autoMedia Auto News Blog : Audi

2010 Green Car of the Year Finalists Announced

Brandy Schaffels — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Green Car Journal has announced its five finalists for the 2010 Green Car of the Year; for the fifth consecutive year, this prestigious award will be announced at the opening of the Los Angeles Auto Show on December 3....(read more)

autoMedia CARnival 9-4-09: This week in the auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:44:00 GMT

It's the week ending September 4, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. Cash for Clunkers and Papa John's Camaro remain in the headlines for another week, and David E. Davis says he wishes Jean Jennings was dead, but besides all that, we've also got plenty of other unusual news sure to delight the automotive fan.

Cash for Clunkers rebates undoubtedly fueled robust August car sales, with manufacturers showing increased sales over the same time period a year ago, and even better increases over their sales just one or two months ago. Motor Trend's Todd Lassa shares an astute analysis of these figures, with detailed insights into the best-selling models and manufacturers.

Classic Car Examiner Jim Cherry knows cars have had a long and colorful history on TV from the 1966 Batmobile, to Entourage's Maserati Quatroporte, to Starsky & Hutch's Grand Torino. Knight Rider's Kitt car was so popular that Hasselhoff's series was revived years later in the vain hope of selling more lunchboxes. The right car makes the right statement on TV. They hop things up, express characters' characters, provide dramatic action and provide plenty of merchandising oppoutunities. Check out his slideshow of the top nine classic TV cars at examiner.com

AutoBlog files this under "No Cool, Wacky Deed Shall Go Unlitigated." John Schnatter, Papa John of Papa John's Pizza, put out a $250,000 A.P.B. to find his long lost 1971 1/2 Camaro Z28. Papa John Schnatter says the money was for the person whose name was on the title of the car as a reward for selling the car back to him. When the Sloanes of Indiana helped point Schnatter to Jeff Robinson, the current owner, Schnatter offered them $25,000 for the assist. Now the Sloanes aren't happy about "only" getting $25,000 and want a bigger piece of the pie. More details can be found at this local Kentucky news website. Naughty, greedy people get no sympathy from me. Take your finder's fee and quitchurbitchin...

The Detroit Bureau asks if U.S. buyers are ready to return to Motown and buy American for their transportation needs? According to Paul Eisenstein, that's the rather surprising indication of a new survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. This first-ever survey of motorist intentions found that about 80% of new-car buyers said they would be likely or very likely consider a Detroit product, compared with just 47% who said the same thing about an Asian model, and 46% who'd similarly consider a European offering. The CR survey results show good news for the American automakers, as most respondents said the most important consideration in deciding which vehicle to buy is price, followed by fuel economy, safety, and quality.

It's difficult to find the words to describe the highlight of this segment of "Autoline After Hours" being served at TheTruthAboutCars. Let the headline be your guide: "David E. Davis: Fired for Truth Telling, Wants Jean Jennings Dead." Fast forward 15 minutes in, when David-E wishes a piano would land on her head. Yeah: He says that.

In one article, AutoBlogGreen says Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen, says the Chevy Volt is "a car for idiots," and says pure electric vehicles are "for the intellectual elite who want to show what enlightened souls they are." In another article he denies using those words. Well, of course, he has to, especially now that Audi is revealing an all-electric R8 concept car at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. Harrumph.

Honda fans across the internet unleashed "Haterade" on first official Crosstour photos released at Facebook: Honda responds by blaming it on insufficient photography and promises additional photos will come soon. Jalopnik says "We're sorry, but if your vehicle is ugly from 3/4 front and 3/4 back it's just ugly and we doubt more detail is going to change that."

If you've heard the accusations that the rare metals required for production of hybrid car motors and batteries are in short supply and that the mining of such metals is disastrous for the environment, then you'll want to read this report at HybridCars.com which declares such concerns are overblown. In fact, the article states that if domestic and other Canada-based mining concerns go back into production at currently dormant mines, hybrid and electric car production will "not only be on track, it could be done in the United States," within three to four years.

Thanks for joining us for this week's autoMedia.com CARnival! Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment--until then, have a great weekend!

