Not too many years ago, Audi, which had shown leadership in the luxury sedan market with styling, quality, and content, was on the ropes. The result of terrible publicity from both real and imagined problems, the public stayed away from the name in droves. Unlike some other European manufactures however, Audi chose to stay and work harder to regain its market share. The A4 ushered in Audi’s comeback, and it has never looked back. Based on the same platform as the Volkswagen Passat, the A4 was and is a sporty sedan, sort of the sports car for the new family, at least while the family is small in stature and number. Now in four variations, the A4 soldiers on awaiting a complete restyling for 2012. Its price has crept upward, making it less of a bargain than in its earlier days, but still a great value.

There was little to choose from in the entry-level sports/luxury market when the A4 arrived on the scene, at least in the $20,000 neighborhood. While it cannot be accused of creating the genre, it can be credited with validating reasonably-priced luxury sedans for the masses. The A4 represents an old-fashioned automotive exercise in vertical marketing. Carrying family queues evident on all Audi models, it is the true entry-level product. It is hoped, expected even, that owners of A4′s will eventually graduate to A6′s and A8′s. To that end, it makes every effort to make the A4 a true luxury sedan with a good mix of performance and handling. While not the equal of the BMW 3 series for performance, it is most definitely on a par for quality, packaging, and content. Possessed of the usual Teutonic styling efficiency and essential creature comforts, interiors from the Homeland can often be called austere relative to Asian and American counterparts. However, in the years since the A4 arrived and succeeded, its competition has adopted this same kind of theme, the undertone being that it is “European” styling. Given that BMW and Mercedes share the same theme, VW/Audi sure wasn’t going to deviate too much. And, considering that cars from Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura also exhibits subdued, understated, and traditional interiors, it has become a symbol of luxurious simplicity and efficiency. The A4 is the least expensive model in the Audi stable, but it is far from lacking. Chocked full of content and quality, it provides a perfect entry point to Audi’s more profitable lineup.

Our test car was an Audi A4 2.8 Quattro. Equipped with the automatic five speed transmission with lock-up, electronic control, and manual shifting mode (Tiptronic). Our tester included such appointments as leather seat upholstery; Sport Front Seats, which are bucket driver and passenger seats with lumbar adjustment; heated door locks; heated passenger and driver seat; rear seat center armrest with ski bag; and Xenon gas discharge bulb headlights. The big feature was the Quattro Sport Package, which includes front and rear performance suspension, front and rear 16-inch alloy wheels.

Taste being, as subjective as it is prevents me from gushing about the interior of the A4. Basically unchanged since its introduction, it is one of the classiest interiors you are likely to encounter. The dashboard is perfectly and traditionally designed and has optimal analog gauges and location. The dash is so nice, and the tilt/telescoping (why don’t all cars have this feature?) steering wheel so inviting, that you tend to ignore the slightly over-the-top red instrumentation. You even find yourself eagerly adjusting to the multitude of HVAC control buttons that look and feel so much alike. I couldn’t find enough to distract me from thee near-perfect layout. The rest of the interior exudes the class Audi wished to achieve. Every piece looks and feels of quality. There are no ill-fits, no wide tolerances, no cheap-looking plastics. The leather seats are wonderfully supportive and wider than you would expect for such a modestly sized sedan. You can also opt for leatherette upholstery, which is non-leather seats covered in perforated material, which is a very convincing vinyl imitation of the real thing. This covering is quite comfortable and tends to breathe due to the inherent ventilation. Those wishing to save a few dollars in opting out their A4 would do well to order this. On the other hand, Audi is relatively certain that the majority of Quattro buyers will opt for the leather. Standard covering is the usual cloth/velour combination. Heated seats should be near the top of anyone’s list when considering leather interior, especially in the east and mid-west. For the handful of times you might use them, they more than justify their cost. In the cold regions of the US, they are invaluable. Audi’s seat heaters are aggressive, to say the least. You can dial up your own toasted buns if you are not careful.

Good sound insulation is a particularly nice feature of the A4. While it is not sound-proof like some luxury cars, it allows muted mechanical and exhaust tones to sneak through, which is music to my ears. It lends to increase the contact the driver has with the machine, contributing to the overall feel of the car and the sensation of control it provides. Visibility is excellent in all directions, despite the somewhat thick C pillars in the relatively small greenhouse. The A4 is a small vehicle, though, and the glass area is just about an ideal combination of style and functionality.

Little touches abound to make your life easier. The auto down AND up windows, for example, and the auto open/close sunroof. All automatic openings are designed to reopen completely if encountering an obstacle while closing, such as an errant finger. Windows can be overridden closed in an emergency. There are faux wood accents in a band separating the dark upper portion of the dashboard from the lighter colored bottom half. It also extends to the console. None of it looks out of place or forced.

