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Audi A4 Sport Ultra Review
Auto Reviews
★★★★★
Quick Facts
Model spec: Audi A4 Sport Ultra Price: £36,195.00 Engine: 2.0-L TDi, 4-cylinder, turbo diesel
BHP / Torque: 148 / 320 Max Speed: 130 CO2: 104g/km 0-62mph: 8.9 seconds
Economy/Range: 58mpg combined Tax: £21/year
So you have moved on from the Junior Executive role, moved out of the open plan office space and have been given your own personal office with an opening and closing door. But this office space has four wheels and your mission is to nail those corporate sales target for you multi-national bluechip/chocolate chip firm. You are now a corporate executive and your status requires, no it demands a youth driven outlook reflecting your go getting, can do, work long hours, party hard image. And Mr Corporate executive if you have any taste or indeed a minuscule amount of sense then you should opt for the Audi A4 Saloon. Here’s why, Audi introduced the all new fifth generation A4 during the 4th quarter of 2015 and being Audi the changes were evolutionary. This is evolution on a barely noticeable level. You wont notice the new A4 is ever so slightly bigger than the previous generation. Although these changes appear to be small the increase in size has actually given the A4 much better proportions. The A4 exterior follows Audi’s tradition of Bauhaus design influence which is a minimalist yet eye catching, less is more approach. The A4’s exterior has clean sharp lines intersected by even clearer sharper lines. The result? The A4 has never looked better. And the interior is typically Audi, some say subdued we say again referencing eye catching minimalism. You can see clearly the attention to design and detail and everything feels solidly put together. Audi wants you, Mr corporate executive, to feel valued. The A4 saloon is equally available in minimalist trim levels SE, Sport and S-Line. There is a fourth, however the V6, 354bhp S4 performance variant is more or less a stand alone model there are also low emissions Ultra branded sub-variants for the diesel models. The corporate executive will be budget limited but nevertheless has a lot of choice to make do with from a range of petrol and diesel engines. Petrol engines include the 150bhp 1.4-litre TFSi and the 2.0-litre TFSi which is available in two power variants, 190bhp and 252bhp respectively. If you prefer six-cylinders then Audi have the V6 TDi  Quattro which is available in two states of power 218bhp and 272bhp respectively it’s also the only model available with either a dual clutch or conventional 6 speed auto transmission. All models, with the exception of the 1.4-litre petrol, have Quattro AWD available as options although Quattro is standard on the 3.0-litre TDi V6. The corporate executive will however prefer the range diesel of engines, and it’s a familiar line up. The 2.0-litre TDI is available in 150bhp or 190bhp variants which can be paired with a OK-ish six speed manual or a precise and snappy shifting 7 speed DSG automatic gearbox. Standard equipment across the range includes 17-inch alloy wheels, Audi parking system plus, Audi Smartphone Interface, xenon headlights, LED Daytime Running Lights, air-con, Bluetooth, cruise control and Keyless start. Of course the higher you go up the trim level the more kit you get. The car on test was dressed up in Sport Ultra trim. So you get a comfort dynamic suspension, standard 17-inch alloys a choice of two standard solid paint finishes or if you have slightly deeper pockets a choice of 12 metallic paint finishes. Having a test car on loan means the UK Audi press office can afford to go on a optional-extra overdose. In standard Sport Ultra trim the Audi came in at £29k. However the Driver assistance Pack, Technology Pack and Vision Pack, not to mention the Alcantara/Leather interior and metallic paint job bumped the price up to £36k. Behind the wheel the A4 feels very accomplished if undramatic-dramatic. And that’s a good thing. The low speed ride has been judged to be to hard by other reviews. Yes it is and that makes it really good fun at low speed manoeuvring thanks to a well sorted electric steering system. But the suspension is also well damped and sprung so the low speed ride doesn’t feel in any way uncomfortable or intrusive to the overall driving experience. However don’t expect the A4 in this Sport Ultra trim to be raucous ride through a series of A-road bends. At higher speed the A4 tends to roll a little into corners but it offer plenty of grip even in standard front-wheel-drive trim if erring on the side of understeer. Understeer is more pronounced when cornering in the wet, a standard Audi trait that has existed for years. The 2.0-litre TDi engine in 150PS, 320Nm guise not only offers a decent amount of power and pace it’s also efficient returning 58mpg on a combined cycle if driven in passive aggressive style. The corporate executive will like the low 104 CO2 emissions because this ”Ultra” spec engine is EU6 compliant… we hope. The diesel engine is fairly muted at idle and on the move is barely noticeable when in cruise mode but if you are a corporate executive who likes to max it out at the green lights then like any 2.0-litre diesel on the market it can get slightly harsh the higher up the rev band you go. While the A4 looks compact from the outside it doesn’t feel compact from the drivers or front passenger’s point of view. The rear passenger space does reveal the compact nature of the car but it’s still accommodating enough for the average sized person. Boot space is better than you would expect, best in class better with 500-litres on offer and you can fold the rear seats flat to open up 1,510-litres of more space. Neither the Mercedes C Class or BMW 3 Series rivals offer rear folding seats for their saloon variants. So all in all the latest generation A4 saloon does everything quietly well with a reassuring confidence. It may not be a devil to drive in this trim level but as a comfortable corporate executive cruiser it is just that… comfortable. Comfortable to sit in, comfortable to drive. Comforting. But it is offered at the premium end of the market and therefore you will be expected to pay for a premium not only for the brand but for what is an accomplished all rounder.  audi-a4-sport-ultra-review-a
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