Video: 2009 Audi A4

Here we're gonna take you on a drive. Now the A4 comes with a two-liter, 211 horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder or a 3.2-liter V6 with 265 horsepower. Our test car is a European version, but it's pretty much the same mechanically as you'll find in the U.S this fall. It's got the V6. It's got quattro all-wheel drive, and a six-speed automatic. The four-cylinder comes with an automatic or a manual. So if you like to shift your own gears, that's what you're gonna be stuck with. The V6 has enough power starting out. You don't get that real sense of immediate thrust that you do in a BMW 335 or an Infiniti G35. It doesn't have quite the low end torque, but it does have is a nice, smooth, progressive buildup of power. You're doing fine by about 3,000 RPMs, and by 4,000 RPMs, the engine's really singing and sounded great. Audi has a new feature this year called Audi Drive Select in the A4. It allows you to vary suspension, chassis, transmission, steering settings. For a few different settings, you can go from Comfort all the way over to Dynamic. In Comfort, the A4 is a pretty comfortable car. You go over bumps, and your suspension just kind of sorts them out fine. There's a little bit of body roll in the corners. The steering isn't quite as precise. Otherwise, you get over to Dynamic, and suddenly you've got a much more entertaining car to drive. The transmission shifts much quicker. It holds gears all the way up to about 4,000 RPM in normal driving all the way to red line if you're really putting the pedal to the metal. The suspension gets a little bit choppier, but really it's not that bad. So let's talk about steering. One thing you'll notice is that the steering in the A4 is definitely a lot lighter than the steering in the 3 Series or a 335, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's less precise. If you dial it all the way over to the Dynamic setting, it's actually pretty precise. You turn the wheel and the car rotates right away on its axis. One thing I'm not crazy about is how the chassis sort of sorts out understeer and oversteer. The car does feel a little bit nose heavy, more so than the BMW or the Infiniti. Probably not as nose-heavy as, say, an Acura TSX, but there will be a little bit more understeer as you're going into the corners. You won't find the car quite as neutral, quite as balanced as some of those competitors. At higher speeds, the suspension can get a little bit loud when it's over to its most sporty setting, but overall, road and wind noise are pretty well-mannered. If you do a lot of interstate driving, you'll wanna think about the lane change warning system. It works like most of them do. It's got this sort of a light over here that lights up when there's somebody creeping into your blind spot. That's pretty widespread now in high-end cars. The brakes are solid. ABS doesn't kick in too early. You got four-wheel discs. The pedal feels progressive. It doesn't have that sort of grabbiness that you get in some other sports sedans. You're probably wondering about gas mileage. The V6 gets in the very low 20s. That's pretty typical of this segment. With the four-cylinder, you can get all the way up to 30 miles per gallon highway. That's actually really good for this segment. So while the new A4 may not be as engaging at the absolute limits as some of its peers, it should be plenty of fun for most drivers. Where Audi has the competition beat is in everyday livability. This car is much easier to drive than a lot of other cars in this class. And so if you're in the mood for a sports sedan, you definitely ought to check it out. <v Announcer>For additional information on this car or any other, go to Cars.com and our blog, Kicking Tires.