I once owned an Audi while stationed in Hanau, Germany. It was a late '70s A100 and it was not a phenomenal machine.
The A100 taught me how to replace a water pump and eventually all of the hoses that carried coolant. I could never get lost in that dingy yellow claptrap, as I could always follow the trail of radiator fluid and oil home. The A100 did more for my German vocabulary than a hammer smacked on my finger.
During the carmaker's dark days of the '80s it looked like Audi would go the way of the electric car circa 1920. (It was even featured on "60 Minutes." Here's a tip to the auto industry: never invite Mike Wallace into your office.)
But then the company began to turn things around. Not overnight, but it started with the A4's arrival in America.
That revival continues with the redesigned 2009 A4, now entering its fourth generation.
It delivers on all of the promises an entry-level luxury car should. It's opulent inside. It's quick and comes with scads of new technology, such as blind spot detection, variable ratio steering that makes turning the wheel easier, and MMI, the Audi equivalent of BMW's iDrive but with more logical steps in working it. The A4, which arrives this fall at dealerships, upgrades in all the right places. The 2009 model just might be the A-4-U.
When I test drove the A4 around California's wine country, it fit perfectly into the scenery. Its clean, elegant lines are aristocratic -- you almost want to sit in the back seat and let the driver take you to the grocery store. But why would you let anyone else get behind the wheel of this machine? It's fun to flog or just set on the radar-supported cruise control and listen to the 505-watt Bang and Olufsen stereo through 14 speakers. That's not driving, it's showing off.
More power
Audi blew out the proportions, making this car longer and wider than its predecessor. The A4 used to be a few inches smaller than the BMW 3 Series, Volvo S60 and Mercedes Benz C300, but it's now bigger. Audi added 4.6 inches to the car's overall length (now 185.6 inches); and 6.5 inches to the car's wheelbase (now 110.6 inches). The result: more space in the cabin and a smoother ride.
The turbo-charged 2-liter, inline four-cylinder engine boasts 211 horsepower and 256 pound-feet of torque for a very quick launch. Better yet, all of the torque kicks in at 1,500 rpm, providing useful power instead of just a blip on the tach right before the needle touches red.
The front-wheel drive 2-liter model uses a continuously variable transmission and a six-speed manual is available on the all-wheel drive known as Quattro. There is also a six-speed automatic available with paddle shifters for the Quattro version.
The 3.2-liter V-6 adds power -- 265 horses and 243-pound-feet of torque. It can go from 0-60 in 6.3 seconds. The turbo-charged A4 won't hit 60 mph until 7.1 seconds.
Of the two engines, I like the 2-liter turbo more. The low-end torque makes it more fun coming out of tight corners and it has plenty left in reserve. Plus, Europeans seem to love their four-bangers -- and as we watch Ike blast gas prices above $4 a gallon again, Americans are starting to embrace them.
While all of the Audi engines require premium fuel, the 2-liter model with the CVT gets 23 miles per gallon and 30 mpg on the highway. The 2-liter Quattro with a manual gets 22 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. The 3.2-liter model with an automatic still hits a respectable 27 mpg on the highway.
参考译文：
当我在德国哈瑙驻守时有一辆奥迪车,它是70年代后期的A100,机器性能不是很好。
这辆A100教我如何更换水泵及含冷却液的所有水管.即使在较黑暗情况我也不会迷路,因为我可以跟随水箱的冷却液和油的痕迹回家,它比用小锤打我的手指头更能促进我记住德语词汇。
在80年代是汽车制造商黑暗的时候,奥迪好像是走回约1920电力车(它是特征是60分钟车,这就是在汽车工业中暗示:不要邀请迈克.华莱士到你办公室。
但是从那时起该公司开始变好了,不是一夜之间变好,是从奥迪A4到美国后开始的。
随着重新设计2009年度车-A4而复苏,现在奥迪A4已经是第四代了。
它有着豪华车有特性,内饰豪华舒适,它的加速性及新技术特点,如盲点检测及可变速比的转身系,使它转动方向盘更容易和人性化,它可以和宝马的IDrive车比拼,但驾驶它时更理性,在本秋季在各个经销商上市的A4,在各个方面均比原来升级,2009年度车型可能是A-4-U。
当在加利福尼亚的葡萄酒乡村试驾奥迪A4时,会很浪漫,它清洁,文雅的流线很有贵族特色,你就想靠到后排座椅让司机带你到商店,但是为什么让别人坐在方向盘后呢,只要驱动雷达支持的巡航导航系统就可以控制,听着带有14个扬声器的505瓦立体声音响,那不是驾驶而是看电影。
它比前任更长更宽些,以前的A4比宝马3系列,沃尔沃S360及奔驰C300上几英寸,现在变大了,奥迪长度加了4.6英寸,轴距加长6.5英寸(现在是110.6英寸),结果是内部有更大空间。
2.0L的涡轮增压,四缸发动机标称211匹马力和256磅.英尺扭矩，更好的是在1500rpm时提供所有扭矩，而不是指针指到红色时才提供。2。0L前轮驱动的无级变速器或者像Quattro一样配有六档手动，或者有六挡自动变速器。
3．2L，V6发动机标称265匹马力和243磅.英尺扭矩，加速性能用6。3秒从0到60MPH，而涡轮增压的A4要用7。1秒。
在这两种发动机中，我喜欢2。L的涡轮增压发动机，在低档的扭矩带来更多好处，欧洲人喜欢它燃油经济性-由于我看着油价飞快超过4美元/加仑。美国人也开始喜欢它了。
由于奥迪的发动机要求燃油经济性，带CVT的2。0L是一加仑跑23英里，在高速路上30mpg。手动档是20mpg，高速路是30mpg, 3.2l的是高速路上27 mpg 。
