Although it is no longer Audi’s best-selling model globally, that honour going to the related Q5, the Audi A4 is still a very important member of the Audi family, selling around 350,000 examples in 2018 alone. We are currently on what is widely regarded as the ninth generation of a model which started with the Audi 80 of 1972, though of course there’s not much that the latest car shares with its predecessor of 50 years ago apart from a badge. The A4 name only came in with the fifth generation car, bringing Audi’s medium-sized offering in line with the then new naming strategy, ending the policy of the preceding few years of calling the four cylinder cars the 80 and the five cylinder models the 90. Each successive A4 generation has shown a careful evolution from the last, with the car growing a bit in every dimension, every time, as well as adopting the latest range of engines and other mechanical bits and a whole host of tech and equipment additions to both the standard spec and the options list. An almost bewildering array of different versions have been offered with bodystyles including not just a saloon but the five estate Avant, and (latterly with A5 badging) a 2 door coupe, convertible and a rather stylish five door Sportback, and there have been more engine choices than you could possibly remember, a mix of petrol and diesel and more recently some with hybrid assist technology. More potent cars have had S badging and the real fire-breathers have adopted the RS4 name, and quite a cult following. Unlike arch rivals BMW and Mercedes who have built rear wheel drive cars, with a small percentage of the rival 3 Series and C Class having all-wheel drive, Audi have persisted with front wheel drive as standard but have sold a significant percentage of the A4 cars with the optional quattro all-wheel drive system. There’s a real battle for sales supremacy between the A4 and its two German rivals, with contenders from a number of other marques including Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Volvo, Lexus, Cadillac, Infiniti and others all trying to claim a share of what has now become one of the most important market sectors and generally failing to get very far despite the excellence of their product. The ninth generation A4 made its global debut at the 2015 Frankfurt International Auto Show, going on sale in Europe almost immediately thereafter, so it is now a familiar sight on European roads. Having owned a B8 generation S5 Sportback, and B7 and before that B5 generation S4 models, and driven a number of other B8 cars as service loaners and rental cars, I was keen to try the B9 and got my chance back in 2016 with a UK market 2.0 TDi car, then the most popular engine option, and was largely impressed, as Audi seemed to have kept pretty much all the good things and made small but useful improvements to things which were not exactly weak points before. Having moved away from the brand later that year, I no longer get to sample Audi cars as service loaners like I used to, but there are a number of Audi models in the rental fleet, a few of which I have sampled. That even extends to Hertz’ US fleet again, as I found on my Spring 2022 trip when I got to sample a Q5. On arrival at the LAX facility on the first day of my late 2022 trip I spotted an A4 parked up and was pleased to find that this was available to rent when I asked if I could have it or not. It turned out, just like the Q5, to be a car which had clearly been acquired pre-owned, as whilst the mileage was not that high, it was a 2018 model year car. Audi have since introduced the mid-cycle update to the A4 range, but the changes are not that significant or likely to affect a view as to the merits of this car in 2022, so my conclusions from this car are largely going to be valid for the latest cars as well.

All versions of US market A4 models come with the 2.0 litre TFSi engine which sees service in many of the VW Group cars. It is available in two states of tune, putting out 252 bhp in the standard version and 190 bhp in the economy-optimised Ultra. The test car was the latter. You might worry that this would make it feel a little sluggish but that did not prove to be the case. This is a refined engine. Starting is keyless and once the Audi is ready to go, it proves very refined at all times. There is a subdued but purposeful note to the engine but this is never intrusive. Even in this guise, the car goes very well. There is a strong acceleration thanks to the healthy amounts of torque available and the seven speed dual clutch transmission makes smooth gearchanges when required. The car is smooth and refined and is very quiet when cruising on the freeway. Part of the reason for that is that 70 mph sees the engine spinning at just 1500 rpm. That also leads to good fuel economy. I covered 435 miles in my time with the A4 and it needed 108 gallons to fill it, which computes to 40.28 mpg US or 48.12 mpg Imperial, an impressive result.