Brandy Schaffels, autoMedia.com Contributing Editor

Audi Transforms Sales

Editor — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:41:00 GMT

Audi sold 7,524 vehicles in the U.S. during the month of June—making it their best sales month year-to-date ‘09. After all the numbers are tallied industry-wide, Audi says they expect their June share of the U.S. luxury import market to have increased by 9.1 percent. The company attributes the surge to the high demand for the new Audi Q5 crossover and Q7 TDI clean diesel SUV. The sales climate also improved 20 percent in June for the Audi A4 Cabriolet, quite possibly due to the onset of summer weather. Like most automakers, Audi’s year-to-date sales are still below last year’s figures, to be expected considering the recession, but the difference for Audi stands at just 15.9 percent. So, despite Sideways’ transforming task of alternating between Autobot and Decepticon only to create confusion in all camps, Audi’s impact in the import luxury market is clearly a strong force. Check out the entire Audi model lineup in our 2009 Audi buyer’s guide, featuring specs, pricing, and reviews.

~ Deborah Neal, Editorial Director, autoMedia.com

Transformers 2: Autobot heroes wear GM Bow Ties, Decepticons wear Audi and Volvo badges

Brandy Schaffels — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:16:00 GMT

Director Michael Bay is well known for his larger-than-life adrenalin-pumping action films featuring intense conflicts, thumping loud soundtracks, and maybe even a little gratuitous sexual content. That said, fans of the first Transformers film will not be disappointed by Bay's sequel "Transformers 2: Revenge of The Fallen" which delivers extra portions of all of the above.

DreamWorks and Paramount pictures worked hand in hand with Hasbro to ensure the backstories of each character would remain true to Hasbro's established history (and sell oodles of toys), so car fans will delight in the assortment of heroic Autobots, which transform into a variety of General Motors-branded vehicles from massive GMC trucks to the already popular Bumblebee Camaro. Introduced in this second toy story are several new Bow-Tie-wearing 'bots, including Sideswipe, an incredibly sexy Corvette influenced by the original 1959 Stingray race car, which transforms to wield powerfully sharp swords; and a pair of Laurel-and-Hardy-esque Autobot Twins, Skids and Mudflap, who are skinned in automotive form as Chevy's Beat and Trax concepts first seen at the 2007 New York Auto Show. The Chevrolet Volt makes an appearance in the film as the character Jolt; as an electric car, Jolt's weapons include a pair of electric whips used at the end of the film to help attach some extra firepower to one of the film's heros. There are even a few unbadged pocket rockets guided by sexy holographic pilots that are sure to please the motorcycle fans in the audience.

One of the biggest surprises were the Audi and Volvo-badged Decepticons! For as much as General Motors promoted and advertised their involvement with the film, these vehicles were definitely under the promotional radar. Audi didn't have much to say about it, but photos a toy transformer of the Decepticon R8 known as Sideways can be seen here along with several other videos showing how to transform the entire assortment of toys. Jalopnik has some behind-the-scenes video of the Audi R8 from the first day of filming here.

"'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' goes way beyond the first film in terms of robot action and excitement," said LeeAnne Stables, executive vice president of worldwide marketing partnerships at Paramount Pictures, the distributor of the film. "The new Autobots add to the storytelling, and these Chevy vehicles went with our filmmakers to locations all around the world. GM has again provided incredible support to the production team working on the movie." For more exclusive Chevrolet Autobot information and movie clips, visit www.autobotsrollout.com.

Unfortunately for Paramount, LATimes.com reports that General Motors was forced to cut back its promotional spending, which meant that the financially strapped automaker was unable to support the film's marketing blitz in the weeks leading up to its opening. Ultimately, however, that didn't seem to matter much, as midnight showings were sold out across the country last night. The parking lot of the screening I attended was occupied by a broad assortment of Camaros, including one 2010 model: Hopefully Chevy will sell a few of these sportsters due to its exposure in the film. (Who wouldn't want to drive one of those Bumblebee yellow-and-black striped racers around town?) A quick internet search shows interested buyers CAN find Camaros for sale in dealerships across the country.

Transformations between Robot and Autobot shapes are abundant, and some are even performed in slow motion for added viewing pleasure, with nauseatingly real visual effects displaying the more dramatic transformations with 360-degree viewing action. A highlight transformation is the combination of several Constructicons into a giant Devastator in the Egyptian desert. If you're a true fan of this digital action (once again created by Industrial Light & Magic) you'll want to view this film in its full IMAX glory.

The ear-pounding score and soundtrack are guided by Steve Jablonsky, Mike Shinoda, and Hans Zimmer and feature (of course) Linkin Park along with Green Day, All-American Rejects, Hoobastank, The Fray, Nickelback, and Staind.

