain though including the ability to crank up the air suspension to give 185mm of ground clearance. I haven’t had the chance to venture off road yet but it’s unlikely to worry a Landie Defender.

On the other hand the Allroad is probably capable of doing everything most SUV drivers need but in a package that is better to drive, takes up less space and won’t make you feel guilty for killing the planet. Unless you look carefully at the green figures, that is. Audi is falling behind BMW in its engine technology to the extent that a petrol-powered 530i Touring is actually a couple of mpg more economical than my 3.0-litre TDi Allroad. In its defence, the Audi is at least matching its official 32.5mpg combined figure and managing near 40mpg on leisurely motorway strolls.

The 2.7 costs £1515 less to buy than the 3.0 but is significantly slower and its eco numbers are almost identical. On the plus side it comes as standard with an auto ’box, a £1400 option with the bigger motor, but essential nonetheless. The downside is it’s a CVT: great for economy; hell for the ears with all those slipping clutch sound effects. The 3.0’s auto is a proper auto, the engines’s 332lb ft of torque being too much for the CVT to handle. The other drivetrain options are 3.2 and 4.2 petrols, neither of which makes any sense. The 4.2 is hugely fast but costs nearly £50k. The 3.2 gobbles fuel at the same rate and is no faster than the 3.0 diesel yet costs £1000 more.

The slush ’box wasn’t our only indulgence. I swapped the standard 17-inch rims for some much sexier looking 18s and added leather and map-based navigation. Jaguar’s XF has raised the bar by making leather and nav standard so hopefully Audi will be a little less mean with the standard spec in future. My other addition was an iPod adapter for the also-optional Bose stereo. Unlike some iPod connections this one actually allows you to control the whole thing through the car’s Multi Media Interface (Audi’s answer to BMW’s iDrive). It works brilliantly.

In fact I’m pretty smitten with the whole car even if I'm not totally convinced about this crossover stuff. What I do know is that there’s a big difference between a car that’s fun to thrash around for 15 minutes and one that you’re still happy with months later. I doubt I’ll be taking the scenic route to work too frequently but I’m convinced that I’ll be sorry to see the Allroad go when the time comes.

Audi A5 2.0 TFSI Quattro (2008) CAR review

By Glen Waddington

25 December 2008 23:35

Audi’s dinked the A5’s old 1.8-litre base engine, and brought in this 2.0-litre turbo, that kicks off the range in 178bhp front-drive mode for £26,150. There’s also this 208bhp version, tested here with Quattro four-wheel drive.

Great-looking car, the Audi A5. Is it great to drive too?

The A5 is more than just a chopped-down A4. Take a peek behind the front seats and you’ll notice there’s significantly less legroom in the back. And that’s a legacy of Audi placing the engine further back in the chassis, so the A5 isn’t quite so nose-heavy as you might expect.

And that’s immediately apparent when you head into a corner. Sure, the steering is Audi's usual Mute n Lite™ affair, but those front wheels feel reasonably keen to dig in rather than scrubbing you into the trees. You might expect a bit of help from the back ones, given that they’re driven too, but for the 2.0 TFSI Quattro, Audi’s priority seems to be security rather than excitement.

So it’s not exciting. Is it comfortable?

The ride is firm but rarely harsh, though it suffers from the habitual Audi tendency to fall heavily into bigger depressions and potholes rather than skip lightly across them. It’s this unfortunate lack of polish that denies access to the club of dynamic excellence occupied by the likes of the BMW 3-series. There’s a rather long-winded gearshift to contend with too, but the engine’s plentiful torque means you don’t have to rely on cog-stirring to get the best out of the A5.

In fact, the engine is probably this car’s best aspect. It spins sweetly and seems to become quieter the harder you rev it. And there’s always plenty of acceleration on tap.

It’s an Audi, so I’m expecting great things about the interior

It’s certainly a pleasant place in which to spend time, with plenty of expensive-looking (and feeling) surfaces despite the sense that Audi’s saved a bit of cash here and there (hard lower door casings, silver plastic doorhandles instead of alloy) compared with the old A4.

The Multi Media Interface continues to impress by being more intuitive than BMW’s iDrive, but the ergonomics elsewhere are slightly suspect. I’m thinking in particular about the overloaded heater controls, that always demand a push then a twiddle, and about the crowded footwell. Maybe it’s that set-back engine, or maybe it’s that space is needed for the four-wheel drive gubbins, but there’s not much room left for your left foot and Audi doesn’t provide a footrest either. I suffered an ache in my left lower back as a result on a long journey.

Verdict

It’s a genuinely likeable car, the A5, quite possibly the most impressive car Audi builds short of the R8. And it works particularly well with this four-cylinder engine, which is smooth, refined, delivers decent economy and certainly feels quick. Just take a look at that 0-62mph time.

Whether it’s worth investing in Quattro four-wheel drive is another matter. As a front-driver, the A5 is sure-footed and much more agile than the A4 with which it shares so much hardware. In this case there might be more grip, but there’s not a whole lot of finesse to be gained by forking out the £1490 those driven rear wheels add to the A5’s price.

Statistics

How much?	£29,645
On sale in the UK:	Now
Engine:	1984cc 4-cyl turbo, 208bhp @ 4300-6000rpm, 258lb ft @ 1500-4200rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Performance:	6.5sec 0-62mph, 153mph, 38.2mpg, 173g/km
How heavy / made of?	1490kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4625/1854/1372

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McLaren P11 spyshots

By Gus Turney

29 November 2008 07:00

Glad you liked the first set of spyshots of the P11. Here are three more. Apologies for the quality,as these are stills from the video posted on YouTube.
Regards Gus.

Audi Q5 2.0 TFSI quattro SE S tronic review

By Anthony ffrench-Constant

27 November 2008 10:34

Well, you do have to admire the attitude… Whilst my colleagues in the media remain determined to talk us all into ‘the forthcoming recession’ just because a pox of relentlessly greedy estate agents have had to give their Minis back and get proper jobs, Audi is having none of it.

At the recent 2008 Paris motor show, Audi obersturm gruppenfuhrer Rupert Stadler was asked how Audi is preparing for the financial crisis. His response was: ‘We’ve had a board meeting, discussed it thoroughly, and decided not to participate.’

Predictably, then, any suggestions that the introduction of the new Audi Q5 in the current climate is tantamount to re-arranging the deck-chairs on the Titanic have been swatted aside with the gently bullish rejoinder that Audi has never been interested in overheating any of the rapidly burgeoning number of market segments it occupies, and that they’ll undoubtedly sell every one they make.

And, having driven it, I suspect they’re right. Largely because the damned thing’s so bloody convincing.












Really? The Audi Q5 doesn’t look that enthralling…

True, but to those of us who find the my-God-it’s-moving-towards-us Q7 so preposterously gargantuan that it’ll never really look the part until Audi fits a gun turret on the roof, the Q5 represents a welcome return to sizing sanity.

Boasting beefed-up A4 architecture under the skin, the Q5 doesn’t look instantly off-road friendly in the manner of a Freelander or Volvo XC60, but then again, it doesn’t look utter cack like an X3 either. Oversized front grille aside (and, no, I’m never going to stop complaining about that), this is classic, safe, Audi styling simply left a tad longer on the party balloon pump.












What's the Q5 like inside?

On board, space afforded by the five-seat layout is considerably abetted by the cunning relocation of the drive differentials in front of the clutch, buying an extra 152mm of wheelbase. Astern, sensibly engineered lever systems make rear seat origami a doddle, and Audi has no plans to insert a Bangalore torpedo up the exhaust of the Q7 through the introduction of a seven-seat variant.

The driving position’s first class, and only marred by a constriction of the footwell aggressive enough to push your resting clutch foot rather too far to the right; the only downside to that differential relocation. Happily, this model’s fitted with Audi’s superb seven-speed DSG gearbox (which we must now call ‘S tronic’), but I wonder, in manual guise, just how much room there would be for three pedals and two feet….

The tidy, A4 sourced dashboard is elegantly oriented towards the driver, and loaded with good stuff, including an extremely trick sat-nav which not only gives you topography in something akin to 3D, but also affords views of major cities’ landmark buildings in remarkable detail. Zoom in on Paris, for instance, and you can actually see blokes scrambling about on the Eiffel Tower’s steelwork with paint brushes. OK, I lied about that, but it’s still a nice conceit.












There must be something you don't like about the Q5!

Well, yes, there are one or two things. A potential fly in the ointment is the electronic handbrake. We’ve had trouble with these before in an off-road context, but since the only off-roading we’re afforded at launch is a quick thrape along a donkey track previously swept for donkeys, we’re not about to find out today.

Oh, yes, that and the fancy cup holder; an option which cools drinks to 5 degrees centigrade and heats them to 55. Important, then, to push the right button having stashed the Mars bar, unless you’re happy to tuck in subsequently via a forest of marshmallows on sticks.













And I suppose the Q5 drives like any other pocket SUV?

Rather better than most, in fact; think tall A4 quattro. Though nothing like as quiet and frugal as what will undoubtedly be the best-selling 2.0 TDI variant, this 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol unit bungs out a respectable 208bhp and shares the turbodiesel's 258lb ft of torque, and is quoted as offering it from just 1500rpm, even lower down the rev band than the diesel.

In a quoted time of 7.2 seconds, it sprints to 62mph over two seconds faster than the diesel, but it doesn’t half make a fuss about it, bellowing its intent rather more vocally than is seemly most of the time, particularly in the context of that master of the oleaginous slush change, the DSG (sorry, S tronic) gearbox.












End-of-term report on the cornering ability please!

Though UK specification Q5s will be equipped with conventional suspension, the one I drove sported something called Audi Drive Select, another take on the group’s adaptive suspension system. This one offers Comfort, Auto and Dynamic settings which adjust suspension firmness, steering weight and throttle mapping, with the facility to adjust steering and suspension independently of each other via the Multi-Media Interface. As usual, the chassis gubbins are best left alone to do their thing in Auto mode.

Thus armed, the Q5 goes straight to the top of the class. Audi clearly benchmarked the X3’s make-it-handle-like-a-hatchback-at-all-costs dynamics and, having all but matched them whilst besting the nasty little BMW in every other respect, it’s now safe to assume that every single person you see driving an X3 does so simply because of the badge on the hooter.

I fear you’re about to suggest the new Q5 is actually fun to drive…

Um, yes. It is rather. In the quest for the predictably early onset of understeer and pig-in-shite rolling proclivities I hunted down a dusty back road. And… nothing. Ganging up with adaptive dampers and Quattro drive, the long wheelbase and wide track deliver just enough body roll to keep you informed and such a total absence of understeer that I suspect the next step would be for the Q5 to simply fling itself, wholesale, into the shrubbery.

The steering feels pretty meaty at everything but car park speeds. But that’s appropriate to the Q5 and, once you start to hoon a little, is surprisingly accurate and informative by Audi’s traditional, numb-nuts standards, accessing a level of agility that the little porker’s couture completely fails to even hint at.

