2007 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro driving impressions

In 1996 the Audi A4 replaced the aging Audi 90 sedan. The motoring press swooned over its improvements in equipment, aerodynamics, road manners, and build quality.  The A4 has been hugely popular worldwide since that 1996 introduction. Audi has implemented 3 major chassis revisions since then. The first was in 2001 (B6 chassis) the second in 2005 (B7 chassis), and once again in 2008 with the B8 chassis. All three revisions featured increasingly strong body structures, suspension upgrades, and styling changes.

Audi has waived their magic performance wand over the A4 too, resulting in the hotrod S4 and RS4 variants.  The superb Quattro all-wheel drive system has always been an option or standard equipment on the A4. Overall, it's been a unqualified success for Audi and its reputation helped drive sales for upscale models such as the A6 and A8.

For this test, we decided to try out a B7 chassis 2007 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro with a 6-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. This is a low mile example, with &&&&& miles.

The Audi 2.0L FSI (Fuel Straight Injection) 16-valve inline 4-cylinder turbo in our test car pumps out 200 bhp and 207 lb-ft. of torque It's the first production engine in the world to use both direct fuel injection and a turbocharger. Developed on the racetrack, this direct injection technology propelled the all-conquering Audi R8 sports prototype racer to a LeMans 24 hours victory in 2001 with its 3.6L twin-turbo direct injection V-8. Using two Garrett turbos and Bosch Motronic 2.9 engine management to blast out 659 bhp, it performed flawlessly and reliably over 24 hours. Considering that the R8 racer weighed just 2008lbs. (620lbs. less than a new Honda Civic DX), it had plenty of power to get the job done.
Audi R8 Overview
24 Hours of LeMans Homepage

The demands are less extreme in the A4. Its 2.0T FSI engine uses a small Borg-Warner K03 turbo to give good boost at low and medium engine speeds, yet maintain power up to the 6800 rpm redline. It effectively delivers a fat wedge of torque from 1800 rpm up to above 5000 rpm. Its Undersquare design uses a 82.5mm bore and a long 92.8mm stroke as another strategy for good low-end torque production. There are two cleverly placed intercoolers (one is under the front left headlamp assembly) to keep intake temperatures down. The Borg-Warner K03 turbo actually has the exhaust manifold integrated into the exhaust housing of the turbo, an uncommon yet efficient design that maximizes heat transfer and exhaust velocity from engine to turbocharger.

Audi’s mission is to make the turbo more or less completely transparent in operation. With almost zero turbo lag and an absence of noise, it does exactly that. The only clues that it has a turbo at all are a slight whistle at low speeds and a touch of lag from rest. In contrast to the normally aspirated inline fours in the Acura TSX and Nissan Altima, the 2.0T FSI offers a much more useful torque spread, a nice benefit considering it has to lug around the A4's 3,600 lbs. of curb weight.

The 2.0T FSI is effective in a way the figures don’t suggest, pulling the A4 forward from rest on a gust of boost-fed torque. Other small displacement turbo engines can be less well behaved, giving less low end zing than an early 80’s Datsun pickup until the turbo finally lets it rip and squirts you down the road. That's fun to play with for sure, but can also be frustrating and borderline dangerous if you don’t have the engine on the boil when you need it.

No such issues with the Audi TFSI unit; it is built for drivability, not ultimate top end power. It runs out of steam past 6200rpm (redline is 6800rpm), but winding it to redline puts you into the fat part of the torque curve for the next gear. That's ample reason to keep your foot in it, as is the nice sizzily engine sound.

A small engine with a diminutive turbo and direct injection also translates into darn good fuel economy. Make a point of using cruise control on the freeway and the 2.0T FSI delivers up to 30 mpg. Normal driving around town puts you into the low 20’s, both exceptional mileage figures for a mid-sized luxury sedan. Now understand, if you're hammer-down everywhere the fuel mileage will dip significantly. Blast around a city like San Francisco with the turbo wound up all the time and you'll watch the fuel gauge race towards empty.