Megan Fox is steamy-hot as Mikaela and Shia LaBeouf is his usual goofy self as Sam Witwicky: The two play well together right up to the film's somewhat cliche "kissing shadows in the twilight sun" denouement. Viewers past puberty will also appreciate Isabel Lucas who plays an aggressively sexy co-ed and Ramon Rodriguez as Sam's "legend-in-his-own-mind" college roommate.

Parents: Sex- and drug-related references go far beyond innuendo, so respect the PG-13 rating and be prepared for an abundance of "dog domination" by Sam's pet chihuahua Mojo and one small Decepticon who worships Mikaela. The frequent fight scenes are extremely violent and emotionally intense, and believe it or not, some of the 'Bots bleed when injured--while it may simply be transmission fluid, it is easily visualized as blood.

Paramount and DreamWorks are currently in development of the Transformers threequel, which has a rumored release date of Friday, July 1, 2012.

Can't wait to see which vehicles will star in that one!

By Brandy Schaffels
autoMedia.com contributor

Film stills via GM Media, vehicle photos by the author

autoMedia CARnival: What's happening this week in the auto blogs? May 21, 2009

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 22 May 2009 22:32:00 GMT

It's the week ending May 21, and lots of automotive antics have been going on across the internets. We've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. We've got a holiday weekend approaching in just a few hours, so we hope these fun snippets will help you get into a memorable mood for Memorial Day Weekend!

Will you be among the 32 million travelers AutoClub predicts will be taking a road trip for the weekend? Interestingly, more than 10 million Americans include their four-footed family members in their travels annually; 80 percent bring the dog, while only 15% are brave enough to dare carry a kitty. If you're planning to bring along your four-legged family member, the folks over at Animal Planet are sharing six excellent ways to ensure a righteous road trip with Rover or Rags in tow. Regardless of who else is coming along, we know you'll want to have a enjoyable trip, so be sure to check out our own Tips for Safe Memorial Day travel, here at autoMedia.com!

Did you hear what Jeremy Clarkson--host and chief bombasticator of the BBC show Top Gear--said about the 2010 Honda Insight? Within three paragraphs of his three-page review, Clarkson said it is "Possibly the worst new car money can buy. It's the first car I've ever considered crashing into a tree, on purpose, so I didn't have to drive it any more." Wow! Don't hold back, Jeremy! His review inspired a number of rebuttals, including this one from Keith Buglewicz, which says "While it's true that hybrids aren't the end-all and be-all of our automotive future--and I wholeheartedly agree with Clarkson that the hydrogen-powered Honda FCX Clarity is a better look at that future--his screed against hybrids is ridiculous and built on easily refutable false logic. Don't like the car? That's fine. But if you're going to argue against hybrids in general, at least get your facts straight." Want to read a more detailed, less confrontational review of Honda's hybrid hatchback? Then check out our own review of the 2010 Honda Insight, here at automedia.com

Mark Elias from LeftLaneNews took a gorgeous Audi R8 on a pre-Memorial-Day roadtrip up the Florida Turnpike, and somehow became a wedding crasher along the way. It's clear from his review that Mark loved the two-seat supercar, but the mother of the bride loved it so much, she left a kiss on its windshield!

While you're out and about this holiday weekend, make sure you've got your seatbelt buckled. Apparently, according to TheDetroitBureau, "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is paying particular attention to subnormal seat-belt wearing rates among teenaged motorists in this month's nationwide "Click it or Ticket" campaign." Overall, the Department of Transportation estimates 1,652 lives could be saved and 22,372 serious injuries avoided annually if Americans raised their belt-wearing rates to 90% in every state. To help these statistics, NHTSA and DOT are specifically targeting teens to raise seatbelt awareness, but between now and May 31, police officers nationwide will be aggressively issuing seatbelt citations to anybody not properly buckled up.

It's easy to find amazing photography of fabulous OEM vehicles on the internet. Kit cars and customs are also abundant, but Jalopnik has a photo gallery of something even better: A detailed collection of customized racecars built entirely of Lego bricks. Two dozen of them in fact, from a Lamborghini Gallardo to a RollsRoyce Phantom to a Ford GT! Jalopnik says this guy has "has harnessed the very talented skill of building as-realistic-as-they-can-be four-wheeled Lego creations." Awesome!

What's the most miles you've ever heard of on a vehicle? While most of us are impressed to hear that a car has gone more than 200K before being towed to the junkyard, 91-year-old Rachel has put more than 557,000 miles on her beloved Mercury Caliente! Betcha she's taken this one on some excellent road trips!

