Hey All,

Since the AudiWorld review was a trifle misinformed this time (Sorry AudiWorld writer Joe Wong, but the A4 and A6 don't have the same interiors), I thought I'd give my own photo-filled review of Audi and VW group's presence at the Left Coast auto show...

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/newa4avant_blue_03.jpg">

Audi occupied the same space as last year's show, with only the popular MMI demo booth being sadly absent. The new cars on the other hand, were a pleasant surprise. Their model lineup is now the most unified and attractive it has ever been in the company's history. Audi has finally found focus with its branding, this due in no small part to its new front-end design. The new grill, no-where to be found at last year's show, now graces the majority of their cars. And rest assured, it looks fantastic on every model. It actually looks quite small when compared to the press photos. Sloping forward as it reaches downward, the grills finally give Audi the long-overdue aggressiveness it so badly needed. Most impressive is how the new design language, embodied by the completely new A6, keeps its clear, simple lines.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/newa6_orange_01.jpg"">


I stayed around to eavesdrop on people's reactions to Audi's new face. The response has been unanimously positive, only rivaled by people's praise for Audi's interior material quality.

This was the first time the American public was given a personal look at the new B7 A4 Sedan, Avant, and S4. The A4 was surprisingly uniform looking for a drastically face-lifted car. Although not as homogenous as the A6's lines, the B7 A4 still looks great, if not menacing. Seeing the more sedate looking B6 A4 (the previous gen) immediately before and after the show, it became obvious that the updated design is a clear improvement, empowering the design with force and distinction.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/newa4avant_blue_02.jpg"">

The A4's tail-lights also improve over the previous model's more blocky housings, with the S4 getting an integrated spoiler molded as part of the hood.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/newa4_silver_02.jpg"">

The A4's carry-over interior, although no-where as refined and driver-oriented as the A6's, still holds up nicely after 3 years. With a new DVD Nav and a redesigned parking break area to accommodate American-sized cup holders, the A4s interior quality still bests its German rivals in the same class.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/newa4_silver_03.jpg"">

The A8 W12 pretty much blew everyone away, with most reactions being "That thing is HUGE!" The individual rear sport seats with center media console also had onlookers gawking and gushing.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/newa8lw12_grey_01.jpg"">

Perhaps the most popular model was the new A3 Sportback. Curiously, the foglights were moved away from the lower corners, giving the outer grill shape less design motivation. With a price point of under $30K, the A3 may become Audi's biggest seller, beating even the hot new A4.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/newa3_orange_01.jpg"">

Overall, Audi held its own as one of the most attractive fleets in the entire convention. Rival BMW looked almost as good, marred only by its clumsily designed 7 series and aging 3 series (the new 3 debuts soon).

The sweetest single Audi surprise goes to the new A4's headlights. Although unsure when seen in the press photos, I found that the new lights looked sensational in person. With recent Auto design focusing heavily on inventive headlight design, the new A4 now feels fresh again.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/newa4avant_blue_01.jpg"">

Another happy surprise was VW'a new Jetta. Like the A4, it looks great in person; although it still can't match Audi's muscular and balanced proportions.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/newjetta_01.jpg"">

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/newjetta_02.jpg"">

Other standouts included the new Chrysler 300, A gorgeous bargain priced American muscle car (lines courtesy of an ex-Audi designer) and Mercedes Benz' new SLK.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/300_white_01.jpg"">

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/benz_01.jpg"">

With Audi's Lamborghini division and VW's Bently drawing huge crowds, it's become clear that the etire VW brand is a powerful and expanding force in automotive business.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/lambo_01.jpg"">


<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/22060/bentlycabrio_01.jpg"">

All for now.

saw it in another picture and can't figure out what it is... looks like a shield or something

Anim8or, thanks for pointing out the error in my article with respect to the A4/A6 interior dash and centre console. Upon review of the many pictures that were taken, you are correct. In deed they are NOT the same with perhaps the exception with the steering wheel and gauges.The correction will be made in the article and will be reflected on the web site. Thanks for reading and noticing!

Regards, Joe.

As a 2002 and 1999 A4 owner I was quite dissapointed in the A4. In fact I think Volkswagen has totally blown it. The Jetta looked bad also. I think these brands have lost their direction and put their eggs in a odd "front end basket". The rear end is very plain and lost its character. The car seems to have lost its fluid lines and sense of dynamic form. The Avant did look decent, but the silver A4 on the platform looked boring to me. I am pretty sure I am done with the A4 now. I was trying to be optimistic and hoped I would like it when I saw it in person, but not so. When I had my B5 and saw the pictures of the new B6 it did take me a while to catch on. Soon I realized the B6 was a huge improvement. But IMHO I doubt that will happen this time. The projecting line at the belt line does not work for me. I am shocked at how both BMW and Volkswagen lost their design sense. As a design professional myself I try to give the designer as much lattitude as possible, but their is no way I could convince myself that the B7 is an improvment on my B6. Not at least now. Time heals alot of pain. Flame suit on!

