It’s fair to say that the folks at Audi have found their styling muse. After we swooned over the shape of the new S5 coupe, Audi basically added two doors to the design and called it the A4. It’s less zoomy-looking than the coupe, but it’s still sexy—unmistakably Audi—and won’t be confused with any other Auto Union offerings. But unlike BMW’s wild leap off the styling reservation, the A4 doesn’t jump out visually as a significant departure from Audi’s evolutionary progression that started with the first A4. Way back in 1996, we liked that first A4 well enough to have awarded it 10Best Cars honors three years running.
Now in its third generation wearing the A4 moniker, the new version rides on the B8 platform that underpins the A5/S5 and the forthcoming Q5 sport-ute. Instead of switching to a rear-wheel-drive layout such as that which underpins most of its competitors, Audi sticks with front- or all-wheel drive in the A4, the former coming as an entry-level version next spring. In order to combat the inherent handling handicap that is inescapable in this front-heavy drivetrain layout, the A4’s wheelbase has been stretched six and a half inches, to 110.6. That, combined with a reduced front overhang, means the weight distribution moves astern—55.5 percent of the new A4’s 3860 pounds are over the front wheels, which is about three percentage points less than the case of the last V-6 Quattro A4 we tested. To further improve the A4’s dynamic prowess, the all-wheel-drive system favors the rear wheels with a 40/60 front-to-back torque split.
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