Vocal albeit, the engine’s eager enough for me slot the gear lever into manual mode, and then feel instantly frustrated. The lever operates, as is so often the case with manual override, the wrong way round, requiring a forward push for up changes and rearward tug for changes down. This is, as they say in Germany, not correct. Just ask any racing driver, or, indeed, Spike, the bulldog in Tom and Jerry cartoons, who inevitably pushes up mountainous divots in a futile effort to stave off an impending collision.

None of this would matter if this sublime gearbox were linked, as it so often is on an Audi, to steering wheel mounted paddles. But here, for some reason, they don’t appear to be standard fit….

Which brings us to one, major gripe...

Yes indeed. The list price of this model (too long to write out again so please refer to the headline) is an ostensibly reasonable and competitive £30,600. But the car I drove sells for, erm, £41,400. And that doesn’t even include the essential £250 extra for paddles. Looking around, it’s hard to see where that £10,800 has gone, and it does leave me gently perplexed about what would be missing on the standard, option-free car. Paint? Steering wheel?

Amongst a fitted options list too long to bore you with here, £1995 for MMI technology which lets you watch men paint the Eiffel Tower and £1000 for Audi Drive Select must be taken on the chin. As must £1200 for 20in alloys. But tumble down through the numbers further and you soon reach territory I’d hoped had long since been abandoned by Germany’s Big Three.

A cheeky £450 for something called ‘Mobile phone prep low’, £100 for a steering wheel with buttons on it, £170 for ‘Rear bench seat plus’, and even £160 for an ‘Interior light package’. Rear bench seat plus what? And what’s the standard interior lighting; a Maglite in the glovebox?

Am I alone in expecting an SE spec car to offer far more of this stuff as standard equipment these days?

Verdict

Understated but horribly good. The meek are about to inherit the earth. But they’ll need fat wallets.

Statistics

How much?	£30,600
On sale in the UK:	Early 2009
Engine:	4cyl petrol, turbocharged, 1984cc, 208bhp @ 4300-6000rpm, 258lb ft @ 1500-4200rpm
Transmission:	7-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Performance:	0-62mph in 7.2sec, 137mph, 33.2mpg, 197g/km
How heavy / made of?	1740kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4629/1880/1653

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New Audi S4 saloon (2008) CAR review

By Georg Kacher

21 October 2008 12:30

The new Audi S4 is either Ingolstadt’s idea of a bad joke or a stroke of genius. If you follow the former line of thought, then you’re from the camp that thinks the economy has jumped off a cliff, gone into freefall and the last thing the world needs is a grunty super-saloon.

But if you side with the latter then Audi’s timing with the S4 couldn’t be more apt – the company has replaced its old 4.2-litre V8 with a new, smaller, supercharged V6. This car is potentially very in tune with these downsizing times.

And while the headline power figures might be down, they still surpass the equivalent Mercedes or BMW. The torque figure also bests both (and the old S4), while mpg figures are 26 percent better that before. The new S4 will even cost a few grand less than its predecessor. Time to find out if the drive is as good as the stats...

Start me off with the Audi S4’s new engine – any good?

The big V8 lump from the old car has been dumped, and in comes the direct-injection 2995cc supercharged V6 from the recently revised A6. Only here the 3.0-litre gets a tweak to lift power from 286 to 329bhp, while torque is up from 310 to 325lb ft.

Compared to the old S4’s 344bhp, you might be disappointed that the power figure is down, but then the new car has more torque (versus the old car's 302lb ft) spread across 2900-5300rpm, rather than peaking at 3500rpm. And the new S4 weighs 10kg less, too.

However, this engine doesn’t scream and shout about its power – even Audi’s own PR team admit the S4 is a bit of a whisperer. Personally we’d prefer a more exciting base tune, some more supercharged whine and something to tell us about the top-end fury. Because unlike other blown engines, this S4’s 3.0-litre keeps on going right up the rev range.

That muted sound actually serves to make the S4 seem even quicker than it already is. Tickle the throttle and you’re away – speed is effortless, responses are immediate. The benchmark 0-62mph sprint is dismissed in 5.1 seconds, half a second quicker than the old car, while 50-75mph in fourth gear takes a mere 4.4 seconds.

Is there some trick gearbox to go with the new Audi S4's fancy engine?

A six-speed manual 'box is standard, but some extra cash will buy you the seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic. The latter offers two modes (Drive and Sport), paddles behind the wheel to change gear, and a fuel economy improvement, upping the figure from 29.1 to 30mpg – that’s 27 percent better than the old S4.

However, the extra gear in the seven-speed ‘box means an extra change is needed to reach 62mph, dropping the benchmark sprint time to 5.3 seconds. The S-tronic box has seamless shifts, without interruption to the torque delivery. It never ceases to amaze.

The only pity about enjoying all this performance is that after 300 miles, we returned the S4 with 17.7mpg on the trip computer, balding Bridgestones and 18-inch wheels caked in brake dust. Still, more sedate everyday driving might bring that claimed 30mpg average figure within reach.

Quattro, I presume, is standard on the new S4?

But of course, with the latest 40:60 front:rear torque split – just make sure you spec the optional sport differential to get the best out of the new S4. It works like the system in BMW's X6, distributing torque between the rear wheels.

But unlike BMW’s trick diff, Audi’s fancy system works under a trailing throttle. So, turn into a corner and torque is sent so the outside rear wheel, reducing understeer, or – if you’re reaching the limit of adhesion – twist action goes to the wheel nearest the apex.

Response times are less than 100 milliseconds and the result is not just more or less understeer, but a nose that turns in and a rear that tracks to match. You can even four-wheel drift if you want, but those who fancy the BMW 335i still might find the S4 a little boring. However, pick a section of twisting Tarmac and the Audi might well be faster than the BMW.

Are the S4's looks too understated?

Of course this is a subjective answer, but while the R8 or blistered-wheelarch RS6 shout money, the S4 is indeed understated, looking no more impressive than a regular A4 adorned with the S-line bodykit.

But the result is a socially acceptable super-saloon, even in the bright red of our test car. Somehow silver wing mirrors, quad exhaust pipes and 18-inch wheels just don't seem too aggressive while the interior is equally restrained, but always cosseting and classy.

Verdict

Match the S4 up against an M3 or C63 and it won’t come out on top. But then these cars aren’t rivals – better to face the S4 off against the 335i and C350. If you do, you’ll find an Audi that’s quicker point-to-point.

But the beauty of the new S4 is in its understated looks – this is a real Q-car, and a bloody quick one too. Some potential customers may actually find it too unassuming, but we rather like it.

Statistics

How much?	£36,000
On sale in the UK:	March 2009
Engine:	2995cc supercharged V6, 329bhp, 325lb ft @ 2900-5300rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Performance:	5.1sec 0-62mph, 155mph, 29.1mpg
How heavy / made of?	1650kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4717/1826/1406

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Audi A6 2.0 TDIe (2008) CAR review

By Glen Waddington

29 September 2008 12:40

There’s an all-important headline figure for the new Audi A6 2.0TDIe, and it’s not 53.3mpg – however impressive that may be. No, of greater importance is its carbon emission figure of 139g/km, sneaking this A6 beneath the 140g/km tax barrier. Its £24,800 list price is pretty impressive, too: this is a big Audi after all, and it comes with most luxury conveniences despite its ‘e’ suffix. This is no stripped-out economy car.

So how does this Audi A6 earn its name, then?

Like Ford’s Econetic models and with some similar tech to BMW’s Efficient Dynamics, this car is ‘optimised’. Think longer gear ratios (by five percent), low rolling resistance tyres, an on-demand power steering pump, a decoupling alternator and a 20mm lower ride height that contributes to aerodynamics so sleek, its 0.28Cd drag factor (remember those?) matches the headline-grabbing Renault 25 of 1984. No kidding.

Any clever lightweight stuff then?

No, it’s a full-fat A6, but 1550kg isn’t outrageous for a car that’s physically the largest in this class. And inside you get pretty much the same equipment level as the luxo-spec SE, bar leather trim and an auto-dipping mirror. Plain cloth trim means the atmosphere is sombre rather than plush, but every surface is pleasing to eye and fingertip.

Out front (right out front – this is an Audi) is the latest common-rail diesel engine, in place of the hammery old PD unit. In ‘e’ spec it produces 134bhp, and there’s a less eco-focused 168bhp version for £25,810 if you value turbodiesel oomph more than tax- and tree-friendly emissions and economy.

Oh, so is the ‘e’ slow then?

Not exactly, though it won’t cause flames to erupt from the tarmac. You can feel the length of those new ratios because they blunt the shove you know is really there and, if you take heed of the dashboard’s change-up indicator, you’ll never broach 2000rpm and you’ll rarely hear more than a murmur from under the bonnet.

But who’d buy this car for its performance? In true turbodiesel style, it’s best appreciated at a languid cruise, during which you can appreciate the fine finish of your surroundings.

Dare I ask if it handles?

Turn the wheel and the A6 TDIe will go round corners. That’s all you need to know because, if you’re going to get hung up on dynamics, you’re reading the wrong road test. There’s nothing innately entertaining about the way the A6 drives but there’s not much wrong with it either, bar a ride that’s a bit firm thanks to the lowered suspension – it’s genuinely less pliant than the set-up in, say, a 2.7TDI SE. But not by much.

Verdict

It makes quite a lot of sense, this eco-A6. It’s reasonable value for money, won’t break the bank to run, and it’s decently comfortable and refined. Just forget about having fun while you’re driving it: the TDIe is not that type of car. But it’s very good at being efficient, and that makes it perfect for business drivers with an eye on the bottom line.

Statistics

How much?	£24,800
On sale in the UK:	October 2008
Engine:	1968cc 16v turbodiesel four cylinder, 134bhp @ 4000rpm, 236lb ft @ 1750-2500rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Performance:	10.3sec 0-62mph, 129mph, 53.3mpg, 139g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1550kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4927/1855/1459

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Audi RS6 saloon (2008) CAR review

By Glen Waddington

22 September 2008 09:53

It’s a car of broad abilities, the Audi A6. An eco-friendly 2.0TDIe tax-buster at one end, some slick and savvy V6s in the middle – then this utterly bonkers RS6 road-burner at the other end of the scale. And it truly is upscale, with a 572bhp twin-turbo V10 engine and a list price of £76,160. We’ve had the five-door Avant version for a while now; Audi waited until the facelift to launch the saloon, so here it is.

Hmm, 572bhp you say. So the Audi RS6 quick, is it?

Yes, yes and thrice yes. The RS6 is utterly, rampantly, addictively, oh-my-gawd rapid. So quick it’s worth inventing a new adjective for, complete with a matching expletive.

Not only is it fast, but it sounds great too, with a hard-edged throb at low engine speeds that increases in urgency as the needle whips round the clock. But the best thing about its voice isn’t the climactic snarl, and nor is it the unfettered whoosh of two turbos dumping gobfulls of air into the cylinders. No, it’s the muffled boom as the tiptronic transmission grabs the next ratio. It sounds like a bomb going off under water, except it comes from the boot. It makes you smile and emit a muffled exclamation of your own, every time.

