Name: 2017 Audi A4 | CarGurus Test Drive Review
Uploaded: 2016-09-22T07:18:46.000Z
Duration: 11 min 9 s
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Hi, I'm Chris Wardlaw for CarGurus, and this is the redesigned 2017 Audi A4.

No, no, I'm serious, look a little closer.

Now can you tell that it's been redesigned? The reality is that this new

A4 is longer and wider than the car it replaces, and it's equipped with a more

angular face, sharper creases, different wheels, and the roofline's been pulled

back a little bit to improve interior room. Plus, the coefficient of drag drops to

0.27, which proves that aerodynamic cars don't necessarily need to be ugly cars.

Now granted, this is a conservative design, but don't let the familiar look

Under that aluminum bodywork lives what could be the best car in the entry-level

If you're curious about what car company makes the

I've got the answer for you—it's Audi. This smooth,

rev-happy, 2-liter motor makes 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque.

And while that doesn't make it the most powerful turbo four in the segment, it is

That's because aside from uncanny levels of refinement,

this engine is almost continuously making either its peak torque or its

peak horsepower, from 1,600 rpm to 6,000 rpm. You want to know what that

Imagine putting yourself into a 4-wheeled slingshot, and you'll have a

really good idea of what it's like to drive the new A4 when it's equipped with

its optional torque-sensing, Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Now Audi says that

85% of the engine's power will flow to the A4's rear wheels,

depending on driving conditions, when you accelerate. And that occurs especially

when you're whipping around a corner. And you can feel how planted the rear end of

the car is. Now if you're thinking you need more power than the 2-liter turbo

consider this: My test car accelerates to 60 miles an hour in as little as

5.7 seconds, and that's according to Audi.

Now to me, it feels that fast, and I think that's plenty quick for most people, most

Audi also says that the new A4 Quattro is going to get 27 miles per gallon in

I only got 23.1 miles per gallon, but to be fair to the car, I drove it much

harder and faster than the EPA ever would.

And that's because the A4's acceleration characteristics are utterly

This car feels like it's never going to give up. It freely revs toward the redline,

and the 7-speed dual-clutch automated manual gearbox crisply chooses

the next cog. And before you know it you're going far faster than you ever

Better yet, there are paddle shifters right here on the steering wheel, and

they provide manual control over the gearbox.

Plus, the transmission has a Sport driving mode that is very effective.

The A4 also comes with something called a Drive Select system, which allows the

driver to tailor the engine's response, the transmission shifting,

and the steering to three different settings—Comfort,

Auto, and Dynamic. There's also an Individual setting that allows the

driver to go ahead and calibrate those systems to their own personal recipe.

Now as a result of all this programmatic goodness, the A4 can drive like a docile

grocery getter one minute and a spectacular sports sedan the next.

No matter the driving situation, you're going to need to be very careful about

Seriously, you look down at the speedometer and you'll think: "Oh my God,

I had no idea I was going that fast!" Now,

the car also is collaborating to put points on your license, because the

steering, the braking, and the suspension tuning are absolutely perfect.

And when you're really driving this car hard,

the A4 is behaving like a guided missile, and that allows the driver to be able to

concentrate solely on the road ahead and maximizing the car's velocity. And the

reason for that is because the transmission does such a fantastic job

of choosing gears on its own, and an even better job when the

driver's using the shift paddles. It's because it's unnecessary to feed the car

little minor steering corrections when you're really ripping down a back road.

It's because bumps and dips in the pavement don't throw this optional

adaptive damping suspension off its game.

It's because the A4 takes a set in a corner and delivers a level of grip and

control that you can count on every single time. And it's because the brakes,

even on a hot testing day with summer temperatures near 90 degrees, never

I mean, this is an utterly brilliant automobile.

It's soft, compliant, and soothing when you need it to be, hard-charging and

surgically skilled at straightening a twisty road when you want it to be,

it's ready for rain or snow when it's rolling on its standard all-season tires,

and it's absolutely effortless to drive, with a single, glaring exception.

Somebody at Audi emitted a major brain fart with this stupid electronic transmission shifter.

I've put this car in Reverse thinking I was selecting Park. Hell,

I did it just this morning pulling into the gas station. Now one of those times,

I was about to open the door and noticed that the car was starting to idle

Another time, I was hurriedly coming to a halt in a shopping-center parking lot to

get out and help my kid buckle her rear seat belt.

And when I returned to the driver's seat, my wife said: "You put the car in Reverse

I can only assume that the A4 sensed that I had exited the car and then

Now, I've had this trouble with an Audi before when driving the redesigned Q7.

I would eventually get used to this. But it's still dumb, and I certainly hope

that nobody gets hurt because of this design.

Now my A4 test car's got almost every option, and it's got a lofty price just

north of $54,000 to match. But in most respects, the design of

the interior, the quality of the materials, and the long list of

technological upgrades totally justifies the price. Now by the looks of the

dashboard, you might never guess at the depth and breadth of the technology