Driving the Audi A4 and A5 TDI Waterville ME

Driving the Audi A4 and A5 TDI By Sam Abuelsamid November 28, 2008

Over the past year, Audi has completely redesigned its mainstream mid-sized car platform which debuted in 2007 under the new A5 coupe, followed by the A4 sedan and station wagon this year. In 2009, the so-called B8 platform will also provide the basis for the new Q5 mid-size SUV as well. Americans are only able to get gasoline engines in the A4/A5 so far, but European consumers get a wider array of choices, particularly in the sedan.


On the diesel side, the A4 can be purchased with the same 2.0L four cylinder already offered in the US spec VW Jetta TDI, or a choice of 2.7L or 3.0L V6 oil burners. The A5 only offers the two V6 engines for those opting for diesel. Here at Green Fuels Forecast we drove an example of each car powered by the 3.0L V6 TDI and a six-speed manual gearbox. The A4 was provided by fuel system supplier Bosch while the A5 came from turbocharger supplier Honeywell. While the powertrains were nominally equal, the coupe lacked some of the dynamic options that were installed on the sedan.
The A4 had the new Audi Drive Select system that provides driver adjustable damping and an active steering system. The adjustable dampers are combined with a sport suspension system that lowers the ride height by 0.79 inches. The difference between sport and comfort modes for the damping was not dramatically obvious but the lowered suspension of the sedan definitely had crisper responses than the base setup in the coupe.

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