[JoshMachine]

Prologue

Audi calls the A4, the core of the brand.

This is no small feat, considering that the product portfolio of the “Four Rings” includes more than 50 different model variants and is available in more than 100 countries across the globe. For a model that has sold close to 8 million copies since its birth more than 25 years ago, the A4 is one of the most successful and popular models for Audi.

I couldn’t agree more, when people say they are still enchanted by the A4 after all these years, when coming across a spectacular sight like this:



And this timeless design of German craftsmanship is one of the key factors, why we brought home the Terra Grey Metallic A4 on the 2nd of April this year.

“For a quarter of a century now, the Audi A4 has symbolized the Four Rings like no other model. It stands for cutting‑edge technology in the premium mid‑range, as well as for innovative production technologies at the highest level,” said Albert Mayer, plant director at Audi’s factory in Ingolstadt.



This ownership thread or "book" is the humble story of how we fell for the A4: hook, line and sinker..



..and how we continue to be enamored with it, every passing day!

[JoshMachine]

Like every story, this too has various chapters. To jump straight to a chapter, you may use the below index. However, I earnestly urge you to accompany me from the start and browse through the story in sequence. And just in case you wish to return to the index every now & then, just click on the link at the right bottom of every post.

Chapter 2: How it all started

Chapter 3: The Great Pursuit

Chapter 4: Booking, PDI and Delivery experience

Chapter 5: The A4, at a glance

Chapter 6: Going into the past to appreciate the present

Chapter 7: Unlearn, Learn

Chapter 8: The heart of the matter

Chapter 9: Sense and Sensibilities

Chapter 9 (contd): Sense and Sensibilities

Chapter 10: Lights, Camera and...Connect

Chapter 11: The point culminant

Chapter 11 (contd): The point culminant

Epilogue

Chapter 1: Summary of likes and dislikes

LIKES

• Eternal, beautiful design + elegant silhouette

• Smooth, creamy 190 hp engine + linear inline acceleration. Healthy torque

• Super silent on the inside, very good NVH insulation. Tombstone-like.

• C-l-a-s-s-y interiors. Built to last. Maybe built on another planet. Ultra-premium fit & finish

• Wonderful 5-link suspension. Gobbles up everything.

• Very ergonomic steering wheel and multiple seating comfort positions

• LED lights are a great boon on highway drives

• Contemporary Multi Media Interface

• S-Tronic DSG. Just brilliant. There when you want it.

• Super comfortable Hankook Ventus tyres

• Good fuel efficiency: 15-17 kmpl on highway, 11-13 kmpl in city

• All passengers get their own air-con temp setting. Rear seat comfort quite good.

• Good ground clearance, no need to do a crab dance on those skyscraper speed-breakers

• Beautiful rotary, knurled knobs all around. Love Audi for not going all-touchscreen way

DISLIKES

• Mild Hybrid is only that, just mild

• Lack of wireless Android Auto/CarPlay

• Lack of Audi radar-based safety system(international variant has it, atleast as option)

• Lack of ventilated seats (again, present in international variant)

• Efficiency mode is quite sluggish in response

• Lack of a full-sized spare wheel

• Inadequate cabin storage options

• Horn pad hard to press & reach by thumb

• Primary User recognition not quick enough

• 'myAudi Connect' app experience iffy

[JoshMachine]

Chapter 2: How it all started

From my (ex)Vento ownership report, it’s quite clear that we loved the Vento because of its salient features including the pliant suspension, fantastic engine + DSG combo, and the general go-anywhere ability. So, it was very evident that our next car had to be at par with these features at the very least, if not better.

The Vento’s impeccable ownership experience had raised the benchmark of expectations for us on some critical, non-negotiable engineering factors.

And so when we started the research last year to consider a potential upgrade, there were the following simple but clear requirements for our next car:

• It should have a powerful engine

• It should have beautiful design elements

• It should have stellar ride & handling attributes

• It should be good on tech and comfort all around

• It should be a proper luxury upgrade, both inside & outside

By the way, we were not sure on the timelines for the purchase when we started the search, so we didn’t target a particular month but that changed a bit later when we started doing test drives. Since we were generally keen in moving to the luxury bracket, we knew that a certain budget had to be taken into consideration.

Having said this, we had also jotted down some ‘not really interested’ attributes for our potential upgrade:

• ‘outright’ performance

• Crossover SUV / MUV/ Body-on-Frame ladder type

• Electric-only

• ‘Just out of the oven’

The above pointers (both, must & not-interested) mainly stemmed from the conviction of what we (as a family) really wanted in the foreseeable future and, experiences of owning few cars in the past.

Given the fact that I have been behind a steering wheel since 1997 with few kilometres on the odo (approx. covering Omni: 65,000 km + Alto:105,000 km + Dzire: 110,000 km + Vento:87,000 km), I feel I have reached that zenith in terms of preferences for my driving style in the next phase of life – essentially more of a ‘cruiser’, less of a ‘corner carver’.

Index

[JoshMachine]

Chapter 3: The Great Pursuit

This post is actually not about putting numbers in an excel sheet, and then calling upon Professor Calculus to do the comparo.
But you know what, had to do that anyways. Umpteen times, for the record. Called in my financial advisor too, to play the devil’s advocate. And finally settled on a ‘golden mean’, as they call it.

This post is actually about trying to take out the ‘experience’ from the excel sheet and jot it down here, so that I can share what we went through in terms of the decision-making process.

Since this time round, it was going to be a seriously big upgrade literally in terms of segment, size and budget, we wanted to be sure and looked at multiple options.

Total distance covered across the test drives: approx. 500+ km via dealer test drives, first-hand and some 200+ odd km in colleagues' and friends' cars.

• The Audi A4, first-up. Stuff made of dreams.

Found the facelifted A4 (code B9, the fifth generation) to be a gorgeous combination of art & science. Thoroughly impressed. Really set the bar high for all alternatives going forward. Complete details from the first test drive, here.



Requoting few observations:

I took the test drive car (3000-odd km driven, very well maintained Navarra Blue with beige interior, Technology variant) for a longish 25-30 km drive on all types of roads - paved/non-paved/concrete/potholed/pebbled etc. Also, encountered some large speed-breakers on the service road. But not once did I flinch or felt the undulations or any sort of wobbly behavior. Very plush and pliant. The DSG coupled with the TFSI engine was super smooth, took off without any fuss.

Would give top marks to the brilliant engineering

Everything inside felt like built to last - the knurled knobs, the sun blinds on the rear windows, the AC vent controls etc, all buttons had a nice but firm resistance which made them feel kind of ultra-premium.

All in all, I would definitely consider this as a candidate for my upgrade

This was the first of few more test drives that I later took with the A4. Couple of them drives with wifey and my teenage daughter also. In all, we would have covered close to 190-200 kms or so for the test drives on different terrains and times of the day.

Each time, we cross-checked with our original requirements and found the A4 to be a close match to almost all the expectations. It was powerful, beautiful, laced with the right tech and comfort. The luxe quotient was right up there, no doubt. Price seemed a bit way off, but nothing that cannot be negotiated! The A4 went straight to the top of our shopping list.

And then it was only a matter of, who bettered this proposition!

• Next up was the stylish Volvo S60

Yes, the Germans look good but the Swedes aren’t that behind. And with the current gen S60’s design philosophy taking the styling to a new-high, I was impressed. That is, from the driver’s seat.

You name any safety tech, the S60 will throw it back at you. With aplomb!

Super attention to details all around (except maybe the all-white seats & not so comfortable leatherette).

Build quality – check. Audio – check. Powerful/peppy engine – check. Ride & handling – check.
Comfort – check, but only in the front seats. Rear seat comfort – too low, somehow cramped space feeling. Body roll on the higher side, surprisingly. Family didn’t approve.

Price, higher than the Audi. Bit too much, we felt at that point of time. Seemed rigid right from the word go. Nothing major to counter that high initial pricing aspect like after-sales package or some other discount options.

Also, a big downer was the totally touchless screen/ infotainment console. While the options on the menu were quite exhaustive, I found the overall experience very inconvenient even after almost 40-50 km of test drive that I took. Perhaps, style taken a touch too far?! I just couldn’t focus on the drive and do even basic things on the console at the same time.
A poor analogy, but felt like checking out an expensive stylish shoe that chafed the foot every time I tried to wear it! Now, what good is that.

Didn’t leave with a good impression. And didn’t go back either for a second test drive.

• Followed by the superb Skoda Superb

The very first impression – wow, that’s a BIG car! Looked a E-Class/A6 size to the eyes.

Good long test drive. Equipment list longer than a D-Mart monthly grocery list!!
Space, fit & overall quality very good.

Did quite a few checks and the car passed them with flying colors. Loved the Skoda styling package.
Engine – check (same as the A4). Except that, the Superb engine tuning seemed a wee bit off as compared to the A4, whose acceleration was way smoother and 'straighter'.
Comfort – check. Sound – super check. Handling & ride quality – check.
Size – well, uncheck! A tad too big for my daily parking in the society. Got the advisor to bring the car over at the end of the drive. He took a good 9-10 mins to get it right into the slot. Then I tried my luck. Managed to shave off 2 mins. Yay! But I didn’t want to ‘win’ this battle daily.

Back to checks. Luxury – well, about 80%. Felt something lacking. Maybe the overall fit & finish /premium feeling was not there. Czech vs German badge dynamics & engineering differences at work, possibly?!

Left with a mixed bag feeling. Did a drive again later, but more or less results.

• Next, the (almost) perfect, composed Toyota Camry

More of a ‘head’ decision, rather than the 'heart', is what it came down to. Unfortunately, this didn't exactly go down well with the juxtaposition of a luxe theme for us.
Well, to be honest, the Camry was giving the A4 a run for its money in our shortlist. And almost till the end, we found it very difficult to decide a clear winner between the two.

I had put some details of the Camry test drive here



In summary, a gem of a car. Checked all the boxes. Well, almost. Except the overall luxe fit & finish quotient. Or maybe that’s what we thought. The Camry’s interiors were maybe 75% of what we ‘experienced’ in the A4.

