2013 Audi A4 review

The new 2013 Audi A4, A4 Avant & A4 allroad quattro luxury sedan

The Audi A4 is a winner in the mid-size class. In fall 2011, the ten-millionth unit rolled off the assembly line since its predecessor model series, the Audi 80, was launched. The most recent appearance and technical updates have made the best-seller more attractive than ever.

2013 Audi A4 allroad quattro photo

Body and interior
The Audi A4 is a spacious automobile. Its body, comprising mostly high-strength and ultra high-strength steels, is rigid, lightweight and safe. The trunk has a capacity of 480 liters (16.95 cu ft). Capacity with the rear seat backs folded down (a standard feature in the quattro versions) is 962 liters (33.97 cu ft). The optional xenon plus headlights with included LED daytime running lights can be combined with adaptive light, which illuminates the road differently depending on the situation at hand.

2013 Audi A4 photo

The interior offers all of the classic strengths of the brand, with uncompromising fit and finish, even better coordinated colors and materials, and logical, intuitive controls. Audi offers the luxurious climate-controlled comfort seats as an option for the driver and front-seat passenger. Small fans provide six-speed ventilation to the seat cushion and back.

2013 Audi A4 allroad quattro photo

Drivetrain
The revamped engine lineup of the A4 is particularly broad, featuring 13 forced-induction powerplants with direct fuel injection. The update has reduced fuel consumption levels by 11 percent on average, despite the increased power and torque of many of the engines. The top engine is the supercharged 3.0 TFSI with 200 kW (120 hp).

Among the gasoline engines, the 1.8 TFSI with 125 kW (170 hp) is particularly noteworthy for its groundbreaking efficiency, consuming on average just 5.7 liters per 100 km (41.27 US mpg).

2013 Audi A4 photo

The newly developed four-cylinder unit features major innovations in a number of areas: the control of the valves and their lift, the thermal management concept, the injection system, the turbocharger and the integration of the exhaust manifold into the cylinder head.

The most efficient model in the A4 lineup is the 2.0 TDI with 100 kW (136 hp). The four-cylinder diesel produces 320 Nm (236.02 lb-ft) of torque yet consumes just 4.2 liters of fuel per 100 km (56.00 US mpg) on average, a CO2 equivalent of just 112 grams per km (180.25 g/mile). Two other particularly environment-friendly engines join it in the A4 lineup. A sophisticated exhaust treatment system in the A4 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro reduces NOx in the exhaust to the level of the future Euro 6 standard. The A4 2.0 TFSI flexible fuel is also designed for operation on bioethanol E 85.

2013 Audi A4 allroad quattro photo

The engines:

1.8 TFSI with 88 kW (120 hp)
1.8 TFSI with 125 kW (170 hp)
2.0 TFSI flexible fuel and 2.0 TFSI flexible fuel quattro with 132 kW (180 hp)
2.0 TFSI and 2.0 TFSI quattro with 155 kW (211 hp)
3.0 TFSI quattro with 200 kW (272 hp)
2.0 TDI with 88 kW (120 hp)
2.0 TDI with 100 kW (136 hp)
2.0 TDI and 2.0 TDI quattro with 105 kW (143 hp)
2.0 TDI with 120 kW (163 hp)
2.0 TDI and 2.0 TDI quattro with 130 kW (177 hp)
3.0 TDI with 150 kW (204 hp)
3.0 TDI quattro with 180 kW (245 hp)
3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro with 180 kW (245 hp)

Three different transmission technologies are available for the A4: a six-speed manual with shift indicator, the continuously variable multitronic and the seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic. quattro permanent all-wheel drive with torque vectoring is available beginning with the 2.0 TDI with 105 kW (143 hp) and is standard with the most powerful TFSI and TDI units.

2013 Audi A4 allroad quattro photo

In the two top models, it can be combined with the sport differential, which actively distributes the propulsive power between the rear wheels.

Chassis
Largely made of aluminum, the chassis of the A4 has been further refined. The front suspension is a five-link construction; with a trapezoidal-link suspension at the rear. The new electromechanical power steering is sensitive and highly efficient. Audi also offers the optional Audi drive select control system with efficiency mode.

Audi drive select can be extended with other technologies, namely the sport differential, adaptive damper control and dynamic steering. The latter’s superposition gear can vary the steering ratio by nearly 100 percent. ESP with electronic limited slip differential is standard in all front-wheel drive versions of the A4. By briefly pulsing the brakes at the front inside wheel, it makes handling more neutral and ensures solid grip when exiting the curve.

