The headlamp converter takes advantage of the adaptive headlight controls and allows for the beam pattern on the A4 Allroad to change to accommodate either left hand drive or right hand drive nations. It's not exactly a "why haven't they thought of that before" moment, as electronically controlled active headlights are pretty new, but still, an awfully clever feature you Europeans never new you needed. [GermanCarBlog]

On a very early morning in July 2007, I was fiddling with my camera gear in front of a boutique hotel in the Italian resort town of Rimini, waiting for a van to pick me up and drive me to Misano World Circuit, a nearby motorcycle racetrack. Waiting with me was a laconic Serbian cameraman, who told me about his days in Belgrade in the spring of 1999, as NATO planes were bombing the city during Operation Noble Anvil (you’ve got to love that name):

“I woke up during the middle of the night to realize I was flying across my apartment. A rocket had hit a nearby house and the shockwave had knocked me out of my bed. I hit the far wall and escaped without major injuries.”

Sturdy Serbians! He decided to bet against lightning striking twice and didn’t move out of his place—and was proved wrong: another rocket hit his block soon afterwards. He survived yet again.

The NATO planes were flying in support of Kosovo, a breakaway Albanian province of Yugoslavia where the Serb-dominated Yugoslav military had had a campaign of ethnic cleansing in operation. The Kosovar resistance was led by the Kosovo Liberation Army, a guerrilla group which later became a civilian emergency services organisation.

And just who is Ramush Haradinaj, you may ask. He was one of the commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army. He went on to become prime minister after Kosovo’s independence. He was later charged for war crimes by the United Nations tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and acquitted of them last spring. As you would expect from a man who had commanded soldiers in the Balkans and survived not only to tell the tale but to serve as a politican later on, he is a bad motherfucker. This is clearly evident in William Langewiesche’s profile of Haradinaj in the December 2008 issue of Vanity Fair:

After a one-year stint in the Yugoslav Army, he joined the diaspora in Switzerland and France, where he worked as a manual laborer and nightclub bouncer. During that time he trained for war, competing in marathons, developing contacts, and learning martial arts. He claims to have swum once for 27 hours in the open sea just to prove that he could. Upon his return to the Balkans, around 1995, he began systematically to run guns across the mountains from Albania into Kosovo. After the war started in earnest, he earned the name Rambo for his stubbornness in battle against the Serbs. Picture a blood-drenched fighter holding his ground with a machine gun in each hand. He was wounded many times. He killed a lot of people.

I do not know whether Haradinaj maintains a residence or an automobile in London. But this black-on-black Audi A4 photographed in the UK capital would probably serve him well. It is fast, it is discreet and it’s a world removed from thuggish A8’s. Perfect for a soldier who’s won his war.

Photo Credit: Máté Petrány, Ermal Meta/AFP/Getty Images, Armend Nimani/AFP/Getty Images

Though we find it a bit redundant for Seat to trademark what is essentially a facelifted version of car that's already been around for years. In all seriousness, VW gave Seat the OK to run the Exeo off the old A4 production line, and as you can see, they didn't change so much. Nonetheless, expect the real deal to be unveiled soon in Paris. [via carscoop]

HERNDON, Va., Aug 21, 2008 - Audi of America today announced the release of the first ever iPhone application from an auto manufacturer. "Audi A4 Challenge" is a driving game that utilizes the iPhone's accelerometer (motion sensor) to steer a digital version of Audi's entirely new 2009 A4 through a series of progressively challenging courses. Players maneuver the course and race against the clock to beat their own personal best time. The application is now available free of charge on Apple's iPhone Application Store. The 2009 Audi A4 will be available in Audi dealerships nationwide starting in September of 2008.

"The iPhone is an ideal platform to help introduce the entirely new Audi A4 to the public," said Scott Keogh, chief marketing officer, Audi of America. "Audi customers are smart, sophisticated and technologically savvy. As a brand, we are committed to progress and innovation at every turn. We're very excited to be the first automotive manufacturer to connect with our audience through the iPhone."

Located in Denver, Factory Design Labs, Audi's interactive agency of record designed the game in just two weeks.

"Innovation is the foundation of the Audi brand," said Scott Mellin, CEO of Factory Design Labs. "This is the first application by an automotive OEM, but it's also reinventing the shopping experience. In combination with the A4 iPhone web site, this is the first viable mobile marketing solution in the automotive space. Importantly, it is also a unique way to engage the consumer with the DNA of the Audi brand."

To support the application and the launch of the A4, Audi has also created an A4 iPhone experience web site that allows users to experience and learn more about the entirely new Audi A4. Customers who visit truthinengineering.com/a4/iphone on their iPhone will find a unique interface and content on the A4, specialized videos, wallpapers, an exterior color customizer, a dealer locator and link to install the Audi A4 Challenge application.

