AUDI A4 2.0 TDI - Incremental Progress

IN THIS A4 2.0 TDI, YOU DON'T EXACTLY BLAST PAST TRAFFIC THE WAY YOU DO IN AN A8 4.2 QUATTRO, BUT YOU STILL SAIL PAST MOST OTHER CARS. COMPETENT, BUT NOT VERY EXCITING...

Interiors are a touch too dark, too sombre. Everything works well though, and plastics are top-notch. Lack of power adjustments on front seats is not on in such an expensive car! And the red LEDs on the instrument console are a bit 1980s...

Front seats are quite comfortable and ergonomics are spot-on. Nice driving position, and steering wheel mounted control buttons for the Bose music system are handy. Rear seat legroom is lacking

The 1968cc, DI turbodiesel makes an adequate 142PS and a very usable 320Nm of torque. It's a bit noisy and there's a lot of clatter when it's idling, but overall, it's an honest, frugal powerplant that gets the job done

Whew! All of the above notwithstanding, how is the A4 2.0 TDI to drive? Well, things didn't start very well. The first time I fi red up the engine, I was rather taken aback by the loud diesel clatter. Though the engine becomes relatively quieter once it's warmed up, this A4 is still nowhere near as quiet as, say, a Mercedes-Benz C220 CDI. And frankly, I wouldn't expect this kind of noise from a car that costs a whopping Rs 33 lakh (on-road, Mumbai). On the move though, things get better. There's 142PS on tap, but what's more important is the 320Nm of torque, which is available between 1750-2500rpm. The engine is mated to Audi's very efficient Multitronic CVT (see details in Tech Speak box), which actually works best in 'Sport' mode. Here, you get seven pre-determined ratios, which makes the CVT feel like a smooth, seamless seven-speed automatic gearbox. It just works, and works beautifully. There's also the option of clutchless manual shifting (just prod the lever up or down to shift...), but I must admit I think it's totally irrelevant - the CVT is quite capable on its own, especially in Sport mode. With Sport mode selected, the car accelerates from zero to 60km/h in 4.4 seconds. Zero to 100km/h takes 10.75 seconds, which is not too bad considering the fact this is, after all, a four-cylinder diesel. The standing quarter mile (400m) run takes 17.59 seconds, while measured top speed is an adequate 203km/h. It isn't a very refined engine - the noise and the vibes see to that - but it's a capable unit, delivering sufficient thrust on demand. You don't exactly blast past traffic the way you do in an A8 4.2 Quattro, but you still sail past most other cars. Whether in rush-hour city traffic, or out on the Expressway, the A4 2.0 TDI never really feels short of grunt - it's just that the power delivery is never very exciting. You won't drive this car for the heck of it. You'll drive it because you have to, not because you want to. This is not meant to be any kind of a slur on the A4's capabilities. It's a very capable family saloon for commuting and/or long-distance touring. Just don't expect any emotional involvement from it... If the engine doesn't encourage any emotion, the handling follows suit. At the front, the A4 has four-link suspension, with upper and lower wishbones. At the rear, there's independent, trapezoidal-link suspension, while anti-roll bars are present front and rear. With the engine powering only the front wheels (no Quattro 4WD here), the car never really feels like it's up to some spirited driving. Try pushing it hard around bends, and there is a pronounced tendency to understeer. If you insist on keeping the throttle pinned in high-speed bends, the front end just washes wide, while the ESP really struggles to earn its keep and keep things from going awry. The steering 'feel' is just about adequate, but enthusiasts will want more feedback, more involvement. Riding on 16-inch alloys, wearing 205/55 R16 Michelin rubber, our A4 never ran out of grip, but it seemed quite disinterested in going fast around corners. At the end of the day, you just have to admit that this car was meant to be a commuter special, and if 'sport' is what you were looking for, sorry, you came to the wrong place.

THERE IS A PRONOUNCED TENDENCY TO UNDERSTEER. KEEP THE THROTTLE PINNED IN HIGH-SPEED BENDS, AND THE FRONT END THREATENS TO WASH WIDE, WHILE THE ESP STRUGGLES TO EARN ITS KEEP IN KEEPING THINGS FROM GOING AWRY. IF 'SPORT' IS WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR, SORRY, YOU CAME TO THE WRONG PLACE...

