Audi A4: Nice comeback

In 1995, Audi was hanging by a burning thread in the United States. Thanks to some spectacularly bad cars and a meta-scandal concerning mysterious "unintended acceleration," U.S. sales of VW's luxury division had spiraled down to around 7,000 cars, and it was no feat to imagine Audi exiting the American scene with its Teutonic tail between its legs. ¶ The subsequent turnaround -- all those sexy and beautiful cars like the TT and the R8, the foundational leaps in technology such as direct injection, the eight wins at Le Mans, the toe-to-toe-ing with Mercedes and BMW, all of that -- began with the release of the Audi A4.

A4 demonstrated VW/Audi's conception of vertically reinforced product development. In most car companies, the lab coat research and technology flow down from flagship products to cheaper mass-market cars over the course of several years. With Audi, engineering exotica migrates up the product chain as well as down.

In the 2009 Audi A4 -- due in dealerships in September -- the car's debt to more expensive siblings is obvious, from the robot-reptile stare of its LED headlights (first seen on the R8) to the tensed ligature of its styling and the sheer affront of its, well, front.

The car is, and looks like, a four-door version of the new A5 coupe. But it also has several virtually brand-new systems, including the Audi Drive Select -- a system to incrementally sharpen the car's sporting responses (steering, transmission shift points, suspension stiffness).

Taken on its own, none of these systems is revolutionary, or even first to market. Put them all together and stuff them into a midsize German sedan that, fully optioned, costs under $40,000 -- and make that sedan a model of holistic cool, utterly balanced, deeply charismatic, somehow inevitable -- and you have a car that can launch a second renaissance of Audi.

Compared with the previous-generation A4, the new car is 4.6 inches longer, 2.1 inches wider, over a wheelbase stretched by 6.5 inches. Like the A5, the A4's powertrain is designed so that the front differential is between the engine and transmission, allowing the front-wheel centerline to be pushed toward the front of the car.

A bunch of good things happen as a consequence: One, the layout creates more cabin space (room in the foot wells) without adding a lot of size and mass (the car weighs a mere 88 pounds more than the previous A4); two, the shorter overhang gives the car a more athletic and aesthetic stance; three, less weight ahead of the wheels improves handling; four, a longer wheelbase means a smoother ride. It's all good.

The U.S. versions of the car will come with either a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (211 horsepower) or a naturally aspirated 3.2-liter V6 (265 hp), both high-tech, direct-injection engines with variable-valve timing. I tested the 3.2-liter with a six-speed Tiptronic transmission and the Quattro all-wheel drive system (standard on the V6 models and optional on the 2.0-liter cars).

A year ago, the V6 powertrain would have been the hot setup. This year, I suspect a lot of shoppers whose wallets have been emptied at the gas station will be interested in the torquey and limber turbocharged 2.0-liter (258 pound-feet between 1,500 and 4,200 rpm), paired with a new continuously variable transmission (front-wheel-drive version only). The CVT includes a sport mode that simulates an eight-speed transmission with paddle shifters.

I estimate highway fuel economy in excess of 30 miles per gallon, and Audi reckons the 2.0-liter with the CVT will dash to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds.

The A4 is an interesting-looking car, with more of a connoisseur's story to tell; still, if you're comparing it with the class of the field, you'd have to conclude that the BMW 3-series cars -- sedans and coupes -- are a little quicker and offer a little better fuel economy. Also, the BMW's ride and handling compromise cannot be beat, no matter how many semiconductors you throw against it.

The A4, on the other hand, is less expensive and generally richer in textures and features. The glossy wood, creamy leather and bright alloy piping in the cabin would make the local yacht club commodore give up the sea.