Brand strategist Lorraine Maroun was so satisfied with her 2003 Audi A4 1.8T sedan, she even extended her lease after four years and 100,000 enjoyable kilometres. But now it’s time for a fresh set of wheels. With a new A4 just landed, we put our prime repeat customer behind the wheel of the latest equivalent, the A4 1.8T Multitronic. What odds on another match made in heaven, asks Rosemary Ann Ogilvie.
When Lorraine Maroun found herself having to buy a car for the first time in a decade (she had previously had vehicles supplied with her work) she was adamant that her new wheels would be European. She didn’t, however, want a “default-choice” BMW or Mercedes-Benz, but sought to drive a practical four-door that she felt “offered more individuality”.
The 2003 Sydney Motor Show provided an opportunity to review a range of cars and compile a shortlist featuring the Audi A4, Volvo S40, Peugeot 307, and the then-new Jaguar X-Type. Two key criteria were a strong engine and strong looks; factors such as fuel economy and emissions, Lorraine admits, didn’t really figure in the equation at that time.
Audi came out the winner. “I sat in the A4 and it just felt right,” she recalls. “There were aspects of the other cars that I didn’t appreciate whereas the Audi just seemed the complete package. With a full leather interior, it cost well over $60,000 all up.”
The fact that there weren’t as many Audis on Australian roads back then was a definite plus. “My passengers would comment ‘Oh, so this is what an Audi is like on the inside. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’”
The black Audi A4 1.8 Turbo automatic has notched up more than 100,000km since Lorraine signed the fully maintained lease – and that’s predominantly through city driving. It’s a 55km trek to and from her office in Sydney’s west, while her position as brand strategy manager in the services industry takes her all over Sydney, visiting agencies and attending photo shoots. “I’m not constantly on the road in my role – I don’t do country or interstate trips – but I still manage to travel an average of 25,000km each year.”
The Audi gets a fair workout during her leisure hours, too. Lorraine freely admits she’s someone who would die of boredom if she didn’t have a car. “If I get home and I’m at a loose end, I just hop in the car and go somewhere. My car is really important to me.” She estimates her business/leisure driving mix is around 70/30.
Audi Parramatta has looked after the A4 from the outset, and Lorraine cannot speak too highly of the dealership. “They’re the most fantastic service centre I have ever come across. There’s always a courtesy car for me to drive and they’re really mindful of your time. I have to mention David Steinwede, my contact there, who is simply the most accommodating person.”
The car has been ultra-reliable. “I’ve had just one minor recurring problem with the right-hand brake light,” says Lorraine, adding that she has absolutely no regrets about purchasing the A4. “I still love it, and always enjoy driving it.”
It is, however, time to start thinking about a new vehicle. Will Lorraine remain loyal to the Ingolstadt brand? “I’ll go for either an Audi or a Volkswagen, so it’ll be within the same family.”
The current Audi and Volkswagen ranges are much broader than they were in 2003 and Lorraine says she plans to investigate all options and carry out some comparisons.
“I won’t restrict my choice to the A4 which is impressive but now feels like a bigger car to me. (The 2008 version is 156mm longer and 60mm wider than Lorraine’s model). If I’m to be a repeat Audi customer, I may drop down to the A3. It has also grown in size since it was first launched and I’ve really enjoyed driving an A3 when my car has been in for service.”
Going al fresco is also on the cards. “I’m aware that a Cabriolet version of the A3 is coming out shortly, so I’m tempted to hold out for that. Then there’s Volkwagen’s Eos… and I like the new Tiguan, too! The VW range is more appealing now than when I was last shopping for a car.”
Fuel consumption will certainly be a factor in selecting the new vehicle as Lorraine’s petrol bill now averages about $100 per week. A diesel engine would be an option, she says, provided it’s available in the model range she chooses. And she will definitely consider a different colour – but not the vibrant ‘look at me’ red of the new 1.8 TFSi Multitronic (continuously variable transmission in the Audi thesaurus) we arranged for her to test-drive: “I’ll probably go for a lighter colour, one that doesn’t attract the dirt like my black car.”
As to whether the new car needs to reflect the progress she’s made in her career, Lorraine says definitely not. “I think I used to believe my car was about me, but now I see it purely as a mode of transport. Having said that, I still want it to be a bit special, to have a certain degree of prestige about it.”
Lorraine concludes that her experience driving the new front-wheel-drive A4 with its 1.8-litre, direct-injection, turbo engine was mixed. “The car drives beautifully, although my older model seems sturdier and I feel better protected in it. A flipside is the new model has lighter controls and is more nimble. The engine power seems quite similar but is delivered more smoothly and the ride is more comfortable, even on those bigger wheels.”
Lorraine loved the sense of discovery with the new model. “It’s changed so much from my car (which was, in turn, revised in 2005). The older A4 seems quite simple by comparison but is possibly more user-friendly. I like straightforward design and found there was a lot of complex new technology in the new car. It can be quite overwhelming.”
Low risk, High return
Andrew Kerr derives a greater reward from driving the new A4 than he has from previous generations of Audi’s top-selling sedan.
The test period might have been marked by dull weather, but our fiery red A4 shone like a beacon on murky motorways and grey city streets. And judging by the number of heads turned, this machine is as attractive as it is unmissable.
An imposing trapezoidal grille and broad, slanted headlights now give the A4’s front end equal amounts of character and attitude while a pleasing rear wheel-to-body relationship is backed up by nicely resolved rear end styling with slim tail lights and a rear spoiler incorporated in the bootlid. It all looks beautifully balanced – and much sleeker – especially with the longer (by 160mm) wheelbase and short overhangs.
There are as many poetic elements in the exterior design as there are in the impeccably laid-out cabin. Here, materials and textures all have a modern, high-quality look and feel to them. And, this being an Audi, safety features are plentiful.
The car we tried featured Drive Select, a $3200 option that remaps accelerator pedal response, auto transmission shift points, steering ratio and weighting, and the stiffness of the shocks. Three settings provide for Comfort, Automatic or Dynamic modes.
With Dynamic selected, the blown engine flexes lag-free muscles early in the rev range and follows through with a lasting punch. Throttle response is more urgent, gearshift points higher and steering feel is meatier. By comparison, the Automatic mode lacks spirit.
The 1798cc direct-injection engine is now more powerful and offers improved fuel economy. At 100km/h, you’re loping along at little more than 2,000rpm, from where acceleration is still forceful, as if a determined tail wind is working in your favour. And even without Audi’s all-wheel drive quattro system, the front-drive A4 exhibits the utmost security. An all-new, better balanced chassis has cured the nose-heavy handling characteristics that cursed older, heavier A4s.
Longer, sleeker, roomier and more fleet of foot, premium mid-size buyers should give the A4 as much consideration as any C-Class, IS250 or 3-Series. The A4 is now arguably the style leader in this segment and a match for the opposition in terms of technik. Describing the sedan as the new class leader might be open to debate but it does offer very rich rewards for the driver. What can’t be disputed is that Audi’s biggest seller has evolved for the better. AK
