flamingo
08-13-2008, 09:17 AM
MSN Auto:
Ride and handling
Two big changes affect this generation A4. First, there's a longer wheelbase, with the front wheels pushed well forward, rather like a 3-Series. Then there's the Audi Drive Select. Let's take that first. For some £1,700 extra you get this unique-in-class system that, at the touch of a button, adjusts the accelerator pedal response, power steering assistance and shock absorber characteristics. Choose Comfort, Dynamic or Auto, and the nature of the drive changes. Cleverest aspect is the variable rate steering which actually speeds up the steering response when you demand lots of lock or in contrast makes the steering less twitchy when you are travelling at high speed in a straight line.
Sounds great, doesn't it? In reality it's far from convincing. An A4 so equipped doesn't deal with bumps particularly well and the ride feels firm too much of the time. It will be interesting to see how well it copes with British roads. The good news, though, is the 1.8T with the regular suspension actually does everything very well anyway. While it could be argued that rivals may have the got the balance a bit better, there's no doubt that there's not much wrong with the handling while the ride seems more comfortable than the trick suspension in any mode. Certainly this A4 turns into corners with accuracy and speed, and is well matched to the demands of the 1.8T engine.
Carmagazine (UK):
The chassis is undoubtedly a step up from the previous A4 - but that's hardly any surprise. If you choose to select-and-forget with the Audi Drive Select, there's an entertaining time to be had in this V6 quattro, with a handling balance less front-biased and thus sharper on the turn-in. It's - and this really will have to wait for UK evaluation to be definitive - just that in any setting the suspension doesn't deal with bumps terribly well. It seems slightly bizarre that the lowly 1.8 T without the £1700 ADS seems the better developed package.
Car Connection:
Ride comfort is a better proposition with Drive Select. Popular Mechanics says the settings enable the 2009 Audi A4 to amble down the road in "tranquil fashion," and Car and Driver felt its handling was "innately clean enough." This time Automobile pointed out, "On predominantly washboard tarmac, the difference in ride between the comfort and the dynamic settings was as stark as the difference in visibility between a lunar eclipse and a power failure in a coal mine." Edmunds complains that it "defaults to the Auto settings every time you start the car. It shouldn't." Motor Trend thinks "the system isn't perfect--dynamic's ride is a bit too harsh for everyday driving, and comfort's steering is too uncommunicative in turns. However, auto mode makes the best of both settings."
Drive Select is an option, however, and cars without it "have precise, nicely weighted steering and firm, tidy ride qualities that are perfectly agreeable," Car and Driver points out. Automobile observes that "thanks to Quattro and those wide eighteen-inch tires, traction and grip are phenomenal," and that "handling balance feels a lot more neutral than in the outgoing model." Edmunds calls it "a very sharp, communicative sedan and it's fun to throw around," also noting that the brakes are "fantastic."
TheCarConnection.com sits with the minority on the handling of the 2009 Audi A4. The V-6 engine is a meaty performer, with plenty of power--until you acknowledge the BMW 3-Series in the next lane. It's the Drive Select feature, like a similar setup in BMW's 3-Series, that strips some of the basic goodness from the A4. Though it rides well in most modes, the Dynamic mode turns the steering overly tight and makes turn-in too aggressive, while it gives the transmission full license to upshift and downshift a little too frequently. In Comfort mode, the steering's downright lazy, barely keeping up on highway maneuvers. All of this can be corrected by leaving the car in Auto mode--or not opting for the system at all.
Ride and handling
Two big changes affect this generation A4. First, there's a longer wheelbase, with the front wheels pushed well forward, rather like a 3-Series. Then there's the Audi Drive Select. Let's take that first. For some £1,700 extra you get this unique-in-class system that, at the touch of a button, adjusts the accelerator pedal response, power steering assistance and shock absorber characteristics. Choose Comfort, Dynamic or Auto, and the nature of the drive changes. Cleverest aspect is the variable rate steering which actually speeds up the steering response when you demand lots of lock or in contrast makes the steering less twitchy when you are travelling at high speed in a straight line.
Sounds great, doesn't it? In reality it's far from convincing. An A4 so equipped doesn't deal with bumps particularly well and the ride feels firm too much of the time. It will be interesting to see how well it copes with British roads. The good news, though, is the 1.8T with the regular suspension actually does everything very well anyway. While it could be argued that rivals may have the got the balance a bit better, there's no doubt that there's not much wrong with the handling while the ride seems more comfortable than the trick suspension in any mode. Certainly this A4 turns into corners with accuracy and speed, and is well matched to the demands of the 1.8T engine.
Carmagazine (UK):
The chassis is undoubtedly a step up from the previous A4 - but that's hardly any surprise. If you choose to select-and-forget with the Audi Drive Select, there's an entertaining time to be had in this V6 quattro, with a handling balance less front-biased and thus sharper on the turn-in. It's - and this really will have to wait for UK evaluation to be definitive - just that in any setting the suspension doesn't deal with bumps terribly well. It seems slightly bizarre that the lowly 1.8 T without the £1700 ADS seems the better developed package.
Car Connection:
Ride comfort is a better proposition with Drive Select. Popular Mechanics says the settings enable the 2009 Audi A4 to amble down the road in "tranquil fashion," and Car and Driver felt its handling was "innately clean enough." This time Automobile pointed out, "On predominantly washboard tarmac, the difference in ride between the comfort and the dynamic settings was as stark as the difference in visibility between a lunar eclipse and a power failure in a coal mine." Edmunds complains that it "defaults to the Auto settings every time you start the car. It shouldn't." Motor Trend thinks "the system isn't perfect--dynamic's ride is a bit too harsh for everyday driving, and comfort's steering is too uncommunicative in turns. However, auto mode makes the best of both settings."
Drive Select is an option, however, and cars without it "have precise, nicely weighted steering and firm, tidy ride qualities that are perfectly agreeable," Car and Driver points out. Automobile observes that "thanks to Quattro and those wide eighteen-inch tires, traction and grip are phenomenal," and that "handling balance feels a lot more neutral than in the outgoing model." Edmunds calls it "a very sharp, communicative sedan and it's fun to throw around," also noting that the brakes are "fantastic."
TheCarConnection.com sits with the minority on the handling of the 2009 Audi A4. The V-6 engine is a meaty performer, with plenty of power--until you acknowledge the BMW 3-Series in the next lane. It's the Drive Select feature, like a similar setup in BMW's 3-Series, that strips some of the basic goodness from the A4. Though it rides well in most modes, the Dynamic mode turns the steering overly tight and makes turn-in too aggressive, while it gives the transmission full license to upshift and downshift a little too frequently. In Comfort mode, the steering's downright lazy, barely keeping up on highway maneuvers. All of this can be corrected by leaving the car in Auto mode--or not opting for the system at all.