Automotive.com says so...
Audi Online Site Says Audi Raises the Entry-Level Bar
With an all-new BMW 3-series and Lexus IS around the bend, Audi wasn’t about to wait another few years to update its entry-level A4, which was new in just 2002 and showing few signs of age.
Half-life updates are common, but few are as in-depth as the changes the A4 sees for 2006.
Audi and parent company Volkswagen have been aggressively turning up the heat in the engine room, and both A4 powerplants receive a meaningful boost. The former 1.8-liter turbo gives way to a direct-fuel-injection 2.0 with 200 horsepower, which will eventually make its way down to future Jettas and Passats. At the higher end is Audi’s new direct-injection V6, effortlessly motivating the lightweight A4 with its 255 horsepower.
Following the trend set by the new A6, the 2006 A4 receives the same “Nuvolari” grille – a prominent trapezoidal chrome ring.
The A4 is off to an encouraging start, sweeping away the award for 'Best Sedan Under $40,000' at leading Internet car-buying site Automotive.com.