On a more positive note, the A4's ride quality isn't too bad. The suspension is pliant - not too stiff, not too soft. The A4 takes potholes and bumps and road irregularities in its stride, without threatening to fall apart and without jarring your bones and teeth. The dark, somber interiors, on the other hand, are nothing special. There're no power adjustments on the front seats, which I think is a bit sad on such an expensive car. And the instrument console, with its red LEDs, looks a bit 1980s. At least there's automatic dual-zone air-conditioning, and that Bose sound system should brighten up your life a bit. The four-spoke steering wheel is nice and chunky, and has two scroll buttons on it with which you can control multiple functions. There's also a multi-function display unit there, and cruise control for those long distance drives. No fake wood here - you get brushed aluminium trim, which looks quite nice. The whole package feels quite solid and well-built, if a touch too dark and austere. And like with the Mercedes-Benz C-class, rear seat legroom is quite limited.

THE WHOLE PACKAGE FEELS QUITE SOLID AND WELL-BUILT, IF A TOUCH TOO DARK AND AUSTERE

To conclude, if this road test sounds like we're not to impressed with the Audi A4 2.0 TDI, that's right, we aren't. It's a capable tourer and a good family saloon, but offers little in the way of emotion or excitement, and isn't refined enough. There's no verve here, no passion - just straightforward Teutonic efficiency. If this car were pitched against a C220 CDI, we'd take the plusher, more refined and more luxurious-feeling Merc every time. While the Audi A8 and the A6 are stupendous automobiles, the A4 2.0 TDI, at Rs 28.35 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai), needs to be more, and to do more. And indeed, that might be in the pipeline. Some reports suggest that the next-generation A4, due to be launched in late-2007, will be based on an all-new platform, which may be completely exclusive to Audi. The new car will feature Audi's third generation Quattro system, providing 40/60 front/rear torque split, improved weight distribution and shorter overhangs. The new car will be more driver-oriented and is likely to handle better and offer more involvement. We suppose things will also improve in terms of refinement and luxury accoutrements. However, as things stand right now, if you are looking at spending in excess of Rs 30 lakh on a car, we recommend that you weigh your options carefully before signing on the Audi dotted line.

TECH SPEAK: MULTITRONIC CVT

'Multitronic' is Audi-speak for continuously variable transmission (CVT). The basic CVT concept has been improved upon by Audi for use in more powerful, higher performance cars. According to Audi, their Multitronic transmission sets new standards in driving performance and fuel economy, and in some cases, acceleration is supposed to be better than what even a fully manual gearbox will give you. Like with all CVT systems, in Multitronic too, the engine rpm stays fairly constant while vehicle speeds increase. The engine is operated at the optimum rpm at all times, while it's the transmission that does all the work.

But while most CVT systems use rubber belts, the Audi Multitronic system uses a metal chain. A key component of the Multitronic is its variator, which allows reduction ratios to be adjusted continuously as the vehicle is being driven. The variator has two tapered disc pairs - a set of primary drive pulleys and a set of secondary driven pulleys. A special chain runs between the two pulleys to transmit power to the drive wheels. The variator's pulleys are adjusted in and out by a computer controlled hydraulic valve body to change the position of the chain on the pulleys, and thus alter the gear ratio.

The chain is not a conventional multi-plate with free pivot pin design. Instead, this CVT design uses adjacent rows of plates linked together with cradle type pressure pieces. The cradle type pressure pieces are jammed between the taper pulleys of the variator, as the pulleys are pressed together. Torque is transmitted only by the frictional force between the ends of the cradle pieces and the contact faces of the pulleys. As the cradle pieces are pushed together, the chain locks to form a solid curve around the pulley. The locked chain acts as one piece to transmit torque. As the pulley rotates, the chain cradle type pieces have the pressure removed when they leave the pulley and begin to move freely. This special chain acts like a solid piece of metal as it contacts the pulleys but like a flexible link as soon as the pressure is released. Some might expect a lot of wear on the chain as the cradle type pieces move on the pulleys, but tests by Audi show less than 1mm wear on the chain in 300,000km of driving. When the chain does wear, the computer can compensate by moving the pulleys closer together.

Unlike a conventional automatic, no torque converter is used in the Multitronic. This reduces transmission weight and size. Instead, the chain is allowed to slip on the pulleys when the vehicle is stopped, and it is gripped progressively to provide a smooth take-off. Shaft speed sensors allow the computer to monitor operation and the computer can engage 'hill holder' function to provide just enough pressure on the chain to prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards. In operation, it drives pretty much like a vehicle with a torque converter. And although the Multitronic is a proper CVT system, it can be used as a clutchless manual, and a driver can 'change gears' by operating the pulley ratios in pre-determined steps.

Currently Audi is only using the Multitronic in front wheel drive applications but they are looking at using it in their Quattro applications as well. The technology itself is impressive and looks set to make deeper inroads into all types of cars in the future.