It’s an Audi. Does it handle?

Depends what you mean by handling. This thing grips like cat claws on curtains, and it changes direction with greater haste and agility than a 5.0m length and a two-tonne weight would suggest. And… you know what’s coming.

It just isn’t involving in the way the best sports saloons are, and you can blame the steering. It’s rubbery and numb. Sure, it’s sharp enough, yet you can feel the weight of that engine in the nose and, despite the latest Quattro system’s 60 percent rearward torque bias, there’s never a hint of rear-end throttle steer.

Of course, because it’s so quick and grippy, there are plenty of less enjoyable things to do than drive an RS6 quickly. But it’s a machine of devastating power and towering ability rather than one of enormous character. Impressive yet aloof, the RS6 just isn’t friendly and encouraging in the way BMW’s M-cars are.

Will its ride batter me senseless?

It can but it doesn’t have to. You get three settings on the Audi’s dynamic ride control, all set by the revised MMI controller. Go for ‘comfort’ and it’s just at the acceptable end of firm: thumpy over ruts, occasionally harsh but mainly bearable. Flick it to ‘dynamic’ and you’ll begin to believe that motorways – even autobahns – have been resurfaced in corrugated iron. And just forget ‘sport’ unless you’re on a racetrack.

What’s the inside story?

The usual. The RS6 has a fantastic cabin ambience, with loads of supple leather, a great driving position and wonderfully supportive seats. The dash looks impressive, works well, and there’s decent room in every corner. Even at £76,160, it’s befitting of the price.

Verdict

This is not one of those M3/911-style ‘if you can, you must’ purchases. More a case of ‘if you do, then fine’. The RS6 is not magically granted access to the club of iconic performance saloons by dint of its twin-turbo V10, even if it would qualify purely on account of thrust and noise. It’s let down by dynamics that deny it membership rights. And that’s a huge shame, especially bearing in mind the tactile delights of the old RS4.

It’s a near miss too, because driving this thing fast in a straight line is so much fun, you can’t help but feel let down by what happens in corners. In this class, it’s not good enough simply to go round them. This Audi needs the dynamic drama to match its pace and soundtrack. As it stands, it’s very, very good but not a true great.

Statistics

How much?	£76,160
On sale in the UK:	October 2008
Engine:	4991cc 40v twin-turbo V10, 572bhp @ 6250-6700rpm, 479lb ft @ 6250-6700rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed auto, four-wheel drive
Performance:	4.5sec 0-62mph, 155mph (ltd), 20.3mpg, 331g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1985kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4928/1889/1456

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Audi A6 3.0T facelift CAR review

By Glen Waddington

19 September 2008 10:00

With an almost invisible change here and there, the Audi A6 joins the Golf and 3-series as the latest barely perceptible facelifts of best-selling German cars. Okay, I know, the Golf shares only roof and glass with its forebear but it hardly moves the game on. For the A6, Audi has merely tweaked the headlamp and front bumper treatments, added a stainless highlight along the side rubbing strips and, on saloons, fitted new LED tail lamps and a new bootlid. It’s the oily bits that have been occupying Ingolstadt minds. A bit.

Did the Audi A6 really need a facelift, then?

Maybe not, but you don’t stay ahead of the pack by slowing down. The A6 is firmly cemented as Europe’s best-seller in the business car category, ahead of the BMW 5-series and the Merc E-class. It’s four years old, still soberly stylish and competent, and Audi believes a spec tweak and an A4-style cosmetic refresh are enough. For now.

This 3.0 TFSI. What’s new there, then?

Well, you’ll have noticed it’s a new capacity for Audi’s petrol V6. Gone is the old 3.2 and in comes this new supercharged 3.0-litre - that’s right, it’s no longer ‘T’ for ‘turbo’. In fact the new engine has an even tougher job than it would elsewhere, because Audi is discontinuing the 4.2 V8 in the UK. The new 3.0 matches it for torque, and improves on the old 3.2 by being 13.3 percent more powerful and 16.2 percent more economical.

Want some more stats? Happy to oblige…

Remarkably, 95 percent of A6s sold in the UK are diesel-powered, so Audi has rationalised petrol versions down to the base 168bhp 2.0 TFSI, the 217bhp 2.8 FSI V6 (up 10bhp) and the new 3.0. Above them sit the V10-powered S6, and the newly launched twin-turbo RS6 saloon. The old 2.4 V6 has gone.

The 2.7 and 3.0 TDIs continue, with power up by 10bhp and 7bhp respectively. The old 2.0 PD unit is no more, and in comes Audi’s new common-rail four-cylinder, with 168bhp - or 136bhp in the new eco-optimised TDIe.

Enough, enough! What’s it like to drive?

Much as before, actually, though the 3.0 is noticeably quicker than the old 3.2-litre. With standard Tiptronic transmission in S-line trim, it’s both brisk and soothing to drive, accelerating with verve, great refinement and a pleasingly subdued growl from under the bonnet, while the wheel-mounted shift paddles act quickly and feel good to the touch. It’s exactly what you’d want of an Audi in the performance stakes.

That very Audiness also means it’s thoroughly undramatic in the process, newly rear-optimised Quattro four-wheel drive or not. It still feels incredibly secure, but also front-heavy - the weight distribution means there’s no getting away from that, thanks to its forward-mounted engine. The steering is over-light and under-endowed with feedback, so you feel utterly detached from the finer sensations of driving. And the ride can be rather jarring over bumpy surfaces, though at least it’s tautly damped over longwave stuff.

What’s it like inside?

None of that dynamic numbness will matter if you buy an Audi as a business tool rather than a driving experience. While you’re battling the M4 to catch that morning flight from Heathrow, you’ll be soothed by the warm, cocooning atmosphere of the cabin, and entertained by the (optional) new 3D sat-nav, 20Gb music capacity and voice recognition system. The MMI controls have been titivated, and there’s new satin chrome edging for the optional wood trim finishes. Leather is standard on all but base-spec four-cylinder models and it now stretches over the door armrests.

Architecturally, all is as before and that means a great driving position, a calmly stylish environment and a finish slicker than a photo-shopped Pierce Brosnan. All perfectly Audi.

Verdict

It’s no surprise that Audi is leading the sales charge with the A6 because it’s just so mollifying to drive – and that surely counts for more than driving excitement to the company execs who buy them. So while you or I might have more fun piloting a 530i down a twisting B-road, those who prefer the Audi’s combination of subtle attractions will be more than happy with what’s on offer here.

Statistics

How much?	£37,440
On sale in the UK:	October 2008
Engine:	2995cc 24v supercharged V6, 286bhp @ 4850-6800rpm, 310lb ft @ 2500-4850rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Performance:	5.9sec 0-62mph, 155mph (ltd), 30.0mpg, 219g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1725kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4927/1855/1459

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Audi Q7 V12 TDI CAR review

By Glen Waddington

18 September 2008 10:30

There are big numbers at play with the Audi Q7 V12 TDI. Try these for size: 2635kg (big SUV), V12 (the first 12-cylinder diesel engine yet fitted to a passenger vehicle), 493bhp (it’s the most powerful, too), 738lb ft (that’s one hell of a stack of torque) and £96,295 (yes, you read that right). The question is, do all the numbers add up?

Hmm. 738lb ft? In an Audi Q7? Tell me how that feels

Short answer? Fantastic – but with provisos.
This car is all about its engine. We’re used to the Q7, and most of us would be happy to ‘make do’ with the V8 TDI – at £50,695 it’s barely half the price of the V12. Audi is playing on the V12 TDI’s sheer scale (remember those numbers), and the fact that its engine is related to that of Audi’s R10 Le Mans-winner, to market it at the top of the SUV pile.

Start the engine and you’re immediately aware of its presence. It throbs quite vocally, almost malevolently. Slot the selector into Drive, a blast on the go-pedal and you’re away. Immediately, the thrust feels like the kind of experience you’d more normally associate with Boeing badges and a runway. Yes, 738lb ft, even in something this heavy, feels quite extraordinary.

Extraordinary, yes. But what’s the catch?

Well, all too soon you run into the red line. That’s fine in itself because you’ve got six ratios to play with, so the mad assault on the horizon continues unabated. Yet you feel slightly cheated because you just want the thrust to continue seamlessly, with the revs rising to match. It would be churlish to call it frustrating.

So maybe the Q7’s put me in a churlish mood, because there’s another problem too. It just doesn’t sound alluring. Vivid, yes. Threatening, yes. Belligerent, dramatic, exciting, even. But it’s not remotely appealing for its own sake, just a loud, booming resonance, with no hard edges nor any subtle tones with which to enthrall you. No, it just bullies your ears then hits the red and shifts up a gear

Er, does it handle?

What do you think? This is no sports car. It feels extremely big (it is extremely big). Hustle it and you might breathe in when something comes the other way, and it pitches and dives as you come on and off the throttle. But it’s not difficult or heavy to drive. The steering’s numb, not especially quick, but at least it’s linear. There isn’t much roll, and body control is decent over longwave undulations. Surface bumps are smothered away with a shrug and a shudder under 2635kg of steel, so it’s pretty comfortable. But if you want a sports car with this kind of power, status and price, buy a Merc SL63.

So what else does nearly £100k get you?

The Q7 V12 TDI is pretty much fully loaded: DVD sat-nav, Bose sounds, heated seats front and back, ceramic brakes, xenons, electric tailgate, air suspension. Extra money buys a Bang & Olufsen stereo, with cute tweeters that pop out of the dash when you switch on the ignition (Walcot and co will love that), and there’s no doubt the Q7 has the potential to be the coolest wheels before the Premiership’s decided this season.

What it doesn’t have is the cabin ambience of a £100k motor - you’ll pay extra for the leather-covered dash that does that job. Fine Audi finish or not, the big slab of soft-touch plastic looks a bit downmarket at this price.

Could I live with myself if I bought one?

Only you can seriously answer that question, but I’ll give you a guide. Audi is expecting to shift around 40 V12 TDIs in Britain next year, which doesn’t leave many after the Arsenal/Chelsea/Man Utd crowd have ordered theirs. But, then, as Lehman Brothers collapses (and others surely follow), will there actually be 40 Brits who can afford one?

Audi makes some interesting claims about efficiency: the Q7 V12 TDI is apparently 44 percent more economical than its closest petrol-fired rival, and its emissions per unit of engine capacity (53g/km per 1000cc) look highly efficient compared with the Range Rover 4.2 (89g/km per 1000cc) or the Porsche Cayenne Turbo (74g/km per 1000cc).

Fine - but the Audi sports an extra litre or two, so you couldn’t exactly call it green. And I thought zeitgeist was a German word.

Verdict

In a field of, er, one, the Audi Q7 V12 TDI is the undisputed champ – and you should either love it or hate it. Yet, in fact, it’s possible to be a bit ambiguous, and that’s this particular Q7’s problem.

