Another award for A4

Already recognised with the What Car? Car of the year award, the new Audi A4 recently added the top Car of the year accolade in the Contract Hire and Leasing Awards for 2015 to its already impressive cache of honours. The all-new compact executive star also secured the Compact Executive Car category award as part of the annual review of star cars conducted by respected uK car finance site ContractHireandLeasing.com. Citing its ‘sharp looks, improved driving dynamics, greater efficiency’, and in particular applauding the ‘stunning’ Virtual Cockpit, the judges added: ‘The A4 has what it takes to edge ahead of its incredibly talented rivals. In this competitive segment, praise doesn’t come any higher… ‘Any car good enough to beat such talented opponents would always be in the running for the overall win, but the A4’s success was ensured by its strong residuals and appealing lease deals. ‘They say you are judged by the strength of your enemies, and on that basis it’s tough to find fault with Audi’s latest executive saloon. The fact that it has taken on (and beaten) two of 2015’s best new arrivals – the all-new Jaguar XE and the facelifted BMW 3 Series – tells you all you need to know. It’s brilliant.’

The new A4 continues a story of consistent technological breakthroughs and advances in refinement that have characterised the best-selling Audi saloon ever since its origins as the Audi 80. The latest, all-new, model is yet another example of Vorsprung durch Technik, underscored by a vast array of driver assistance and safety systems, intelligent construction methods and infotainment options that are benchmark in the class. Katie Purcell, Audi uK Product Manager for A4, commented: ‘To put it simply, everything about the A4 is new except the name, so it is enormously gratifying to see the exceptional effort a ground-up redesign like this entails being acknowledged by important awards like these. The fact that our wins are also based on the strength of the A4’s accessibility from a financial perspective makes them all the more valued.’ Available with a combination of TFSI and TDI engines, manual, S tronic and Tiptronic automatic gearboxes, and four-door Saloon or Avant body styles, the latest A4 can also be specified with a range of innovative options, from Matrix LED headlights to Audi traffic jam assist and a Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system, making this the most technologically advanced Audi to date. Prices start from £25,900 OTR for the 150 PS 1.4 TFSI 6-speed manual, rising to £40,350 OTR for the 272 PS 3.0-litre V6 TDI Avant with quattro and 8-speed tiptronic transmission, with the current A4 range soon to be joined by the latest A4 allroad quattro and S model variants.