|
 We
start with two disclaimers:
- I am a former
Audi owner. Although it was nearly four decades ago, that 1971 Audi
100LS remains probably the best and worst car I've ever owned; best
because of fuel efficiency and drivability in all weather conditions,
which I couldn't' have said about the Porsche 914 or the MGB-GT that
we considered before buying the Audi; worst because the 100LS had an
electronic issue that made it too reluctant to start in extreme cold,
too eager to overheat in extreme heat, and even caused the lights to
suddenly go dark in extreme rain.
- You need to
understand that I define the word "adequate" as meaning completely
sufficient, even to the point of inducing happiness.
Thus I assure you
that the 2010 Audi A4 2.0 TFSI quattro Tiptronic sedan is a completely
adequate vehicle, and I mean that as praise for this vehicle and as criticism,
not for this vehicle but for those among us who think that any sedan with
less than 300 horsepower is insufficient for driving with enthusiasm.
As its way-too-long
name indicates, the A4 2.0 TFSI quattro Tiptronic sedan is powered by
a mere 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine which, thanks to direct injection
and a turbocharger with intercooling, pumps out a delightful 211 horsepower
and an almost diesel-like 258 pound-feet of torque.
Even while carrying
the extra weight of all-wheel drive and an automatic transmission, this
little engine that could can get this 3,704-pound vehicle from a standing
start to 60 miles per hour in well under seven seconds. And once you're
underway, even the federal Environmental Protection Agency says to expect
to average 21 miles per gallon in city driving and 27 on the Interstates,
though we know that even an enthusiast driver with a careful right foot
can motor well past such figures.
Twenty-one city and
27 highway may sound like numbers normally affiliated with a compact econobox,
which is not a description that fits the 2010 A4 by any stretch of the
dictionary. This is very much a luxury sedan with adequate - there's that
word again -- room for four adults - five in a pinch - and plenty of their
stuff.
Everyone rides in
leathery comfort and within a five-star safety cocoon. When there are
only three or four aboard, those in the back seat can fold down a wide
center arm rest that provides two additional cup holders to those sculpted
into their door panels. Those in the back seat also have their own heating
and cooling controls and vents.
Even your luggage
rides in comfort. The trunk is cavernous and not only has a cargo net,
but four cargo tie-downs so you can secure your stuff so it doesn't fly
all over the place when you hustle around the corners.
And you'll want to
hustle around those corners because the 2010 A4 2.0 TFSI is a joy to drive.
Quick. Sure-footed. Responsive. Dexterous.
It's pretty much
all that the enthusiast really needs, unless you're among the horsepower
crazed. On the other hand, if torque is your thing, well, the 258 pound-feet
from this four-banger put a lot of V6s to shame.
Base price on the
A4 2.0 quattro Tiptronic is $33,550 and includes all we've mentioned,
as well as a sunroof, automatic climate controls, power adjustable front
seats, audio with CD, Sirius satellite radio, and more.
Our test car priced
out at $41,380 because it came with dark walnut wood trim ($400), chromed
exhaust tips ($130), Deep Sea Blue Pearl Effect paint ($475), a voice-controlled
navigation/audio/phone system with rear-view camera ($2,500) and a Premium
plus package ($3,500) that includes Xenon headlamps, special 10-spoke
wheels, Bluetooth, three-zone climate controls, heated front seats, a
driver information system instead of the typical trip computer, music
interface for your iPod and a rain/light sensor for lights and wipers.
As I said, adequate.
O.K., more than adequate.
Well, with one exception:
I don't think I'll ever get used to trying to operate the various iDrive-style
controllers that the makers of German luxury cars insist on installing.
For example, the other morning, all I wanted to do was to change the radio
station and instead activated the nav system and a destination I had no
intention of visiting. Arrrrgh. Please: Just give us good old-fashioned
and absolutely adequate switchgear that we can operate without having
to park the car and dig out an owner's manual.
There, now that I
have that out of my system, another note about that '71 Audi 100. Sometime,
probably in the early '90s, I was in Germany for the press introduction
of a new Audi model. Over the dinner table, I mentioned my '71 LS and
its cold-weather issues (which involved having to pull and clean the spark
plugs every morning it was below zero, which was just about every winter
morning in Western Michigan where I was living).
"Yah,"
a veteran Audi engineer acknowledged with a big, knowing smile, "we
had a problem with that model."
I assure you, I have
no problem with his newest two-liter A4.
|