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Audi A4: When sensible cars look this good, who needs a racer?

Tonnes of safety equipment and helpful gadgets does not a boring Audi make

THERE WAS A point around the turn of the century where the most fancied people on TV were no longer the tight-costume wearing vampire hunters or lifeguards of this world, but rather your Orange County or One Tree Hill geeks that stole the show. The television landscape was littered with eloquent, if a bit flustered, nerds who people loved.
This same phenomenon occurred with cars. The family saloon such as the 3 Series or C Class became more than a box on wheels. It became desirable as a result of its geek chic credentials, better styling and the fact they can carry five people. Your Ferrari is all well and good, but have you ever tried getting a dog in the back of one?
The Audi A4 is the ninth generation of this vehicle and the team has categorically cracked it. It's more spacious than its predecessors, for the price it is incredibly luxurious and we love the sporty look it as been given. Specifically an indented line has been added to the exterior, which is unique to the Audi range.
Whichever engine you decide to go for, it won't be huge, but will produce enough power to get you up to speed pretty quickly - under six seconds in our case and in sport mode the two-litre TSFI also produced a nice sound.
Perhaps the most impressive part of the A4 though is the tech. An incredibly detailed, large virtual cockpit tells you everything you need to know about the car including the most detailed SatNav ever tested and safety features like 'turn assist' which stops the car if another vehicle enters your turning circle are just a couple of reasons this A4 throws shade on other premium saloons' equipment.
 
The Audi A4 is available with a choice of three TFSI engines delivering maximum power of between 150 hp and 252 hp.
The entry-level gasoline engine is the 1.4 TFSI doing 0 to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 210 km/h.
In the high-end version, the 2.0 TFSI delivers 252 hp and a sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds. It has an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.
 
The A4's starting price is just over Dhs137,000
david@khaleejtimes.com