As they say, a product is finite/tangible/quantitative but the experience that you derive from the product is qualitative/intangible/perceptive. When we talk about a luxury product especially, sometimes the latter thought has an edge in decision-making.

The three of us – self, wifey & my daughter – travel approx. 55%-60% of the time together in our cars. So for us, the overall interior “premiumness” of a luxury car was going to be a very important decision.

For the Camry, another thought - the slightly wobbly drive under some spirited acceleration gave us something to think about. Coupled with the (lack of) good/taut suspension tune-up on a longish highway drive. On our typical family long road trips, we can’t not have that.
Went away with a price list that said almost 50 lakhs on-road, and no possibility of discounts. Well, another difficult thing to justify.

Did another longish drive couple of weeks later, and had the same feedback. It was quite close to the A4, but still felt the gap.

• And finally, the maverick of the lot. The 3-series

Well, what to say about the fully grown-up version of “Hot Wheels” collection from my school days!



The world is full of passionate folks who have gone to great lengths to own this piece of engineering.
The current gen G20 is arguably, how a 3-series should be. It is an awesome driving machine, with the nearly perfect 50:50 weight distribution. I got into the driver’s seat of the 330i and experienced the accelerator pedal run away to glory knowing that the car had a monumental 250 horses on tap! Wow, that was something! I knew that this was going to be a one-off experience for me, though.

The car checked the boxes mightily on design, tech, engine!
For us, as a family, there were few other things at stake. . If you recall, as I had mentioned earlier, travelling together in comfort was a big priority. So the rear seat comfort was paramount. But however hard we tried, couldn’t get into a comfortable position at all. The runflats made it worse, coupled with the bad patch of roads on which we took the drive. Remarkably, these were the exact same roads on which the A4 came out trumps, by a long margin.
The BMW proposition was difficult to resist initially but then we wanted to be honest to our original requirements and this is where the overall comfort factor (for family) was severely constrained. Also, my parents and in-laws do visit us regularly. If the three of us were finding it difficult to make peace, then surely I couldn’t expect my folks to do the same.
To add, the overall interior ambience (which was drool-worthy on the A4) just didn’t click for us. Found it a notch or two lower.


And with that, ‘The Great Pursuit’ of our dream, luxury car upgrade came to an end.

After clocking about 500+km on the test drives first-hand and travelling maybe another 200-odd km with colleagues/friends, after spending about 8 months doing the same checks again & again, after staying sincerely honest to what we wanted from our next car - the heart yearned for the elegant, powerful yet understated Four Ringer.

Index

[JoshMachine]

Chapter 4: Booking, PDI and Delivery experience

Once all the hullabaloo around the test drives was behind us, it was time to talk money.
Like with the test drives, again here as well, Audi Pune dealt with the entire process absolutely professionally and with full courteousness.

Since its a no-brainer that March (& perhaps December too) is THE month to get a good deal commercially, I waited with deliberation almost till the last week.
Regarding discounts for Jan-Mar'22 timeline, I came to know Audi India recently had started allocating a price list for each line item separately (accessory, service pack etc.) unlike the past where they were bundling things together as part of pricing strategy.
During FY21, the Premium Plus variant was retailing close to ex-showroom 42.7 lakhs, which was jacked up to ex-showroom 44.90 lakhs in FY22! And so this time round, Audi was treating discounts on a case by case basis depending on stock availability and the amount of 'readiness' that a customer was showing, to book the car in March itself. Based on the prevailing scheme, Audi was not readily offering hitherto legacy cash discounts on ex-showroom. So with some deliberation/negotiation on one hand, and since we were ready to book & bill in March, got 100% list price discount on 5 yrs full comprehensive service, extended warranty, roadside assistance, accessory kit, handling etc. + 50% of list price discount on insurance (RTI, engine protection, keys etc.) = totaling approx. 8 lakhs discount. Additionally, secured special/corporate discount of 1.5L, alongwith an attractive evaluation of the Vento exchange. With all this, the net on-road price turned out 46.xx lakhs. And some extra benefit in the form of RoI reduction in the bank loan portion as well. That will shave off close to lakh roughly additionally, if I stay the distance (which I may not).
Net net, with the 5-yr comprehensive service package deal (more on that later), I am fully covered for all items including wear & tear. And not a single paisa to pay.

A special mention here for the PDI process.

Got VIN subsequently after booking. From a close friend (not on TBHP), got to know about a wonderful VAG/AUDI VIN decoding website: carvertical.com
It covers both new and used car VIN categories. They are featured on TopGear, AutoBild, Forbes, Reuters. So it really is top-class in terms of references.

Received a very detailed, 10-pager VIN report. Yes, you read it correct, a 10-page report!
One of the best reports I have ever laid my hands on. Paid approx. 900 bucks, totally worth it when a report price is roughly 0.025% of the car price.
Covers all the details one can imagine of including mileage, theft, accidents, recall, damages, ownership changes, specs & equipment per trim level!
Specs & equipment section covered a mind-numbing ~200 PR codes. Except for maybe a few odd items, the report was mostly accurate in terms of the equipment list.

Extracts from the report:












And then there was the actual pre-delivery inspection. Once again, in their inimitable style, the dealership left no stone unturned to impress for this part of the process.

Had written about my experience, here.

Was offered a ride to the stockyard in the mighty Q7:



I was armed with the TBHP checklist , and so was completely ready to go through the relevant details. A must-have list!

The first glimpse, oh so handsome:



That lovely, lovely Terra Grey metallic color shade:





Satisfied, gave a thumbs-up to proceed for next stage of RTO registration and delivery.

All formalities done, the day of delivery was decided as the 2nd of April, the auspicious day of 'Gudi Padwa'.

Audi, once again, continued its customer centricity by dishing out this nice invitation letter for the family:



Must say, the Audi Pune dealership went all out to accord a warm welcome to our family. All had joined in for the celebrations: my dad & mom, wifey & (feeling on-top-of-the-world) daughter, my brother & his wifey and my 4 yr old niece. The occasion felt like a mini-wedding ceremony!

On the D-Day, all documents nicely tucked in, yet again, now-familiar, quintessential Audi way:



Classic. Stylish!

Checking out the Owner's Manual pouch, high-quality material:



The precious gift wrapped up, balloons all around:-



Followed by an exchange of niceties from both sides.

To start with, the dealership presented 'His' blessings:



We also reciprocated by showing our gratitude:



And then Audi India also had a nice, surprise token for us, a Fratelli:



Continuing with the celebratory fervor, a photo session was organized by the dealership.

Few pics to remind us, etched as a fond memory of those beautiful moments:









Everything felt surreal!

Index

[JoshMachine]

Chapter 5: The A4, at a glance

Towards the end of FY21, Audi introduced a lower base variant 'Premium', and hence our chosen variant 'Premium Plus' became the mid-spec variant.



Any angle you look at it, just looks gorgeous. I love the way the Terra Grey shade reflects different color shade at different 'lights' of the day:



In Audi's design language parlance, the current B9 generation of the A4 is now even more tautier and sportier than the previous B8 generation.

My A4 is the facelift or the mid-cycle refresh of the current generation that first arrived in late 2016/early 2017. By definition, a facelift would only necessitate a few minor updates, maybe a nip here and a tuck there. But even if it is, technically a mid-cycle refresh, the 2020/21 A4 is more than that. More on that below.

In line with the Team BHP ownership review guidelines, here are my observations per this checklist.

Engine type & variant you opted for:

For the India A4, post BS6 norms, you only get the 4-cylinder, 2.0 liter, turbocharged fuel stratified petrol engine or the TFSI, now very popularly marketed and known worldwide. Specs put the power output at 190 hp @4200 - 6000 rpm. And a healthy torque of 320 NM @1450-4200 rom. All of this allows the A4 to reach the 100 km/h mark in 7.3 seconds with a top speed of 240 km/h.
The same engine does duty across the VAG Group with similar sized Skoda, SEAT and VW models using it.

However, for Audi, the 2.0 TFSI engine holds a special place. The engineers over yonder, have taken the level of engineering, performance and efficiency to a great level, so much so that the 2.0 TFSI won the “International Engine of the Year” award in 2019, in the category of engines with between 150 and 250 metric horsepower. An international panel of experts comprising 70 automotive journalists voted the four-cylinder gasoline engine the winner of its class.

With this 190 hp engine, the A4 also has a 12 volt mild-hybrid system, to supposedly reduce fuel consumption and aid comfort.


Safety & related equipment:

Safety has a long tradition at Audi: 75 years ago, the engineers rolled a subcompact F7 down a hill in the interest of safety and caused a controlled rollover. Since this first crash test, Audi has regularly claimed the spotlight with new safety features.

5-star Euro NCAP rating is a given for the A4.

Add to that 8 airbags, cruise control with speed limiter, electronic stability + brake assist, redesigned DRLs & headlights (auto sensing), super-helpful front & rear parking sensors, ABS, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System.

Some more: ventilated discs at front & rear, auto-hold assist, electronic parking brake, rain sensing wipers, ISOFIX mounts, auto-dimming internal & external rear view mirrors, speed sensing door lock.

It has virtually almost everything that you need. Reassuring by a long margin.
The excellent Audi radar-based safety kit is missing in the India version. The folks at Ingolstadt are still not convinced about its feasibility here.


Number of kms at the time of writing your review:

By the time this review goes live, I will have driven close to 2000 kms both in the city and highways. Engine break-in completed around the 1500 km mark, and brakes bedded around the 250-300 km mark.

Your usage pattern:

This will be our primary car, as was the case with the Vento earlier. However in a post-covid world, offices are not running at peak capacity nowadays and hence the earlier, 5-day/week, 60 km daily office commute is no longer applicable. Having said this, I have started going to office 2-3 times a week per my organization guidelines.

Speaking of which, a gorgeous view of the A4 recently clicked while at office:



Besides the office commute, we love going on weekend drives a lot (Fariyas @ Lonavala calling few times already), specially on the highways - a singular advantage of our society just off the Pune-Bangalore highway. We are yet to resume our mid (the 250-300 km types) and the long (700-800 km types) distance road trips. Making plans on that already, btw.

