Mario James, Gleaner Writer 
The Audi A4, available from Motor Sales & Service Limited, South Camp Road, Kingston. Prices range from $3.5 million for the 1.8 litre model and $4.3 million for the 2.0 litre model.- Contributed
Audi is well on its way to producing some of the world's premier automobiles. The Q7 luxury SUV and A6 car are both benchmarks of their class. The construction, ride and handling of these chariots are otherworldly. However, they have price tags to match - entry level price for a base Q7 is a cool $9 million.
For those of us who do not have the wherewithal to climb to such loft yet still yearn for the Audi experience, there is a little nugget of Germanic nirvana called the A4. It looks to be a watered down version of the A6, but there's more substance here than meets the eye.
Turbo Charged
The A4 shares the same body lines as its big brother, but without the big engine fluidity of the bigger series. As marketed by Motor Sales & Service here in Jamaica, only the 1.8 and 2.0 litre versions make it past the wharf, but not to worry. In the middle of '1.8 litre' and 'engine' is TURBO.
Engines are what this platform are really about. The four-cylinder 1.8-litre has 163hp, 225 Newton metres of torque, has dual overhead cams, five valves for cylinder, an exhaust driven turbocharger coupled to a cartridge type two stage catalytic converter and an intercooler. The two-litre version of this engine has 200hp and a whopping 280 Newton metres of torque. Four valve cylinder heads, ceramic catalysts with heater function (so that the catalytic function comes up to speed quickly) and a continuously adjustable intake camshaft adjustment (a kind of pseudo valve timing) and a variable length intake manifold, round out this performance package.
What all this techno-babble means is your average hopped up Honda Civic doesn't have a prayer in the war for the two-lane blacktop. Stoplight to stoplight, just put your foot down, look in your rear view and observe the frenetic grimaces and useless flailing as yon Civic owner powershifts his way into oblivion. This is so much fun. Allow him to catch up to at the next stoplight, and repeat the process. And you will have done this with windows up, A/C full blast, Bose system blaring and right hand on the gear flipper (yes, it comes with tip-tronic).
Driver's Car
The A4 is a driver's car. It's a vehicle that is rewarding to drive; it has very high limits that can be explored by the enthusiastic driver, yet will not bite grandma. The interior is standard Audi; leather everywhere, trapezoidal motif, tasteful wood accents and two zone climate control, coupled with a user interface that is easy to learn and use. It is to die for.
The handling and ride are beyond words. They are the signature hallmarks of any Audi, and the A4 is no different. There is not as much mass to complement the road irregularities as the A6, but it is basically the same suspension. The A4 does not wallow in corners; there is almost no body roll while carving a high speed apex. Negotiating roundabouts at speed will bring on the anti-yaw traction control, but this, too, is seamless, just plant your foot and the car will just go to its limit and stay there. Stab and steer. Turn off the anti-yaw, and the driver is rewarded with the most exhilarating power slide that exists from a front wheel-drive car!
The engine is mounted longitudinally, but half shafts exit the crankcase to the front wheels. Differential and gearbox are in the sump. The push that one gets from only part throttle operation is enough to make your varicose veins stand out!