It’s top of a tree that just didn’t need a branch this high. If you really wanted to tell the world that ecology is a thing of the past, you might want to have a bit more fun behind the wheel while you’re doing it – one last blast before the straightjacket goes on. And, no matter how creative Audi might be with the green stats, you know and I know that if you cane this thing everywhere, you’ll never see 25mpg.

So those big numbers add up to a sense of bewilderment. If you want to be truly wicked, best look elsewhere, because you won’t necessarily enjoy killing the planet in this car.

Statistics

How much?	£96,295
On sale in the UK:	January 2009
Engine:	Engine 5934cc 48v twin-turbo diesel V12, 493bhp @ 3750rpm, 738lb ft @ 1750-3250rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Performance:	5.5sec 0-62mph, 155mph (ltd), 25.0mpg, 298g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	2635kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	5063/2000/1772

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Audi Q5 2.0 TDI CAR review

By Ben Pulman

10 July 2008 18:23

The Audi Q5 is here – and we've driven it. Finally Ingolstadt has a medium-sized SUV with which to battle the likes of the BMW X3 and Mercedes GLK. But in the war of the small, premium Germans 4x4s, the X3 is ageing fast and the GLK won’t be in the UK until 2010 at the earliest. That leaves the Q5 with an easy run at the likes of the Land Rover Freelander and Volvo XC60, if it can deliver on its promise. We’ve just driven the Q5 so read on for our first drive.












So what makes the Audi Q5 stand out from its rivals?

Not its styling. The Q5’s design is safe and secure, with obvious links to other Audi products like the A3 (front lights) and Q7 (taillamps). The front grille is seemingly even bigger than before and the chrome trim around it even thicker, but it’s the only shiny highlight on an otherwise straightforward design.

The Q5 goes on sale in the UK in September 2008 and all cars will initially come in SE spec, which means leather, electric doors and mirrors, rear parking sensors and 18-inch alloys. Pity they look so puny on the Q5. In fact, unlike its big brother the Q7, we would go as far as to recommend an S-line spec car, if only for the 19-inch wheels and bodykit to butch it up.












What about the technical stuff?

Audi’s Quattro four-wheel system is present and correct – this is a 4x4, remember – with a 40:60 front-rear torque split to (apparently) give a more sporting drive. That’s exactly what this car isn’t, but it still handles tidily, slipping into safe and secure understeer if you push too far.

Despite the 2.0-litre TDI engine of our test car also sitting almost completely ahead of the front axle, the Q5 never feels nose heavy and manages to turn in sharply. There’s no feel through the steering though.

The ride patters a little on motorways and on the few sections of bumpy Spanish roads that we could find, our impression is that the Q5 may not be up to scratch for the British B-road. Time will tell.

Visibility is good and the Q5 is compact enough to never intimidate the driver in urban driving. The huge door mirrors make the optional blind spot warning system almost redundant, though they also create a lot of wind noise at cruising speeds.













Safe and secure? You’ve said that a few times now!

We have and that’s exactly what the Audi Q5 is. Those expecting something earth-shatteringly new will be disappointed. The Q5 is a line drawn straight down the middle of the medium-sized SUV class. It’s well built and the perceived quality is high. It handles tidily which is all it will ever need to do, while it will manage any off-road work should you be in the minority who ever leave the Tarmac. Those four rings on the nose are still a strong hook for many buyers and we see no reason why Audi won't sell as many Q5s as it can make.

The engine, Audi’s latest common-rail 2.0-litre diesel, is quiet, potent enough that it’s (just about) all you’ll ever need and reasonably economical too. Just think: 42mpg on the combined cycle on a biggish SUV. The gearshift indicator encourages you to pootle not power, an ever-present reminder that you could be greener.












I presume the interior is the same-again stuff from Audi…

If you’ve recently seen an A4 or A5, then yes it is. That’s not to detract from the innards of the Q5 though. Audi still offers the best-looking and best made cabins. But, as other members of the CAR team have pointed out, the unlined door pockets and switch from metal to plastic trim does weaken the quality ambience.

The Q5 is certainly spacious, with an optional sliding rear bench. The controls are as intuitive as ever and the buttons and dials as slick to push, prod and twist as ever. There’s a new MMI system, with topographic sat-nav maps so all the buildings in the centre of Valencia stood out in 3D on our test route. A £300 TomTom might be cheaper, but try selling a Q5 in a few years without MMI.













Verdict

If we sound underwhelmed by the Q5, then we don’t mean to be. It doesn’t do anything vastly new but it does do all its needs to do pretty well. It’s a compact Audi 4x4 and that’s been one obvious hole in Audi’s range.

The Q5 has plugged that gap and that’s all it needs to do. We just can’t help feeling we wanted a little bit more...

Statistics

How much?	£30,000
On sale in the UK:	September 2008
Engine:	1986cc 4cyl turbodiesel, 168bhp @ 4200rpm, 258lb ft @ 1750-2500rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Performance:	0-62mph 9.5sec, 126mph, 42.1mpg, 175g/km
How heavy / made of?	1730kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4629/1880/1653

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Audi A4 2.0 TDI SE CAR review

By Glen Waddington

09 July 2008 10:49

If you want an Audi A4 2.0 TDI there’s no way I’m going to be able to talk you into buying a Ford Mondeo, even though it’s cheaper and much more engaging to drive. If you want an Audi, you’re set on the badge, the image, the perceived quality, maybe the technology, the fuel economy and emissions. How does it drive? You don’t care.

Are you going to tell me about the Audi A4 2.0 TDI anyway?

Of course I am – this is CAR Online, after all. But it’s not great news. Audi’s made big claims about its latest front-wheel drive platform yet, while it’s a marginal improvement on what went before, this is still resolutely an Audi A4, new or not. And that means it’s got a thumpy ride, mute steering and dim reactions.

You’d forgive its unengaging feel if the Audi cosseted over corrugated surfaces, but the sad fact is that it never settles down. It’s insistently firm over low-speed bumps and lacking in body control over long-wave stuff, so it feels like a tug boat caught in a rough harbour.

The steering is over-light at low speeds but feels reluctant to turn once you’ve gathered pace, and corners show the A4 up as leaden. Put simply, it just ain’t no fun.

Does it have any good points?

Well, it’s an Audi, so of course it does. This is where the Mondeo comparison works the other way. You’ll bask in a smug glow when you tell people what you own, it will look prestigious as it crouches on your drive, and it genuinely looks and feels well-finished. There’s plenty of room inside (the A4 is nearly 8in longer than a 3-series), even if there are signs here and there that Audi is spending less on cabin trim. It’s also competitive in terms of fuel efficiency and emissions.

The new common-rail diesel engine is impressive too, far more refined than the hammery old pumpe duse unit, it’s brisk, and it’s linear in its power delivery.

Verdict

Come on, Audi. Decide whether you want to sell cars that handle really well or cars that ride well – the C-class can do both, you know. Sadly, the A4 can do neither and it seriously undermines what is otherwise an excellent car.

You’ll want to love it but, if you’re at all interested in the driving experience, then you just won’t.

Statistics

How much?	£23,600
On sale in the UK:	Now
Engine:	1968cc 16v turbodiesel four cylinder, 141bhp @ 4200rp, 236lb ft @ 1750-2500rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Performance:	9.4sec 0-62mph, 134mph, 51.3mpg, 144g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1460kg
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4703/1826/1427

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Audi S5 7-speed S-tronic

By Tim Pollard

03 June 2008 15:30

Audi has just about the most bewildering array of transmissions of any car maker – and it’s about to get more confusing, with the launch of a twin-clutch version of the S5 coupe. We’ve just driven the seven-speed S tronic S5 to bring you this first CAR review.

Across its burgeoning range, Ingolstadt now offers manual transmissions, Tiptronic automatics, CVT Multitronic gearboxes, an R-tronic automated manual in the R8 supercar and an ever-broadening choice of twin-clutch transmissions badged S-tronic (formerly DSG).

It’s a new seven-speed S tronic ’box that we’re here to test on the svelte S5 coupe. It’s the first time anyone’s tested this transmission, that’s bound for a range of future Audis.

Audi already does twin-clutch ’boxes… What’s new about this one on the S5?

So far, Audi has only offered its twin-clutch transmissions on its smaller, transverse-engined cars (remember the world’s first, the TT back in 2003?). That gearbox comes in two forms: a seven-speeder, dry-clutch affair for engines rated up to 184lb ft, and a six-speed, wet-clutch one for models rated up to 258lb ft.

Now with the launch of this seven-speeder, the same technology is available on bigger quattro models whose engines are mounted longitudinally. It’s a new wet-clutch application designed entirely inhouse by Audi and can be fitted to most of the company’s larger cars.

So we’ll soon see twin-clutch versions of every big Audi?

Not quite. But this new seven-speed, longitudinal application can be fitted to any model rated up to 406lb ft with engine speeds of up to 9000rpm.

These twin-clutch gearboxes might be all the rage (everyone from BMW to Mitsubishi is jumping on the bandwagon these days), but Audi has form in this area. Walter Rohrl drove the Sport Quattro S1 back in the 1985 World Rally Championship and it had an early version of the same transmission. Don’t scoff at those racetrack to road claims, then…

Does the S5 have rally car get-up-and-go?

It’s a very slick application, make no mistake. The S5 is a GT-style coupe, a comfy cruiser with ample thrust on tap at the prod of your big toe. It won’t rip around a race circuit particularly well (we tried that at CAR’s 2007 Performance Car of the Year event), but it’s an utterly accomplished real-world drive.

That 4.2-litre V8 FSI is well suited to the S tronic gearbox; if you’re going for it in manual mode, it bangs home the next ratio in the blink of an eye. It’s computer-game quick.

Electronics second-guess your next move and pre-select the next ratio on the second transmission, simultaneously swapping drive between the two clutches. Nudge the steering wheel paddle or rock the gearstick, and – snick – you’re in the next gear, with minimal disruption to drive. Audi claims a gearchange takes just 200ms.

It can’t be faultless, surely?

It feels lightning fast and as good as any rival system we’ve tried. Like our long-term test Mitsubishi Evo X, the S5 satisfyingly holds the revs all the way up the ’box, leaving the driver wholly in charge of proceedings. Just don’t bounce off the rev limiter too long, alright?

The Audi’s S tronic system also changes to a lower gear if you trundle, but this is more forgivable. Around town, the S-tronic feels comfortable in Drive mode. Apparently 95 percent of buyers leave it in D all the time anyway.

Downsides? We noticed a bit of a clonk when selecting gear at standstill, but otherwise the system seems very well sorted.

Verdict

Would we pick an Audi with the gearbox formerly known as DSG? You bet. The latest seven-speed S tronic adds a smooth drive, lightning gearchanges and decent economics to the S5’s slick appeal. Picking the new auto option will even slightly trim fuel consumption and emissions.

Audi predicts it will cost £1450 on the new models; this transmission is bound for the Q5 coming to the UK in December 2008, the new S4 due in 2009 and numerous other future derivatives of A4, A5 and A6.