As good as it is, this engine has its quirks. This can be expected from a power plant that uses computers to control throttle actuation, turbo boost, fuel mapping, ignition mapping, etc.  One of these quirks appears when driving off from a standstill. At normal light throttle range, the 6-speed automatic starts in 1st gear, then immediately short shifts into 2nd at 8-10mph. Once in 2nd gear, the turbo quickly spools up; resulting in a head-bobbing surge that is quite unsettling to passengers. It takes hyper-sensitive throttle modulation to mitigate this behavior, something most Audi owners are probably not capable of. It feels like an engine-transmission calibration that was pushed to market before the factory could complete a full drivability program. Interestingly, an identical A4 service loaner from the dealership exhibited far less of this low-speed turbo-surge behavior. Lo and behold, our car returned to us with an updated engine software re-flash after a routine oil change. This tempered the surge somewhat, but it still wasn't as good as the loaner. Hopefully a future re-programmings will eliminate this annoying trait completely.

The electronically controlled throttle feels non-linear occasionally, responding overanxiously at times and decidedly lazy at others. Only extreme performance geeks or road test nuts like myself will likely take note of this, most buyers will simply adapt to it or never notice in the first place.

The 6-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission is a real gem, with beautifully chosen gear ratios and an aggressive nature when you need it. It quickly jumps down up to 3 gears if summoned, and shifts quickly and seamlessly. It also has a Sport mode, which holds onto gears longer and shifts at higher rpm. Sport mode sounds good on paper, but all it really does is make the car feel nervous and high-strung without any measurable performance advantage. Keeping the lever in Drive is more relaxed and doesn’t create any of the Sport mode's drivetrain surge.

In addition to Sport mode, the 6-speed automatic comes with the ‘shift it yourself’ Tiptronic option. Move the shift lever over to the right and you are in manual shift mode. Downshifts are executed by pulling the lever back, upshifts by pushing it forward. Some drivers (including me) think this operation is backwards, noting it makes more sense to push forward for downshifts and pull back for upshifts like in a sequential racing transmission. It’s probably a nod to the old-time shifter-on-the-floor street automatics of the past, where you pushed the lever forward to select the next gear. Regardless, shifts in this manual mode are crisp and direct, making it an effective alternative.

An Audi with ‘Quattro’ badges on it means it carries all-wheel drive. On the A4, it is the tried and true Torsen all-wheel drive system. A simple (yet expensive to manufacture) mechanical system, it uses a torque-sensing center differential to distribute engine power between the front and rear axles. If the wheels on one end begin to slip, more power is sent to the opposite end. Very simple, very effective. In operation it's largely transparent, meaning you don’t feel the power shifting around between the wheels unless you’re on really slippery stuff. Provoking wheelspin in the dry is just about impossible, and any conditions featuring water or excessive dirt/dust are managed promptly and efficiently. Unlike front or rear drive cars which can lose traction in the wet without major effort, it would take some seriously unhygienic driving to un-stick the Audi in anything but snow or ice. Its ability to keep drivers on the road in potentially hazardous circumstances makes the Quattro system a safety device in my opinion.

The A4’s front suspension is a 4-link arrangement with upper and lower wishbones and a tubular anti-roll bar. Rear suspension is a trapezoidal-link independent system with an anti-roll bar. Suspension tuning is set up for a compromise between responsiveness and ride.  Audi does a decent job of retaining the best qualities of both in the A4. The stiff, strong unibody structure in this latest generation A4  enabled Audi engineers the freedom to tune the suspension as they wanted it, there is ample evidence that this is a car with good torsional and bending rigidity.

Audi’s Servotronic electrically assisted rack and pinion steering is accurate and linear, yet classically Audi with limited road feedback and an artificial feel. Nevertheless, it is widely considered to be an improvement over the previous system in the B6 chassis. While not nearly as involving as steering systems from BMW and Porsche, it does go where you point it. Small corrections in your cornering line are easy to perform. Audi is known for highly boosting their power steering systems, and this is car no different. You can use two fingers to execute just about any maneuver in this car.