The pics don't look too promising to me. For example the B6 tail lights reinforce and echo the lines of the car while the new tail lights just seem to be different because they need to be different.

I do think the fish mouth grill works on the A3, A6 &amp; A8 but just doesn't fit properly on the new A4. Still I'll wait until I've actually seen the critter and driven one. And I still haven't read more than a 'first impression drive' from the car mags. I'm curious as to how the B7 will do when they ring it out.

From what the mags say about the B7 it is a big improvement over the already excellent B6 A4.
Remember the B7 has S4 and new A6 suspension and also has Servotronic standard.
You will love the way the B7 will drive and you WILL get used to the grill.

Apparently I'm way out of the mainstream. The only view I care about is the one from the driver's seat, and, that's only if I enjoy myself piloting the car from that driver's seat. Maybe I need professional help, but I really don't care what I look like in the car stopped at a red light or how cool the car I'm driving looks to people who know nothing about cars. I like driving, and as long as these cars remain fun to drive, reliable, practical, and comfortable, then, I'm there. I really don't care what it what looks like because in a few years, cars will look different, but what I'm driving will still be fun.

... which made reviews of the cars' driving abilities irrelevant. If you want to hear my thoughts on the new models' driving characteristics, then please refer to my extended test drive of the new A6 at the C6 A6 forum. You'll see that I do cover suspension feel, engine refinement, and chassis rigidity.

I'd like to but my local dealer says they won't have any 2.0T CVT's until mid-year. (?) My only concern is how it handles San Francisco's hills from a standing start. I found the 1.8T CVT underwhelming -- in fact, worse than my Saturn with 124 ft-lbs of torque (due to being about 1,000 lbs heavier). Otherwise, I'm looking forward to a helluva car.

To me an automobile should be the perfect blend of performance and visual beauty. Of course I like a car that is exciting to drive. I also want it to be aesthetically pleasing. IMHO a sport sedan wants to have a dynamic yet balanced form that is stimulating. The B7 looks to be less refined than I would like. Just my opinion, in fact I felt like that about most cars I saw at the autoshow. Mostly disappointing. This is why I leased a Saab 9-3 convertible instead of the A4 Cab. In my mind a better overall blend of driving, looks and value.

Nav plus is great but the basic design hasn't changed since 1995. I owned a 1998 1.8t and the basic interior design (center console, gauges, dash trim strip) looks the same as the B7 A4. They may have moved around a couple of switches but the design remains the same. Don't get me wrong the interior is nice, but at ten years I think Audi needs to change it up a bit. If the B7 had an interior like the C6 A6 I would be super excited. Instead I'm a bit disappointed.

not helping to soften the fish mouth.

as long as they have that ridiculously looking fish grill and enormously stretched front end. Any last ounce of sportiness has been sucked away in favor of a pure luxurious design.

I've seen the new cars in person and my encounter affirmed that they are just as ugly in person as they are in the pictures. The picture don't lie, IMO.

I could be going out on a limb, but I am guessing Audi sales will decline within the next 5 years, when compared to the last 5 years. I feel that Audi, along with BMW, is currently entering the dark ages of German car design. The only hope and savior to the whole mess is Mercedes's next C-Class. From the spy shots it looks very nice and promising. Even Volvo's latest Pinnifarina's designs look very very nice. I cannot wait to see the C50 convertible which will be introduced this year.

I'm really not trolling here. Just giving my 2 cents. Heck, a troll would not have a "History of Progress" book in their glove compartment readily available for easy reference. And a troll would not be able to name off the last several VAG presidents and last several Audi chief designers at the drop of a hat.

I remember when I bought my TT back in 1999. I picked up an Audi brochure and the cover featured all of their vehicles in a row, all in silver. They all looked great. I remember thinking, "wow" what a company. Now I look at their vehicles, their advertising, and Audi branding materials and I think they have lost that momentum. Only in the design area though, I know they drive extremely well regardless. I absolutely love my B6 S4, but if the B8 S4 or the future A5 (or possible S5) doesn't impress me, I'm going to consider a Volvo or god forbid... a BMW. Maybe I'll eat my own words though after the new designs have had a chance to sink in. I still like the A8 and A3. Hate the new A6 and still not sure about the new A4. Just my $0.02 though.

And I've never been a volvo fan. But I think the S40 might be the start of better looking cars with some performance. It's still weak at the moment.

It seems every auto maker will have a 300+ hp sport sedan very soon.

300hp, AWD, 0-60 almost as fast as an S4 (read: much faster than any A4).

That has to be a fairly new model. It's certainly not getting much props yet in all the car magazines. I subscribe to CAR and Automobile. I guess the R could be even more stealthy than the S4. That's not a bad thing either.

Yeah, I think the S60r was first released in 2003.<ul><li><a href="http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=3&amp;article_id=6848">Car and Driver S60R Road Test</a></li></ul>