This, believe it or not, is the all-new Audi A4 and if you’re a company car driver now is the time to sit up and take notice. Parkers travelled to a secret photo studio near the firm’s base in Ingolstadt to get the low-down on why the A4 is its most important car so far.
Don’t be misled by those evolutionary looks; this is an all-new Audi A4 on a completely new platform, and it promises to be superior to drive, more practical, better built and powered by a range of engines that are more powerful yet more efficient than those that came before. In fact the new A4 is up to 21 percent more efficient, despite being 25 percent more powerful than the model it replaces.
And that’s especially good news for company car drivers, since what your car emits through its tailpipes directly relates to what you pay in BIK tax each month.
The best seller, both privately and in the company car arena, is expected to be the new 2-litre TDI Ultra with 148bhp. It’s easy to see why, since the Ultra badge designates this as the most efficient engine in the range – the saloon emits just 95g/km of CO2 and the stylish Avant only four more. You’ll sail past fuel stations too, since the 76.4mpg (74.4mpg for the Avant) combined economy figure will endow the A4 with a vast range.
With the new A4 diesel is no longer the default choice for company car users, since the latest 2-litre TFSi turbocharged petrol engine uses a new combustion method to produce just 109g/km of CO2 (114g/km for the Avant). Despite that, this 187bhp A4 scrabbles from 0-62mph in just 7.3 seconds, and with the widening gap between petrol and diesel prices at the fuel pumps, for many this increase in performance will be worth the 14 percent BIK rate.
The changes to this new Audi A4 run far deeper than just bodywork and engine bay though, as the car has more on-board tech and a redesigned cabin. The latter is much more driver focused than before with an increase in material quality and more space than before – the Avant’s boot is a class-leading 505 litres.
Apple’s CarPlay is optional, as is Audi’s Virtual Cockpit information display, while the firm’s Connected Services allow you to pre-select a cabin temperature and monitor and control other car information from your smartphone.
The new A4 is loaded with Driver Assistance systems including Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop+Go function, which makes it the first car in the segment to offer a part autonomous drive where the car will steer, accelerate and brake while in a line of traffic. Predictive Efficiency Assistant, as seen in the new Audi Q7, monitors your chosen route and alters it according to traffic and environmental factors to help drivers save up to 10 percent in fuel.
Prices are yet to be announced, but first deliveries of the car are expected towards the end of 2015.