The UK press would have you believe that the A4 is still not that good from behind the wheel. For years and several generations of A4, I have struggled to see why – on the public road, at least – they are quite so convinced that this car is not that good and the BMW 3 Series (which in it less powerful guises has never impressed me as I am told it should) is much better. I thought this A4 was the sort of car that you would enjoy driving as well as being one which you could use to cover the miles effortlessly. For sure the steering could usefully do with a little more feel, but that is equally true of the BMW and most of the Audi’s other rivals. This is a front wheel drive car, as standard, but each generation has seen Audi mount the engine further back to try to ensure the car is not unduly nose heavy and the result means that actually it handles pretty well. There is minimal body roll, plenty of grip and you can handle twisty roads with a real feeling of confidence. The only slight concern is the brakes, and that is only because there is a slightly spongey feel to the first bit of travel on the pedal, but the stopping power was certainly there. The A4 features an electronic handbrake as indeed do almost all cars these days. US market Audis have softer suspension than the S-Line models that are so popular in the UK and this one came on 225/50 R17 wheels, which meant that there was a comfortable ride. It is firmed than some cars, for sure, but not in the way that makes for a lot of discomfort from feeling every imperfection in the road that you can get from some rivals where they are set up for the ultimate in track activity (M Sport BMWs being perhaps the worst personification of this). Visibility was generally as good as you get in a modern car, though the door mirrors are on the small side. The rear-view camera is useful when reversing, although the relatively short tail of the A4 means that it is not as hard to park as some cars.

Audi have long built a reputation for outstanding quality of their interiors with high quality materials that both look good and feel soft and expensive to the touch. The B9 generation of the A4 largely  continues that trend and it certainly looks nice enough, aided by the aluminium effect inlays, but there are a few signs of cost cutting which suggest that this car is not quite up to B8 standards, most evident with the door casings and the sun visors. There is a nice chunky leather wrapped steering wheel which is particularly pleasant to hold. The dash follows current Audi thinking with a relatively simply looking design. A single binnacle houses an instrument cluster which is configurable so you can decide what you want to see, and how big the dials will be. I collected the car with it set up so that there were two large electronic representations for speed and revs and the area between them was used to project the map from the navigation system. There are smaller dot chart based gauges for water temperature and fuel level at the edges of the cluster. The graphics are clear and easy to read. Column stalks are the latest ones that feature right across the range, and again these, partly thanks to their curvy surfacing do not feel quite as high quality as those of a generation back. There is an extra stubbier one used for the cruise control. There is a full complement of buttons on the steering wheel boss for audio repeater functions as well as the trip computer and to configure the dash. Lights still operate from a separate dial to the left of the wheel. The centre of the dash features the 7” colour touchscreen for the Audi MMI system which is mounted up high. Audi still have a control wheel and buttons in the centre console which makes operation whilst on the move somewhat easier. The system in the test car included navigation as well as Bluetooth, Apple Car Play and Android Auto and the sound quality from the 10 speaker was good enough that you might wonder why you really need the more costly 19 speaker set up that comes in the Premium Plus models. Lower in the centre of the dash are the buttons for the tri-zone automated climate control system, again easy to use, and very effective.

