Doing what’s needed to keep up with the pack.
Audi’s got some major enhancements in store for its A4 saloon & A4 Avant, contenders in the hotly-contested compact executive segment. With rivals like the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW 3-Series becoming bywords in that space, the A4 continues to sit as a left-of-field, 2nd-runner-up sort of proposition, even though objectively, it surpasses its competition in various areas.
But for the next update, scheduled for the 2020 model year, Audi will be pulling all the stops for the A4, and are set to endow it with the very latest technological & engineering innovations from the brand which are present in their newer products.
As such, the usual aesthetic revisions (like reprofiled bumpers, snazzier LED lights, and a new range of alloy wheels) are going to be wheeled out, but will only serve to mask some of the more serious changes under the skin.
*2018 Audi A6 with new MMI interface
The interior for example will be the recipient of major upgrades, which Autocar reckons will include the adoption of their latest multimedia interface, which utilises two touchscreens mounted on the central stack. The upper screen will handle the usual infotainment demands, while the lower one will take the place of the climate control panel and incorporate various other functionalities as well.
More changes are set to take place under the bonnet where it’s unconfirmed (but highly likely) that Audi will throw in their latest-range of mild-hybrid powertrains to boost efficiency and reduce emissions, the latter critical to meet the more stringent EU fleet emissions legislation that comes into effect in 2021. Expect to see a 12V MHEV setup in 4-cylinder engines, while 6-cylinder motors will make use of a more advanced and capable 48V system.
The Audi A4, when it debuts late next year, will be one of the last in the segment to receive a facelift, with segment-leaders the C-Class and 3-Series both getting their mid-life updates already. Also due around that time is the updated Jaguar XE, favoured among buyers as the sharpest driving instrument of the lot.
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