Next-Gen Audi A4 (2023) Caught Testing

[Nairrk]

Audi is due to reveal an all-new Audi A4 next year, equipped with hybrid power, a new design and a revamped interior. We’ve spied the forthcoming Avant estate model during cold-weather testing in Sweden, revealing cleaner, evolutionary styling over the current A4.

The front end has been largely decluttered with a sharper set of headlights and a narrower radiator grille, sitting above a neat lower grille arrangement. There’s a pair of slim vertical cutouts below the headlights, too, while a smooth bonnet replaces the more heavily styled item of the outgoing A4.

The surfacing along the side of the car is cleaner than before, too, without the razor-sharp creases of recent Audi models. This Avant estate features a steeply raked rear window and an integrated roof spoiler for a sportier look – the rudimentary tail lights of this pre-production car will be replaced by a set of LED units for the final car.

New 2023 Audi A4 to stick with petrol and diesel power

The cabin will get a thorough rethink, too. We’re expecting a new dashboard with even fewer physical controls and a redesigned centre console with new toggle gear selectors, as the next A4 will probably only be available with an automatic gearbox.

The biggest changes will happen under the skin, though. The next A4 will stay on the same MLB underpinnings as the current model, but it’ll be powered by a line-up of new combustion engines which Audi’s head of technical development, Oliver Hoffman, describes as “the best [the company] has ever launched”.

Most of the line-up will be based around an updated version of the Volkswagen Group’s omnipresent EA888 turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. Improvements will include new variable-section turbochargers that claim to improve throttle response and a higher-pressure fuel injection system.

Electrification will play a key role in the A4 range, too. The petrol engine will be offered with 48-volt mild-hybrid technology at the lower end of the line-up and full-blown plug-in hybrid technology towards the upper end of the range. The latter option will probably use the same 14.4kWh battery pack and electric motor as other MLB models, such as the Q5.

Diesel power will also remain, although it’ll probably play second fiddle to Audi’s new-look line-up of electrified petrol engines. The bulk of the diesel range should be based around the same 201bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit also found in the Q5 SUV.

Audi could also launch a pure-electric version of the A4 Avant later in the car’s life cycle, which would give the brand somewhat of an edge over the competition. Currently none of the A4’s main rivals have been offered as a pure-electric estate. The focus in this class is currently on saloons, as shown by the BMW i4 and Tesla Model 3.

However, if it does materialise, the pure-electric A4 will probably move to a different platform, because the MLB underpinnings aren’t set up for EV powertrains. It could use either a modified version of the PPE chassis that will sit under the upcoming Q6 e-tron or the Volkswagen Group’s new SSP architecture, which is due to arrive in 2025.

Credit: Autoexpress

 

[Nairrk]

New Audi A4 Avant spied with Big screens

With Mercedes launching a new C-Class Estate and BMW facelifting the 3 Series Touring, Audi will follow suit with its next-generation A4 Avant. A heavily camouflaged prototype rocking a dual exhaust was caught by our spies testing together with the RS6. A closer look at the top-left corner of the rear windshield shows a green PHEV sticker revealing the vehicle's electrified nature. Interestingly, our spies have told us the car was "very loud."

The vehicle in question might've very well been an early test mule of the RS4, but without the bulging fenders. In addition, it also lacked the final taillights while the brakes didn't look big enough for an Audi Sport model. There must be a logical explanation why the disguised prototype was being followed by the RS6 Avant, and there's a good chance the smaller wagon was also of the RS variety. However, it's difficult to know for sure.

It might come as a surprise to some people, but the Four Rings officially confirmed the next-gen RS4 would go hybrid nearly three years ago. The peeps from Ingolstadt refrained from going into any details, only saying the performance wagon would be a PHEV. Your guess is as good as ours regarding whether the V6 will be retained, but our money is on a downsized four-pot in the same vein as the upcoming AMG C63.

Meanwhile, the four spy shots at the end of our gallery show a different prototype from the inside. That work-in-progress A4 seemingly had the final dashboard layout with a wide digital instrument cluster and a large tablet-like infotainment. With touchscreens becoming so big, it's hard for an automaker to neatly integrate the display into the dash, so we end up with these less cohesive setups.

There might be a row of buttons hiding below the screen and above the central air vents, but most of the vehicle's functions have been built into the touchscreen. That becomes obvious if you look at the bottom part of the display where there are shortcuts for the climate control settings. Audi has reconfigured the lower center console by removing the bulky gear lever for a much more compact rocker switch. There are two cup holders to its right, but they're occupied here by testing equipment.

Elsewhere, the steering wheel with touch-sensitive controls appears to be taken from a Q4 E-Tron and boasts shift paddles behind it. Some of the plastics look rather cheap, but that's only because we're dealing with a prototype. The production-ready Audi A4 Avant will have a substantially fancier interior, albeit that big screen tacked onto the dashboard will be a turnoff for some people.

The last A4 with combustion engines is expected to go on sale in 2023, with spicy S and RS4 derivatives probably earmarked for a 2024 release. Further down the line, Audi might also do a fully electric RS4 riding on the dedicated PPE platform that'll debut soon with the Q6 E-Tron and Porsche Macan electric crossovers.

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