When it comes to offering car buyers dozens of baffling options, Audi is more guilty than most car manufacturers.
Take the A4 saloon, which goes into battle against the hugely popular BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class, and gives buyers the choice between numerous petrol and diesel engines, two and four-wheel drive, manual and two different automatic gearboxes, plus performance and off-road variants. All in all, if you’re considering opting for Audi’s medium saloon there are more than 70 versions to choose from.
Just in case you don’t fancy spending hours trawling through the A4 brochure, we’ve rounded up the models that make the most sense to those after an affordable but well-equipped model, a cheap to run, economical diesel with all the key equipment you could want – and a top-of-the-range diesel, which offers a powerful motor with four-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox, plus all the standard kit you could ever want.
The smart choice for those on a budget: 1.8 TFSI 170 SE Technik – £27,420
This A4 may be the cheapest model you can get, but it is still packed with nearly all the gadgets you could want. Metallic paint is standard, along with a digital radio, Bluetooth, a seven-inch media system with sat nav and 20GB of music storage, leather seats, front and rear parking sensors and automatic headlights and wipers. 18-inch alloy wheels, three-zone climate control and cruise control are also all included.
With a turbocharged petrol engine under the bonnet this A4 sprints to 62mph in a speedy 8.1 seconds, though claimed economy is also strong at 48.7mpg, with CO2 emissions of 134g/km putting it into the £130 per year car tax band.
The smart choice for low running costs: 2.0 TDI ultra 163 SE Technik – £29,740
Those who cover many thousands of miles every year, will want to consider the 2.0 TDI ultra 163 – especially if you trawl up and down motorways, where the diesel engine should return strong economy – thanks to a claimed economy figure of 67.3mpg and emissions that put this A4 into the £20 per year tax band.
Despite the impressively frugal motor under the bonnet, the 2.0-litre engine still offers the muscle to power the A4 to 62mph in a brisk 8.3 seconds. Standard equipment, meanwhile, matches the model above, though this economy-focused diesel features smaller 17-inch alloys to reduce fuel consumption. An added side effect of the extra rubber is that the ride in this model should be a little smoother than the car above.
The smart choice for technophiles: 2.0 TDI Quattro 190 Black Edition Nav S tronic – £36,200
If you’ve got more to spend, however, and want more toys for your money, the Black Edition Nav looks a lot sharper than less pricey models and in Quattro S tronic form boasts four-wheel drive for added all-weather traction and a slick-shifting automatic gearbox.
Black Edition Nav shares all the kit that the SE Technik models have but adds sports suspension, 19-inch alloy wheels, a sharp body kit, sports seats, along with piano black trim, and a high end Bang and Olufsen sound system.
With a more powerful version of Audi’s 2.0-litre diesel engine under the bonnet, this A4 also offers an impressive turn of speed, requiring just 7.3 seconds to accelerate to 62mph. Claimed economy isn’t bad either, weighing in at 52.3mpg, while annual car tax will set you back £145.
Picture: Audi