It’s a reasonable outlay for a gearbox that can play at being an automatic, a manual and a race car with impressive ease.

Statistics

How much?	£41,715
On sale in the UK:	Winter 2008/early 2009
Engine:	4163cc 32v V8, 349bhp @ 7000rpm, 324lb ft @ 3500rpm
Transmission:	Seven-speed twin-clutch S-tronic, four-wheel drive
Performance:	5.9sec 0-62mph, 155mph, 23mpg, 295g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1672kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4635/1854/1369

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Audi A3 2.0 TDI SE 170

By Adam Towler

22 May 2008 10:30

Audi has given the A3 a mid-life facelift, and the revised 2.0-litre TDI engine heads the oil-burning line-up in 168bhp form. Audi promises this diesel A3 is cleaner and quieter than the car it replaces while still offering a sporty drive within premium quality surroundings.

This Audi A3 diesel doesn’t look that much different does it?

Not visually, no: it’s a minor nip and tuck job that only the committed Audi fan will spot – re-crafted bumpers, headlamps, tail lamps - unless you’re looking at a car fitted with the new optional daytime LED running lights, of course.

Doesn’t sound like they’ve done much then?

Well there are quite a few detail changes across the range – flatter underfloors, improved aerodynamics, tweaks to the interior trim - and the A3 range has recently become rather complicated on the engine front. There’s a 1.4-litre petrol engine that makes more power than the 1.6-litre – thanks to a turbocharger – leaving the latter as the entry level - and rather dated - motor. Then there’s a new 1.8-litre turbo engine in the range that sounds to the ear like the 2.0-litre TFSI but is in fact an all-new unit first seen in the recently launched A4. Actually, the acclaimed 2.0 TFSI won’t be around for much longer either: it’s due to be replaced soon by another 2.0 TFSI unit based on the new 1.8-litre block. The 3.2 narrow-angle V6 has been dropped in the UK, but not elsewhere, where it continues in S-Tronic Quattro form only.

On the diesel side, the ubiquitous 1.9 TDI is still rattling away at the foot of the range but can also be had in greener ‘e’ trim, and then there’s a couple of 2.0-litre TDI motors with 138bhp and 168bhp. Except don’t be fooled by these numbers, because they aren’t the usual A3 pump-düse injection engines, but the revised common rail injection units first seen in the new A4. Got all that? And there’s now a seven-speed dual clutch S-Tronic ‘box available on smaller engines, as well as the usual six-speed S-Tronic ‘box on the bigger engines.

What exactly has been done to this TDI motor?

Modified piston geometry, redesigned drive belt, new-gen turbocharger and, of course, the replacement of the old unit injectors with a common rail delivery operating at 1,800 bar. There’s 258lb ft of torque on offer here so it should go a fair bit, and it’ll do 47.9mpg on the combined cycle.

Sounds good – what’s it like on the road?

Can this engine really be from the same firm that produced the old-spec 2.0-litre TDI? Sure, in the right car the old engine went like stink, but all that harshness, the gravelling boorishness and vibration – it’s all gone. When coupled with the S-Tronic transmission as in this case it offers fluid, smooth power with a restrained note from behind the bulkhead.

This is a diesel A3 with a remarkable 0-62mph time of 7.8sec – let alone colossal in-gear shove – but subjectively from behind the wheel, it doesn’t feel that fast thanks to a very linear delivery; it’s the kind of car that surprises you when you glance down at the speedometer.

Factor in a chassis that while sophisticated on paper and competent in practise, is hardly involving or exciting, nor the most comfortable riding – although the newly optional Magnetic Ride damping might improve that in the UK – and despite the constant talk of ‘sportiness’ from Audi you’re left with a desirable hatchback, but not one that’ll get the pulse racing.

For many would-be owners that won’t be an issue, because it’s the same recipe of quality interiors and bewitching brand at work here. But if you’ve read the headline engine stats and begun to see this A3 as some kind of frugal hot hatch alternative then I think you might be disappointed.

Verdict

Smooth, solid, proficient, expensive: it’s more of the same from the new Audi A3, and thanks to this heavily revised engine it’s an improved car in diesel form. Just not one you’ll necessarily covet.

Statistics

How much?	£20,165
On sale in the UK:	Now
Engine:	1968cc 16v 4-cyl turbodiesel, 168bhp @ 4200rpm, 258lb ft @ 1750-2500rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed twin-clutch, front-wheel drive
Performance:	7.8 sec 0-62mph, 138mph, 47.9mpg, 156g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1340kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4238/1765/1421

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First Drives Audi S3 Sportback

By Adam Towler

21 May 2008 10:30

The Audi S3 Sportback is the latest Audi niche performance car - the mechanicals of the three-door S3 being shoehorned into the five-door Sportback A3 body. Its introduction coincides with a mild facelift across the A3 range as a whole that includes some new engines and detail engineering updates.

So it’s exactly the same as the current Audi S3 but with two extra doors?

Almost. Although there are changes to many of the power units, the potent 261bhp turbo ‘four’ is carried straight over, along with the Quattro four-wheel system. However, all Quattros have revised electronics for the Haldex differential so that it reacts faster in the distribution of torque to the rear axle. The suspension is unchanged, but Audi’s Magnetic ride variable damping system – as seen on the TT and R8 - is now available as an option.

The S3's usual visual bite is applied to the new A3's general makeover that consists of subtle alterations to the front bumper, headlamps and tail lamps, along with minor developments to trim and texture inside, and a new dial pack.

Feels much the same on the road then?

Yes it does: the strengthened TFSI engine is at its gruff and growling best, pulling heartily from low revs yet sprinting with aerobic conviction, and all the while staying just the right side of raucous. This is a seriously quick car, and although Audi suggests it’s a fraction slower to 60mph – it weighs 40kg more than the three-door – you’d be hard pressed to feel it on the road.

It’s also a very effective way to cover ground quickly thanks to excellent traction, good body control and an entertaining neutrality to the chassis. The nub of this cars appeal is the mix of extreme hot hatch thrills with a premium Audi cockpit, a high perception of build quality throughout and an image considerably more sophisticated than most hot hatches or any rally special rival.

Come on, I bet the ride is still on the uncompromising side though?

Our drive was too brief to conclude that the Quattro tweaks have made much of a difference, but it did suggest that an S3 equipped with Magnetic Ride is a more comfortable car to travel in. Although in ‘Sport’ mode the suspension is excessively firm and only really suitable for the racing circuit, in its standard setting it did appear to soothe the aggressive rebound damping that makes the regular sprung car quite tiresome in the UK. It could turn out to be money well spent.

If only there was more feedback from the steering rack: it’s quick and precise, but the light steering tells you little about what is happening at the front wheels. You just have to learn to trust it anyway.

Let’s talk money: I bet this is a pricey car?

Afraid so. The three-door S3 has had a price ‘adjustment’ and now costs an additional £220 at £27,220. You can add £500 to that for the Sportback body style, and then dig deeper still if you want the aggressive bucket seats, flat-bottomed steering wheel and Magnetic Ride dampers of our car. Audi’s twin clutch S-Tronic transmission will be available later this year, and that currently carries a £1,400 premium across the rest of the range. As you can see, the price of the S3 Sportback you might crave can easily rise through the £30,000 barrier – a not inconsiderable sum for such a car.

Verdict

The S3 is still as potent and pricey as ever; providing the same thrills in the Sportback body means those with the need for five-door practicality can allow themselves to be seduced by this surprisingly boisterous uber-hatch.

Statistics

How much?	£27,720
On sale in the UK:	Now
Engine:	1984cc 4-cyl turbo, 261bhp @ 6000rpm, 258lb ft @ 2500-5000rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Performance:	5.8sec 0-62mph, 155mph, 33.2mpg
How heavy / made of?	1495kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4302/1765/14 02

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Audi A4 3.0 TDI SE Quattro

By Glen Waddington

20 May 2008 10:09

Pick the optimum combo for a compact exec and the Audi A4 3.0 TDI SE Quattro might spring to mind: V6 diesel grunt and smoothness, the handling promise of four-wheel drive, suave looks and finish and a tempting equipment level. It costs nearly £30k (more like £42k, optioned-up like the test car) – and there’s stiff competition at that level, so the Audi A4 3.0 TDI will have to be good to get noticed.

Forget Quattro, it’s an Audi, so does it handle?

Let’s get the disappointment out of the way first: in a word, no. Jump out of the old A4 into this and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by its poise and alacrity. Problem is, if you’ve jumped out of a 3-series or a C-class (even a Mondeo) you’ll be gutted. There’s just no fun to be had punting this Audi hard, and that’s a real shame.

It feels leaden. You might think that's just impressively solid build quality until you enter a corner and find the A4 strangely reluctant to turn in. The ride is firm too, even in ‘comfort’ mode, yet still it tends to bobble and lurch over long-wave imperfections, so it never feels truly tied down, even if you accept a numbed spine and shift the Drive Select mode to ‘dynamic’. Yes, Quattro keeps it all secure through the twists, but the numb steering (too light at a canter, too heavy once you turn it in anger) thwarts any engaging interactivity you might otherwise have enjoyed.

So what’s the point of this ‘sports’ saloon, then?

Maybe we need to stop thinking of the A4 as a sports saloon. It’s a compact exec and it fulfils a lot of desires as a static object, oozing class, desirability and straightforward driveway appeal. Park this up outside the family homestead and the Joneses will be envious. Period.

It’s also swift and exceptionally refined. There’s a modicum of diesel grumble at idle but it disappears as soon as you make forward progress, becoming progressively quieter as the revs increase. It’s masked a little by (typically Audi) road noise but motorway travel is incredibly subdued and there’s ample, instantaneous thrust on offer at any speed.

What’s it like inside?

As you might expect, Audi leads the class for cabin ambience. It makes the 3-series feel stark and the C-class angular and sterile. It’s also genuinely spacious for five adults, thanks to a wheelbase and body length that are notably long for the class.

Yet there’s a sense that Audi is paying for tech advances elsewhere by notching back on trim quality here and there. Some of the obsessively anal detailing has gone; in come silver-painted plastics (instead of aluminium), unlined door pockets, and some hard plastic finishes where once you’d have had more finger-friendly surfaces. Even the doors slam with a more lightweight clunk than of old. Yes, it’s still gorgeous and not quite like the switch from VW Golf Mk4 to Mk5, but the commanding lead that Audi once had in this department feels as if it’s being eroded, and with it goes Audi’s cast-iron USP.

Verdict

I really wanted to love this A4 and, in fact, the oomph and silence of its engine nearly won me over completely. But it’s just too wooden dynamically in the face of the 330d and co, and it doesn’t reward you by being silken over bumpy surfaces in recompense. The clunky six-speed manual conspires against smooth progress too. Lack of torque-steer aside, it’s difficult to justify splashing out on the Quattro hardware.

The 3.0-litre TDI might work better as an auto, but none is available. Instead, save yourself a couple of grand and go for the 2.7 TDI with its standard ‘eight-speed’ CVT system, itself no less refined and still brisk.

