2009 Audi A4 2.0T sedan...excellent upgrade.

My last three family sedans have all been Audis.  I had a 2003 Audi A6 sedan with the 2.7 liter turbo motor, a 2006 A4 2.0 liter turbo "Avant" wagon, and I just got my new 2009 Audi A4 2.0T turbo sedan.  All were purchased with Audi's superb "Quattro" all wheel drive system, as well as the "Tiptronic" automatic transmission.

Audis do not enjoy a high reliability rating in consumer magazines.  My personal experience has been quite the oppposite though.  My 2003 A6 had to have a leaking headlight washer replaced, and my 2006 A4 went in for a chime that indicated there was a short in the Bluetooth microphone in the steering wheel.  That is my entire repair history for 6 years of Audi ownership.  I'll be very happy if the new 2009 can provide similar service.

My 2006 A4 was a great little car, with a finely executed interior and superb fit and finish both inside and out.  That workhorse 2.0T motor, unfortunately, never sounded like it belonged in the car.  It performed well, but always sounded coarse and raspy.  It also would, on occasion, exhibit turbo lag, especially disconcerting when trying to quickly accelerate from a stop sign.  Although it provided ample power and above average fuel mileage, I was tempted to order the 3.2 liter six cylinder engine just to get away from 2.0 liter's racket.  As it turned out, that wasn't necessary.

I was fortunate enough to take part in an Audi Driving Experience held in August, 2008.  Held at the Loudon, New Hampshire International Speedway, I had a chance to take five high speed laps in a new 2009 A4 set up with the 3.2 motor.  I also ran several laps through a slalom, comparing the new Audi to comparable AWD offerings by Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, and Infiniti.  I left that day convinced I would own a 2009 3.2 A4.

It wasn't until September that I was able to actually test drive a new 2009 A4 with the 2.0T motor.  That test drive was a surprise ... the 2.0 didn't feel much different than the 3.2.  In fact, at lower speeds it felt quicker.  This new 2.0T sounded and felt nothing like the one in my 2006.  It was smooth, showed not even a hint of turbo lag, and sounded very much like the 3.2 which charmed me on the Speedway.  I went ahead and ordered a 2009 A4 with the 2.0T that same day.

The new 2009 A4 is bigger and more powerful than its very worthy predecessor.  It's now over 185 inches in length...about 6 inches longer.  It's also about an inch wider, although the weight hasn't really changed.  This allows for a much larger trunk on the sedan, as well as a bit more rear legroom.  The trunk is so big now, that I no longer felt I needed the wagon, so I went with the sedan this time around.  The new motor boasts 11 more horsepower, and the torque has been kicked up to 258 pound feet.  That's more torque than even the 3.2 motor!  For 2009, all A4's now come with 17" wheels/tires, leather power seats, Sirius radio, a CD player, automatic A/C, an audio input jack, MMI (Multi Media Interface) with a large color screen, and an electromechanical parking brake that does away with the traditional hand brake.  The Quattro system has been revised for 2009, and now provides a 40/60 rear torque bias to improve handling feel.

I now have the first 500 miles under my belt and have some distinct impressions of Audi's new A4.  First, this car is smooth and feels very tight and solid.  Inside, there is a total absence of wind noise, and road noise is muted.  The engine now hums; no more chatter from under the hood.  I have never felt even the slightest trace of turbo lag, in fact it's impossible to know there's even a turbocharged engine under there.  Steering is light and quick at lower speeds, but stiffens up as the speed increases.  Road feel is somewhat better than in the 2006 A4.  The ride is firm, but not harsh.  Body roll through hard corners is minimal; dive during hard braking is also well controlled.

The seats are a slight improvement, with very good thigh support and a bit better lateral support, but lateral support is still marginal.  The position of the seat controls have been changed around, but are still very intuitive.  Lumbar support is adjustable and effective, but the passenger seat lumbar support has ben eliminated...too bad.  Rear seat legroom has improved by just over an inch.  It's reasonably comfortable back there as long as the front seats aren't back too far.  The steering wheel adjustment lever has been moved from under the front of the wheel column to the bottom rear of the steering column.  This is much more difficult to find and use than the old location.  The wheel itself now has had Bluetooth controls added to it. 

