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Audi A4 Compact Executive Automobile: Reviews, B5, B6, B7 And 2006 Audi
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Published: May 31, 2007
One of the hottest sports tuned cars on the market is the Audi A4. Since it was released in 1995, the Audi A4 has become one of the most popular entry level luxury cars in both the U.S. and Europe. The question is, what makes this car as popular as it is? It's certainly not the price, because the Audi is one of the most expensive purchase brands and costs quite a bit to maintain.
But there is something about the Audi A4 that turned Audi from a company on the outskirts of the public consciousness to one of the top car brands in the United States and Europe.
The first and most popular model of the Audi A4 was introduced in 1995 with a production line that ended in 2001. The Audi A4 reviews for the B5 were uniformly positive, with both critics and customers loving the sports car transmission system that could seamlessly slip between manual and automatic shifting depending on the driver's preferences. What people loved the most about the A4 B5 was the supercharged engine built similarly to other racing sports cars in their class.
The A4 B6 was released in 1998 as somewhat of a cosmetic overhaul to the B5. The design on the sedan was a bit sleeker, and it had a look more closely in line with its luxury car cousins. While the differences in the A4 B6 were mostly superficial, there were a few major mechanical changes as well. The primary change was the facelift on the engine, going from the 2.6 liter V6 to the more manageable 2.4 liter V6. Also, around this time the Quattro model all wheel drive sedan became standard in the Audi A4 line.
From 2000 to 2005, the A4 model line was the B6. The A4 B6 model run was significantly different from its siblings in many respects, primarily in terms of transmission and power. First, the A4 models produced during this line have significantly higher powered engines as compared to the older models, with the higher end models being powered by V8 engines. Also new in this model was the CVT or Continuously Variable Automatic Transmission, a belt drive similar to the one used in snowmobiles that doesn't require the power output of a geared transmission, and thus conserves gasoline. The jury is still out on the CTV, but in Audi A4 reviews it has received very high marks.
The Audi A4 B7 was released in 2004, and the 2006 Audi A4 has received typically high marks from reviewers and sports car enthusiasts. It is expected that the B7 line will retain its resale value quite well in the coming years, which is a factor many car buyers don't take into enough consideration. What will ultimately decide the fate of the B7 and other subsequent Audi A4 models is the price. With an MSRP hovering between $30-40,000 it is not exactly the best starter car on the market. It is a reasonably priced sports car, but the market trend seems to be moving away from the costly to maintain brands to safer and more fuel efficient models.
There's no doubt that the Audi A4 will still be popular for the next several years, but whether its cosmetic redesigns and upgraded power are enough to help it shake its junior sports car image and still keep it viable in the car buying economy remains to be seen.
Sources:
“Audi A4.” Wikipedia. 29 May 2007. 29 May 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_A4.
2006 Audi A4. Cars.com. 2007. 29 May 2007. http://research.cars.com/go/crp/research.jsp?makei d=4&modelid=21&year=2006.
Class-Leading Residual Values Predicted for the New Audi A4. Audi World. 10 Nov. 2004. 29 May 2007. http://www.audiworld.com/news/04/111004b/content.s html.
Test Drive Notes: Audi A4 1.8T Avant 1999. Car Talk. 2007. Dewy, Cheetham and Howe. 29 May 2007. http://www.cartalk.com/content/testdrives/Reviews/ audi-a4-18t-avant-1999.html.
The first and most popular model of the Audi A4 was introduced in 1995 with a production line that ended in 2001. The Audi A4 reviews for the B5 were uniformly positive, with both critics and customers loving the sports car transmission system that could seamlessly slip between manual and automatic shifting depending on the driver's preferences. What people loved the most about the A4 B5 was the supercharged engine built similarly to other racing sports cars in their class.
The A4 B6 was released in 1998 as somewhat of a cosmetic overhaul to the B5. The design on the sedan was a bit sleeker, and it had a look more closely in line with its luxury car cousins. While the differences in the A4 B6 were mostly superficial, there were a few major mechanical changes as well. The primary change was the facelift on the engine, going from the 2.6 liter V6 to the more manageable 2.4 liter V6. Also, around this time the Quattro model all wheel drive sedan became standard in the Audi A4 line.
From 2000 to 2005, the A4 model line was the B6. The A4 B6 model run was significantly different from its siblings in many respects, primarily in terms of transmission and power. First, the A4 models produced during this line have significantly higher powered engines as compared to the older models, with the higher end models being powered by V8 engines. Also new in this model was the CVT or Continuously Variable Automatic Transmission, a belt drive similar to the one used in snowmobiles that doesn't require the power output of a geared transmission, and thus conserves gasoline. The jury is still out on the CTV, but in Audi A4 reviews it has received very high marks.
The Audi A4 B7 was released in 2004, and the 2006 Audi A4 has received typically high marks from reviewers and sports car enthusiasts. It is expected that the B7 line will retain its resale value quite well in the coming years, which is a factor many car buyers don't take into enough consideration. What will ultimately decide the fate of the B7 and other subsequent Audi A4 models is the price. With an MSRP hovering between $30-40,000 it is not exactly the best starter car on the market. It is a reasonably priced sports car, but the market trend seems to be moving away from the costly to maintain brands to safer and more fuel efficient models.
There's no doubt that the Audi A4 will still be popular for the next several years, but whether its cosmetic redesigns and upgraded power are enough to help it shake its junior sports car image and still keep it viable in the car buying economy remains to be seen.
Sources:
“Audi A4.” Wikipedia. 29 May 2007. 29 May 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_A4.
2006 Audi A4. Cars.com. 2007. 29 May 2007. http://research.cars.com/go/crp/research.jsp?makei d=4&modelid=21&year=2006.
Class-Leading Residual Values Predicted for the New Audi A4. Audi World. 10 Nov. 2004. 29 May 2007. http://www.audiworld.com/news/04/111004b/content.s html.
Test Drive Notes: Audi A4 1.8T Avant 1999. Car Talk. 2007. Dewy, Cheetham and Howe. 29 May 2007. http://www.cartalk.com/content/testdrives/Reviews/ audi-a4-18t-avant-1999.html.