Until Audi fits Tiptrronic to the 3.0 TDI and softens the suspension, it will remain as satisfying as bedding your pin-up dream and discovering she’s frigid.

Statistics

How much?	£29,500
On sale in the UK:	Now
Engine:	2967cc 32v V6 turbodiesel, 237bhp @ 4000-4400rpm, 369lb ft @ 1500-3000rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Performance:	6.1sec 0-62mph, 155mph, 40.9mpg, 183g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1655kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4703/1826/1427

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Audi TT 1.8T driven CAR review

By Christopher Hubbard

02 May 2008 11:44

Just when you though Audi were getting carried away with the TTS and TT TDI we have the much more sensible 1.8 turbo. And no, this isn’t the old car come back to haunt us, but an entry-level version of the new car that goes on sale in 2009. And CAR Online has managed to get behind the wheel before anyone else.

This new TT uses Audi’s latest 1.8TFSI engine, produces 158bhp, 184lb ft of torque, and returns over 40mpg. Thanks to the second generation TT’s lightweight aluminium and steel construction this also means 0-62mph in just 7.2 seconds, and a top speed of 140mph.

But doesn’t the Audi TT 1.8T feel a little slow?

Actually, no. Not even if you’ve just stepped out of the new 268bhp TTS. It’s front-wheel drive only, of course, so traction out of slow corners in the wet (and it was very very wet) can be a bit interesting, but as a package this engine seems to suit the TT brilliantly. There’s no lag to speak of and the sweet six-speed manual gearbox means you can keep things strolling along very nicely. The whole thing weighs just 1240kg in Coupé form, too, so the chassis feels as sharp as ever.

How much then?

Well, we can’t actually tell you for sure just yet – Audi UK is still in negotiations with the factory. But an insider assures us it should be a good £2k cheaper than the equivalent 2.0-litre turbo that currently represents the entry point into TT ownership. These cars currently start at £25,210 on the road. A £23k TT? Yes please. Oh, and look out for a Quattro version of the 2.0 arriving at the same time.

Verdict:

The forthcoming entry-level TT is a base model car anyone would be proud of. Fast enough, fun to drive, and frugal. It’s not the ultimate driver’s car but no TT is. However, this car is definitely worth waiting for…

Statistics

How much?	£23,000
On sale in the UK:	2009
Engine:	1798cc 16-v 4-cyl turbo petrol, 168bhp @ 4500-6200rpm, 184lb ft @ 1500-4500rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Performance:	7.2secs 0-62mph, 140mph, 42.1mpg, 158g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1240kg/aluminium and steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4178/1842/1352

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Audi TTS Coupe (2008) CAR review

By Gavin Green

30 April 2008 12:07

The new Audi TTS is the fastest and sportiest version of the iconic TT. Finally, the TT gets the performance to complement the style. Power comes from a hotter version of the TT’s existing 2.0-litre turbo engine and the price jumps to £33,390 for the coupe and £35,390 for the roadster. It’s the first TT to play in Porsche territory.

The TT has always been a bit of a hairdressers’ car – more high-pose than high-performance. Does Audi finally have a cut-price Porsche beater?

Well it’ll certainly beat a Cayman or most Boxsters in the 0-60 dash. What’s more, it feels light, eager and willing to rev. The 2.0-litre turbo FSI engine, already familiar to TT buyers, gets a bigger turbocharger, an uprated air cooler, a better flowing exhaust and a host of internal upgrades: power is boosted from 197bhp to 270bhp and torque jumps 25 percent.

The engine revs sweetly, growls pleasingly as it homes in on its 6800rpm redline, and it’s silky smooth to boot. The standard six-speed manual is quick shifting and short-of-throw, and so light that gear-changing is a simple matter of flicking the wrists. This lightness of control also extends to the clutch and steering: it’s an easy car to drive hard.

The direct fuel injection engine is also light, and combined with the part aluminium construction of the latest TT, it makes for a featherweight sportster (at least compared with some beefy rivals). It’s an agile car, the handling security helped by the Quattro all-wheel drive system (which can vary 100 percent of the torque from front-to-rear and vice versa as conditions dictate). Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are good for a 155mph car too..

Sounds like the TT has become a serious sports car, at last.

It has. Add the style – something the TT has never been short of – and a really convincing cabin and the result is a highly desirable machine. By some margin, this is the best driving TT yet. But the elevation into Porsche territory does highlight a few shortfalls. Push hard on a twisting undulating road and you still won’t get the feedback or the deftness of a Boxster or a Cayman, or even one of the hotter 3-series Coupes. That ultimate easy-driving poise still isn’t quite there. Plus the steering, though sharp and linear, won’t entertain like a better rear-drive machine.

Verdict

The brilliant R8 now has a little brother it can be proud of. The TTS is a handsome, beautifully wrought and pleasingly fast sports car. It’s light, agile, supremely stable at 100mph-plus and rides well too. As always with a sports Audi, go for the optional S-tronic (nee DSG) dual-clutch paddleshift gearbox (faster of shift and more economical too).

Statistics

How much?	£33,390
On sale in the UK:	Now
Engine:	1984cc 16-v 4-cyl turbo petrol, 270bhp @ 6000rpm, 258lb ft @ 2500-5000rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Performance:	5.4secs 0-62mph, 155mph, 35.3mpg, 191g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1395kg/aluminium and steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4198/1842/1345

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Audi TT 2.0 TDI driven CAR review

By Ben Pulman

29 April 2008 16:17

The Audi TT TDI. Is this oil-burner from Audi another Ingolstadt niche? Or a svelte coupe and cabriolet with low-end grunt, low emissions and decent fuel consumption?

A few critics of Audi's blunderbuss new model programme worry it's another box ticked so the company can out-offer the opposition. And worse than that, perhaps Audi is offering something no one really wants. The TT is a standalone sports car, a supermodel. Should it really be allowed diesel power? Imagine Gisele Bundchen opening her mouth and speaking Scouse and you get the idea of where this could end up.

So tell me about the Audi TT TDI’s diesel engine

Under that elegant, mostly aluminium body sits a 2.0-litre diesel and a turbo, which together produce 168bhp at 4200rpm and 258lb ft from 1750-2500rpm. That’s 22lb ft more than the V6 petrol, and enough horsepower to push this diesel on to 140mph. Audi’s quattro drivetrain sends the power to all four wheels via a six-speed manual box.

Forget performance though - you'll probably only buy a TT TDI because of the g/km and mpg figures: 140g/km CO2 and 53.3mpg. Those figures are for the Coupe and rise and drop respectively should you buy the Roadster.

Start the engine and your ears aren’t met by instant farmyard clatter, but nearly the same starter motor whirr and sudden exhaust woofle that was present on our long-term TT 3.2 V6. Of course you can hear the diesel bass on the road, but not a badly as you might think. You could forget you were being pushed along by a compression motor if it wasn’t for the fact you had to change up soon after 4000rpm.

Right, what's this thing like on the road?

A little old-school in fact. A bigger turbo has lifted power and means there’s a touch of lag and then a lot of boost. While BMW and now Mercedes offer twin-turbo diesels there’s something pleasing about a sudden rush of power rather than a refined run to a 5000rpm redline.

To some it might feel a rawer than BMW’s 123d, but this engine is more exciting for it and still a smooth diesel. It’s quick enough too, with that torque making overtaking easy.

Downsides? The steering is still a tad too light and lifeless, and the gearbox equally lacking in any mechanical feel. But for those long motorway miles it’ll be a doddle to drive.

Has Audi added anything else new apart from the diesel engine?

Yes. There's a light refresh that freshens up the front while our test car was an S-line model. That means leather seats over the standard Alcantara items, gunmetal 19-inch rims over the regular 17s, and a butch bodykit with a new front bumper and carbonfibre look lip spoiler and rear diffuser.

The car looks great in the metal but the TT was stiff already and never Audi’s finest ride/handling combo. Add in the bigger wheels and there’s a constant patter, much like a test tube on a mechanical shaker in a laboratory. The tyres might add some extra grip but they upset the ride and don’t particularly benefit the handling.

Is the rest of the car as before?

Pretty much - which means when it’s optioned up like our test car with sat-nav and all sorts of other goodies there are few cabins this side of an Audi R8 that match the TT. And when you consider that the R8’s insides use lots of TT bits that makes it feel even more special.

There still isn’t much room in the back, but the boot is reasonable enough. The rear seats don’t quite fold flat but once down provide enough room for two people going on a substantial holiday.

Verdict

The Audi TT TDI is a good car. It goes through your wish lists and ticks all the boxes. Great looks, impeccable cabin and build quality, peerless badge and now diesel power offering improved emissions and mpg.

But as lovely as the TT is, it still feels too much by the book. All the ingredients are there and if you need or even want a diesel coupe then take your cake and eat it. It’s just that we prefer to look elsewhere for our fill.

Statistics

How much?	£26,350
On sale in the UK:	Now
Engine:	1968cc 16v 4-cyl turbodiesel, 168bhp @ 4200rpm, 258lb ft @ 1750-2500rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Performance:	7.5secs 0-62mph, 140mph, 53.3mpg, 139g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1370kg/aluminium and steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4178/1842/1352

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Audi R8 V12 TDI concept driven CAR review

By Georg Kacher

10 April 2008 10:43

Does the world need the Audi R8 V12 TDI, a supercar powered by diesel? We love the regular Audi R8. It’s our 2007 performance car of the year, with sublime steering that belies its Ingolstadt roots, and one of the best gearboxes around. That high-revving 4.2-litre V8 sounds wonderful and the quattro system juggles all-weather security with rear bias for tail-out action. How could you want any more? Well, there is a V10 version coming in 2009...

But over the past few years Audi has sought to fill every conceivable niche. Welcome then, to the Audi R8 V12 TDI, the world’s first diesel production supercar. Yes, it's a concept car for now, but Audi is seriously debating the future of this car.

Hold on, did you say Audi R8 V12 TDI?

We did indeed. Underneath that stunning bodywork sits an oil-burning engine. The car was first unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show at the start of 2008 in a shade of silver. Since then it’s been repainted red and now CAR Online has been to Miami for a drive of this rather special concept car.

The job of the R8 V12 TDI is two-fold. For one, it is designed to showcase the Hungarian-built V12 TDI engine. At six litres it easily surpasses the 5.0-litre V10 that sits in the nose of Volkswagen's Phaeton and Touareg. The new V12 will be available in the Q7 from later in 2008, will probably be in the next A8, and maybe, just maybe in the R8…

That’s right, the second reason for the R8 diesel concept is to preview a production car that is currently 50:50. But that’s without taking into account the influence of a certain Dr Ferdinand Piech, the man who insisted that the impossible be made reality with the Bugatti Veyron.

So can you just drop a V12 into the R8 in place of a V8?

