DETROIT – When it comes to talking about the 2011 Audi A4, I think the appropriate place to start is size. The entry level luxury sedan is the largest car in its immediate competition set.
My tester was 185 inches long, almost 72 inches wide and it had a wheelbase of 110.6 inches. That translated into a vehicle that had the interior spaciousness of a very comfortable midsize sedan. That extra length made my Audi A4 look low and sleek.
I climbed into the rear of my Audi A4 and found that I had plenty of head and leg room. The seats themselves in terms of the surfaces and lumbar support felt really good. In fact, I climbed out of the rear seats thinking that the car could carry four adults comfortably for a long haul.
The front of the passenger cabin was just as pleasing. The center stack was tilted towards the driver. The instruments were easy to read and easy to reach. In fact, most of the controls including the multi media interface were intuitive.
My interior was black with titanium trim. Audi had dulled down the silver trim so there wasn’t any reflection from the sun. That can really be unnerving. The A4 is available with two engine choices and three transmission options.
I had the 2.0-liter, TFSI quattro MTS sedan. Translated that means a 2.0 liter inline four cylinder engine that had turbocharged fuel stratified (direct) injection. This is a world class engine and one reason is not the 211 horsepower it made but the 258 pound-feet of torque it made at a miniscule 1,400 rpm.
What that meant for me was torque in the form of power to the pavement from just about any speed. My test car was a six-speed manual and, with down shifting, I often felt like I could (and I did) speed off from traffic anytime I wanted to or when it was necessary.
My test car had a zero to 60 mph time of 6.4 seconds and a top speed that was electronically limited to 130 mph. I didn’t try to authenticate either. One idiosyncrasy of my test car was the electronic parking brake which I had to engage every time I parked because of its manual transmission. At first it was mildly irritating but it was a small price to pay to assure that the car remained in the spot I left it.
Manuals parked in neutral have been known to roll away. Remember, you can’t take the key out of a vehicle with an automatic transmission unless it is in park which acts as a brake. That’s not the case with a manual.
Oh, I almost forgot. Quattro is Audi-speak for all-wheel-drive. Normally, when you think of putting power to all four wheels inclement weather comes to mind. But quattro can and does enhance handling. I like to call it rifle-shot accuracy and my Audi A4 had it.
The aluminum five-link front suspension did a couple of things. First it helped hold the weight of my A4 test car down to 3,600 pounds. And second, coupled with an independent trapezoidal suspension with anti-roll bar, the suspension struck the right balance. I could feel the bumps and swells in the pavement that the car was going over however I never bounced.
But the Audi A4 was more than the attractive sheet metal that stretched out from its single frame grille and LED enhanced headlights. The trunk was 12 cubic feet. Let the rear seats down and that expanded to 34 cubic feet. My test vehicle also had an EPA rating of 21/31 in city and highway driving.
My test vehicle had a base price of $32,850. But add on its Premium Plus option package which included LED running lights and LED tail lights, Bluetooth and a driver information system, the Sport Package option which included sport seats and high performance tires and the sticker was $39,180.
Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com.