Well, we know it's a holiday weekend and you're anxious to get on your way, so we'll keep the mileage low on our Memorial Day road trip carnival. Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment--until then, have a great weekend!

Brandy Schaffels, Contributing Editor

Super Bowl Kicks Off Without Detroit 3

admin — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:36:00 GMT

The Super Bowl is an event bigger than life, pitting the year’s best football teams against one another for a chance at history, and lucrative fan support for years to come. It is also a showdown of advertising budgets and creativity. With NBC charging $2.8 million per 30-second spot, many companies known for kicking off new products and campaigns with the Super Bowl are backing away from the potential 100 million U.S. television viewers. For us gearheads, the most notable change is Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors being conspicuously absent.

A true indicator of the troubles they face, the American car makers have withdrawn from this distinctly American sport. Naturally, all have trimmed their budgets across the board as they struggle with the challenges the entire industry faces. Some representatives have been quoted as saying they simply don’t have a major vehicle release to coincide with the event. To a certain degree, that is true, as many factories have been idled to reduce inventory and some products delayed, but there is always something new coming, like the 2010 Ford Fusion. This would have been a great time to tout the revitalized line up has a high-performance model and a hybrid that promises better fuel economy than a Toyota Camry hybrid.

The unstated reason may be public perception. It would be uncomfortable shortly after receiving federal assistance to make such an excessive expenditure—a lesson the financial industry should learn. (For example, Citigroup completed a $400 million sponsorship deal for the New York Mets stadium days after the U.S. government pledged billions in aid for the trouble institution.)

Car enthusiasts still have memorable ads to look forward to seeing live, and YouTube’ing later. Notably, Audi will promote its A6 sedan featuring action star Jason Statham.

Hyundai will celebrate receiving the 2009 North American Car of the Year award for its Genesis sedan. And, it will promote its upcoming Genesis coupe with some tire-burning excitement.

Toyota will promotes its new Venza crossover, that is equal parts sedan, wagon, and SUV.

Ever controversial, GoDaddy.com will again feature risqué ads, including one featuring Danica Patrick showering.

As always, the Super Bowl -- this year between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers -- promises to be a spectacle that America will be discussing for days after. Hope they notice the Detroit 3 were on the sidelines.

Pricing: 2009 Audi A4 sedan and Avant

admin — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:28:00 GMT

Larger, sleeker, and better equipped, the all-new A4 sedan and Avant goes on sale in September starting at $32,700 and $34,500, respectfully. It will again be offered in front- and all-wheel drive, with a base turbocharged four-cylinder.

New for 2009, the 2.0 TFSI engine features more horsepower (211 hp) and significantly more torque (258 lb.-ft.) than the engine it replaces. And it promises better fuel economy, with an EPA-rated 21 mpg city and 27 mpg highway. The 3.2 FSI will be available strictly in the sedan and with the quattro all-wheel-drive system and a 6-speed Tiptronic transmission. The A4 Avant will be equipped with the 2.0 TFSI engine and the quattro all-wheel-drive system.

See our previous sneak peak at the 2009 A4.

Research the Audi A4 in the buyer’s guide, complete with pricing, specifications, and photo galleries.

Sneak peek: 2009 Audi A4

admin — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:43:00 GMT

Among the redesigned cars quietly heading to a showroom near you is the larger, sleeker, and more refined 2009 Audi A4 sedan and Avant wagon. On the auto show circuit this year, the A4 blended in with the expanding portfolio of models, seeming lost beside the A5, Q5, TT, and numerous S models. However, the new A4 deserves a closer look.

The A4 sedan has grown almost five inches in length and two in width. This larger body rides on a wheelbase stretched six inches. Add it up, and the A4 threatens to outgrow its class and is nudging up against the A6. Look past the crude dimensions and you see a car who’s drag coefficient was reduced from 0.31 to 0.27.

In addition to the new engine, the transmission and quattro were dramatically revised for the new A4. Not only has a new emphasis been placed on the speed of the tiptronic's shifts, but the layout has been changed: As in the A5 and S5, the differential is now right behind the engine and ahead of the torque converter, which extends the wheelbase and helps improve weight distribution. Quattro uses a 40/60 torque split and a self-locking center differential. The new all-wheel-drive system controls traction better near the car's limits, reducing the need for the stability control hardware to intervene with braking.