Net net, I would think our A4 should do anywhere between 13,000-15,000 km on an average per year.

Exterior styling & design:

The facelift A4 exterior view upfront is now more dynamic and vibrant thanks to the totally new daytime running lights (Audi calls them "sidelights") + new headlights design and the front 'Singleframe' grille, which has been pushed down a bit and has been made wider & flatter to enhance the width.

The side view is defined by the distinctive muscles above the fenders and the lower set shoulder line in between. They form strong contours above the wheels, while also giving a slightly lower, squatter stance when viewed sideways.

With this facelift, I think, Audi seems to be trying to be really distinctive in the visual appeal against the competition. And it has worked, based on the general world-wide positive reception.

Per our original requirements, I was clear that our next car HAD to be good looking. The A4 ticks this box left, right and center!

Its a pity we don't get the S-line setup here in India.

Overall build quality, fit & finish, paint quality and panel gaps:

Typical to German engineering, the A4 doors close with a nice 3-stage solid, reassuring thud. The build quality - inside & outside - is robust yet sophisticated. The kerb weight, as listed on the official brochure, is 1550 kg. And when you add in the passenger weight + fuel + other knick-knacks, the gross weight goes upto approx. 2045 kg.
Per Audi, the new B9 generation is lighter than its predecessor by 100-120 kg depending on variant & trim levels. As weight reduction provides cascading benefits in virtually every area of performance, from better handling and quicker acceleration to improved fuel economy and even reduced tire wear, this crash diet is a big deal all around.

The interiors in terms of both fit & finish, are one of the best in the business. Again, a highly desirable luxury quotient for our car selection.
One thing to mention here, for the A4, Audi has retained the charm of those lovely knurled knobs all around - be it the volume control near the gear console, or the sweet & just-firm A.C. knobs on the center console - allowing you to manage controls without taking your eyes off the road while driving.
And to add to this tactile pleasure, the capacitive touch-like button setup for the A.C console is a bliss to use.
The common denominator among all of this - everything is built to last!

The paint quality, is also at another level of precision.
The paint, a very important characteristic for a car to instantly connect with its customers, is given a lot of importance at Audi. As per this video "How the Audi gets its paint", the paint layer is maintained typically at 0.1 mm thickness throughout.

Audi opened a new, highly efficient paint shop at its Ingolstadt plant in 2016. The new topcoat line at the paint shop is also a further component of the fully connected intelligent factory of the future, the Smart Factory. For example, a big‑data robot measures the painted automobiles at more than 100 measuring points. Employees use the data on quality collected in this way to compare with existing process data. This comparison helps to prevent possible production flaws in the electronic quality process, with support from an electronic quality inspection. For this purpose, touchscreen clients are used that work like tablets and provide the employees with the collated data in direct and indirect areas. This means that all of the departments involved in the production process are connected and can work with the latest data.

Vorsprung durch Technik, wot say?

Wheels & tyres:

The A4 has equipped all its variants with the same 225/50/R17 setup for both front and rear tyres.
And this is not such a bad thing. The R17s are perhaps just the right size for Indian conditions, and with tubeless instead of the hard runflats, the comfort quotient is really good.

The tyres on my A4 are Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 (very fancy long name for a tyre), with a 94Y loading index. Since they were shipped from the factory, they have the Audi Original (AO) badge imprinted. Hankook calls these tyres as 'summer' tyres, providing the best balance between dry and wet performance and aiding precise, controlled cornering at high-speeds.
As per the recommended guidelines, I have been maintaining a cold tyre pressure of 36 psi front and 33 psi rear. And found this combination to be a great middle-ground between comfort and handling.
Let's see how they hold up. As per general estimates, these Hankooks usually last upto 25k km.

The space saver wheel, is just that. It saves space for Audi but not the customer. The tyre is a very weird spec 125/70 R19 with a 80 km/h speed limit.

The difference between Premium/Premium Plus and Technology variant wheels is the alloy design. The former get a 5-spoke parallel style design whereas the latter get a 5-spoke dynamic design.
Frankly speaking, none of the designs evoke any thrill. The alloys will possibly the first change that I might plan few months down the line.

Interior design & quality:

As has been mentioned a zillion times by me till now, the uber interior is one of THE key reasons for us to fall in love with the car.

It feels so ultra-premium on the inside. Everything is where it should be. Its a tech-rich, super comfortable place to be, in fact I would extend it to say that it is the epitome of luxury and comfort!

The 3-zone air conditioning comes with sun position (courtesy, the sunlight penetration photosensor which gauges the solar gain or greenhouse effect) and humidity sensors helping to keep the car at the perfect temperature.

The 30-color ambient lighting package is a cool party trick, specially on those boring traffic snarls after sunset.

The Multi Media Interface (MMI) is really the cynosure of all eyes once you step in. It is as contemporary as the latest smartphone. Very slick, sharp and intuitive to the core.
Convenience, redefined.

The only downside is the lack of wireless Android Auto/CarPlay and some storage (like in a home, you can never have enough 'wardrobes') options.

I miss the beautiful Virtual Cockpit display in the Premium Plus. Lets see if there is an option later to get this retrofitted.

Interior space & comfort:

The seats, both at front and rear, are supremely comfortable and provide that extra bit of firmness needed when you want to travel far. The lack of ventilated seats is sometimes felt on those hot afternoon drives, but manageable with the strong AC.

Due to the multiple seating change options for the driver (and the passenger) seat, I can get the almost perfect, ergonomic seating arrangement. This is crucial for me given my 6' frame coupled with the lower seating (as compared to my Vento) in the A4.

The rear seats provide the flexible and the foldable 40:60 split option for additional convenience at the back/boot.

Since the A4 is wider and longer than before, this naturally translates to more space inside, more comfort.

However, where the A4 could have been more spacious is the glovebox and the central armrest. While the armrest per se serves the purpose fine, it could have done with more space/storage
capacity.

Driving position, ergonomics, controls & MID:

The driving position is lower than all of my previous cars, so it took me couple of days to adjust to the lower seating style. But then I started discovering all the fantastic seat adjustment options - all electronic - and got that exact ergonomic position that I wanted, one small step at a time. The Bosch motors underneath the seat work just fine. The front passenger also gets the same advantage, but the rear passengers don't (the Camry provides a nice recline for the rear too).

Controls all around - be it the tilt + telescopic steering wheel (manual adjustment, though), the yacht-like premium gear lever, the conveniently placed start-stop engine button, the tiny tripmeter reset button, the cute button to adjust the 'lux' (unit of measuring light) for driver display + MMI + gear console lights, the Drive Select up/down buttons & so on... - all are just neatly laid out. Definitely, all of these contribute to that great feeling.

Every dial & knob lights up in the evening including the insides of the cup-holder, speaking of which, there are 4 holders. Sometimes, you do get the vibe if things are over-engineered or what, but then this is a German car and an Audi at that, so I guess you can give it to them and let the feeling pass.

The MID, lets say comprised of 2 sections - the driver display unit and the central MMI - works like a charm. And with the haptic feature on the MMI, you can never go wrong while selecting an option. All features are oriented towards RHD, which is nice (unlike some European cars).

Visibility & size of mirrors:

Visibility upfront & sideways is generally good, now with the mirrors mounted on the door in the current B9 generation. I prefer to sit upright generally rather than a fully seat-back position, so I am able to get a rather 'line-of-sight' view up ahead of the bonnet. The A pillars are also not that intrusive.

The auto-dimming ORVM size is decent and shows the blind spot at corners for that diagonally-behind oncoming traffic. Greatly helps when you are trying to join a main road intersection, while coming from a service road.
The IRVM is a bit smaller though, and if you have the rear 'balcony' filled up, then visibility gets restricted.

Engine performance & drivability + Gearshifts

The A4's 4-cylinder TFSI engine is one of the smoothest operators out there in this category of luxury cars! Period.

Audi, within the Group, has internally exhibited & adopted many examples of technical finesse - adding to both performance and efficiency - such as the additional intake manifold injection which complements the FSI direct injection in part load operation and reduces particulate emissions, and the special "B-cycle" combustion process with a shortened compression stroke & a long power stroke has been specially designed for part load operation.

Essentially it means for me, whatever style of driving I adopt - moderate or sporty/dynamic - I can expect the 2.0 liter TFSI to reciprocate both efficiency and power when needed.

When I drove the Superb (and the Octavia also a bit) 2.0 liters during the test drives, I could sense that there is some definite amount of tuning that Audi seems to have achieved better with this engine. The symptoms were smoother acceleration/ cleaner movement of the tachometer needle towards the red line. Drivability in both city and the highway is top-class!

Coming from a 105 hp diesel mill of the Vento, this shift to a 190 hp capacity overnight has been a sea change for me! It took me a good 3-4 days to adjust to the instant pull and at a time, was left wondering if the brake pedal was working or not. Such was the inline acceleration effect.

The accompanying 12-volt mild hybrid system is a feeble attempt at broad-based electrification/'hybridization' by Audi. It claims to save 0.3 liters of fuel per 100 km of driving. With an overall fuel efficiency of 15 km/l, that means I would be able to save 0.3 liters of fuel for every 7-7.5 liters that I burn. Not sure what's the gold standard for a 12-volt mild hybrid EV setup from other manufacturers, but this amount doesn't look much to me.
In terms of recuperation, the max power that can be recovered is worth 5kw, which translates to 6.7 bhp. Seriously!
However, one good thing is the comfort part - the belt alternator startor, during the start-stop process, does a very good job of starting the engine quickly and cleanly. No shuddering at all.

The 7-speed S-tronic is a gem of an engineering product. Even though its the same good old DSG by VAG nomenclature, but in the A4, its the heavy-duty wet clutch setup that Audi has plonked and yes, its just brilliant. More on that later.

NVH, suspension, ride quality & handling, braking, steering:

Audi says the B9 A4's NVH is close to that of the flagship A8. That's pretty remarkable. I am not surprised, given the absolutely eerie-like hushed cabin. If I don't play music, my daughter feels uncomfortable, the silence can get you that badly (or good) inside the cabin.

