A4 is another gem from Audi

Test Drive by Graham Breeze

These days you expect something exceptional from Audi and you certainly won’t be disappointed by the A4 Avant 3.0 TDi Quattro.

Every time I drive an Audi I find myself asking what more the company could possibly do to improve the range and each time I hand the car back blown away by stunning levels of quality and improved technology.

The Avant comes with all the same home comforts we have come to expect from Audi but there are so many stand-out features which make you appreciate what a truly exceptional option this is.

Highlights include xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, the Audi smartphone interface, rear parking sensors and electrically powered tailgate operation, plus protective equipment such as the Audi pre-sense collision avoidance system and multi-collision brake assist.

And then there’s the Audi Virtual Cockpit with its pin-sharp fully digital display, MMI Navigation plus with MMI Touch, a head-up display and Matrix LED headlights.

The Audi A4 Avant quattro can also be ordered with one of the latest developments in driver assistance: adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist. At speeds of up to 37 mph, the vehicle will accelerate, brake and steer independently, relieving stress on the driver in slow-moving traffic.

As part of the driver assistance pack customers can also take advantage of the predictive efficiency assistant, which helps drivers to reduce fuel consumption by up to 10 per cent by using navigation route data to adapt the cruise control system’s pre-selected speed to the route and the speed limits for the most fuel efficient and comfortable journey.  

Engine sophistication is backed up by an advanced five-link front and rear suspension system meaning you can gobble up both motorway and country road situations effortlessly – it really is a driving joy.

Depending on preference, customers can increase the comfort by adding electronically modulated Adaptive Comfort Suspension with damping control, or choose Adaptive Sport Suspension with damping control for enhanced refinement with a greater emphasis on cornering composure.

It’s impossible to tell how comfortable the driver would feel at the top speed of 152mph but you do feel secure enough when charging from 0-62mph in 8.4 seconds and recording combined fuel figures of just under 60mpg. You’ll also be impressed by the CO2 emission figures of 129g/km.

There are few better places to be than in the driver’s seat of this latest Audi A4 offering. There’s a top quality feel about everything inside the cabin and the virtual cockpit is as near as it gets to being at the controls of a fighter jet.

Seat adjustments mean you can easily find the most comfortable position and there’s ample space for three rear seat passengers along with a huge boot, which easily copes with the golf clubs.

There’s a price to pay for all this of course and the model on test had an on-the-road tag of £38,895 though this shot up to £49,000 when adding sports seats, parking assist, 19inch alloys, comfort, sound, vision and  technology packs, adaptive sports suspension, heated front seats and folding door mirrors.

It’s a shame that Audi feels that heated seats and folding door mirrors should be classed as extras on a model of this quality and I’ve often questioned the reasons for adding cost of a tank of fuel to the selling price.

Putting that to one side the A4 Avant 3.0Tdi Quattro is yet another gem from Audi.