2013 Audi A4 allroad quattro photo

Assistance and communications systems
A wide range of assistance systems are offered for the A4 model series. The radar-based adaptive cruise control (ACC) maintains the proper interval between the car and the vehicle ahead at all times. At speeds below 30 km/h (18.64 mph), it initiates maximum braking in the event of an impending collision.

Audi active lane assist helps the driver to maintain the lane, and Audi side assist monitors the area behind the A4 to make lane changes safer. The driver information system with rest recommendation is standard.

2013 Audi A4 photo

Audi also offers a wide selection of communication and infotainment features. Besides the sound system from the Danish hi-fi specialists Bang & Olufsen, the versatile top-level MMI navigation plus system is particularly noteworthy here. It can be combined with the Bluetooth online car phone, which connects the A4 to the Internet and brings the tailored Audi connect services on board.

The Audi A4 Avant
The Audi A4 Avant offers all the strengths of the model family combined with the most beautiful station wagon design in its class and outstanding practicality in everyday and recreational use. Its luggage compartment holds between 490 and 1,430 liters (17.30 and 50.50 cu ft).

The cargo area cover slides upward with a gentle push. Roof rails and a reversible cargo floor are standard; a load-through hatch with a ski and snowboard sack is available as an option. Audi also offers an electromechanical power rear hatch, a reversible mat and the cargo area package with rails, telescoping rod and lashing strap as options.

2013 Audi A4 allroad quattro photo

The Audi A4 Avant has received the same extensive exterior, interior and technology updates as the sedan and is available with the same engine-transmission pairings. Among the lineup’s highlights are the new, highly efficient 1.8 TFSI with 125 kW (170 hp), the powerful 3.0 TFSI, the multitronic, the S tronic, quattro all-wheel drive for models with the more powerful engines and the sport differential for V6 quattro models.

The engines:

1.8 TFSI with 88 kW (120 hp)
1.8 TFSI with 125 kW (170 hp)
2.0 TFSI flexible fuel and 2.0 TFSI flexible fuel quattro with 132 kW (180 hp)
2.0 TFSI and 2.0 TFSI quattro with 155 kW (211 hp)
3.0 TFSI quattro with 200 kW (272 hp)
2.0 TDI with 88 kW (120 hp)
2.0 TDI with 100 kW (136 hp)
2.0 TDI and 2.0 TDI quattro with 105 kW (143 hp)
2.0 TDI with 120 kW (163 hp)
2.0 TDI and 2.0 TDI quattro with 130 kW (177 hp)
3.0 TDI with 150 kW (204 hp)
3.0 TDI quattro with 180 kW (245 hp)
3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro with 180 kW (245 hp)

There are also virtually no differences between the A4 Avant and the sedan when it comes to equipment and trim. The driver assistance systems, infotainment and Audi connect put the Avant at the head of the field. The same applies to the sportily balanced aluminum chassis, which can be combined with the optional dynamic steering and damper control. The new electromechanical power steering system is also used in the Avant.

The Audi A4 allroad quattro
With its permanent all-wheel drive, the A4 allroad quattro is equally at home on road and off. It is somewhat larger, particularly in height, than the A4 Avant on which it is based. It offers 180 millimeters (7.09 in) of ground clearance, and distinctive design details underscore its strong character. Here, too, the trunk holds from 490 to 1,430 liters (17.30 to 50.50 cu ft) of luggage. Optional features include a load-securing set and an electromechanical rear hatch.

The A4 allroad includes all of the same exterior, interior and under-the-skin improvements as the sedan and the Avant. Its range of equipment is exactly as functional as with the other A4 models. One special function is offroad detection (ORD), which detects the condition of the driving surface and adapts the control characteristic of the ESP stabilization program accordingly. The ESP improves propulsion when accelerating on loose surfaces by tolerating more slip.

2013 Audi A4 allroad quattro photo

The drivetrain lineup is much more streamlined than that of the sister models. quattro permanent all-wheel drive with torque vectoring is standard, with either the six-speed manual or the seven-speed S tronic delivering the power to the wheels.

The engines:

2.0 TFSI quattro with 155 kW (211 hp)
2.0 TDI quattro with 105 kW (143 hp), somewhat later
2.0 TDI quattro with 130 kW (177 hp)
3.0 TDI quattro with 180 kW (245 hp)