The suspension is the real charmer for the A4, a great strength. Unseen to the naked eye, somewhere below, it does its job silently and with aplomb. The A4 has not 2,3,4 but a 5-link front & rear setup along with the very essential anti-roll bar to complement the assembly.
The fancy name is "Comfort heavy-duty suspension", offering comfort of the highest levels. Speed breaker blues, what' that? Even for Pune roads.
Unfortunately, no damping controls. And no quattro in the India A4, sigh!

Courtesy, the heavy duty suspension/chassis setup, the A4 ride is very comfortable across any road - asphalt, service roads, concrete, no roads!
And the handling around corners is quite reassuring, maybe not as 'FeviQwik' sticky as the Bimmer, but I will take it. I am not that great a corner carver, so whatever speeds I have managed on the Lonavala ghats, I have seen enough and am convinced.

The braking is equally confident, what with large ventilated discs on all 4 wheels. Again, call it my evolutionary or cruising driving style, I think I will hardly antagonize the A4 brake pads & discs.

The steering (wheel) deserves praise for 3 things - firstly the ergonomics. Spot-on shape & size. Feels so good. This A4 steering is smaller than my Vento's, so feels nice & comfortable to hold. Secondly, the electromechanical + speed-dependent power assistance function (difficult to gauge at times), provides good feedback when at slow & high speeds. Thirdly, it has paddle shifters. Just press the + and the - paddles and off you switch to Manuals directly. Have used them liberally on the Lonavala ghats. Helps in engine braking + gives that kick of being able to 'manually' control the gear stick.

Index

[JoshMachine]

Chapter 6: Going into the past to appreciate the present

Phew, the previous post did take some effort in terms of thought articulation for me!

Now, let's change gears a bit (pun intended) and try to take a sneak-peek into the how & what of the past, to really appreciate the present.
Anyways, going into the history books is one of my pet pastimes - so not paying a tribute to cover the A4, will be an injustice in my books.

It all started in the year 1899, that a gentleman named August Horch wrote the first chapter in Audi’s history when he established the motor vehicle company known as Horch & Cie. Ten years later, he founded a second car manufacturing company: Audi Automobilwerke in Zwickau. Mr. Horch was an automobile engineer by profession and a very good one at that as history unfolded over the next few decades:



Following differences of opinion with the Board of Management and Supervisory Board, August Horch left the company in 1909 and immediately established a second car company in Zwickau. Because his surname was already in use and was protected by trademark, he chose its Latin translation for the new company. So "horch!" – or "hark" – became "audi!" Now you know!

But the Audi that started operations more than a century ago, was not just 1 brand. It had 4 of them:



One was Audi - founded by Horch (his second car company actually as mentioned above), the second was DKW (Dampfkraftwagen – steam-driven vehicle), founded by Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen, the third was Horch (again continuing from his first company, now into large luxurious 8-cylinder engines) and the fourth was Wanderer (started with bicycles and then moved into mid-range car production).

The four companies came about together, interlocked themselves, and thus a new company called Auto Union, second-largest motor vehicle manufacturer in Germany, was formed.

The company emblem consisted of four interlocking rings, intended to symbolize the inseparable unity of the four founder companies. The Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer brand names were retained. Each of the four brands was assigned a specific market segment within the group: DKW – motorcycles and small cars; Wanderer – midsize cars; Audi – cars in the deluxe midsize segment; and Horch – luxury cars at the top end of the market.

A reliance on the two-stroke engine, a lack of model policy and increasingly critical press coverage meant that sales of DKW vehicles were on a downward spiral throughout the early 1960s. Against this backdrop, Daimler-Benz (now majority stakeholder) commissioned the engineer Ludwig Kraus, who was brought in as Technical Director in Ingolstadt, to adapt a four-cylinder, four-stroke engine, brought along as a kind of “dowry,” for the new DKW F 102 passenger car launched in 1963. It heralded the start of a new era, which in turn called for a new product designation: this was the rebirth of Audi, a name rich in tradition. The Auto Union ”Audi”, which was initially known only by this type designation, was widely advertised and became a resounding success.

And the first product from this stable, the Audi 100 came to life:



Note: the 4 rings were exclusively used on the front grill while the 'Audi' logo was used at the rear.

Audi's subsequent progress has been marked by a sensational range of technical innovations: fully galvanized bodies, the most aerodynamic volume-built saloon of its time, the extensive use of turbocharged petrol engines, the development of economical direct-injection diesel engines, the aluminium body, the first hybrid vehicles, direct petrol injection and the manufacture of luxury-class cars with eight and twelve-cylinder engines are just some of the many mileposts that document the emergence of the Audi brand as a manufacturer of premium cars.

Circa 1994, new design identity, new logo:



To capture the entire logo evolution, I think this picture shows it nicely:



Here's a nice video to explain the deliberate distinctions that Audi referred to, in terms of its brand identity redesign:

https://vimeo.com/92117659

Designed by Mutabor and Meta Design, this new identity was exclusively positioned as a “signature brand”. New brand identity solely embraced the four rings, throwing away authentic Audi logotype. This move was a close example of following other top brands such as Nike, Apple. Positioned as the back bone of the strategy, the four rings was revisualized for a more realistic form.

And staying on the topic of branding, a new font family, ‘Audi Type’, was designed, replacing the previous 'Audi Sans':



This new typography offered solutions; creating a new visual language, preventing the problem of multi-usage of the word Audi:-



However, there is some incoherence prevalent in today's Audi cars.

For example, all the Audi model names that consist of letter ‘A’ are still based on the old Audi logo.
Proof: check out my (MY22) car's A4 lettering, the letter 'A' is from the previous design:-



Want to know some more incoherency?

A true BHPian will have noticed it already in the above pic.
The models that have the letters 'Q' and 'A', use the smaller font size of number than the letter. In my A4, the font size of the number '4' is smaller than the font size of the letter 'A'.

However, the sports models that have the letters R and S use the number on the same font size as letter:



Anyone who wants to read this topic for half an hour more, please do visit this lovely page on "Brand Appearance"

Index

[JoshMachine]

Chapter 7: Unlearn, Learn

The A4 is a big upgrade over the Vento and in the initial weeks, I naturally underwent a unlearning/relearning of sorts. Would like to pen down few thoughts on the various adjustments & learnings while driving the A4, coming from my (ex)Vento.

• The power surge: adapting to the almost 2x difference between the Vento and the A4 power output has been the single biggest adjustment that I had to make till date. The initial few days of driving the A4 required the most effort in keeping the A-pedal under check. A gentle tap, and the car seemed to fly. The brakes didn't seem to respond the way I thought they would. Sanity prevailed and I started becoming more conscious of the inline acceleration.

• The seat position: Since the A4's ground clearance is lesser than the Vento's, and since it had been a good 6.5 years of driving only the Vento, I realized that adjusting to the A4's lower seat position might take time. My 6' frame with long legs didn't help either. But thankfully, the excellent multitude of seat changing options (fore & aft movement, lumbar support) on the A4 mitigated the anxiety pretty quickly.

• The MMI: coming from a very good HU experience of the RCD 340 in my Vento, the MMI in the A4 blew us away. It is an excellent piece of software + hardware all coming together in harmony. Be it the haptic touch, or the simple yet intuitive features/commands of the menu, this infotainment system is as contemporary as the latest mobile phone. For a day or so, we tried to fiddle with it trying to "see through" the otherwise German engineering, but that wasn't required. Everything was in place actually.

• The suspension and the NVH: if the Vento's suspension was pliant enough to ferry 4 adults comfortably with a boot full of luggage over bad roads, then the A4's 5-link suspension is top of the line. It is neither too stiff nor squishy/wobbly. Just firm. Just taut enough to give the absolute confidence that you can take this car anywhere.
  
  While the Vento's NVH levels were good for its category, the A4 is very very silent, possibly the best in its class! Looks like a combination of excellent wheel well cladding + engine insulation + nicely damped doors + good tyres, is doing the trick.

• DSG vs DSG: now this one's a special. For the Vento's smaller DQ200, I had put few lines on my experiences, over here. However, what I am encountering now on the A4, is the bigger DSG, called the S Tronic. Essentially, it operates on the same dual clutch principle but highly altered and perfected to suit higher capacity torque and loads. And the results are simply silken.

• General equipment: while the Vento had its own charm in terms of a decent package (back in 2015 when I bought), the MY22 A4 is at an altogether different level of luxury. Frankly speaking, the 2 cannot be compared per se. Still, this post is about highlighting those differences, radical or otherwise.
  While the Vento's stock headlights were pathetic, the A4's LED setup is razor sharp. At night, everything looks like a "deer caught in headlights", the lights are that good. I have to be very mindful of NOT using the high beam lest it dazzle the oncoming traffic.
  
  While the Vento's bonnet was straighter in design + longer than my prev-gen Dzire, the A4's bonnet is just absurdly long, courtesy the longitudinal platform/engine assembly. But thanks to the 4 sensors upfront and the beautiful rendition on the MMI, navigation is easier. Matter of time before I start relying only on gut feel/ instincts to navigate.
  The Vento had 4 speakers, the A4 has 10. Good enough. Lots to play around and enjoy music on those drives. Period.
  
  Another thing to mention is the steering ergonomics. The Vento steering had certain level of adjustment options and a lovely flat-bottom, but the A4 steering wheel is just too sweet in size and to hold. And possibly a healthier range of tilt & telescopic motion, making it much more comfortable.

Index

[JoshMachine]

Chapter 8: The heart of the matter

Or to be precise...the heart of the car:



Specs: 2.0 liter. Turbocharged Fuel Stratified Injection, or TFSI for short. Petrol. 190 hp @4200-6000 rpm. 320 Nm @1450-4200 rpm. 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds. Top speed 241 km/h. Engine family: EA888 (EA stands for Entwicklungsauftrag, development order), Generation: EA888 Gen.3B ('B' for B-cycle or Budack cycle, a variation named after VW's engineer Ralf Budack).
Guess its called the Performance Class 1 engine in Audispeak (marketed as 2.0T Ultra).