[Audi]

What else? The twin-clutch system is a kissin' cousin of VW's DSG, swapping cogs in 200ms and weighing just 40kg more than the 6-speed manual. Of course, despite being less fun for those of us who enjoy a real stick-shift, it performs faster than the human-shifted 'box and offers benefits in CO2 emissions as well, a key selling point for our European brothers and sisters who actually have to worry about greenhouse gasses. Suckers. We just have to worry about whether it'll bankrupt our automakers. Damn you, Socialist Euro-trash and your filthy stinking government subsidies and tax exemptions. [World Car Fans]

So here's what happened (and he walked away with a broken collar bone from the seat belat and stitches from metal scraps flying!) he's an aspiring snowboarder and travels back and forth to Mammoth alot. A week ago Friday night he was northbound on the 395 just outside of Ridgecrest. Two semi's (singlefile) are headed towards him, just as he is adjacent to the grill on the 1st one the 2nd one pulls out into his lane to pass the 1st one! Thankfully he made the right choice and tried to go down the middle (inbetween the 2 trucks) and not dump it off in the right shoulder. The 2nd semi drove OVER his A4! The axles sheared off the semi and it toatalled also. As you can see from the pics, he is lucky to be alive, lucky he was driving a safe car, lucky he made the right choice, lucky he did not have a passenger. As you can imagine I was shocked, but so damn thankful he was in that car and not some other! Thank you Audi!!!

The optional 3.2-Liter V6 will still be in the picture, but it is important to point out that the increase in torque (51 lb.-ft. to be exact) means the turbocharged four puts out more torque for less money. A steptronic gearbox is also an option when the vehicle goes on sale this October. [Source: Audi via World Car Fans]

Ingolstadt, 2007-08-28 The sportiest midsize saloon: The Audi A4

In its design, the new A4 reveals its sporty, progressive character: taut and dynamic in its outlines, it speaks the language of technical perfection. With an overall length of 4.70 metres, the saloon has a substantial, powerful road stance and offers its occupants ample space in an interior full of light. The workmanship is typical of an Audi - quality with no compromises. The controls can be backed by the extra refinement of innovative assistance and multimedia systems. In the safety area, the brand with the four-ring emblem sets new standards: the coordinated action of the airbags and front seat belt force limiters protects the occupants even more effectively.

When compared with the previous model, the A4 has new, sporty proportions. The front body overhang has been drastically shortened; the bonnet and wheelbase are both longer than before. In the driveline, the differential has changed places with the clutch (or torque converter), making it possible to move the front axle forward by 154 millimetres. This innovative solution ensures ideal axle-load distribution. The new A4 is the sportiest saloon in the midsize car category: agile, light and precise to control. Its dynamic suspension is a totally new design, with most of its components made from weight-saving aluminium.

The results are impressive: supremely dynamic road behaviour and effortlessly precise handling.

New high-tech options make the A4 driving experience even more fascinating: Audi drive select varies the engine, automatic transmission, steering and suspension damping characteristics to suit the driver's preferences at any given moment. Audi dynamic steering varies its ratio according to the car's speed and keeps the new A4 stable close to the handling limits by slight, almost instantaneous changes to the steering angle. The damping control system for the hydraulic shock absorbers varies the damping characteristic individually, to combine sporty driving enjoyment with maximum road safety.

The new Audi A4 is being introduced with a choice of five engines, their power outputs ranging from 105 kW (143 bhp) to 195 kW (265 bhp). The four-cylinder petrol engine, like the diesels, is turbocharged, and both types of engine have direct fuel injection. All the engines, with their supremely refined flow of power, make the A4 a pleasure to drive and, thanks to their high efficiency, consume distinctly less fuel than the previous versions.

Various transmissions are available: a six-speed manual gearbox, the tiptronic automatic transmission, the multitronic continuously variable transmission, and either front-wheel drive or quattro permanent all-wheel drive, which has been subjected to intensive development work that has made its performance even more dynamic.

Driveline

The new A4 is being launched with a choice of five powerful, refined engines. All of them, both petrol and diesel, use direct fuel injection, and the two four-cylinder units and the V6 TDI engines are turbocharged. With their splendid flow of power, these engines make driving the new A4 nothing less than pure pleasure. They also use less fuel than the equivalent engines in the previous model. Customers furthermore have a wide choice of high-tech transmissions: either a manual gearbox or automatic transmission can be specified. They transmit power to the front wheels or to a quattro permanent all-wheel driveline that has particularly dynamic settings.

