Audi A4 Tested February 2008

Rating Quick Summary Recommended. The A4 has grown up into one of the biggest and most spacious cars in its class. It has all the understated good looks and excellent build quality you'd expect. It's just a shame the drive doesn't quite match the looks.

Full Road Test

Audi's current A4 sits in a competitive area of the market, up against the likes of the BMW 3-series and the Mercedes C Class.

It has to offer something different to its rivals and it's the new technology that really grabs the attention. And, chief among all that is Audi Drive Select, which allows the driver to control how the car behaves by adjusting the throttle response, the steering and the suspension.

On top of that, you also have the option of adaptive headlights (which swivel to throw light around corners) and Adaptive Cruise Control, which adjusts the car's speed to keep it a set distance behind a car in front. They're nothing revolutionary of course, but perhaps more impressive are the optional Side Assist and Lane Assist packages. The first uses sensors to warn the driver if there is anything in the blind spot behind the car, while the second uses a camera at the top of the windscreen to scan the road ahead and warn the driver if the car is about to wander out of its lane.

For all that, though, the most major change about the car is much simpler: it's bigger. In fact, it now claims the longest wheelbase in its class, giving it one of the largest cabins and the largest boot. There are lots of useful touches in the Avant's boot, although it's irritating that so many are only optional.

Underneath the A4's beautiful skin, Audi's engineers have also been hard at work on the chassis, which this new car shares with the A5 coupe. Compared to the previous model, the front axle has been moved forward by 154mm and a new steering system installed, all of which is designed to improve the way the car drives.

. Audi predicts that diesels will account for almost 80 per cent of sales, with the common rail 2.0 litre expected to be the top selling individual engine. And, that's no surprise, as it's the pick of the engines, with a fine blend of performance and economy.