Audi, within the VAG, is perhaps the only brand to use TFSI moniker, others use TSI. In autumn 2017, Audi ditched its numerical badging system which consisted of '2.0' referring to a 2.0-litre engine, and replaced it with a new system that uses a rather complicated (slightly unnecessary) coding format. This system doesn't take into account the size of the engine, only the power output. In the simplest terms, the smaller the number, the less powerful the engine. So while a 35 TFSI is a 1.5-litre petrol engine and the 35 TDI is a 2.0-litre diesel engine, they both produce a similar amount of power. Per Audi's philosophy (or rather branding strategy I would think), it comes down to the fact that the size of the engine has less bearing on the amount of power it produces nowadays than it used to, in the bygone era. Technically, a small, yet turbocharged 1.0-litre engine can produce more power than a standard 1.4-litre alternative. Not entirely inaccurate.

Here is the tabular representation:



The engine under reference EA888, came to life in 2015:



Key differences adopted over a period of time:



And the linearity of the power vs the torque explained in the diagram:



Per Audi, this engine, used for the first time in next-gen A4 (B9 onwards), is technically superior over its predecessors, by virtue of many advancements namely - the revamped fuel system (higher pressure 250 bar), chain drive (longer guides, lower tensioning force, faster oil pump ratios etc), newer engine management with enhanced combustion cycle process, Audi Valvelift system on intake side and some other modifications like a new vacuum pump, smaller turbocharger, engine oil with less viscosity among the salient features.

The highlight or the talking point of the Gen.3B engine is the modification to the regular combustion process of the Miller cycle. Audi has given this modification a new name, calling it the B-cycle. At its core, its principle is comparable to the Miller cycle, which, in my layman understanding, uses a higher expansion ratio than compression ratio (i.e., over-expansion) obtained by either early or late closing of the intake valves and results in a smaller effective compression stroke; combustion and expansion proceed normally.

Audi says that the new 2.0L TFSI is the first representative of direct-injection gasoline engines based on “right-sizing” rather than “down-sizing”.

In summary, the new “rightsized” 2.0L Gen.3B engine maintains the displacement of the 2.0L Gen.3 and delivers the power of the 1.8L TFSI with the fuel consumption of the 1.4L TFSI:



And this effort didn't go unnoticed, in the automotive world.

The 2.0 TFSI won the “International Engine of the Year” award in the category of engines with between 150 and 250 metric horsepower in the year 2019.

Here's the extract from the Audi press release:



In the A4, the engine is longitudinally mounted with all components packed in:



With a very solid insulation under the bonnet, providing very good noise damping:



A heavy-duty dual combination keeps the bonnet in place:



Strut, made for A4 (8W0), in Germany:



The ECU or the Motronic, from Bosch:



Heat protection inside the bay, almost everywhere:



Stuff responsible for keeping things cool, the coolant sump right next to the engine:



The pretty large intercooler:



and the radiator fan:



Unusual placement of the windshield screen fluid container, near the A-pillar:



With a nice filter to prevent leaves/other solid waste etc going inside the container:



Robust braces for support, alongwith the orange cable coming from the rear (part of the hybrid setup):



Speaking of hybrid setup, the main engine is complemented by a mild hybrid 12 volt electrical system:



Its key component is a belt alternator starter (BAS) connected to the crankshaft.

The BAS coupled next to the engine:



When the A4 decelerates due to the driver taking their foot off the accelerator, the BAS can recover up to 5 kW (which is a paltry 6.7 hp) of power and feed it into a separate lithium-ion battery with 10 Ah capacity, which is housed in the rear of the car.

Here's the YouTube video, albeit for an international variant (radar, front camera et al) of the A4:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdMd0tcx6FM

As per Audi, if the driver takes their foot off the accelerator between 55 and 160 km/h, the car can coast with the engine switched off. To activate this coasting, the manual says to select the mode as "Efficiency":



Haven't explicitly experienced this coasting wherein the engine gets cut off and the car runs only on the 12 volt battery.
I have tried all speed combinations etc. till date but never saw the "coasting" word actually appearing anywhere on the MID.

However, upon gradual or controlled braking, I saw this consumption meter going beyond "max" level (assuming it is 25 km/l) and touching the green-colored battery icon. Recuperation under progress, I think:



A cropped close look at the recuperation sign:



If I brake too hard though, the consumption level falls back indicating recuperation over, probably.

The start-stop range has been extended considerably. As soon as the driver accelerates again, the BAS starts the engine quickly and smoothly.

But this start-stop feature is quite irritating on a hot afternoon drive when I stop at a traffic signal. I turn off the feature since the A.C stops working.

Audi offers the MHEV drives in two variants. For the four-cylinder engines (like the A4), they are based on the 12-volt electrical system. The six-cylinder and eight-cylinder engines, as well as the W12 cylinder units, have a 48-volt system generally serving as the main vehicle electric system. In particular, this technology offers many ways for making driving more efficient, sportier and more comfortable.

If I were to go by Audi claims, the 12 volt MHEV would probably offer 0.3 liters of fuel savings for every 100 km or approx. every 7 liters (per my fuel efficiency of overall 15 km/l).
If I extrapolate this to annual numbers, and I estimate that my annual driving would be 15,000 km - then my estimated annual fuel consumption would be 1000 liters.

So, for every 7 liters if I get 0.3 liters saving, then for 1000 liters annually I could potentially get 42 liters saving. At today's 120 bucks a liter of petrol, I could potentially save 42 liters * Rs 120 = Rs 5000 approx. per annum.
Am I reading this right? Don't think that the real world dynamics are as simple as this maths.

Anyways, coming back to the MHEV "real" benefits, I can listen to music for some time even if the engine is switched off (below pic showing switched off condition) with the 12 volt system doing its bit:

Index

[JoshMachine]

Chapter 9: Sense and Sensibilities

I certainly don't have the gift of penmanship like Jane Austen in her book by the same title.
The similarity here is however, to the elements of great sense designed by Audi in the A4. Elements of sense, for example, like the Seating, Safety, Steering, Suspension, S Tronic, Sound and Succor


Seating

Step into the car and I get the first real feel of luxury:



The front seats in the A4 are nicely contoured and provide a great suppleness. We chose the Atlas Beige seat color because it looked great all times of the day and added to that luxe quotient. Never mind the cleanliness, we were anyways used to doing that on similar beige colored seats on the Vento. We have a strict rule of no eating + no drinking inside the car, so that helps reduce some anxieties.

Audi says that the seats are leatherette, so not fully leather.
I can see fabric being used in non-contact areas of the seat:



The driver seat up & close:



Adequate bolstering provided, considering this car is meant only as a cruise liner. However, some additional under-thigh support could have helped.

The double stitching looks good:



The fit & finish is impeccable throughout, no loose threads or strands dangling anywhere:



The highlight of the front seats is ofcourse, the innumerable seat adjustment options, all powered:



The 4-way lumbar support deserves special praise. On the Pune-Lonavala trips that I undertook, this one feature helped a lot.

Alas, the India variant doesn't have the ventilated seat option, would have been a boon! Certainly, a great miss at this price point and one of the key dislikes in the A4.

The powering done silently by the Brose seat adjusters and the Bosch motors, underneath the seat assembly:



If you want to relax and/or take a power nap while on those long distance trips, this one's not going to disappoint you. The seats recline almost 180 degrees backwards:



And speaking of comfort, here are the maximum and minimum positions of the front seats:



The front seat is scooped out at the back, and coupled with a net like mesh:



And while at the back, the seats provide very good comfort for not-so-tall passengers:



But one nifty feature is that the rear seats can be adjusted in a 40:60 configuration:



The headrests are again very ergonomically placed:



The centre arm-rest drops down and stays like that, doesn't flop:



Providing some space to keep a iPad/tablet maybe:



And (over)nicely-engineered cup holders, they are quite firm in operation:



Safety

The A4 Premium Plus has almost everything you need for safety.

Total of 8 airbags: 2 at the front - on steering wheel & passenger dash.

2 on seat sides:



2 at the head side position:



And 2 on the rear seat sides:



Height adjustable seat belts:



ISOFIX galore:



With tethers (1 on each side):



Continuing on children's safety, the rear door has the manual child safety lock option:



The A4 even has a thoughtful set of couple of safety vests:



..to be used in conjunction with the GEBRA hazard warning triangle, again neatly tucked in the boot, with clear instructions on how to use it:



Besides this, the A4 has some standard but very important safety gear like the ABS with brake assist, traction control, hill hold assist, engine immobilizer, auto-dimming IRVM and ORVM, all weather lights, cruise control with speed limiter, electromechanical parking brake etc.

Another important but oft-understated feature is the front & rear parking sensor feature.

There are a total of 8 sensors - 4 at the front and 4 at the rear, providing very effective coverage across the "safety zones".

The front sensors are specially very useful, given the fact that the bonnet is absurdly long.

Beautiful rendition of the sensory function:



As can be seen from the above pic, the MMI brings up this view every time the sensor detects an obstruction in its zone, which is about 3-4 feet.
In the above pic, the white-colored curved line on the top left sensor indicates the outer limit of the obstruction in the zone. As soon as the obstruction comes closer, say within 2 feet or so of the sensor, the line color turns red accompanied by the increase of the beeping sound.

The sensitivity can be changed by tapping on the "3 dots" at the bottom left.

Currently, only the audible warning is activated in the above pic due to the parking sensor, hence only the 'speaker' icon is underlined at the bottom by the red line.
If the visuals also get activated, by the rear camera turning on, then both the 'camera' and the 'speaker' icon at the bottom get underlined by the red line.

Example of this scenario wherein both the audio and the visual icons get underlined or activated:



From the A4 family onward, the electromechanical parking brake is standard at Audi. It is integrated into the rear axle calipers and operated by a button on the center tunnel console. The system includes an emergency braking function. Should the conventional braking ever fail, this function builds up enough brake pressure to slow the car down at a rate of 8 m/s², almost as much as a full brake application.

The below pic showing the brake being applied, with the "P" icon in red color:



And the same braking "P" icon now in green color, when the auto-hold is activated and the "A" icon appears also in green color.



