Car Gazing
Audi's A4 convertible has tasteful style
By Derek Price
Some cars are bland and uninspiring, just basic tools for transportation. Others are gaudy and aggressive with styling that seems to scream, "Look at me! I have money! Woo hoo!"
In between is where you find true elegance. That's where this Audi resides.
The A4 convertible isn't too flashy. It doesn't beg for attention in a lame attempt at bragging about the size of your bank account. At the same time, it isn't bland enough to blend in with the automotive masses. It's just right.
This sophistication starts with a perfectly proportioned body. It has clean, simple lines and gently bulging fenders for a look that shows self-confidence, not self-absorption.
Brushed aluminum trim around the windshield and beltline accentuate the car's subtle wedge shape, and the radio antenna is concealed in the trunk lid to keep the look unadorned and unobstructed.
But the elegance doesn't stop with the exterior. It flows straight inside the cabin for one of the best interiors money can buy.
Inside, the A4 is dripping with luxury. The leather is ridiculously soft, with deep tufts in the seats and perfect stitching all around. A thick strip of real wood trim surrounds the entire cabin, from the back seat all the way across the dash. Brushed aluminum emphasizes the chronograph-like gauge faces, and all the buttons and switches have that wonderfully precise German feel.
I've driven cars with better interiors than this, but they all cost more than $100,000. A four-cylinder A4 convertible starts around $35,000, while better-equipped versions can reach $50,000 or higher.
The A4 drives gracefully with a smooth, gentle ride and remarkably quiet cabin – if you're willing to travel with the top up. For driving on icy or wet roads, the A4 convertible is now available with Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive system.
Front-wheel-drive models come with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that never shifts gears like a traditional transmission. If you want the Quattro system, though, it only comes with a refined five-speed automatic gearbox instead of the CVT.
When it comes to driving feel, the A4's only downside is acceleration. Two engines are available: a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 170 horsepower, and a 3.0-liver V6 that squeezes out 220 horses. The Cargazing test vehicle – a Quattro convertible with the bigger 3.0-liter engine – did not accelerate with the kind of authority you'd expect in a car that costs nearly $50,000.
Luckily, that was the only disappointment.
That $48,195 price buys an awful lot of high-end features, like a 12-way power adjustable driver's seat and a fantastic Bose stereo with Sirius satellite radio. The A4's power convertible top can fold away in 24 seconds with the push of a button, and dual-zone automatic climate control is perfect for days when top-down driving isn't ideal. One button that can raise or lower all four windows is an especially nice touch.
The A4's suspension also is faultless, with a good combination of sport and luxury. It has a surprisingly soft ride for a German car, but it feels very comfortable and composed when flying around corners. It tends to bounce a little over big bumps, however, but that's the price you pay for a silky highway ride.
Of course, the A4 isn't just about driving with luxury. Lots of other cars can do that.
Few, though, do it this tastefully.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.
Contact him at dprice@cargazingonline.com)
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