The gauge cluster is very easy to read, except for the analog speedometer.  For some reason Audi decided to put in a 180mph speedometer.  That means that, in order to fit, the gradations had to be very coarse.  The 60mph marker comes up about 3/8 of the way up the scale.  Luckily, you can activate a digital readout which shows up right in front of you.  It's best to think of the analog speedometer as a backup in case the digital display ever fails.

The MMI is surprisingly easy and logical to use.  You have a dial with an "enter" button, and four selector buttons that surround it.  All functions, whether it be the heated seats, the central door locking, or the audio controls, are accessed or displayed through the MMI.  The manual does a fair job of walking you through all of it, but sitting in your driveway while playing with all this stuff is the only way you'll ever become comfortable with it.  You can also access your audio controls through the steering wheel by using the "mode" button and the scrolling wheel.  It took me about a day to figure it all out.

Bluetooth is very easy to set up.  The car really doesn't do anything since it will link to any phone that has been activated.  All I had to do was tell my phone to search for a Bluetooth link, which it found quickly.  My two year old Samsung cell phone is not on Audi's supported list of phones.  It still linked perfectly and will function fine with voice commands, but the car was not able to download the phonebook.  The Bluetooth button is on the steering wheel and the voice commands are simple to use.

The transmission on the 2009 is very sharp and shifts more logically than the one on my 2006.  On the 2006, the car always wanted to be in sixth gear.  Even going up hills, the car just wouldn't downshift unless you really tried to accelerate hard.  On the 2009, the appropriate gear is almost always chosen.  Uphill runs that were done in sixth gear previously, are now handled in forth or fifth gear with no driver intervention.  The shifts are smooth and positive with no "jerkiness" at all.  Cruise control, perhaps because of the better shift algorhythms, stays right on the set speed.  On the 2006, cruise would vary by as much as 3mph going up hills.  The "Tiptronic" transmission allows you to select the gears manually, if that's what you prefer.  I find this feature useful when going down long hills or in heavy snow or ice, but otherwise never use it.

Fuel mileage is actually better with the new motor.  A bigger car, more torque and horsepower, AND better fuel economy?  It doesn't make sense, but it's true.  Even though this new car can scoot from 0 to 60 in under 7 seconds, it's still rated for 21 city and 27 highway.  Those estimates, based on my initial experience, seem very conservative.  Driving locally, with a mix of hills, some long straight stretches, and some driving through small towns, has netted me anywhere from 27 to 30mpg.  I have still not had the opportunity to take his car on a trip over highways, but I would be very surprised if it didn't consistently return over 30mpg.

Since I often drive on rural, unlit  roads, headlight performance is a big issue with me.  My car is equipped with the Xenon light package, an option worth every penny of its cost.  The low beams are bright and have the option of engaging fog lights for better side to side illumination.  There is also a rear fog light option, which intensifies the brightness of the rear lights.  The high beams have a sharp pattern and illuminate road markers extremely well even at great distances.  These are exceptional lights.  The daytime driving lights consist of a row of LED lights just below the headlights.  They are very distinctive and incredibly eye catching.

This week I'll be putting on a set of new Dunlop Winter Sport 3D snow tires.  After all, it's still my winter car and has to be capable of getting through the worst snow storms that northern New Hampshire can throw at me.  I expect it will do just fine.

So far, this car has surpassed my expectations.  A luxurious and well thought out interior, a sporty looking exterior, above average handling and performance, and superb economy, all add up to another winner for Audi.  I'll provide updates as I put on more miles, but it certainly looks like Audi has been listening, and effectively addressed the few weak points of the previous generation of A4's.  It's like driving a downsized A6, just sportier and more economical.  You owe it to yourself to test drive one of these little gems.

NOTE:  I forgot one small detail.  The new A4 no longer uses a traditonal key.  You get a fob which is just placed into a slot on the dashboard.  If you push it in while your foot is on the brake, the car will start.  If you push it in without engaging the brake, the car will go into accessory mode.  To remove the fob, you push it in, at which point it will pop out halfway.  You can then just pull it out.  An emergency key is built into the base of the fob, so you can get into the car if the fob battery fails.  In the more expensive "Prestige" line, the ignition is keyless and the car can be started with just a push of a button...with the fob in your pocket.  The fobs still retains the standard lock/unlock/trunk/panic functions.