Finally, how can any discussion around safety be complete without a mention of the now universal but still highly unwanted warning chime at speeds above 80 kmph and 120 kmph?

For the record, I haven't crossed 120 kmph (yet) so don't know how irritable that can get.
But here's a pic of the 80 kmph warning, clicked by the co-passenger:



It shows the warning triangle on the top of the MID, accompanied by a speed limit circular visual symbol and a no-nonsense message that the speed limit has been exceeded. The sound is not that intrusive for this warning and can be drowned to some extent by good music.

Index

[JoshMachine]

Chapter 9 (contd): Sense and Sensibilities

Steering

The A4 B9 steering wheel, with a size of 14.75 inch (diameter) * 4.5 inch (grip circumference) is one of the most ergonomic steering wheels in its class.



The buttons are firm yet gentle to press:



On the left, there are buttons for scrolling the MID left to right and a general 'view'
button. There's also the 'list' button which doesn't do anything, atleast on my Premium Plus. On the right, there's the '*' button for toggling between media and FM radio (this switch is configurable) + button for invoking mobile call log + onboard voice 'Hey Audi' (have never used) + song/playlist left & right button.
The scroller also doubles up as a important 'mute' button, even muting the Radio. This was not present on my Vento's previous RCD 340 headunit.

A big dislike is the horn pad, very firm/hard by general standards (found the Camry's horn pad to be the best in terms of sound & ease of use). Luckily, with my large bucket hands/thumbs, I am able to reach the horn pad but still it takes some effort.

The steering unit is a electromechanical unit with a steering ratio of 15.9:1, typical of a mid-size executive sedan with 'sporty' characteristics, read: the A4.
Anyways, I doubt if Lewis or Max are ever going to sit behind this wheel and give their feedback!

The steering response (like other cars/brands) is usually a symptom of the drive mode selected:



For the A4 (and other Audi models), there are generally two types of steering :the Dynamic and the Standard steering. India gets only the latter.

The behavior for both categories is usually as under:

Dynamic Steering:

* Comfort: Ratio changes with speed from 9:1 to 18:1, speed sensitive high level of assist
* Auto: Ratio changes with speed from 9:1 to 18:1, speed sensitive moderate level of assist
* Dynamic: Ratio fixed at 14.3:1, speed sensitive low level of assist.

Standard Steering:

* Comfort: Ratio:15.9:1, speed sensitive high level of assist
* Auto: Ratio: 15.9:1, speed sensitive moderate level of assist
* Dynamic: Ratio: 15:9:1, speed sensitive low level of assist

If I were to sum up the Audi steering philosophy based on my very limited driving experience so far with Audi cars, I would say it is - effortless, precise and controlled.

It is common knowledge that the steering balance is affected by some fundamental driving physics: longitudinal, lateral, and vertical dynamics. So apart from the vehicle’s acceleration and deceleration, the lateral forces that arise when driving through a curve as well as wheel-load fluctuations and vibrations in the chassis also have an effect. The main objective for Audi’s engineers is appropriate feedback from the front-axle forces with respect to driving conditions, balance, grip level, and bumps in the road. At Audi, the developers’ goal is always optimally balanced steering characteristics that feature a typical balance between driving safety, comfort, and sportiness for each individual series.

A very interesting interview with Carsten Jablonowski, Head of Driving Characteristics Development AUDI AG posted here. A must-read for folks with detailed interests in matters like these.


The paddle shifters add that fun element sometimes:



There's no dedicated Manual or "M" mode on the A4 console, so irrespective of the selected drive mode (comfort, dynamic) I just need to pull the paddle shifters and off the engine moves into "roar" mode, albeit with a sophistication.

In the A4, the size of the paddles is relatively small (as compared to competition), again, I would presume given the executive-esque positioning of the car.



When I had those few Pune-Lonavala ghat runs, I liberally used them shifters, and enjoyed!
Instead of waiting for the on-board sensors in the auto "D" transmission to decide, I used the upshifts & downshifts to great extent to provide speed and torque at will, in the process put the engine braking to use and played with the tacho needle.

Like everything else, here again, there is attention to details.

The gap between the steering and the dashboard properly covered:



And the gap under the steering wheel as well:



The manual adjustment is made possible by both tilt and telescopic adjustment, to enable just the right position.



Suspension

After the engine, the suspension assembly in the A4 is the second most desirable component for me.

Part code: 1BR. Name (very fancy): Comfort heavy-duty suspension.

The A4's suspension, without doubt, deserves all the praise it gets. And I am not even talking about the famed quattro, which is, very disappointingly, not available on the India A4.

The rear five link suspension assembly:



..and the same setup at the front:



Per Audi, the five-link axle replaces the trapezoidal-link axles of the previous model. By means of an intelligent combination of materials, the weight of the axle components has been reduced by a whopping five kilograms. The lightweight concept is completed with the use of monotube dampers and high-strength, thin-wall tubular stabilizer bars and segmented wheel hubs.

In the A4 (and other model lines with longitudinally mounted engines), the five-link wheel suspensions (replacing the prev-gen wishbones) comprise of individual links.

One support link and one control arm form the lower plane, and two control arms form the upper plane. A track rod serves as the fifth link. The five-link front suspension handles longitudinal and lateral forces separately. The bearings are rigid in a lateral direction to promote sporty precision. Their response in the longitudinal direction is smooth and resilient. In addition, the sophisticated construction provides considerable advantages in terms of steering feedback – when tracking smoothly, initiating a steering maneuver or suppressing propulsive power and disturbance forces.

The links and pivot bearings are made from aluminum in most suspension designs from Audi. This ensures low unsprung masses, highly precise wheel control and a safe crash behavior. The anti-roll bar, usually made from a high-strength tube, saves weight, as does the subframe of high-strength steel or aluminum.

When the A4 B9 was launched, Top Gear said that it was one of the best cars in the world and had a special mention about its suspension:

Then there’s the new five-link front and rear suspension, delivering the kind of absorbency and control that “enables a multitude of miles to be covered seemingly effortlessly, without ruling out incisive handling”

Want to know more about the entire engineering craftsmanship? Check out this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GidKtCdCqt4

I got a chance to check out the underbody on one of the visits for washing, and managed to click some pics.

When seen through the wheel well:



At the right front, pic taken from below the car:



and at the right rear, again taken from below, notice the extra protection:



When I was initially scouting cars as part of my research late last year, I was skeptical whether any of the future upgrades would better the Vento's pliant suspension. And had also made peace with the assumption that if the next car manages to even take us to 90% of where the Vento went, we will take that without a grudge.
However looking at the A4 suspension so far, glad to opine that the A4 will not only beat this 90% Vento's travel threshold, but will go farther than that. A lot!


S Tronic

Dual clutch, seven-speed, dynamic performance. This is what Audi has promised, delivered and solidified over the past decade.

This is the same good, old DSG by the way. Audi has given it an unique name to differentiate and have a strong point of view.

Speaking of DSG, here's my 2 cents on the works and the good, bad & ugly of it all.
This thread was about the smaller, lighter, dry clutch DQ200 gearbox, which was present on my Vento.
However, what we see on the A4 is the heavier, longitudinal, wet clutch DL382-7F gearbox. The letter 'F' is for front wheel drive cars. The all-wheel drive cars get the DL382-7Q variant.
0CK and 0DN are codenames for DL382-7F, 0CL is for DL382-7Q.

While the smaller DQ200's torque handling capacity was 250 Nm, the larger DL382 can handle upto 550 Nm. One of the fundamental difference is the usage of larger and separate oil 'chambers' or circuits in the S Tronic, giving it flexibility to dissipate a lot of heat under high loads during starting and instant acceleration etc.

By the way, the S Tronic is not the same as a Multitronic or Tiptronic. While the S Tronic is a dual clutch setup, the Multitronic is a continuously variable transmission (CVT) (details) and the Tiptronic is a more traditional automatic gearbox featuring a torque converter (details).

Going back to how it operates, the S Tronic has exactly the same principle like other DSGs.

The S Tronic comprises two subunits and integrates two multi-plate clutches that control the various gears. The large K1 clutch located on the outside directs the torque via a solid shaft to the gear wheels for the odd-numbered gears 1, 3, 5 and 7. A hollow shaft rotates around the solid shaft. It is connected to the smaller K2 clutch, which is integrated into the inside of its larger sibling, and which controls the gear wheels for the even-numbered gears 2, 4 and 6, as well as the reverse gear.
Both transmission structures are continuously active, but only one is connected to the engine at any one time. For example, when the driver accelerates in third gear, the fourth gear is already engaged in the second transmission structure. The shifting process takes place as the clutch changes – K1 opens and K2 closes.

And then there's the mechatronics - a compact and robust block, comprises the electronics along with the hydraulic control elements.

In the A4 with the longitudinally installed engine, Audi has developed a special version of the seven-speed S Tronic in which the gear wheels for all gears are situated one behind the other on an output shaft.

The overall schematic/layout:



The propeller shaft is for the all-wheel drive cars.
The shaft is obviously absent in front wheel drive car like the India Audi A4 and is protected underneath:



The linear architecture of the gearbox:



The seven-gear S Tronic itself has three sub-versions. Which sub-version is used with which engine depends on the amount of torque to be transmitted. Per Audi, the S Tronic for longitudinal engines can handle engine speeds of up to 9,000 rpm.

There are couple of beautiful videos on the topic.

One, articulating the overall functioning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CRzHvTW0dI

..and the other depicting, part by part, the entire "component assembly poetry in motion":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOyjbzJg7z8

The A4 (B8 gen onwards) uses the latest 'Audi selector' mechanism with full shift-by-wire capability (SBW). This means that parking lock operation is also fully automatic. The term used for this is "park-by-wire" (PBW). There is no selector cable connecting the selector mechanism to the transmission.

Now moving to the Audi Drive modes: couple of ways of selecting the mode.