Premium trim of the test car means that the seats are upholstered in a nice quality leather. They benefit from full electric adjustment which includes lumbar support for the driver. Couple in a telescoping steering wheel and height adjustable seat belts and it was not hard to get the optimum driving position. The test car included a sunroof, which is a standard feature, but this had minimal impact on the available headroom, which remains generous, so I had quite the feeling of space in this car, which is not entirely unexpected, given the fact that an A4 is now really quite a large car. Seats here have a heating function and there is a two-position memory to store settings which comes as part of the Convenience Pack. With just the right amount of padding and side bolster support, they proved very comfortable, as I found out when covering quite a long distance heading east from LA in quest of some sun and blue skies. With each successive generation of the A4 having grown, some of the extra length has gone for the benefit of rear seat passengers and there is now plenty of space here, even if the front seats are set well back. The centre console does extend quite a long way back and there is a sizeable central tunnel, so a middle seat occupant here might not be as comfortable, but those in the outer seats should certainly not have any cause for complaint. They also benefit from a drop-down armrest with cup holders in the upper surface and they can use the nets on the back of the front seats and the door pockets for their odds and ends. There is a generously sized boot, which is long from front to back and a nice regular shape. A space saver is stowed under the floor and you could probably tuck a few bits and pieces around it. The rear seat backrests, split 40/20/40, drop down to create a particularly long load platform. Inside the passenger compartment, there is a decently sized glovebox, and there are also pockets on the doors, and a useful central armrest cubby.

There is a much simpler range for the A4 in the US than what is offered in the UK and Europe. There’s only one basic engine and three main trim levels: Premium, Premium Plus and Prestige. A more fuel-efficient A4 Ultra sub-trim is also available in conjunction with the Premium and Premium Plus trims. Under the bonnet is a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine offering 252 bhp and 273 lb/ft of torque. The A4 Ultra’s engine is significantly less powerful at 190 bhp and 236 lb/ft of torque) but gets better fuel economy. Front-wheel drive is standard, with all-wheel drive (called Quattro in Audi speak) being optional. A seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission comes with all A4s. A six-speed manual transmission is also available but only on all-wheel-drive A4s. The Ultra is offered only with front-wheel drive. Unless you really want maximum fuel economy, the general view is that you would be better off with the regular A4 engine instead of the Ultra, though I actually found the Ultra to be lively enough for most purposes. Standard feature highlights for the A4 Premium include 17-inch wheels, automatic xenon headlights, a forward collision mitigation system, adjustable drive settings (Audi’s Drive Select), a sunroof, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, leather upholstery, heated power front seats, tri-zone climate control and folding rear seatbacks. Standard technology features include a rearview camera, Audi’s MMI infotainment system with a 7-inch central display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, and a 10-speaker audio system with two USB ports. The optional Convenience package adds auto-dimming and power-folding side mirrors, keyless ignition and entry, driver-seat memory settings and satellite radio. Next up in the US range is the Premium Plus. You get the Convenience package features as standard, along with 18-inch wheels, LED headlights, sporty (S line) exterior styling flourishes, front and rear parking sensors, and a 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen surround-sound audio system. Audi’s blind-spot and rear-facing crash mitigation system, Side Assist and Pre Sense Rear, is also standard. The main option for the Premium Plus is the Navigation and Telematics package. This gets you with Audi Connect online services (includes a 4G LTE connection and Wi-Fi), a digital instrument cluster (Virtual Cockpit) and an upgraded version of MMI with an enhanced 8.3-inch display, navigation, voice controls and fingertip-scrawl recognition. Finally, there’s the top-of-the-line A4 Prestige. It comes with all of the above as standard plus a head-up display, additional interior ambient lighting, a top-down parking camera system, lane departure warning and intervention, and upgraded interior trim. Notable options packages include the Sport, Sport Plus, Cold Weather and Warm Weather packages.

Whilst the UK press remain besotted with the 3 series, those in other markets tend to rate the A4 more highly and frequently suggest that it is, in their opinions,  the best car in its class. That is certainly the case in the US, where you will find that, along with the larger A6, it tends to come out top of their assessments. The evidence of this test makes it quite easy to see why they would reach such a conclusion. Even in the less powerful Ultra form, the A4 goes well, is supremely refined and proved especially economical. It was good to drive, and yet very comfortable with it. The interior quality still has huge appeal, the cabin is spacious and equipment levels are such that even without raiding the options list, you get a well specified car. The A4 is not glitzy and showy and for many that is a huge part of the appeal. I rated this A4 very highly, and indeed said as much to my friends at Hertz the next morning, advising them that I thought this to be the “best” car in a rental car category which currently offers plenty of alternatives.