Rear seat room is about what is expected from side to side, but legroom is definitely at a premium. Two adults can ride back there for a time, but three had best be for a short trip lest your friendship become strained. The fold-down armrest hides a pass-through hole for skis or long objects

Audi has been a styling leader for nearly two decades, whether or not anyone wishes to acknowledge that. When its Audi 1000 debuted, it was one of the most elegant and cleanly aerodynamic designs available, and gave birth to the styling term, “jelly bean.” It worked for Audi and helped resuscitate Ford when it copied the styling for its first-generation Taurus/Sable sedans. Audi kept its styling scheme through thick and thin while other manufacturers vacillated between rounded themes and knife-edge Origami. Consequently, Audi’s have a look that is unmistakable. Starting with the A4, that scheme took on an even more pronounced sleekness and efficiency of lines. The small exterior, large interior design makes for a tightly-wrapped automotive envelope that exudes strength and quality. The A4 gave birth to an entire vertical lineup of similarly styled cars, each improving upon the next in content and size. Even the names imply upward movement, giving the A6 and A8 models further luxury and performance elevation from the entry-level A4.

The long hood, short trunk look that works so well on performance cars carries well onto sedans that are based on a sleek aggressive appearance. The A4′s hood, while not all that long, is still considerably longer than the short tail, and makes the good-sized greenhouse appear even larger. Its small tail, capped by a trunk lid extension, nee spoiler, is unmistakable for any other car, yet exudes the stylistic restraint that gives the A4 its classy appearance.

Based on the same platform as its slightly longer VW Passat cousin, there are so many differences between these two cars that most would never know they are related. The A4 can be shod with two different sized wheels. The base model is equipped with rather pedestrian 15-inchers, and the more upscale models, like our Quattro tester, with very aggressive 5-spoke 16-inch polished alloy rollers. The Quattro sits a bit higher than the front-driver, and the lager wheels amplify that but the car still looks normal as the larger rolling stock fills the wheel wells so much better.

The 1.8T version of the A4 is a nice performer, seemingly balanced perfectly for the size and mission of the car. Though it suffers slightly from turbo lag, I have always thought it was a very good match. However, the 2.8 liter V6 provides all the performance of the 1.8 turbo four, with much more torque and far greater smoothness. It is also quieter than the four, a significant feat since that engine is very smooth and quiet, especially for a four. The six betters the four in every category, except gas mileage, with only a slight penalty in weight and handling characteristics. The latter would never be noticeable to anyone that never drove the car with the smaller engine. As it is, the heavier engine produces a weight difference up front that manifests itself in understeer and some nosedive under hard braking. It does not detract from its high flingability quotient, however, and the car remains predictable and fun to drive hard. Acceleration, while perhaps not astoundingly better with the V6, feels much better because the power plant is working so much less hard to produce the speed than the four cylinder model. Because the Quattro is carrying around the extra weight of its all-wheel drive mechanicals, however, the overall feel of the acceleration is not of the ground-hungry g-force variety. Instead, Audi has provided a more balanced performance, weighted in comfort, control, and refinement.

Lean and cornering are nearly exactly what you would expect in a small sedan with a relatively large engine. With 190 horsepower at 6000 rpm, and 207 ft. lbs. of torque coming at just 3200 rpm, the V6 is able to summon power in short order without leaning in to the pedal. The low end power is appealing in slower traffic situations and actually makes the small Audi a car that is easily managed by either gender. The A4’s 16-inch wheels and low center of gravity allow it to corner hard and flat, giving the driver the opportunity to power out of curves like a rear wheel drive sedan. The Quattro configuration provides handling security that cannot be simulated in a two-wheel drive configuration.

There are certain cars that are styled so well that, even though you see them on the roads for years, you stare and admire at a traffic light or when one passes you. Such is the A4. Audi’s brilliantly understated styling scheme is functional, efficient, and marvelously restrained. In a time when many cars are dogged with cladding and questionable lines and cuts, the A4 is simple, aerodynamic, and functional. Perhaps it is that simplicity that makes it so attractive, or perhaps it’s the good taste of a timeless design. Though it is now growing long in the tooth and slated for replacement, we know that the new car will continue to echo the basic styling that Audi has adopted for its signature design.

Building on the success of its original car, the A4 2.8 Quattro offers more of everything, from driveline to wheels, but the basic goodness of the original design remains right out front. While the A4 is still a good value, relative to its BMW competition, it is now clearly in a market above its original one. The new A4 will be introduced late this year, in all probability. We hope that Audi provides it more legible dash lighting and more easily differentiated controls. Other than that, we hope it chooses not to mess too much with a good thing.