2009 Audi A4 3.2 FSI quattro Review
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2009 Audi A4 3.2 FSI quattro Review by Charles Renny / Auto123.com |
The A4 with Quattro is a bit of a surprise in the Audi line up. First off, it comes in four variations. The introductory model is your choice of either a sedan or station wagon. Audi refers to the wagon version as an “Avant”. Power comes from a 2.0 litre direct injected and turbocharged gasoline engine. At the upper end, the sedan and Avant models come with a 3.2 litre direct injected V-6.
My first exposure to the A4 3.2 FSI was actually about a year ago in England. I managed to sweet talk Audi UK out of a car for a couple of weeks. I had asked for an automatic and wound up with a six-speed manual. Now I’m on the wrong side of the road, on the wrong side of the car, shifting with the wrong arm. To keep this short, I only tried to shift with the door handle a couple of times. I loved the A4 once I got used to it and looked forward to driving a Canadian model. The Canadian model that turned up was an automatic and not quite as well decked out as the British car. The British car had all the option boxes checked off while my tester here, was just a sedan with an automatic transmission. Mind you even the basic A4 with the 3.2 direct injected (FSI) V6 comes with an impressive array of standard equipment, including climate control and heated seats. There are still options such as Sat/Nav, Bi-Xenon headlamps with LED daytime running lights and upgraded stereo packages which include audio jacks and a USB port. Audi also includes a Blue Tooth prep package and satellite radio on the option list. One important point to me was that the A4 was be able to seat four in comfort and to make sure, I rode in the back for a few hours. I have to admit that a larger car would have been more spacious, but I doubt if it would have been more comfortable. The seat itself had plenty of hip room and I had a decent amount of space for my shoulders. Head room was a bit tight. I found it to be OK, but my tallest son urged me not to hit any large bumps that could possibly bounce him around. Up front, the bucket seats were very comfortable and could form around a large range of body sizes. On the driver’s side, the power seat let me get comfortable in about 10 seconds and I finished up with a few small adjustments to the manually adjustable steering column. A few more seconds to get the mirrors in place and I was ready for a drive.
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