Not quite. The 6.0-litre V12 is considerably longer than the 4.2-litre V8 so it now sits tight behind the rear seats. To feed the big engine the side intakes are larger and a NACA duct sits on the roof, feeding air to the hungry engine. Either side of the roof-mounted duct sits a polycarbonate panel that gives us a glorious view of the Miami sunshine. It's neatly finished.

Inside there is a bit of concept car trinketry with contrasting red accents everywhere and a Drive Select toggle on the left spoke of the steering wheel. Select Dynamic, Sport or Race depending on your mood, and the car adapts the dynamic settings accordingly.

So, what’ll she do mister?

Prod the big red starter button on the other steering wheel spoke and you’re met with a noise that is neither TDI nor track-ready . There’s tantalising wastegate hiss but you’re left wondering just what this engine is.

The one thing that is certain is the potential of this engine. The headline figures are 493bhp and 737lb ft. The latter arrives at a piffling 1750rpm and keeps being produced until 3000rpm. Audi is claiming, on paper, a 4.2 second run to 60 mph and a top speed of 203mph. Yet it’ll apparently average nearly 30mpg and keep the air clean thanks to Audi’s NOx beating AdBlue technology. It's called having your cake and eating it...

I sense a but…

You do indeed. This is a concept. The R8 V12 TDI’s minders were insistent on a 3000rpm limit, despite a 4500rpm cut-out. And the 737lb ft had been cut to a mere 295lb ft in the first two gears, and 369lb ft thereafter to protect the six-speed manual tranmission. The concept is worth €3m, you see. Still, it does smack of ludicrous concept-car claims that can't be delivered in the real world.

But there’s a but with the but. This thing has effortless grunt. Absolutely effortless grunt - even with the concept car restrictions in place. It might not scream to 8000rpm, but it will overtake almost anything in the blink of an eye. Despite a decidedly portly 1900kg kerbweight.

Verdict

This is one stunning car, and we can only admire Audi for making it. If they build a production version, we will be gobsmacked. Even if the marketeers do insist on harping on about the links to the derv-sipping, Le Mans winning R10.

Price-wise, although it’s not 100 percent confirmed, expect £120-130k. At that price, the diesel R8 will have a unique offering that truly stands out from rivals Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lamborghini.

Statistics

How much?	£125,000
On sale in the UK:	2009 (est)
Engine:	6.0-litre twin-turbo diesel V12, 493bhp, 737lb ft @ 1750-3000rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Performance:	4.2sec 0-60mph, 203mph, 28mpg
How heavy / made of?	1900kg/aluminium and carbonfibre

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Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDi S-line CAR review

By Dan Trent

03 April 2008 17:57

The Audi A4 Avant exists because not everyone wants an SUV and, while BMW’s 3-series has the ‘medium premium’ saloon market sewn up, when it comes to wagons Audi rules the roost. And with this Avant version of the new A4 that domination looks set to continue.

It’s no great mystery as to why this is so. While the 3-series’ sporty character suits the saloon sector, Audis are seen as sensible, dependable and quietly luxurious – themes that sit perfectly with this more family oriented corner of the market. Indeed, Audi claims the A4 Avant commands over 40 percent of its segment, while BMW and Mercedes squabble over much smaller shares.

The new model is certainly going to tick all the right boxes for the aspirational middle classes. With a sleeker, fastback look reminiscent of the A6 Avant the A4 at least looks significantly different from its predecessor. Well, compared with the saloon version at least. It’s still pretty conservative of course, but then that’s the Audi way.

Audi A4 Avant: the estate we're in

Much cleaner in appearance than the 3 Series or C-Class estates, the Avant’s initially low key design merits closer examination and will delight the aesthetically literate. Witness the so-called ‘tornado line’ originating in the headlights and then sweeping over the flanks and breaking up the surface, reversing around the rear light to create a subtle airflow-splitting lateral spoiler. Form and function? Again, Audi fundamentals and brilliantly executed.

The A4 Avant is bigger than its predecessor, 154mm of the 166mm wheelbase stretch pushing the front axle forward to improve handling balance. It’s also 55mm wider and 117mm longer overall, boot space increasing by 48 litres to 490 litres seats up and 1430 litres folded. Only the C-Class estate is bigger, with a maximum of 1500 litres available.

Practical features abound too. There’s a neat reversible floor, rubberised on one side if you’re carrying muddy hiking gear or have a bootful of bounty from the garden centre, and optional load restraints seen previously on the A6 Avant. It’s comfy too, with firm, supportive seats and lots of useful cubby holes in the cabin.

Ok, so much for practicality – what about the technology?

Luddites and technophobes need not apply – the A4 Avant boasts Vorsprung Durch Technik with the emphasis on the Technik. For the driver this means Audi’s button-heavy Multi Media Interface (MMI) to control the various navigation and media options, including the very slick iPod interface. All cars get a 6.5-inch colour screen, MP3 compatible CD player and 10-speaker stereo, the options list offering all manner of further goodies according to taste and budget.

The electronic automatic handbrake is another typical example of Audi’s fixation with replacing traditional mechanical components with sophisticated technology but this is only the start of it. The optional Audi Drive Select system offers three-way adjustment for throttle response, steering assistance and – if fitted – CDC (continuously damping control) settings. With MMI there’s a further personalised setting available, with different drivers able to store their own settings on different keys.

You can also choose from three levels of parking assistance, automatic cruise control, brake assist, blind spot warning alerts in the mirror housings and even a vibrating steering wheel to alert you to ‘unintentional’ lane changes. We’re not quite at the stage of electric shocks for forgetting to use your indicators but this can’t be far off.

Enough already! What about the engines?

The techfest continues under the bonnet. When the A4 Avant arrives in June 2008 there will be five engine options. The 1.8 TFSI petrol has already impressed in the A4 saloon and if you can’t kick the big-cube habit there’s also the familiar 261bhp direct injection 3.2 V6. Diesels start with a 141bhp version of the new common-rail 2.0 TDI, with 118 and 168bhp versions to follow. Two diesel V6s are also on offer – 2.7-litre (187bhp) and3.0-litre (237bhp) – if you need more grunt.

The 2.0-litre TDi driven here will account for most Avant sales and is a step up in terms of refinement from the outgoing PD diesel motors. An output of 149g/km CO2 and a claimed combined average of 49.6mpg are decent enough for it to qualify as the default choice. But it’s still eclipsed by both the 318d and 320d versions of the 3 Series Touring in terms of CO2 and fuel consumption.

Don’t overlook the petrols though, the four-cylinder TFSI motor is especially impressive. The 178bhp 2.0-litre version we drove proved smooth and eager, the exhaust side Audi valvelift system providing a big step up from the 1.8 and delivering peak torque of 236lb ft from just 1500rpm. Six-speed manuals are the default, with optional CVT gearboxes for front-wheel drive cars and six-speed autos for the flagship V6 and Quattro models.

Ok, engines sorted, but is there a bit of R8 magic in the handling?

Not quite. When Audi encounters a development challenge the default reaction appears to be to throw technology at it, rather than perhaps address the issue at its core. And when it comes to the chassis it seems there is still a lot to learn from direct rivals Mercedes and BMW.

Three-quarters of A4 Avants are expected to be front-wheel drive versions and despite moving the front axle further forward and coming up with a complex five-link front suspension design the traditional nose-heavy handling is still apparent. It’s not helped by a chassis that becomes further unsettled as you attempt to correct. There's also a lack of feel at the steering wheel.

Sports suspension lowers the chassis by 20mm, S-line dropping it a further 10mm and throwing 18-inch wheels into the mix too. Ride comfort suffers as a result but some semblance of poise is the reward, the optional Audi Drive Select at least allowing some choice between tough and tender when specced with CDC dampers. Forget the variable rack, variable assistance dynamic steering too – it may be technologically impressive but feels totally artificial.

Verdict

While the traditional demarcations between the big German three of Audi, BMW and Mercedes are now more blurred than ever some constants do remain. And if you consider yourself an Audi buyer through and through the A4 Avant is satisfyingly on message. However it won’t win any converts from the two main rivals.

Audi insists its customers demand and expect high levels of innovation and enjoy exploring the technological features on offer. But at times it feels like the engineers have lost sight of the real issues and the A4 feels too clever by half. Get the basics right and the rest will follow guys.

Of course, for many issues of desirability and liveability weigh in much more heavily than knife-edge handling and in this respect the A4 Avant has to be considered a success. Handsome, swift and with a great engine line up to back up its practical nature there’s little reason to doubt it will build on the success of its predecessors.

Statistics

How much?	£29,250
On sale in the UK:	June 2008
Engine:	1968cc 4-cyl turbodiesel, 141bhp @ 4200rpm, 236lb ft @ 1750rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Performance:	9.7sec 0-62mph, 130mph
How heavy / made of?	1520kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4703/1826/1436

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Audi A3 1.4 TSI Sport CAR review

By Glen Waddington

25 March 2008 11:35

Logic dictates that you should just ignore the Audi A3 and buy a Golf, because it's more spacious, cheaper and better-equipped. But logic would deny you an appealing car if accommodation matters less to you than image. There's no denying the A3 is a slick little hatchback, and the hi-tech appeal of this little turbocharged 1.4-litre engine suits it well.

An Audi A3 turbo? So it's quick then...

Don't get too carried away. Think of this engine as punching above its weight, spinning sweetly but with plenty of overtaking urge. It'll get you to 62mph in less than ten seconds and carry on to a maximum of 128mph, so it certainly isn't slow, and it pumps out 154g/km of CO2 and returns 43.5mpg, so it's pretty clean and efficient too. All of which points to the 1.4TFSI being a sweet spot in the A3 range.
Clearly it's not intended to be a hot hatch but, by Audi standards, it's quite entertaining to drive, handling neatly and safely if without quite the verve of a Golf, and riding without the domineering over-firmness of faster Audis. Whatever you do, don't order it with sports suspension. This A3 just doesn't need it, and it ruins the ride.

Does it feel good inside?

Just like any A3, the interior is a nice place to spend time. The low-line dash is ergonomically sound and beautifully finished, the seats firmly supportive and it all feels extremely solid and built to last.
But it's also spectacularly predictable and (once you've got past the tactile surfaces) just uninteresting. The A3 is starting to feel old. And it's not as roomy as a Golf either, either in the cabin or in the boot.

Verdict

At £18,365, the A3 TFSI Sport costs substantial money, especially as you'll pay extra for sat-nav, auto-wipers and auto-headlamps. Similar money buys the Golf GT, with a supercharger as well as a turbo and 168bhp to play with. The Audi scores on its plusher finish but the Golf is a much more rounded car and far more entertaining to drive, as well as being much more practical. Logic has a lot going for it.

Audi A3 Cabriolet 2.0T Sport CAR review

By Audi A3 Cabriolet 2.0T

19 February 2008 11:21

The A3 has been with us since 1996, while the second-generation model arrived back in 2003. Yet this is the first time a cabriolet has been offered, and it’s incredibly late in the model cycle. The official line is that Ingolstadt has been struggling to meet demand – it produced 231,000 A3s in 2007 alone – but that the bottleneck has now been eliminated, paving the way for the cabriolet.

