Can you tell the ninth-generation A4 is the new one?  While the new Mercedes-Benz C-class represents a leap forward, and nobody will mistake the Lexus IS for its predecessor, current Audi owners can sit back and relax: When the new, 9th generation comes to our shores in early 2016, their car won't seem outdated.  At least that's true for the exterior. The A4's general proportions remain similar, since they’re dictated by the package and the modular-longitudinal platform, an evolution of the A4’s predecessor.  Design aficionados – and automotive geniuses like you, of course – will easily spot the changes to the A4's character. There is a hexagonal grille reminiscent of the TT sports car, the headlights (of the bi-xenon or LED variety) are sharply angled, and the taillights are thinner and wider than ever. We like clever details, such as door handles that smoothly swing upwards in a very natural motion. It shows the level of engineering that goes into the A4, even with something as seemingly simple as how a door is opened.  But that's also a feature you can't see, you have to actually try it out. This leaves the general impression that the new A4 is evolutionary instead of revolutionary, bordering on the conservative.  The interior, by contrast, is so forward-looking that it makes every other car in its class - with the possible exception of the C-class - look positively dated. Photos don't do justice to the A4's slim, horizontal dashboard with finely crafted lines, and decor that looks like it has been immersed in liquid metal.  Even base models look rich, and it is possible to load the A4 up with cutting-edge technology like a TFT instrument cluster and a head-up display. The automatic air conditioning system is actually designed to resemble a classic in-car stereo system – it's so cool! Our only gripe is that we wish the large center screen was actually touch-sensitive.  But then, you wouldn't dare to debase it with greasy fingerprints, would you?  Just like in the Q7 and the TT, the instrumentation can be reconfigured by the push of a button, sending the tachometer and speedometer into the corners and making room for a large central display with a three-dimensional navigation map.  And while the infotainment system can be operated through a touch-sensitive button and toggle switches on the center console, the controls are redundant, and the system can also be operated just through the buttons on the steering wheel. On top of it, there is a virtually perfect voice recognition system. The connectivity options are vast and impressive, similar to BMW's and Mercedes', and simultaneously light years ahead of any other competitor.  With three four-cylinder engines for the U.S. market, the A4's engine portfolio remains on very familiar ground. We get a 2.0-liter TFSI gasoline engine that makes 190-horsepower or 252-horsepower, and there is a 2.0-liter TDI turbo-diesel with 190-horsepower. Down the road, there will be a new S4, which is likely to keep its supercharged V-6.  While the power figures don't seem spectacular, the A4 moves with remarkable alacrity, thanks to weight savings that amount to a whopping 265 lbs. That's because of light-weight materials such as aluminum, high-strength steel, and magnesium. The A4 also comes with a choice of front-wheel-drive or Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system.  On the A4's European home market, the less powerful 2.0-liter TFSI actually replaces a 1.8-liter TFSI in Europe. Downsizing has been replaced by "right-sizing," says Audi. The slightly larger engine is torquey and fares well in the European consumption and emissions cycle. It's an interesting technological trend, and we are curious whether other carmakers will follow and make engines larger again.  All U.S.-market A4 engines will be mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, with crisper shifts than a torque-converter-type automatic can provide. Audi could also bring in a six-speed manual, the standard gearbox in Europe. We certainly hope they will. If they do, it could make an appearance at either pole of the A4 sales spectrum (i.e. base models and sport-tuned variants). Fingers crossed!  Offered in Premium, Prestige and Prestige Plus levels, the Audi will be a distinct and contemporary choice in a segment that now offers cars of vastly different character. And while current A4 owners may be tempted to hang on to their car because the new one doesn't seem so different, they would do well to take a look at the new car's cutting-edge interior.  This grand deployment of technology, executed in a coldly futuristic style, represents nothing less but the new benchmark.
The BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class have a misleadingly familiar-looking foe in the brand new 2017 Audi A4 luxury sedan.