Price and equipment
The TDI e’s primary fuel-saving feature is what Audi calls “start-stop” – pull up, slot the gear lever into neutral, release the clutch and the 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine stops. Push down on the clutch again and the engine fires up. Audi says this technology can save up to 1.5L/100km in city traffic and about 0.2L/100km on the highway.
The rest of the package includes taller gear ratios, a “kinetic energy recovery” system that lowers the alternator’s demand on the engine, aerodynamic tweaks to make the A4 more slippery through the air and a driver-efficiency program that suggests when to change gear and shows the level of electrical drag from accessories such as the dual airconditioning and headlights.
So, how does that 4.8L/100km claim compare? BMW’s new manual-only 320d coupe – also with a stop-start function – undercuts it with a claimed 4.7L/100km average (the sedan, which doesn’t yet get that feature, averages 5.3L/100km), while the best Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the C220 CDI, officially averages 6.2L/100km.
The price – $51,100 plus on-road and dealer costs – slips under the $57,466 luxury-car tax threshold.
Highlights include leather trim, cruise control, 10-speaker single-CD audio, an electric parking brake, foglights and 16-inch alloy wheels. There is no automatic option; the start-stop system is manual only.
If that looks a bit thin, then the safety equipment compensates. Front, side and curtain airbags, stability control and anti-lock brakes are standard. The A4 is also a five-star Euro NCAP performer.
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