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2017 Audi A4 Deep Dive

Unchanged. Plain. Boring. These words have been used to describe the new 2017 Audi A4, but they all miss the point entirely. Yes, the design of the new A4 is evolutionary, rather than a ground-up restyling. But as they say in ancient High German, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Of course, if you're at all interested in the 2017 Audi A4, you've probably read all about it in the official press release a few days ago. So we'll cut to the chase and tell you the bits you don't already know: the American-market details. We spent a day at Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt last week finding out the latest and poking around the A4 in the metal. The new A4 is wider, longer, and roomier than before. The lines are crisper and sharper, but yes, the proportions have remained very similar. That was done on purpose, thoughtfully. Not out of laziness. Stand any two sequential generations of Porsche 911 next to each other and you'll find they are rather similar. And yes, people do complain about that. But they also complain about the property tax rate on their third home in Monaco. That familiar-looking body gets a shockingly low coefficient of drag of just 0.23. The improvements in drag come from fine-tuning details down to the placement of the side mirror (now on the door, rather than the triangular window panel) and the contouring of the inner edge of the side mirror, which gets little vortex generating bumps to improve the turbulent airflow in that area, reducing drag. Attention to detail and refinement of a successful design – not boring, lazy repetition. Another notable departure in the styling of the new A4 is equally subtle, but even more significant from a precision manufacturing perspective: the hood has no cut lines on its upper surface. Instead, the hood now wraps around the tops of the fenders, the cut line integrating with the sharp crease that runs down the entire body side. The creation of this cut line requires extremely tight manufacturing tolerances to enable the precise alignment of the hood and fender gap with the stamped-in crease in the door panel; misalignment would be obvious and catastrophic to the clean, simple design's flow. Now, let's rip off this Band-Aid: no, we won't be getting the Avant. Why? Because no one buys it, vociferous vocalizations on the Internet aside.

Driving the 2024 Lexus GX and Land Rover Defender 130 | Autoblog Podcast #818

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor James Riswick. We kick off the week by reviewing cars we've been driving, including the new Lexus GX, Land Rover Defender 130 Outbound, Jaguar F-Pace, Hyundai Kona and our long-term Subaru WRX. Next, we break down the best wagons of the 21st century, before discussing the Audi Sport RS6 GT. Finally, we discuss a bit of the 2024 Chicago Auto Show. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #818 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2024 Lexus GX 2024 Land Rover Defender 130 2024 Jaguar F-Pace 2024 Hyundai Kona Long-term 2023 Subaru WRX Audi reveals the ultra-limited 2025 RS 6 GT 2024 Chicago Auto Show Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: 2024 Lexus GX 550 Overtrail is a more capable off-roader and looks the part

Audi Sport Quattro Concept to spawn volume sports car?

There have been two modern re-imaginings of the original 1984 Audi Ur-Quattro: the Quattro Concept of 2010 (shown above) and the Sport Quattro Concept revealed at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. In between them, there have been numerous rumors about what, if any, kind of production car Audi might make of them. According to a new report in Auto Motor und Sport, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has "indicated... that the car will come," and based on the specs presented, what we get might end up being a mix of the two.
Ulrich Hackenberg, Audi's head of R&D, apparently wants a sports car with wider appeal than the 700-horsepower hybrid Sport Quattro Concept. AMS says his vision would be built on a modified A6 platform - the same MLB architecture under the Sport Quattro Concept - with ample use of carbon and aluminum keeping the weight down to around 1,300 kilograms (under 2,900 pounds). Engines could include a 2.5-liter, five-cylinder (like that of the original, smaller Quattro Concept) offering anything from 310 to 360 hp. Those numbers would be at least 48 horsepower shy of the first concept, but a less-powerful entry point to a new model range would provide a lower cost of entry. Besides, a full model range would likely include a significantly healthier powertrain option on the top end.
At the moment, Hackenberg is said to be unsatisfied with the design of the car, which could well mean we'll get another concept car before a production version appears.