Either from the physical button on the central console:



Or from the MMI directly:



The 5 modes are:-

Efficiency: the most sluggish or non-Audie-esque mode in the car. Trims the car to a fuel-saving setup and an economical driving style. The start-stop system is automatically activated and "E" program appears on the MID. This mode is not recommended unless you really want to squeeze out the last drop of petrol from the car. I sensed that the AC cooling also is a tad slower. The engine and S tronic gearbox respond more gently/sluggishly to commands from the accelerator pedal and shift paddles.

Auto: The overall impression in this mode is of a comfortable but dynamic ride.
In drive positions D and S a "driver type recognition" is made on the basis of the driver's driving style. Criteria for driver type recognition include the mode of actuation of the brake and accelerator, the speed of the vehicle as well as transverse and longitudinal acceleration within defined periods. Accordingly, an economical driving style leads to early upshifts and late downshifts. A sporty driving style leads to late upshifts and early downshifts.
When 'D' selected, gearshifts are comfort-oriented and shift point selection is adapted to the driver's driving style with the aid of driver type recognition. When 'S' selected, the shift points are sporty and adapted to the performance range of the engine.

Comfort: the optimized combination for softer gear shifts, slightly non-sharper steering response. Good for long cruising trips. My default mode on daily basis. Gear selections are made with the aid of the driver type recognition feature as mentioned above.

Dynamic:gives the car a nice, tighter setup with steering weighted and sharper response to the accelerator pedal. Must on twisties and ghats.

Individual: this is the a-la carte mode. Choose from various options to get the best feel.



I have noticed couple of times that this mode gets reset to auto when the car is restarted.


Sound

Another nice feature of the A4.

Some say the 10-speaker setup in the A4 B9 doesn't cut it. For me & my family, it does the job pretty well. We are not audiophiles, anyway.

The speaker setup for the India A4: 3 at the front + 2 on the front doors + 4 on rear doors + 1 on rear parcel tray. A total of 180 watts inside the car. My home's living room has a Sony Hi-Fi with 200 watts bought few years ago.
Times, they are a changin'.

I couldn't locate the schematic of the A4 but here's a similar one on other model,
and a comparison with the Bang & Olufsen setup:



From what I understand, the India A4 gets only the "Audi" sound system. Have tried to figure out the OEM brand (if any) but couldn't locate it.

There's this nice balance/fader which allows the decibels to be shifted to virtually any corner of the car:



But only the elementary edits allowed:



From Audi's site: Audi has been using the software soundCUBE, which it developed itself, since the summer of 2019. Consequently, the audio developers control 100 percent of the technology that they use in an Audi. Thanks to soundCUBE, the experts can choose the best algorithms available on the market and integrate them themselves. With soundCUBE’s graphic user interface DSP Studio (Digital Signal Processing), the developers control the individual filters for overall signal processing for the different sources, like telephone, navigational announcements, or hi-fi audio.

There's also the concept of "holistic" sound. Check out this short interview with Dr. Tobias Gründl, Head of Audi’s Sound and Acoustics Development department who shines a light on what premium sounds like – and what makes Audi sound distinctive.

Need more sound bytes, do watch this interesting tech talk video on the subject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWXdGN4nSZ0

Well, sound immersion is one thing but there's also the thing about sound distraction that is of utmost importance!

Enter the "Rustle and Rattle team" at Audi.

Picture this - a strange noise is disrupting the feeling in the passenger compartment. It isn’t loud, but it is clearly audible. And it's coming from somewhere in the back of the car. This is a typical scenario for Audi’s acoustics specialists, the Rustle & Rattle team.
Some fancy stuff here, but at Audi's, almost everything is like that!
The expertise in the Rustle and Rattle team comes from complete-vehicle and body development as well as quality assurance. When necessary, they turn to specialists from other fields like production or engine and transmission development. The team’s insights can have a wide range of different effects: sometimes they lead to change in component quality, other times their specialists discover production errors. Occasionally, they even find connections that are caused by the construction itself. That is why the team is included in vehicle development early on. That ensures that fewer and fewer disruptive noises arise in the interior despite increasing complexity in vehicle construction.

However, inspite of all this, there's one element that Audi India seems to have missed out:



There's this speaker housed in the rear parcel tray on the left side, but with the right speaker housing empty - a bummer! Now, that's totally non-Audi way of styling.


Succor

The synonym is ease, comfort, relief. Yes, I am referring to the fabulous 3-zone air conditioning setup:



It looks gorgeous and the vents cover the entire width of the dashboard.



To switch on the AC, I just press the button for the recirculation mode.

A whole lot of buttons, knobs and capacitive rocker switches make up the entire hardware kit. And everything is just so super-cool, literally!

BTW, like everything else in the India variant, here too Audi has skimped on some important features - like the seat ventilation system.

The temperature range is from 16 degrees to 28 degrees and then some LO or HI.
With the AUTO button switched on (indicated by the white LED line on the main rotary dial), and with the finger gently touching the capacitive switch on the right or left, the air flow is also seen to be in auto mode:



The rocker switches are touch-sensitive.

If the AUTO is switched off, only then the fan level is displayed:



The switch on the left shows the possible combinations of SYNC, 3-zone and Set Rear. Just have to keep pressing to get the desired option selected:



For example, the Set Rear option is all about directing the air flow for the rear passengers:



And the 3rd zone i.e. the rear zone temperature adjustment:



Some more air circulation from under the front seats:



This being the peak of summer, the AC was put to the true India testing conditions - peak hot afternoons, warm & sultry evenings and what not. And glad to say it passed the test with flying colors. Our ideal temperature setting is usually 22-23 degrees depending upon time of the day. But we haven't felt the need to go anytime lower than this.

Index

[JoshMachine]

Chapter 10: Lights, Camera and...Connect

One of the most important laws of the road is to see and be seen. The Ingolstadt-based carmaker fulfills this maxim with innovative lighting technologies and combines them with highly expressive design.

The India A4 has the LED lighting, sadly no Matrix. But that doesn't mean the utility and/or the glam quotient is any less.
There are LEDs everywhere - the DRLs, the interior reading lamps, the main headlights, the brake lights, trunk high-mount tail lights and even the license plate lights!

Now, ain't that one handsome looking car with the slightly aggressive styled DRLs:



A closer look:



And that's where the most significant change has been done on this mid-cycle or the facelift vis-a-vis the B9 when it was launched.

First, there are the headlamps. They look different because they are different. Parading that styling shift are the new LED strips. Gone are the wrap-around LEDs that run along the edges of the headlamps. In their place are new LEDs that look like angry eyebrows. This change came because of a renewed objective on Audi’s part to give the A4 a sportier and more aggressive. What evokes images of aggression more than furrowed eyebrows!

Check out this new (B9 facelift) vs old (B9 launch) headlamp design:



Move to the rear and the changes are just as significant, at least more than what you’d expect from a so-called midcycle refresh. The shape of the taillamps are similar to its predecessors, but the addition of the row of black notches — they look a saw’s teeth — on the top half of the taillights immediately gives the entire section a different look.



The DRLs are very bright, and are very good for those mall/office basement meandering:



The lux is unusually high:



The low beam lights are also super sharp and do the job for 90% of the requirements:



While the high beams are extremely dazzling and have a long throw, have to be mindful of them lest they dazzle the oncoming traffic:



The door handle lights also have a small LED, and a very good spread round the car:



These are operational only when the light switch is in AUTO:



In that comparison, the ORVM lights are perhaps the most dimmed:



However, the puddle lights or the welcome Four Rings logo, are a class apart:



One common mis-selling point or misconception or lack of understanding is about this "fog lamp":



These are NOT fog lamps, they house the adaptive cruise control and the distance regulation modules, seen on international variants (not India):



A view from the rear, cannot stop admiring the sharp styling of the saw-type design:



The turn indicators are "dynamic", and kind of guide the rear traffic for the indicated direction.

A closer look at the design reveals the reverse (white) LED lights as well as the main brake lights:



Step into the cabin and the Christmas party begins, this pic taken while in the Pune-Mumbai expressway tunnel (please excuse the not so good image quality, it's just to depict the array):



Speaking of Christmas party lights, here's one when I switch on the ignition:



And here's one more, quintessential Audi style, just love this:



Lights for the driver's cockpit:



And lights for my daughter:



She loves to individualize:



..on surfaces:



and contours:



Need more 'light' on this topic, do check out this fascinating Audi Tech Talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj5SKEez5zY

To follow it up, a very interesting article on 'light' years progression by Audi.


Camera

The rear camera in the A4 is utilitarian in terms of the view it transmits:



It is located just above the license plate.

I think the distance shown/covered by the dynamic guidelines is about 10 feet at the back, which is healthy.



Here again, the step motherly treatment continues for India. No front camera or 360 degree/surround cameras for the A4.

After switching from reverse to onward drive / D mode, the rear camera remains on till the 10 km/h speed is attained.



myAudi Connect

Your phone is now your car - is what Audi's attempting to say via its "myAudi Connect" app. However, its still not there 100%, is what I feel.
The main issue is the response time of the app, sometimes it takes just too much time to fetch the required information.

Divided under five key headings-the app brings the customer Safety & Security, Driver’s Behavior, Lifestyle, Geo Location and Utility. The Audi connect app represents the digital connection between driver, vehicle, and infrastructure. It bundles all structures that use online connectivity with the vehicle to provide real-time information and multiple digital functions.

The device or the dongle is priced at Rs 19,999 on the site but Audi gave it for free to me.

I managed to extract some snapshots for viewing references:









Point to note (why am I not surprised), the India A4 , doesn't comprise the WLAN / WiFi connectivity services. No SIM card, no direct internet connectivity, no hotspot inside the car.
Just basic telematics comms exchanged between the OBD-II port dongle in the car and the mobile device via Audi online servers. Audi says those are secure AWS servers.

The myAudi connect uses GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and GSM (mobile tech) based connectivity solution. Audi says that the addition of communication signals to a GNSS triangulation positioning algorithm is expected to increase performance levels on two aspects: accuracy and availability.

Couple of things stood out : the geofencing is very accurate almost upto within a meter of the exact car location + idling alerts are also helpful.
There's also the 'disturbance alert' in case the bonnet is shut suddenly, for example.

Would like to post an unique experience about this app.