Audi markets their vehicles as sport oriented, so that’s the expectation when it comes to curvy back roads. The A4 does well there, with no excessive body roll, no pronounced understeer, and no real bad habits. It does like a relaxed driving strategy to cover ground quickly though. Things are best when the driver is smooth with the steering, smooth with the throttle, and smooth with the brakes, making it a great car to drive at 5/10ths, 6/10ths, 7/10ths of its capability.

If you push the A4 into stab-and-steer type driving, it absorbs the abuse admirably albeit with some fuzzy edges. Moderate brake dive and soft turn-in become pronounced, as well as mild front-end bobbing on bumpy roads. Quick switchback maneuvers reveal the soft suspension compliance that enables it to be such a good all-arounder. You also start to feel the A4’s weight during these maneuvers. Despite its lack of body roll, it feels like a heavy car. It would have been very easy for Audi to simply engineer the A4 with lots of safe understeer and call it a day, but they didn’t do that. The front end has more bite than you think and the vehicle rotates quite well in sharp turns. That's pretty remarkable for a 57/43 front to rear weight bias.  All in all, it will answer the call for spirited canyon runs, but it’s much happier at a smoother pace.

The ride at city speeds is firm, yet relatively smooth and controlled. This extends up to freeway velocities and into the triple digit range. Audi seems to have engineered the base suspension package to be responsive and athletic, but retain as much ride quality as possible. I'd call it generally successful with that, delivering a good ride and handling compromise except over washboard pavement and rumble strips where it jiggles noticeably. Frost heaves and large bumps can also be jarring.

On a side note, this car exhibits one interesting handling trait. At freeway speeds (50mph and above), sawing back and forth on the steering wheel reveals a peculiar dynamic. The front end turns, then there is a distinct pause, then the rear end follows. OK, so that doesn’t sound terribly unusual, but the pause between the front suspension turning and the rear suspension reacting is long. Its mid-70’s Cadillac long. Its like hitting a tree with a rubber baseball bat. Quite unique, but the car stays safe and predictable. It feels more like compliant geometry in the rear suspension vs. soft suspension bushings, considering how the car otherwise corners normally.

The brakes are upgraded over the prievious generation B6 chassis. This A4 uses 12.6 in. discs up front, with 11.3 in. discs in the rear. Large single-piston calipers do the clamping front and rear, with ABS and Electronic Brake pressure Distribution rounding out the package. The brakes are strong and haul the car down capably in normal driving situations. Unfortunately, the annoying Audi trait of over-boosted power assist makes another unwelcome appearance, resulting in brakes that are difficult to apply smoothly. There is no ‘give’ or ‘dead space’ at the top of the brake pedal travel, which means that even a moderate tap on the pedal results in a big BANG of braking force…ruffling the feathers of your passengers. For consistently smooth braking, the driver must be very delicate with the pedal. It’s a mystery to this writer and others as to why Audi gives their cars this much brake boost. It doesn’t make the brakes any more effective, it only makes the car harder to drive smoothly.

Placed firmly in the mid-sized luxury car market, the 2007 A4 comes well equipped from the factory. You can bling it up if you want to, with a host of available options including a Premium package (17 in. wheels, sunroof, leather), Bose Audio package, heated seats, Sport suspension package, Birchwood trim, Navigation, etc.

Most of the standard features are easy to use. Our test car thankfully doesn’t suffer from a complicated media controller (Audi’s version is called the Multi Media Interface or MMI), it's just buttons and switches in our example. That's a welcome theme for folks who want to keep their eyes on the road instead of a navigation screen. Other luxury car manufacturers, Mercedes in particular, are known for their “busy” dashboards featuring a galaxy of different buttons to push. This Audi is more subdued than that, but one still must do some digging into the owner’s manual to understand how to operate everything. 