The sedan will be offered 3.2-liter, 265-horsepower V-6 with a six-speed automatic transmission and 2.0-liter, 200-plus-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder with a choice of the six-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmissions. The Avant will only be offered with the all-new 2.0-liter engine, automatic, and all-wheel drive. Audi boasts that the new powerplants will deliver improved fuel economy over the out-going models.

Both body styles go on sale this fall in the United States.

Research the Audi A4 in the buyer’s guide, complete with pricing, specifications, and photo galleries.

Sneak peek: Updated 2009 Audi A3

admin — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:58:00 GMT

Audi will freshen its entry-level five-door hatchback model for the 2009 model year, with exterior and interior updates. Although Audi has released only this teaser image, we can see the exterior is distinguished with a revised front end. The new hood and fenders are more expressively styled, and the bumper and large single-frame radiator grille have been modified. Daytime running lights are standard features, and the optional bi-xenon headlamps incorporate LEDs. Not shown are new door handles and wheels. The rear features a modified bumper and lights, with fiber-optic light strips. Inside the car, the updates center around a more premium look to controls and switches, as well as an updated instrument panel.

The 2.0-liter, 200-horsepower turbo four and 3.2-liter, 250-horsepower V-6 carry over. The 2.0 TFSI engine is supplied as standard with six-speed manual transmission, and the 3.2 is available exclusively with the six-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission, now also available for all engine versions.

The independent suspension is an enhanced with an available adaptive-action shock absorber control system. The driver can choose between "Normal" and "Sport" programs by flipping a switch. A magneto-rheological fluid circulating in the shock absorbers changes its flow properties within milliseconds when a voltage is applied; this affects the damping characteristic, which can be varied from comfortably supple to crisply firm.

The A3 will reach dealers in September 2008, with pricing and equipment to be announced closer to the on-sale date.

Research the 2008 Audi A3 hatchback in the buyer’s guide, complete with pricing, specifications, and photo galleries.

Unveiled: 2009 Audi Q5 SUV

admin — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:46:00 GMT

At the 2008 Beijing Auto Show, Audi took the wraps off the latest SUV to join its swelling ranks, the Q5. Slotting below the three-row Q7 in the range, the Q5 enters the luxury crossover vehicle market for 2009, boasting two inches in length and width over the popular BMW X3. It will be offered in the United States with a 3.2L, 265-hp V-6 FSI direct injection with all-wheel drive and a six-speed Tiptronic transmission.

The exterior design has a premium yet friendly feel that reminds of the Volkswagen Tiguan, wrapped in Q7 elegance, and finished by the distinct brand-signature trapezoidal grille. Bi-xenon headlamps are available, and LED taillights are standard. Audi brags about the 0.33 drag coefficient—low for an SUV. Thankfully, it appears the Q5 has bucked the recent trend for short side glass and large C-pillars conspiring to reduce outward visibility.

The interior balances luxury with versatility. The cabin materials count aluminum, woods, chrome, leather, and Alcantara, as well as a large selection of optional design packages. The instrument cluster has a display screen, and there is large, central monitor. A navigation system with real-time traffic ability is available. The infotainment center is controlled with then next-generation rotary dial, known as MMI in Audi-speak. Among the more novel features, Audi offers a climate-controlled drink holder to keep beverages hot or cold. The front passenger seat folds flat to accommodate long objects. Also, that footwell has anchors for various storage fixtures.

The Q5 is standard with quattro permanent all-wheel drive, which routes power in a 40:60 ratio to the front and rear ratio. When needed, the driveline can deliver up to 65 percent of the power to the front axle and a maximum of 85 percent to the rear axle. The vehicle comes standard with 18-inch aluminum wheels, with 20-inch wheels being optional. Acceleration is estimated at 6.8 seconds for 0-60 mph.

The Audi Q5 goes on sale in the United States the first quarter of 2009 as a 2009 model-year vehicle. All Audi will hint on pricing is that the Q5 is “expected to be in line with its competitors.”

Research Audi in the buyer’s guide, complete with pricing, specifications, and photo galleries.

Iron Man armed with Audi R8

admin — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:13:00 GMT

Nary a blockbuster film makes it to the big screen without a sponsored, automotive tie-in. When Marvel super hero Iron Man takes to the screen on May 2, his marketing sidekick will be an Audi R8. This pairs the brilliant, high-tech-driven Tony Stark played by Robert Downey Jr. with an exotic, high-tech coupe. No word if the R8 can fire repulsor beams from its four grille rings.

