Edmunds Insideline has just completed the world's first full test of the 2009 Audi A4. The most important thing to take away from this article is that Audi has finally cracked the code for commercial success in America with its 2009 A4, but also that the A4 remains painfully slow with its 265 horsepower V6 when compared to Infiniti's G35, BMW's 335i and Lexus' IS 350 which all boast 300+ horsepower V6 engines and much faster acceleration times.
The A4 is the bread and butter of Audi and is the largest volume selling car in Audi's ever expanding product portfolio and therefore its success is required for Audi to thrive.
The handling on the new A4 is brilliant. The handling is in fact so imprved that the 2009 Audi A4 V6 almost matched the ultra-sporty RS4 in the slalom speed. The Audi Drive Select System (ADS) works beautifully and gives the driver the ability to adjust suspension settings.
The interior is updated and is brand new. The interior now resembles the A6 and Q7 interiors which is no bad thing. Rear leg-room is vastly improved and now adults can feel comfortable sitting in the back thanks to the A4's much longer length and wider width.
The only problem in Audi's otherwise superbly capable A4 is the engine. The Audi A4 is complete redesigned both inside and out. Unfortunately, the engines are carried over from the older B7 A4. This means the A4 is slow, very slow when compared to the competition. Infiniti's G35, BMW's 335i, and the Lexus IS350 all crank out over 300 horsepower meanwhile the Audi brings only 265 ponies to the game. The difference in horsepower is evident in acceleration tests where the BMW defeats the A4 by over a full 1.5 seconds.
It seems Audi has got everything correct with this new A4 except for the engine. There is a 300+ horsepower supercharged V6 S4 in the near horizon and if the new A4's handling is anything to go by, the S4 should be quite a car. This also means the forthcoming Audi RS4 should be a dynamic star.
Perhaps, on the A4's next redesign some 7-8 years down the road Audi will finally drop a 320+ horsepower V6 and make the A4 not only a dynamically capable car but also one that can do the 0-60 dash in the 5-second range.
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