Review: 2006 Audi A4 2.0t quattro
This 20-day blogging challenge that I have set upon is going to be harder than I thought. I didn’t have time to write today and here it is 9pm and I’m really tired because I woke up at 3:30am this morning (insomnia). So, what am I to do? Cheat, of course. I’m going to have to go to my bag of tricks. You see, even though I haven’t published anything in six months, I actually did work on a few things. Here is a review that I wrote months ago. It isn’t polished or even finished, but it will have to do:
I had to take my car in to the dealer for service several weeks ago and I was given a loaner car - a brand new 2006 A4 2.0t quattro Tiptronic (Q-Tip). This is the latest version of Audi’s best selling car. Although the factory codes the car as a B7, most will recognize this (or maybe not) as the third generation of the A4. I say maybe not because as the reviewer for Car and Driver recently commented, you will need the blueprints to tell this car from its predecessor. Well, not quite.
First of all, the exterior of the new A4 has been reskinned and as long as you like the new corporate snout (and I do), it is gorgeous. The A4 is once again an elegant, understated beauty. Along with the new nose, the A4 has “angrier” headlights, which combine with the gaping grille to create an intimidating face in the rearview mirror of those unfortunate to be caught dawdling in the left hand lane. The overhangs front and rear have been extended and there is no longer an unpainted lower valance, which makes the new car less stubby looking than before. The new A4 retains its contemporary high waistline, which I also like.
The newly redesigned A8 and A6 both have brand new interior designs, which reflect a fresh and even daring new corporate vision. The exciting new designs reinforce Audi’s position as having the best automobile interiors in the industry. I couldn’t wait to see what they had done with the A4. A newly designed key fob hinted at the attention to detail that Audi had paid to every detail of the new car. I unlocked the car, opened the door, and climbed in. Immediately, I was greeted by a lovely new three-spoke, multi-function steering wheel which reflects the trapezoidal design influences on the new Audis. Similar steering wheels can be found on the new A8 and A6. The multi-function controls are better than on my ‘00 A6, with two sets of two buttons being replaced with two thumb operated scroll wheels, which control track/station functions and volume on the stereo. A note to the Car and Driver reviewer who complained that the station wheel only scrolled through the presets: the wheels are also buttons (just like the scroll wheels on mice) and by pressing on the wheel, the radio will scan all stations. Interestingly, the right scroll button didn’t do anything discernable, though muting the stereo would be the most logical choice. Being a lower level A4, the steering wheel was covered in…not leather and it felt just slightly thin and hard. Still, it’s an improvement over the old four-spoke, multi-function wheel. Let’s see what else is new.
Um, well…nothing. Nothing is new. Not much anyway. The new cup holders are better. I think that’s it. Except for the steering wheel, there is hardly any difference that I could tell between the interior of this car and its predecessor. That’s not bad per se. As I said, Audi makes the best interiors in the business and the A4 interior is no exception. Still, is it too much to ask that a new car, with beautiful new sheetmetal and a brand new motor, also have a new interior? So, my previous complaints remain: a manual adjust seat for the passenger is silly, when the driver has a power seat. Also, the center tunnel intrudes just enough to cause my leg pain from rubbing against it (though not quite as much as before.) The range in miles indicator now comes with a fuel pump icon, which is exactly the same as the low fuel indicator icon. So, there is always a glowing red fuel pump icon on display at all times making me think I am low on fuel at all times. I could live without that. Speaking of fuel, there is something brand new. Something that is absolutely new for Audi - a fuel door release button. I have owned Audis from 1983, 1990, 1993, and 2000 and none of them had this feature. And why should they? When you locked the car, the fuel door locked and when you unlocked the car, the fuel door unlocked. Simple. Unless you are afraid of someone siphoning gas from you while running alongside your unlocked car, I don’t understand why you would need this additional security measure. Let me explain why this bothers me so much, the fuel door release button is located…I’m not kidding…INSIDE the door map pocket (along with a couple of other buttons which I couldn’t contort myself low enough to see.) So, if you have anything inside the door pocket, you have to take it out in order to unlock your fuel door. Audi, I know the new engineer needed a job, but I have a long, long list of suggestions before sending him off designing silly release catches we don’t need. For starters, he can work on a new range-in-miles icon, like maybe the word “Range.”
So, what’s it like to drive? Well, the new 2.0 liter turbo four-banger with FSI makes 200 horsepower, which is 30 horsepower better than the 1.8 turbo motor that it replaces. Unfortunately, the increased girth of the A4 has outpaced the increased horsepower, so the new A4 is slower than earlier models. Still, like all A4s, it handles better than my A6, so despite the offputting and miserable Tiptronic gearbox, I always enjoy driving an A4. I just wouldn’t spend my money on one, unless it were perfectly optioned…like with a V8…and a manual gearbox…and S4 badges.
Here are some other Audi A4 comments/reviews that I have published on another site:
- ‘04 Audi A4 1.8t Q-Tip (09.04)
- ‘03 Audi A4 1.8t Q-Tip (more) (09.04)
- ‘03 Audi A4 1.8t Sport Q-Tip (02.03)
And now, back to the usual boring housekeeping. Today I did manage to fix some navigation problems within the site and some very basic information has crept onto the eS2 page.
Today’s Workout: 30 minutes on the home treadmill.
jimmy