When someone says the word Audi, the first car that probably comes to mind is the A4. With a successful run in India for the last few years, Audi has now launched the brand new 2016 Audi A4 in India to give both the brand and the model a much needed boost. The new Audi A4 is bigger and more comfortable than the outgoing model which offering a lot more technology and performance. But, Audi hasn't don't the obvious thing and launched the popular diesel in India yet. Instead, the first engine we get instead is the 1.4-litre TFSI instead. We drove the car in Bhubaneshwar and here is our first impression of the car.
(Next Generation Audi A4 Design)Why has Audi launched the petrol? Well it is simple, with the diesel ban shaking up the luxury car customer across the country, the last few months have seen a sudden and long awaited resurgence in petrol powered luxury cars in the country. The global trend of smaller turbo engines too has eventually caught up with the Indian market and Audi is the first one to capitalise on this with the new 1.4-litre TFSI. The new engine makes 148bhp of peak output and 250Nm of peak power. Now, this might not be a lot on paper, but considering the fact that your average Audi A4 customer is chauffeured around most of the time, it does make sense.
The new Audi A4 is also a lot smarter and gets a lot more tech than ever before. Our favourite is the smart dashboard which completely gets rid of the conventional dials. We also like the new centre console that gives the A4 a fresher look as compared to earlier. Of course, just like the more expensive Audis, the A4 also is very high when it comes to overall plastic quality. As we mentioned earlier, the new Audi A4 is larger than before which means more leg space for rear passengers. In fact, the rear seat is a lot more comfortable than it has been in earlier generations.
The new Audi A4 currently will go up against the Mercedes-Benz C-Class , BMW 3 Series and the Volvo S60 all of which are more powerful than the 1.4-litre Audi A4. That said, the smaller engine will mean better fuel economy and at 17.84kmpl, the A4 is certainly much more efficient than the rest. That said, there might be a more powerful 1.8-litre engine in the A4 too along with the top of the line S4 which will feature a twin turbo V6.
Audi A4 variants:
Audi A4 Premium Plus: Rs. 38.1 lakh
Audi A4 Technology: Rs. 41.2 lakh
All prices are Ex-showroom, Delhi