But Audi won’t have the niche to itself. Almost simultaneously, BMW is launching the A3 soft-top’s only direct rival: the 1-series convertible.

What’s the Audi A3 cabriolet range?

There are two petrols and two diesels to choose from, all turbocharged and featuring direct injection: in the petrol corner there’s a 158bhp 1.8-litre petrol complemented by the 197bhp 2.0-litre engine already found in the Golf GTI; oil burners come in 103bhp 1.9-litre or 138bhp 2.0-litre trim. The S-tronic paddleshift gearbox is offered throughout the range. Sixteen-inch wheels come as standard fit, while Sport spec introduces 17s plus sports seats and a 15mm reduction in ride height. There’s also the option of 18in alloys and the S-Line trim pack with its bolder grille and bumper treatment.

CAR drove every model bar the 1.9-litre diesel which was wasn’t available at the launch.

How does A3 cabriolet drive?

The A3 cab steers with some real verve, gripping hard and darting through bends with grin-inducing eagerness. But you notice the soft-top’s 120kg weight penalty through the front suspension – it just doesn’t feel as well resolved as the hatch, and there’s a light but noticeable shimmy over secondary imperfections. This is tolerable in the petrol models, but it’s more pronounced in the diesel – even with standard wheels and suspension – which exacerbates the jiggles and transmits them through the steering column. It was enough to put us off recommending this option.

So the petrol is the one to go for?

Yes. Suspension aside, diesels make most sense when you’re covering big distances and need to maximise your mpg. Cabriolets generally cover lower average mileages, negating this advantage.

So, yes, the petrol gets our vote, but not the one you might expect: the 2.0-litre. This engine’s great in the Golf GTI, but here its lusty edge is blunted and it struggled to put its power down cleanly out of tight hairpins when pushed – presumably because of the less rigid chassis. Sure, a cabriolet is more for cruising than hooning around hairpins, but then what’s the point of having that extra power? For us, the 1.8T gets the nod. With 158bhp it’s got plenty of poke for sun seekers, costs less and is cheaper to run.

We tried the sports suspension and larger wheel options and, while these combinations didn’t destroy the ride, it did deteriorate. The choice is yours. We’d save on the cost of the semi-auto gearbox: it’s a bit shunty at low speeds and there’s pleasure to be had from shifting gears manually.

Is the Audi A3 cabriolet practical?

Yes. Audi has shunned the folding hard-top route to keep weight down, retain the original car’s handsomely chiselled looks (think of the elongated windscreens and fat rumps sported by the folding topped 207, Focus and Megane) and preserve legroom for rear occupants.

It’s a well thought-out system that opens and closes in just nine seconds. Well, it does if you plump for the fully auto roof that comes with the Sport package, base models making do with semi-auto operation. The higher spec also allows you to open or close the roof at up to 19mph with the press of a button or close it from outside the car with a blip of the keyfob.

Roof down, the rear glass screen lies flat and the fabric hood folds on top of it. The fabric roof increases stowage space, which remains at 264 litres whether the roof is up or down. Drop the rear seats and that balloons to 674 litres.

Is there a lot of wind noise?

There’s obviously more noise roof-up than you’ll experience in a tin top, but it’s certainly not overbearing. Drop the roof and put both the windows and the wind deflector up and it’s all incredibly civilised, giving you that wind-in-the-hair feelgood factor minus the bungee-jumper hairstyle.

The wind deflector is another example of how well thought out this car is. When it’s not doing its thing deflecting wind, you can fix it across the top of the rear seats (passengers removed, of course) to entirely disguise any valuables. And if you need it out of the way altogether, you can fold it in half and stow it – almost flat – in the boot.

What’s the interior like?

Superb and typically Audi. Everything feels solid, is well laid out and looks incredibly premium – we particularly like how the dials echo the sporty S3’s and the TT-esque heater vents. If we were to splash the options anywhere, it’s here. We’d tick the sports seats box, the leather box, the three-spoke steering wheel box, the heated seats box. In fact, we’d get quite carried away which would send the total price skyrocketing by several thousand pounds. But if you can, spoil yourself.

Verdict

This is an incredibly desirable car and one that very nearly scored five stars, only the suspect ride – especially on the diesels – marking it down from a perfect score. If you want a premium cabriolet to do what most people do with premium cabriolets (ie swan about, do below average mileage, feel very good), there’s little to fault here.

Statistics

How much?	£25,500
On sale in the UK:	February 2008
Engine:	1984cc 4-cyl turbo, 197bhp @ 5100-6000rpm, 207lb ft @ 1700-5000rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Performance:	7.4sec 0-62mph, 143mph, 37.1mpg, 182 g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1435kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4238/1765/1424

CAR's rating

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Audi RS6 Avant (2008) CAR review

By Ben Barry

29 January 2008 11:08

Another performance car for the mid-life crisis, then?

Harsh. The Audi RS6 carries on what the original car started back in 2002: it’s an all-wheel drive large family car – the estate goes on sale first to stress its versatility – with supercar-crushing performance. And that’s no hyperbole. With its 5.0-litre V10 – a heavily re-worked version of the 5.2-litre naturally aspirated unit we’ve already seen in the 429bhp S6 – aided and abetted by not one but two turbos, the RS6 musters 572bhp at 6250rpm and a torque curve that’s anything but curvy – the maximum 479lb ft is available from just 1500rpm all the way to 6250rpm.

Forget the obvious BMW M5 Touring and Mercedes E63 AMG comparisons, this is Lamborghini territory.

Aren’t the M5 and E63 comparisons kind of essential?

Both these rivals are rear-drive only with naturally aspirated powerplants (M5: 5.0-litre V10; E63 6.2-litre V8) that lose out to the RS6 with 500bhp and 384lb ft and 507bhp and 464lb ft respectively. On paper – and on a damp and twisty road – the RS6 has the upper hand. The trade-off comes in the shape of a £77k purchase price – £10k more than the M5 and £8k more than the Merc.

How does it drive?

Impressively. It pulls off the around town stuff admirably. There’s light steering, good visibility – the rear-facing camera helps guide you into those tricky parking spaces – a smooth ride and some very comfy seats. Only the edgy, ultra-aggressive throttle gives the game away.

Hit the open road, open the throttle only a quarter of the way and the RS6 gathers momentum at an astonishing pace. Bury the pedal deep into the carpet and there’s a bassy eruption from under the bonnet, a cacophonous thunderclap between gearshifts and a sense that – even though you’re now moving at highly illegal speeds – everything’s in hand.

A twin-turbo V10 that goes quite quickly? Well I never…

Okay, the revealing stuff. The quattro system splits torque 40/60 front-to-rear. Thread through a fast but twisting road and you do get that satisfying sense of rear bias. But take to the hairpins and it’s the nose that pushes wide, making for jerky progress as the master of four-wheel drive tries to calm your exuberance. Here the M5 in particular would be sharper, gripping hard at the front while the rear powers on.

While the steering is light at low speeds, it is speed-sensitive. And although that lends an artificial edge, it does offer a very real and consistent heft right from the moment you turn in. Not wishing to be sexist, but working against this resistance is the most obvious sign that you’re in a Man’s Car. If you’re thinking about dual duties behind the wheel, let the other half have a test drive too.

And you say it’s got a smooth ride? In a sporty Audi?

Believe it. There are three suspension settings to choose from: Comfort, Dynamic and Sport. Body control gets a little too sloppy for our liking in Comfort (though it’s nice to have the option for straddling urban potholes), Dynamic offers the everyday compromise while Sport really tightens up the damper control which makes for the sort of short, spiky vertical movements that are best avoided after feeding a young family. Yet the ride still isn’t crashy.

However, all three controls are only accessible via the multi-media interface so you press ‘car’, then select ‘suspension’, then choose your setting. It’s easy enough to locate and avoids more buttons cluttering up the dash, but it’s not as intuitive as pressing a ‘sport’ button when you stumble across that dream bit of tarmac.

I’ll take the manual, please.

Only a six-speed tiptronic gearbox is offered but it’s actually very good, responding to your paddleshift inputs in a tenth of a second and making a good job of second-guessing what you want in full automatic mode. It’ll even let you crash into the limiter with a noisy rat-a-tat-tat. We’re all for having that degree of control over a semi-auto, but it can catch you out initially. That’s because the car charges to the rev limit so quickly and because the flat torque delivery mutes the kind of soaring crescendo you might expect from such a powerful car. Not a complaint, just an observation.

So let’s make a complaint: why do the paddles have to move with the steering wheel? You never know where they’ve gone when you get into the really twisty stuff and once you’ve got accustomed to using them it’s difficult to suddenly recalibrate and bang the gearstick down the ’box. Fixed paddles please.

How does the RS6 get on at the track?

The track is not the natural environment for a two-tonne estate car with four-wheel drive. And as much as we love lapping the Paul Ricard test track, the RS6 was not the car we’d have chosen. There’s absolutely no fun to be had in finding this car’s limits. Get some satisfying oversteer and it’ll only be overruled by clumsy understeer. So you end up winding back a little and driving within the grip limits. So you never feel like you’re really pushing and, strangely, a 5.0-litre twin-turbo V10 manages to feel ever so slightly pedestrian.

However, the track did allow us to try out a couple of options: bucket seats and ceramic brakes. The buckets are much more aggressive than the standard chairs (only 10 percent of buyers are expected to spec them) and are manually adjusted save for the trick bolsters which tighten around you at the press of a button. Good as the buckets are, we’d stick with the standard chairs unless you’re spending much time on track – and, as we’ve said, that’s not a place we’d be heading with the RS6.

We’re even less certain about the ceramic brakes as we only got three laps of the circuit and had to come in to cool down at the end of each one. As ceramics usually work at their optimum with some heat in them, we struggled to notice any difference over the perfectly adequate standard stoppers.

Verdict

Does the world need an Audi RS6? Not really, but Audi predicts that around 8000 people will and that’s good enough for Ingolstadt. If you’re wealthy, love performance cars, have a family and take the odd excursion to winter climes, the RS6 will appeal. But you’ll struggle to tap into its limits on the road and it’s not much fun when you find them on the track.

As a driver’s tool, the M5 is more convincing, has the more engaging power delivery and a more exploitable chassis that still offers huge amounts of grip – if it’s wet just leave the traction control on! It’s also £10k cheaper.

Credit where it’s due, though. The RS6 is an accomplished machine: well-built, beautifully engineered, desirable and incredibly fast. If you can stomach a best of 20.3mpg on the combined cycle and couldn’t care less about heroic missions in search of the limit, you’d better put your order down quickly

Statistics

How much?	£77,625
On sale in the UK:	Now
Engine:	4991cc, V10, 40v twin-turbo, 572bhp @ 6250rpm, 479lb ft @ 1500-6250rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed semi-automatic transmission, four-wheel drive
Performance:	4.6sec 0-62mph, 155mph (limited), 20.1mpg, 333g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	2025kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4928/1889/1460

CAR's rating

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Usability

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Readers' rating