Future Classic Friday: Audi A4
Fri, 04 Aug 2023
The car that properly put Audi on the map is about to turn 25. Does that mean it's already a classic?
There aren’t many cars launched 25 years ago that don’t look out of place in modern traffic, but the original Audi A4 has a touch of timeless beauty about it.
It was evolutionary rather than revolutionary, which is often the mark of a good design. The profile wasn’t dissimilar to the Audi 80 it replaced, but it was leaner and more dynamic, with a tapered rear end and flared wheelarches giving it far less of a slab-sided appearance.
The exterior styling was the work of Polish designer Imre Hazanic, who also penned the original A6, but remains one of the least well-known stylists of his era. Like the Audi A4 itself, subtly and modesty define the man.
Yet the impact of the car he styled was huge. Prior to the Audi A4’s introduction, Audi was a small but well-regarded brand, with all of the build quality and engineering prowess of Volkswagen behind it, but little brand identity when compared to the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
A quarter of a century later and the company is on top of the executive car market, has a multi-faceted product range and a reputation for amazing design. It was the Audi A4 that kicked all that off.
In terms of its technology, it was fairly unassuming - at launch at least. VW Group four-cylinder engines of 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0-litre capacity were complemented by a brace of sweet V6s - 2.4 and 2.8-litre - while the higher end models also got Quattro all-wheel-drive.
There was a 1.9-litre diesel as well, which was one of the best of its generation and gave the Audi A4 a much-needed dose of fleet appeal.
It went on sale in the UK in January 1995 and was an instant hit - the media praised its dynamics, but above all its sense of quality.
Later that year, it became the first car in the VW Group portfolio to use both the 20v 1.8-litre engine and also a Tiptronic gearbox, both of which went on to feature in the company’s models for over a decade.
Then, in 1996, the Audi A4 Avant came along and instantly became the most stylish estate car on the market, as well as being usefully more spacious than the BMW 3 Series Touring that was its most obvious rival.
Sales increased year-on-year, right up until the model was succeeded by the next-generation Audi A4 in 2001, by which point the Audi was regarded as one of the best compact execs on the market.
It wasn’t as sharp as the E46 generation BMW 3 Series, but it was a comfortable and well-made car which, with the right engine and trim combination, was a very desirable thing indeed.
But the best thing about the Audi A4 is that it still looks sensational today - the cabin is smart and well laid-out and the exterior styling has a timeless elegance.
How much is my 1995 W124 Mercedes 280TE Estate worth?