Downey Jr. said in an official release, "I grew up with the Audi mystique. This carmaker has always been right in the forefront when it comes to technology, performance, innovation, and safety. I see Tony and myself as worthy ambassadors for Audi -- we're genuine fans of the make."

If you watch the Iron Man movie trailer, you can see perhaps the cast had other feelings about a Cobra replica.

There will be other Audis in the film, such as an S5 driven by Virginia "Pepper" Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow.

If you’re like Downey Jr., a fan of Audi and Iron Man, then it is worth flying over to a micro-site dedicated to the film. (Warning: you must turn off your pop-up blocker to visit.)

It features technophile, billionaire Tony Stark's top-secret workshop. Two perspectives are available: Through the eyes of Tony Stark, exclusive footage and background information on the movie can be called up and viewed. Alternatively the special "Iron Man Vision" HUD (Heads-Up Display) can be used, for instance to explore the design details of the Audi R8 and A5, as shown here. The micro-site also contains historical facts about Audi and the 'Iron Man' comic book character.

Research Audi in the buyer’s guide, complete with pricing, specifications, and photo galleries.

Audi TT TDI diesel – 50 mpg

admin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 02:15:00 GMT

Audi will introduce a TT diesel sports car at the Geneva Motor Show this week boasting 50 mpg. For the first time, the TT will be offered—in Europe—with a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine. Using common-rail fuel injection, this powerplant produces 168 horsepower, with a stout 258 lb.-ft. of torque. Audi claims it produces 20-percent less carbon dioxide than an equivalent gasoline engine.

Already offered in the A4 sedan, this TDI engine promises a 0-60 mph time under 7.5 seconds. The TT TDI coupe has a 140-mph top speed and claims 53.3 mpg—quite impressive for a car that promises serious fun and luxury. For those who want to lower the top, the roadster makes do with a 138-mph terminal velocity and thrifty 51.3 mpg.

The latest diesel engines are clean, quiet, thrifty, and delightfully powerful. More choices are expected here in the United States over the next couple of years, promising significant fuel-economy gains over traditional engines. However, right now, diesel fuel is priced above gasoline on average, partially negating some operating benefits. As worldwide demand for diesel continues to increase, it remains to be seen what role diesels will play in cars.

Would you consider a diesel-powered car? Post your comments below.

Read our 2008 Audi TT review. Research the 2008 Audi TT in the buyer’s guide.

For more on diesels, read "New-Age Diesel Developments"

Sneak peek: 2009 Audi A4 Avant

admin — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 04:07:00 GMT

The countdown is on for the 2008 Geneva Motor Show and some kindly manufacturers are providing an early peek at things to come. Following up the redesigned Audi A4 sedan is the wagon edition, the A4 Avant. Audi has teased us with the promise of a new high-powered, four-cylinder turbocharged engine to be unveiled next month that promises an increase in performance and fuel economy.

In Europe, the A4 already boasts a tempting array of powerplants:
1.8 TFSI – 164 hp, 184 lb.-ft.
3.2 FSI – 265 hp, 243 lb.-ft.
2.0 TDI – 143 hp, 236 lb.-ft.
2.0 TDI – 170 hp, 258 lb.-ft.
3.0 TDI – 240 hp, 367 lb.-ft.

The Avant gives the sedan a straightforward wagon treatment, benefiting from the new platform and its longer wheelbase. A shift in proportions over the previous generation gives the Avant a sleeker, sportier look while gaining handling acumen from the revised suspension. Likewise, the latest A4 range boast a more sophisticated, feature-rich interior that sees the entire car line inch up in the luxury-car ranks.

Raise the powered hatch on the Avant and you’ll find a carpet-lined cargo area with features such as a reversible cargo floor and a retractable cargo cover. Naturally, the rear seat is split 60/40, allowing flexible configurations for long items. Total cargo space is rated at 50.5 cubic feet.

To entertain the upscale family on a road trip, the Avant will be available with an iPod-compatible stereo, navigation system, and powerful Bang & Olufsen 505-watt, 14-speaker audio system. Other offered comforts will include air-conditioned comfort seats and a triple-zone climate control system.

The Avant will roll off the production line in the Attraction, Ambition, and Ambiente equipment lines, with available S line exterior and sports packages.

Research the 2008 A udi A4 in our buyer’s guide.