When the app was initially downloaded on my phone, the original B9 launch pics were displayed on the app front page. I was somehow not happy with this and flagged it to my dealer. And voila, within few days, when I opened the app after an update, I got to see the exact variant that I had purchased! Details in this post.

For the full monty of ~100 FAQs, this site section has it all.

Index

[JoshMachine]

Chapter 11: The point culminant

The car has been with me for only about 1.5 months now. And so there's only so much that I can know or find out in this time duration.

The title of this chapter means,climax of a novel, literally. And so with this chapter, intend to bring out some of the elements accordingly. This will be mostly a collection of some photos clicked along the way, highlighting the salient aspects.

Any angle I look at it, the A4 looks smashing, outright gorgeous:





The car "changes" colors very nicely depending on how the sunlight rays play slant and seek on it:









The lines are so clean, pure. Audi has done a fabulous job:-



While it’s technically a mid-cycle refresh of the same generation model that launched in 2016, the facelift A4 looks and feels more than just a refresh. You can call it an all-new model because that’s what it actually is. The updates are significant across the board, so much that it’s hard to look at the facelifted A4 as a continuation of the current-generation A4 B9 model.

By definition, a facelift would only necessitate a few minor updates, maybe a nip here and a tuck there. But Audi seems to have really upped the game for the A4, which is one of the largest selling models across the brand:



Audi also made significant changes to the sedan’s Singleframe grille. It’s not something that you’ll notice immediately, but the grille itself is lower and wider than it was in the original A4 B9. This goes back to the theme of sporty aggression. Whereas past versions of this current-generation A4 looked like a grown-up sedan, the facelift A4 looks like a grown-up car with a mean streak. The last important change in this frontal makeup is the bumper. A pair of character-shaping sharp lines stretch out from above the two pentagonal intakes into the fenders of the sedan. There’s a thin lip spoiler just under the grille that connects the two areas of the bumper. This is an aerodynamic detail as much as it is an aesthetic one. The intakes themselves are mostly covered, though there are two openings that you can see: one for what looks like fog lamps and another for cold air to actually go into the engine.



The look Audi is going for isn’t complete without another interesting design detail. The lines on the hood don’t hit the top part of the grille anymore.

Don’t underestimate the extra sliver of space this creates. In some ways, it actually emphasizes the new shape of the grille even more.

The bonnet, is another example of the redesign:



As significant as the changes are in the front section of the A4, the sedan’s side profile is a good example of the understated effect of body lines on a car. The long shoulder line that stretched from headlamp to taillamp in the previous A4 is now gone, replaced instead by what Audi calls “Quattro blisters,” a styling cue we first saw on the 2014 Prologue Concept. The blisters don’t meet in the center, though there is a separate body line that sits on a lower plane, covering the length of the two doors. This looks insignificant to some, and, for the most part, it probably is. But those who pay attention to these small details (us, TBHPians) can see how the new adaptation gives the A4 a more nuanced look that plays well with the sporty-looking front section:-



Move to the rear and the changes are just as significant, at least more than what you’d expect from a so-called mid-cycle refresh. The shape of the taillamps are similar to its predecessors, but the addition of the row of black notches — they look a saw’s teeth — on the top half of the taillights immediately gives the entire section a different look. Cutting across the two taillamps is a thin chrome bar that you can barely see in the photos. As slivery thin as it is, that’s another important design cue that Audi added to further establish the sedan’s more nuanced look. Just below them is arguably the most significant change in this area of the facelift A4. The bumper is more robust, that much looks obvious. But Audi also used sharp lines to create a layered look, as if one bumper sits on top of another. The “lower” bumper comes with a stretched housing that hosts the two brake lamps and the pair of rectangular exhaust tips. The latter is another significant departure from the previous A4, which came with quad tailpipes.







Another wonderful view, that of the rear three-quarter profile:



And a front-on view:



Changes abound in the interior as well. Arguably the biggest one is the infotainment system, specifically the 10.1-inch digital display that’s sitting on top of the dashboard. Not only is it bigger than the 8.3-inch display of the previous system, but it’s also tricked out with up-to-date features and functions:-



One new feature, in particular, is the ability to add functions on-demand. For example, this is my favorite 3-tile screen: music + telephone + time:-



And when the time comes to put safety over sensory pleasure, no compromise there:



Every facet of the display is touchscreen, and with its acoustic feedback capability, you can go through all the infotainment’s functions without having to use the rotary gear knob. Speaking of which, that knob has become expendable in the facelift model, and, as expected, Audi ditched it completely. The area it previously took up is now occupied by a storage compartment and a pair of cup holders. It is a little curious that Audi’s goal of integrating the new model with some of its more premium labels didn’t include the positioning of the digital display.



The cabin boasts of segment-beating fit & finish. You just point at anything and Audi has made sure the hardware is top-notch:







And what attention to details! For example, the seat belt buckle on the passenger side has this felt lining so as not to scrape the central tunnel:



This attention is everywhere, the fuel cap design included:



Even though 95 RON is recommended, I haven't strictly followed this. Normal Shell unleaded should be good, I think:



All ingress/egress points are built to last, and built with thought. Take the rear door with sun blinds, such a great boon in our hot weather:



Build quality is re-assuring:



The sunroof is small by competition standards (most offer panoramic), but this is adequate in size and shape:



Opens enough to get the airy feeling:

Index

[JoshMachine]

Chapter 11 (contd): The point culminant

The stellar quality and the attention continues with the mirrors/glass/ application:



ORVM is convex to enable that blind spot visibility, demarcated by a dotted line. Has also the small light indicator when taking turns:



Nice tinted windows all around, to keep that harsh sunlight in check:



Saint-Gobain Sekurit on the door windows:



..and on the windshield as well:



However, its the Chinese Fuyao on the rear windows:



Speaking of which, the forum has excellent reading material on the topic of automotive glass manufacturer + codes (E1, E20 etc.), over here. A great thread, I enjoyed perusing it!

I bought the Audi OEM car cover recently, and the quality in the accessory department hasn't abated one bit. Snug, and custom-made for the A4:





To continue with the accessory bits, got the Audi all-weather floor mats free. Again, good quality seen here They don't 'juggle' around courtesy the simple yet effective locking rubber bolt :



Some of the interior top-notch parts. Buttons/rotary switch solid feel everywhere:





Some space freed up after Audi removed the rotary MMI:



And the Audi PhoneBox:



Touch of class, the Audi way. Illuminated USB charging port #2 (the 1st is below the central AC console):



Attention to details is not just about what's visible to the eye, usually. It is sometimes also about, what lies beneath.
The car's entire underbody is covered, confidence-assuring, given that the ground clearance is quite low:



The underbody cover is peppered with holes and slats specially under the engine bay, to let the engine breathe.
Per Audi, this underbody coverage also aids in bringing down the coefficient of drag overall. This index is 0.23, which is quite phenomenal and gives the A4 that good boost in efficiency numbers.

Coming back to some more thoughtful highlights, there's the hook inside the boot, which comes with a strap to pull it down:



And the groove behind the trunk handle, to help with a proper grip while bringing the trunk down manually:



A strong net to hold stuff in position:



And the deft-clip to latch the spare wheel cover onto the trunk body:



The trunk raising handle is pretty solid, with rubber bolts all around to deaden the sound and force when being closed:



A word or two on another important aspect of the car appeal.
The alloys and tyres:



On my Premium Plus variant, the alloy design is plain jane. 5-spoke parallels.
Looks solid but could have been more glamorous, like the car itself.

The tyres are from Hankook, named Ventus S1 evo 2 (squared). Phew, some name this. Hankook calls them summer performance tyres.
Summer, I understand, given they are for meant for markets like India. But performance, well, let's take that in our stride:



Tyres are 225/50 R17, just the right comfortable size for Indian roads. The load index says 94Y (translates to about ~670 kg carrying capacity). Tubeless, perfect!

Another fancy bit, called the Visual Alignment Indicator on the Hankook:



The Hankooks are no Picassos of the tire industry, but they can hold their own against competition. Check out this comprehensive review.

Some more classy bits inside the car. The oh-so-beautiful, analog dials:



The slightly raised 'sculpture', the Audi Type font, the gradually increasing redline (you can see the increase in red color from 5800 rpm, becomes solid red at 6600 rpm). Love it!

Yet another detailing, the letter 'R' is of increased font size as compared to the others:



The speedo is non-linear, step increase of 10 units from 0 - 80 km/h and then increase of 20 units from 80 km/h onwards. The fuel gauge shows 'R' for reserve.

One of my favorites, notice the absolute symmetry + "shadows" of the four rings logo:

Index

[JoshMachine]

Epilogue

Well, firstly, if you have reached this far to the epilogue, I hope you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed penning it down.
This has by all standards, the 'farthest' I have gone to write about something I have owned till date, as part of the initial review. Am sure its the car that has provided me the fuel so far. And am equally sure, it will continue to keep doing so in the future!

A big thanks to GTO for the super-inspirational ownership review of his pre-worshipped beast (review link, a ~1500 post thread for the uninitiated) from which I have tried to understand and structure some of the ownership review guidelines.

This post is also about expressing gratitude to a Senior BHPian whose fantastic photoshoot for some of the car elements deserves great appreciation. He took out time on consecutive weekends to help with the needful. Thanks chief!

Thanks are in order for BHPian sauravpat also, who responded to all the endless queries that I had during the pre-purchase process. His ownership review of the Premium spec A4 (review link) is itself a great read.

And finally, this epilogue is also giving back and sharing some good reference material that I started collating about the A4 right from the time of test drives last year. I have used some excerpts from this information inventory in my review.

All the documents from the inventory attached herewith.

References.docx - contains information from 24 sources. Will endeavor to update this doc as I source more information going ahead.

2022 Audi A4 Owner's Manual

Audi self study programme_A4 introduction.pdf - a great read from Audi Academy, providing insights for the B9 A4 gen launch model.

Audi self study programme_LIghting and electronic systems.pdf - yet another great read from Audi Academy about the multitude of lighting + electronic systems present on US/international variants.


Cheers.

Index