Like the TDI diesels, the two petrol engines, the 3.2 FSI and the 1.8 TFSI, use the direct injection principle, in which fuel is delivered directly to the engine's combustion chambers. When this fuel vaporises, it absorbs heat from the combustion chamber walls, which allows the engine to operate at a higher compression ratio. Its overall efficiency is thus higher - power and efficiency go together in every Audi.

The new 3.2 FSI, a member of Audi's ultra-modern family of V engines, is the most powerful unit available in the new A4. From a displacement of 3197 cc, it develops 195 kW (265 bhp) and also delivers 330 Nm of torque all the way from 3000 to 5000 rpm. It accelerates the A4 3.2 FSI quattro with manual gearbox from a standstill to 100 km/h in only 6.2 seconds, and maintains this flow of power until the governed top speed of 250 km/h is reached. As an alternative from 2008 onwards, this engine can be combined with the 6-speed tiptronic automatic transmission; in either case, it delivers its power to the road via quattro permanent all-wheel drive.

The engine's inlet valves are actuated by a pioneering innovation: the Audi valvelift system (AVS). It uses sliding sleeves (cam elements). These have different profiles, one alongside the other. They are slid along the camshafts in order to obtain smaller and larger amounts of valve lift.

The purpose of AVS is to ensure that the combustion chambers are always ideally filled; the throttle butterfly can then remain fully open in most cases, so that the engine breathes more efficiently.

The Audi A4 3.2 FSI with manual gearbox is content to consume an average of only 9.2 litres per 100 kilometres, 1.2 litres fewer than the previous car with a 188 kW (255 bhp) engine. About half of this improvement is due to the new valve actuating principle; the other half has been achieved by minimising internal friction. Oil pump volume is now smaller, with an optimised loss rating. Like the water pump, it now delivers a demand-controlled flow - another means of reducing fuel consumption.

The smaller of the two petrol engines, the compact four-cylinder 1.8 TFSI, is a highly efficient unit that develops 118 kW (160 bhp) and a torque of 250 Nm between 1500 and 4500 rpm from a displacement of 1798 cc. It accelerates the manual-gearbox A4 in 8.6 seconds to the typical main-road speed of 100 km/h, and maintains its thrust up to a top speed of 225 km/h. Yet according to the EU test cycle its consumption is only 7.1 l/100 km -1.1 litres per 100 kilometres better than the previous model. As an alternative to the manual gearbox, multitronic continuously variable transmission can be ordered, in both cases with front-wheel drive.

The 1.8 TFSI is a close relative of the 2.0 TFSI engine chosen three times in succession by a jury of international journalists as "Engine of the Year". On this smaller version for use in the latest model line, direct petrol injection and turbocharging represent an ideal combination. Injection pressure has been increased to 150 bar, and new injectors distribute the fuel accurately to the combustion chambers. The turbocharger is exceptionally rapid in its response - at an engine speed of 2000 rpm it accelerates the engine 30 percent faster to a ten percent higher torque than the conventional 1.8T engine that powered the preceding model. For all its vigour, this four-cylinder unit runs quietly, in a most refined manner.

Supreme pulling power - the TDI engines

The three diesels for the new Audi A4 are two V6 units and a four-cylinder inline engine. Their strong performance makes them ideal representatives of a modern, powerful form of sporting character. Winning the Le Mans 24-hour race in 2006 and 2007 with the Audi R10 competition car was ample evidence of the power that can be summoned up by the TDI principle. Audi first introduced this efficient technology back in 1989, and it has remained the most efficient in the world to this very day. Since then, the brand with the four-ring emblem has not ceased to develop its technological lead.

The three-litre diesel is a new member of Audi's V-engine family. It develops 176 kW (240 bhp) and has a peak torque of no less than 500 Nm all the way from 1500 to 3000 rpm. This large TDI unit, with its displacement of 2967 cc, makes the new A4 even more of a sports saloon. It needs only 6.1 seconds to accelerate to 100 km/h from a standing start, and has a top speed of 250 km/h, yet its average fuel consumption is a more than modest 6.9 l/100 km. The 3.0 TDI always has quattro permanent all-wheel drive.

The V6 TDI's engine block is made from a light but rigid high-tech material: vermiculite graphite cast iron. Inside the engine, intensive fine tuning measures have minimised friction losses. The latest generation of common-rail fuel injection is used. Its high operating pressure atomises the fuel extremely finely, for a more uniform mixture and efficient combustion. The piezo injectors operate with immense speed and permit the fuel injection stroke to be divided up into individual stages, so that the engine runs exceptionally smoothly.

The exhaust-driven turbocharger is also a unit from the latest design generation. A high-speed actuating motor alters the position of its guide vanes, so that high torque builds up more rapidly and spontaneously. The 3.0 TDI already complies with forthcoming Euro 5 limits. A novel exhaust gas recirculation concept with increased cooling performance is used to reduce emissions of oxides of nitrogen.

