Audi A4: An Adroit Mix Of Innovative Concept And Efficient Power

The Audi A4 is a luxurious, compact car produced since the year 1994 by the innovative German auto maker, Audi, which is a subsidiary of another great car manufacturer, Volkswagen Group. Even up till today, there are many used Audi A4 executive cars of the first edition that ply our roads, and auto enthusiasts still admire them for good reasons. Based on Volkswagen’s popular B platform, the A4 has evolved greatly and undergone four generations. If you still remember, the Audi 80 was rested and replaced with the first-gen A4. According to Audi’s internal numbering system, the A4 is counted as an extension of the Audi 80 linage. That very first A4 was labeled as the B5 series, followed by the B6 and B7 series until the present B8 series. This latest B8 A4 car is based on the automaker’s proprietary new MLB platform, which Audi brand uses exclusively. MLB is not even shared with the Volkswagen brand!

Audi A4

The layout of the Audi A4 vehicle comprises a longitudinally-oriented engine at the front and trans-axle-like transmissions positioned at the engine’s rear side. Generally, the models of the vehicle deploy front-wheel drive system, though there are some models that feature quattro all-wheel drive.

Audi A4 Front View

The Audi A4 is built as a sedan/saloon and wagon/estate, and that design approach has helped it to permeate all segments of the auto market. The 2^nd and 3^rdgenerations (B6 and B7 respectively) of the German executive car also included a convertible model.

Audi A4 Rear View

Called “Typ 8D” internally, the first generation of the Audi A4 concept was presented to the auto world in 1994, and it went into production in November of that same year. That entry version utilized the Volkswagen B5 (PL45) platform, which was also incorporated in the 4^th generation of VW Passat (B5, Typ 3B). It implemented a front-wheel drive mechanism and a front-mounted, longitudinal engine. With the German automaker’s quattro four-wheel drive system, a wide variety of the A4 were also available on the market. And used Audi A4 of that first design remains a hot sale! That said, the original version of the A4 was unveiled as a 4-door sedan, and its Avant wagon was introduced a year later.

Audi A4 Convertible

A wide variety of internal combustion engines were sold on European markets, between 1.6 and 2.8 liters for gasoline engines. A 1.9 liter diesel engine was also available with VW’s trademark VE technology, with the capability to attain 66 KW; 89 bhp (90 PS) or 81 KW; 108 bhp (110 PS). However, Audi’s carried-over 2.8 liter V6 engine was the only available option in North America until 1997.