The seats are generally comfortable, although the padding is a bit hard for some. Power seat adjustments enable easy driver and passenger positioning, and the tilt and telescoping steering wheel carries a good range of motion. An adjustable inner armrest allows for even finer ergonomic adjustments, yet bizarrely obstructs a clean reach for the parking brake. This particular car came with faux aluminum interior trim which nicks and scratches incredibly easily. Leather appears to be of high quality, with the rear seat armrest carrying a first-aid kit inside its storage bin. Rear seat legroom is adequate if not generous, so seating 3 passengers in the rear is best considered for short trips instead of long journeys.

The climate control is decently laid out, with easy to identify buttons for temperature and fan controls. If you are intent on exploring all of the different vent modes available, you will need some lucky button pushing guesses or a nice evening in front of the fire with the owner’s manual. Dual climate zones are a welcome feature. There is also an air recirculation feature for those extended spells behind diesel tanker trucks, but it for some reason it defaults back to fresh air mode every time the key is turned off.  Overall the system is effective and the air conditioning is powerful, which is nice in 100 degree central California.

The standard stereo in the A4 is also easy to operate with a nicely legible readout screen, easy to reach buttons, and a good old-fashioned volume knob. There is also a mute function, which is useful to kill the sound during phone calls or important conversations.

UPGRADES -

With a production run of over 10 years now, there are a number of aftermarket companies that offer A4 performance parts. The information below focuses on the 2005-2008 B7 chassis of our test car. Most, if not all of the companies listed below offer parts for the previous generation cars as well. 

An ever popular upgrade to the turbocharged Audi 4-cylinder is an engine management reflash or chip upgrade. This alters the boost, fuel, and spark settings for increased horsepower and torque. Some companies also offer complete replacement turbocharger packages for more extreme performance.
Reflash: Dahlback Racing, GIAC
Chips and ECU: GIAC, APR, Stasis, Revotechnik
Upgraded turbocharger packages: APR, Stasis, VAST Performance, ATP

Beyond that, common upgrades such as intake kits, exhausts, lightweight power pulley kits and intercoolers are available from a variety of manufacturers. 
Intakes: Carbonio, K&N, LLtek, Evolution Motorsports
Intercoolers: Greddy, AWE Tuning, ATP, 034Motorsport
Exhausts: Eisenmann, Neuspeed, GHL, Milltek, Stasis, Techtonics Tuning, V-Power, Greddy-G2S, APR, EuroSport Tuning, AWE Tuning, ATP
Power Pulleys: Neuspeed, ECSTuning
Camshafts: Schrick

Performance suspension upgrades are numerous, with a wide range of options to choose from. Simple spring and shock combinations are available, all the way up to full-bore adjustable height coilover suspensions and multi-way adjustable, external reservoir dampers.
Springs: H&R, Stasis, Eibach, Neuspeed, Oettinger, Vogtland
Shocks: Bilstein, Koni, Ohlins, Oettinger
Coilovers: H&R, Stasis, Eibach, Bilstein, D2 Racing, KW, Tein, Ksport, StartupRacing
Sway Bars: Neuspeed, Eibach, H&R, H-Sport
Wheel Spacers: H&R, Eibach, ECSTuning

Brakes certainly haven’t been left out of the mix with performance pads, rotors, stainless steel brake lines and big brake kits on offer.
Brake Pads: Hawk, Ferodo, Mintex, Carbotech, Brembo, EBC Brakes
Stainless steel brake lines: Neuspeed, Goodridge, ECSTuning, PureMotorsport
Brake Rotors: Brembo, Zimmerman, ATE
Big Brake Kits: Stoptech, Alcon, Brembo, Rotora, LLtek(WP Pro)

Transmission and drivetrain upgrades are available as well.
Short shift kits: Neuspeed, JH Motorsports (JHM), KMD Tuning
Limited Slip Differentials: Stasis
Clutches: South Bend, Alcon
Flywheels: EuroCode

If unique body styling is whast the customer desires, a range of aftermarket spoilers and bodykits are available from: Caractere, JE design, Uberhaus, Rieger, Zender, EuroGEAR, Deval, GMG Racing, Ecodetuning-Vorsteiner, Oettinger