The Detroit News's view

Alison Burns, a 16-year-old from College Park, Georgia, has one tough father. She can pick her own college – Bowdoin in Maine is high on her list – and he trusts her choice of friends. But when it came to selecting her first vehicle, Dad was a dictator.

“I demanded that Audi be her first car,” said Rick Burns, 54, a retired Coca-Cola executive and former race-car driver who bought his daughter a used 1996 A4 sedan. “It’s very safe. It’s very forgiving.”

In the end, it was OK with Alison because she got a red one.

It seems there has always been a solid cadre of buyers like Burns who swear by the entry-level German-built A4 and rhapsodize about its practicality, especially with the optional four-wheel-drive quattro system. But as Audi unveils its all-new 2002 A4 sedan, it’s clear the goal is to convince buyers to think of this Audi as far more than a solid offering for a rookie driver.

Audi hopes the new A4 – it’s been on sale in Europe for more than a year – will help propel the brand higher up the ranks of luxury marques. Executives insist that the Audi brand is positioned to become a legitimate competitor to the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar.

We’ll buy that argument, especially if you decide to shell out $33,140 for the top-of-the-line A4 equipped with quattro and the new all-aluminum 3.0-liter V-6 that makes 220 horsepower and replaces the less powerful 2.8-liter engine. For the more practical-minded A4 buyer, the base car, equipped with a five-speed manual and a turbocharged 170-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, starts at $24,900.

The A4 can be ordered in several different trim levels. A sizable list of deluxe options includes new $350 rear side air bags, $1,320 leather seats, $500 xenon headlights and a $650 Bose premium sound system. The A4 is on sale now.

It’s no coincidence that Audi executives picked this part of the country to debut the A4. When Jackie Kennedy tired of the White House limelight, she’d often escape – like other rich folks – to the rolling hill country near here to ride horses. The location helps to telegraph the message.

“This is not a cheap entry to Audi,” said Walter Hanek, Audi of America marketing director. “This is a full luxury vehicle.”

He adds: “Most people drive in a perpetual state of autopilot.” You get in a car, you don’t think about anything. With the A4, your awareness is heightened, your senses sharpened.”

“Audi describes A4 buyers as “self-directed high achievers.” It has targeted two different audiences for the base and up-level A4. Buyers of the 3.0-liter A4 will be 60 percent male, with a median age of 42 and household incomes of $100,000. The base A4 is aimed at a younger crowd in their mid-thirties, with incomes of $80,000 a year.

We kept a careful inventory of our senses as we tested a quattro version of the 3.0-liter A4 with a six-speed manual transmission and a base price of $32,090. Audi executives say t he six-speed helps improve fuel economy a bit and is just plain fun. It seemed like overkill, though, and rather useless in daily commuting. But it did heighten our senses – guilt in particular because we weren’t sure when we should throw it into sixth. Besides, what’s wrong with autopilot?

Later, we checked out an A4 with the new continuously variable transmission called Multitronic for the front-wheel-drive A4. This is a more sensible transmission that helps eliminate jolting shift changes regardless of the load you are carrying and also improves fuel economy. Multitronic makes more sense for buyers below the Snow Belt, where Quattro four-wheel-drive is unnecessary.

A quick cabin check shows that Audi made changes that should please the American buying public, except, perhaps, for the new form-fitting front seats. Thank goodness the seat cushion is larger.

The A4’s wheelbase has been stretched to make more interior room, although the A4 is still rather smallish the rear headroom may be a sticking point for taller adults. The trunk isn’t particularly roomy either, but it does have the biggest cargo net we’ve seen, stretching almost to the four corners.

Instead of the old trunk-mounted CD changer, there’s a standard in-dash six-disc CD changer. The old A4 had a single cupholder for front passengers. Now there are three for the front seat, including two in the console. Dual-zone climate control is new and the radio and climate controls have been simplified, the better to suit buyers who prefer not to read the owner’s manual.

Standard safety features – even on the base model – include six air bags, including two side air bags and side curtain air bags that cover the entire area of the side windows. Every A4 also comes with traction control and a skid control system. There’s also a new anti-lock brake system with a brake-assist feature that detects the need for increased braking pressure in emergency situations. The OnStar push-button communications system will be available in January.

The A4’s exterior redesign aims for a clean, uncluttered look. Key cues include exposed dual exhausts, high side panels, fender flares and an angular rear end. Thanks to a wider track, the new A4 looks substantial without being bulky.

The new Audi is easy to handle and park, but the ride was a bit bouncier than we’d expect from a sedan. But then again, this is a German sport sedan.

A bit of bad news for entry-level buyers. Len Hunt, Audi of America’s general manager, says there will be no incentive programs or zero percent financing on A4s or any Audis. This even though the company’s business dropped 18-20 percent in September, following the terrorist attacks.

“We follow BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar,” Hunt said, describing those high-brow players as “a luxury set in its own world.”