The 2.7 TDI engine, with a displacement of 2698 cc, has been derived from the 3.0 TDI, and also complies already with the future Euro 5 exhaust emission limits. Its output is 140 kW (190 bhp) and it develops up to 400 Nm of torque between 1400 and 3250 rpm. As a result the A4 2.7 TDI sprints to 100 km/h from a standstill in 7.7 seconds and can reach a top speed of 226 km/h. Its average fuel consumption, on the other hand, is a modest 6.6 litres per 100 kilometres. The standard specification of this model includes multitronic continuously variable transmission and front-wheel drive - an ideal combination for relaxed, effortless driving.

Powerful and refined - the 2.0 TDI

The four-cylinder TDI engine, with a displacement of 1968 cc, is a new interpretation of the strengths of the TDI concept. The piezo injectors of its common-rail fuel injection system operate at a maximum pressure of 1800 bar. Other innovative design features relate to the turbocharger, the toothed belt camshaft drive and the geometry of the pistons.

This two-litre engine develops 105 kW (143 bhp) and has the powerful peak torque of 320 Nm between 1750 and 2500 rpm - figures that explain why the new Audi A4 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 215 km/h. When combined with the six-speed manual gearbox, the 2.0 TDI is content with an average fuel consumption of 5.5 l/100 km, in which case the 65-litre fuel tank provides an action radius of more than 1,100 kilometres. The four-cylinder TDI can also be ordered with the multitronic continuously variable transmission. In both cases the front wheels are driven.

The 2.0 TDI also outperforms the Euro 5 exhaust emission limits. Thanks to improved thermodynamics, it can operate at a higher rate of exhaust gas recirculation, so that untreated emissions of oxides of nitrogen are lower. The cooler combustion process, with less oxygen present, would normally have an adverse effect on efficiency, but by careful attention to detail the development engineers have managed to transform this into an improvement in fuel consumption.

Transmissions: a wide choice

Sporty road dynamics and large-car comfort - these were also the overall objectives for the new A4 pursued by Audi's transmission developers. The manual gearbox is a new design; the tiptronic six-speed automatic and multitronic continuously variable transmissions have been intensively revised and improved. All these transmissions are notable for their ease of operation and high efficiency, with short, precise lever or selector travel. The transmission layout has been changed for the new A4: the differential is located immediately behind the engine and is therefore now ahead of the clutch or torque converter.

Audi uses two types of six-speed manual gearbox on the new model, depending on the required load capacity. Numerous measures have been taken to reduce internal friction. All manual-gearbox versions of the new A4 have a gear indicator integrated into the Driver Information System display. It shows which gear is currently selected and also informs the driver if a different gear would help to reduce fuel consumption.

The new A4 3.2 FSI will be available later with 6-speed tiptronic automatic transmission as an alternative to the manual gearbox. The tiptronic transmission has been extensively revised. It responds more rapidly than on the previous model, with shorter shift times, but its high standard of refinement has nonetheless been retained.

For the 2.7 TDI, Audi can supply the multitronic continuously variable transmission; this will also be available in the 1.8 TFSI and 2.0 TDI from 2008 onwards. Its power losses, already very slight, have been reduced still further by a number of improvements. The new variator provides wider-spaced ratios. Thanks to a particularly low drive-off ratio, the A4 with multitronic sprints away vigorously from a standstill. When accelerating in the dynamic Sport programme, eight successive ratios are selected by way of fixed, programmed characteristics, for sporty performance. In the manual selection mode, the driver can select these eight ratios as he or she prefers.

Audi has a sporty trendsetter in its portfolio: quattro permanent all-wheel drive. The additional traction, dynamism, driving safety and directional stability it provides are clues to Audi's proverbial technological lead, as summed up in its slogan 'Vorsprung durch Technik'. For the new A4, this driveline has a 40:60 torque split and therefore distributes power to the wheels in a sportier, more fascinating way than ever before. The 3.2 FSI and 3.0 TDI have the quattro driveline as standard equipment.

The key element in the quattro driveline for the new Audi A4 is a self-locking centre differential. It has an entirely mechanical action and reacts instantly to changes in the driving situation, thus contributing to the car's sporty, agile road dynamics. In normal driving conditions, it directs 40 percent of engine torque to the front wheels and 60 percent to the rear, but whenever the need arises, the self-locking centre differential takes effect and transmits more torque to the axle with better traction. In this way the new Audi A4 often masters situations close to the traction limit without the ESP/EDL having to intervene, and even if these systems are in action, brake applications are much less frequent.

Equipment and trim, data and prices stated here refer to the model programme offered for sale in Germany. Subject to amendment; errors and omissions excepted.