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What’s not to love about a car that provides you with handschoenen voor eenmalig gebruick?

And for gratis, not as an extra-cost option.

In case you’ve forgotten your high-school Dutch or are of an age when tracing the plight of that chap named Caesar in Latin was de rigueur, handschoenen voor eenmalig gebruick means you get a pair of disposable gloves with your 2002 Audi A4.

That’s just one of the nice extras that come with the new generation A4, the vehicle of choice for those who dare drink from the tap rather than join the Bimmer crowd in sipping from a designer water bottle.

In 1995, Audi brought out the first A, the compact 4, then filled out the lineup with a midsize 6 and a full-size 8.

Before the 4, Audi was in the dumper. It had spent years fighting charges of unintended acceleration, in which anyone who hit the gas pedal rather than the brake and so drove through the garage without opening the door, charged it was Audi’s fault.

The compact A4 was designed to erase such memories and secure a future for Audi in this country. It did as asked, as did every other A that followed. With the switch to the A lineup, Audi won back credibility, respectability and an image for producing cars with above-average performance.

For ’02, it’s time for an upgrade to the car that was savior, so Audi has brought out a longer (2.3 inches/to 179), wider (1.3 inches/to 69.5) and taller (half inch, to 56.2), and still powerful rendition that to some looks like a narrower, vertically challenged clone of the midsize A6.

Could have done worse than mimicking the A6. The newest A4 still looks like an Audi from up close or far away.

The A4 throws in a hint of the TT coupe for good measure. The design was by intent, Audi said, “to play on the strength of the A6.” Those who find fault with looking like an A6 can take comfort in knowing the A6, last redone in 1998, will be redesigned in a couple of years, which will make the similarities with the A4 moot.

What sets the A4 we tested apart from other performance wannabes is that this was a Quattro, which means it has permanent all-wheel-drive for all-season, all-reason motoring.

While some will pay homage to Quattro’s ability to get them started and keep them going in the snow, others will beam at what permanent all-wheel-drive means when you venture to that secluded patch of winding pavement, press the accelerator more than a little gently, and, for a few moments, do what you always told your kids never to do.

With a firm sports suspension, 17-inch, performance radials and Quattro, the A4 is in harmony with its environment. To help keep the A4 in place, ESP (electronic stabilization program) is standard, a stability-control system complemented by four-wheel anti-lock brakes with Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes full force in a panic situation to activate ABS.

The A4 we tested came with a 1.8-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder that develops 170 horsepower and delivers 166 foot-pounds of torque at only 1,950 r.p.m. to emphasize quick starts while delivering 21 m.p.g. city/29 m.p.g. highway. Or you can opt for a 3-liter, 220-h.p. V-6 that delivers 221 foot-pounds of torque at 3,200 r.p.m and replaces the old 2.8-liter V-6.

There’s just enough turbo lag with the 4 so you don’t reach the comfort level in terms of off-the-line performance until second gear.

A smooth 5-speed is standard, a 5-speed automatic an $1,150 option for those for whom a secluded stretch of pavement in the countryside is difficult to locate. If you opt for front-wheel-drive rather than Quattro, you get a continuously variable, or CVT, transmission with an unlimited number of gear ratios.

Nice touches include a first-aid kit in the rear-seat armrest complete with those handschoenen voor eenmalig gebruicks, a glove box in the dash big enough to hold boxing gloves, a handy pull-out coinholder tr n the dash, a large orange hazard light in the deck lid should you need it and a massive trunk.

Some drawbacks, however. A car meant for performance driving needs more side bolster support from the seats to limit body movement.

And those designated to ride in back may find ample space for heads and arms, but knees could use more room to roam. Front or back, there are cupholders everywhere, but they carry a warning printed in the plastic stating, “Not for hot liquids” which means leave your latte at home and bring the cola instead. Actually, Audi says the holders won’t melt, but considering an A4 Quattro owner may be adventuresome when driving, they don’t want any latte to spill in your lap.

Other gripes: a trunk-release button in the door panel is buried at the back of the door map holder and not easy to reach and easy to confuse with a pair of other buttons. One activates the security alarm from the outside so a pet left inside doesn’t touch off the alarm by mistake, another deactivates the alarm when the vehicle is towed.

Final complaint: the lever on the steering column to handle turn signals and lights is thisclose to another lever to activate cruise control. Reach for one, and you are certain to strike both.

Base price of the A4 tested is $26,650.

Standard equipment includes front- and side-impact air bags and side air-bag curtains, automatic dual-zone climate control with pollen filter and smog sensor, power windows, cruise control, power locks, storage trays under the driver/passenger seats, 60/40 split rear seat for added cargo room, headlight washers, AM/FM radio with in-dash CD changer and power and heated mirrors.

Two recommended options are the sports package for $1,000 with road-gripping though firm sports suspension and performance 17-inch radials, and a power tilt/slide sunroof at $1,000, for a taste of open-air motoring.

One drawback to the sports package is that those 17-inch radials are summer tires. If you live in the Snow Belt, you have the choice of putting the A4 on hiatus in winter or picking up four Dunlop winter tires recommended by Audi. With the sports package you get the 17-inch, performance summer tires. Without the sports package, you get 16-inch all-season radials for year-round use.

For the 2001 calendar year Audi will sell an estimated 82,000 cars in the U.S., up from a record 80,000 a year ago. The goal is 100,000 sales annually, but no timetable has been set.