10 Things You Need to Know About the 2017 Audi A4

2017 Audi A4 profile ・ Photo by Audi

The A4 is arguably the most important car in Audi’s stable, and not just because it’s the Four Rings’ highest volume-selling vehicle. It’s also the car that single-handedly saved Audi in the American market in the late 90s, acting as the flagship vehicle that began the long process of repairing Audi’s (illegitimately?) damaged reputation. It did so via a superb combination of clean exterior design, stalwart reliability, a beautifully appointed interior and meticulous German engineering (the quattro AWD didn’t hurt, either). Now in its 9th generation, the A4 gets completely overhauled—90% of the vehicle is entirely new, despite its all-too-familiar Singleframe grille. Inside and out, the A4 is a landmark vehicle for Ingolstadt.

In order of importance, here are 10 things you need to know about the all-new 9th-generation Audi A4.

1. The 2017 Audi A4 is loaded with tech.

Should that be a surprise? The A4 is absolutely bristling with tech once only found on flagship sedans. There’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, HUD, next-level Virtual Cockpit (more on this later), heated/auto-dimming/power folding exterior mirrors, standard rearview camera and an expanded Audi Connect that can lock and unlock the car, call emergency roadside service, access apps via your smartphone and locate the A4 if stolen. You can input text onto the touch-sensitive MMI scroll wheel via its capacitive-touch upper surface. The HVAC area alone is segment leading. There’s 4G/TLE Wi-Fi connectivity, traffic sign recognition, parking assist and an optional 755-watt/19 speaker Bang & Olufsen 3D soundsystem. Of course there are also more safety systems than a nuclear sub, including Traffic Jam Assist and Exit Assist, an innovative segment-exclusive technology that alerts you if someone is approaching from behind when you’re opening doors. Exit Assist turns on once you stop the car, and stays on for three minutes after you shut off the car.

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2. The 2017 Audi A4’s TFSI four-cylinder gets an upgrade.

The A4’s tech advances aren’t just the digital kind, of course. Audi’s improved 2.0-liter turbocharged TFSI four-cylinder lump has been updated, now offering 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque (an improvement of 32-hp). Mated to the automatic and AWD powertrain, the A4 can hustle from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds. That’s a full second slower than the BMW 340i, but quicker than competitors like the Mercedes C300, Lexus IS 200t and IS 300 (but about the same as the IS 350). If that’s not enough juice, perhaps the just-announced S4 performance model—with a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 stuffed under the hood, generating 354 horses—will be more to your liking.

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3. The 2017 Audi A4 will drive itself… Sort of.

When driving under 40 mph, the combination of Traffic Jam Assist, adaptive cruise control and Lane Departure Warning can keep your A4 driving itself. Almost. The A4 sporadically doesn’t see clearly marked lanes, which means we’re still not at a place where we can avoid paying attention to the road. And Audi recognizes this: if you keep your hands off the wheel for more than 15 seconds, the A4 will kindly remind you to grab ahold of the wheel.

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4. The 2017 Audi A4 is longer, wider and lighter than its predecessor.

Despite growing longer (+0.9”) and wider (+0.6”) than the eighth-gen A4 that debuted in 2009, the ninth-generation A4 sheds between 66 to 100 pounds. This is due to significant aluminum substitutions throughout (suspension, brake calipers, steering rack, body structure, etc.). Even the steering wheel’s core was replaced with magnesium.

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5. The 2017 Audi A4 saves the manual.

Unlike many cars in its segment, the A4 still offers a stick. The six-speed manual transmission won’t be available until the end of this year, but it’s still a joy to enthusiasts to know that a stickshift is an option. Otherwise the A4 offers a seven-speed dual-clutch, a smoother and quicker-shifting transmission replacing the outgoing torque-converter eight-speed auto. Paddleshifters are engaging and sharp, but the plastic material feels a bit cheap for a luxury sedan. (PS: they save the magnesium-trimmed paddles for the S and RS lines.)

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6. The Audi A4’s handling improves, but steering is still too distant.

It seems like Audi ceded the performance mantle to its BMW rivals in the last couple A4 generations, and the brand has quite a ways to go to catch up to the driving dynamics of the Bavarian’s 3-Series. That doesn't mean the engineers from Ingolstadt didn’t try their damnedest, however. This 9th-gen A4 is significantly more fun to drive than the last gen—yes it’s aided by the boost in horsepower, but more visceral is the A4’s handling. The notorious Audi sedan understeer has been greatly mitigated via improved front suspension links, torque vectoring and the optional adaptive damping. An optional Sport suspension, 23-mm lower than the standard dampers, stiffens cornering even more. The steering feel from the electronic steering still needs significant work to wake it from its slumber, however.

Photo by Audi Media Services

7. The 2017 Audi A4 features next-level “Audi Virtual Cockpit.”

Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, first seen in the TT and Q7, is truly next level, upping the game across the automotive industry. It replaces the normal gauge cluster with one expansive 12.3” LCD with 1,440 X 540 resolution and 60 fps. Under default driving, two big dials (speedo and tach) dominate the bookends of the massive display, but that can be switched to a Google Earth map that takes over the entire length. This map can be mirrored on the 8.3-inch navigation screen on the dash, where one shows you long distance and one is zoomed in for details. Or, use the center dash for your passenger to play around with music and infotainment options while you keep the nav running in the Virtual Cockpit. And you control it all from the steering wheel.

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8. The 2017 Audi A4’s sheetmetal is an evolution, not a revolution.

Audi design seemed to peak in the mid-aughts, and has since become very self-referential. That theme continues with the 2017 A4, which is instantly recognizable as an Audi (perhaps to a fault), but nips and tucks here and there to create a handsome four-door. Still, 90% of the vehicle is entirely new, so even if the 2017 A4 echoes its 2016 progenitor it’s a totally different car. The most salient exterior note is the more slender, angrier headlights—a slimmer profile allowed due to the fact that the bi-xenon lamps are now standard.

Photo by Audi Media Services

9. The 2017 Audi A4 dramatically improves the interior.

While the exterior remains a near clone to its predecessor, the interior is vastly improved. The large 8.3-inch center display, Virtual Cockpit, power sunroof, improved cabin space (increased head and shoulder room up front, increased legroom in the rear), and well-appointed materials (standard leather) all improve on last year’s model. But the biggest advancement can’t be felt, only heard: the A4 now promises the same interior silence as the flagship A8, and the combination of quiet and material richness lends the A4 a quasi-executive feel.

Photo by Audi Media Services

10. The Audi A4 Keeps the A4 Model Bloodline Strong

There has never been a more difficult environment for the A4, other than maybe when it was tasked to resurrect the entire Audi brand in America. But today the segment competition is much more fierce than it was back then—and it’s not just the typical BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Lexus IS nemeses Audi has to worry about. The Cadillac ATS, revived Infiniti Q50 and superb new Jaguar XE all want to eat a piece of its pie. And while the sheetmetal may be hard to distinguish, Audi loaded so much tech and improved the handling so much that there is no question the 9th-gen A4 is a significant step up from its predecessor… even if from the outside, no one can tell the difference.