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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