A3, A4, what's in a name? It's only one digit out; there can't be that much difference.
I recently tested an Audi A3 2.0T s-line, and I was quite impressed with
the car. When I delivered it back they handed me the keys to an A4 3.2 s-line. It was exactly the same color, white, lovely! It had pretty much the same overall look as its little brother the A3, and I thought to myself "what's the point, how much difference can there be besides maybe a tad more space and a little extra oomph"?
Well, it appears that I had jumped the gun somewhat, and was about to learn, just what a difference a name makes.
From the outside, sitting in the car park, they do look quite similar. In fact, as I approached the two of them, my mind started thinking of ways to photograph the A4 to differentiate it from the A3 pictures that I had recently taken.
The wheels of the A4 were more dramatic, colored in a nice titanium grey, which certainly added to the overall look of the vehicle. In fact, they give the car an almost "race-prepped" appearance. One could almost imagine it sitting on pit lane with a team of eager technicians poised to pounce.
The rear of the A4 has a slightly more station wagon look to it and was
obviously designed to be more of a load hauler. Then there was the white painted roof which had replaced the glass panels of my previous ride. So fair enough, there are a few minor differences in appearance from the outside.
Now we come to the interior and straight away, you start to realize that this is a step or two above the A3. The dashboard layout has the familiar Audi look to it, yet it appears considerably more up-market and refined. The dashboard has been nicely dressed up with piano black wood accents and a GPS navigation system.
The leather seats are typical Audi. They are good looking, comfortable, yet sporty and form hugging at the same time. Although the A4 could not be described as a large vehicle, there is plenty of elbow room which allows for a feeling of space, yet at the same time, a sense of being personally part of the cockpit.
Sitting inside the vehicle, it feels like a "true driver's car" and so that's where we're heading now.
The power from the 255 hp 3.2 litre V6 is amazing, when coupled to a slick six speed manual gearbox. It is fun with a capital F!
It is not often that I get excited about a wagon, even if it is sports styled, but the A4 s-line is a totally different machine. It has all the looks of a "race-prepped sports wagon", and I can personally testify that it draws
plenty of attention around town.
Then we come to my favorite part of all, the handling. Together with Audi's famed Quattro all-wheel-drive system, the s-line package adds a sports suspension setup.
To me, this car is quite a well balanced vehicle for its size and so when y ou put all this together, what you get is a vehicle that excels at being driven hard.
I recently tested an Audi A3 2.0T s-line, and I was quite impressed with
 |
| (Photo: Kevin Corrigan, Auto123.com) |
Well, it appears that I had jumped the gun somewhat, and was about to learn, just what a difference a name makes.
From the outside, sitting in the car park, they do look quite similar. In fact, as I approached the two of them, my mind started thinking of ways to photograph the A4 to differentiate it from the A3 pictures that I had recently taken.
The wheels of the A4 were more dramatic, colored in a nice titanium grey, which certainly added to the overall look of the vehicle. In fact, they give the car an almost "race-prepped" appearance. One could almost imagine it sitting on pit lane with a team of eager technicians poised to pounce.
The rear of the A4 has a slightly more station wagon look to it and was
 |
| (Photo: Kevin Corrigan, Auto123.com) |
Now we come to the interior and straight away, you start to realize that this is a step or two above the A3. The dashboard layout has the familiar Audi look to it, yet it appears considerably more up-market and refined. The dashboard has been nicely dressed up with piano black wood accents and a GPS navigation system.
The leather seats are typical Audi. They are good looking, comfortable, yet sporty and form hugging at the same time. Although the A4 could not be described as a large vehicle, there is plenty of elbow room which allows for a feeling of space, yet at the same time, a sense of being personally part of the cockpit.
Sitting inside the vehicle, it feels like a "true driver's car" and so that's where we're heading now.
The power from the 255 hp 3.2 litre V6 is amazing, when coupled to a slick six speed manual gearbox. It is fun with a capital F!
It is not often that I get excited about a wagon, even if it is sports styled, but the A4 s-line is a totally different machine. It has all the looks of a "race-prepped sports wagon", and I can personally testify that it draws
 |
| (Photo: Kevin Corrigan, Auto123.com) |
Then we come to my favorite part of all, the handling. Together with Audi's famed Quattro all-wheel-drive system, the s-line package adds a sports suspension setup.
To me, this car is quite a well balanced vehicle for its size and so when y ou put all this together, what you get is a vehicle that excels at being driven hard.