Audi A4 2.0T quattro: Handling rugged roads perfectly

The Express-Times wrote an open letter to Audi praising the quality of an Audi A4! Freelance writer Scott Wasser concludes that the Audi A4 2.0T quattro is a downright steal.

Dear Mr./Mrs. Audi,

I'm writing to ask, "How did you do it?"

How did you make the 2006 Audi A4 2.0T so close to being the perfect luxury sport sedan? How did you produce a vehicle that does everything so well, yet costs less than 30 grand?

I realize most readers expect auto writers to have the automotive answers, as if we were born in garages, not delivery rooms.

But like those readers, I was nurtured on baby formula, not motor oil, and at bed time my mom read fairy tales to me, not owner's manuals.

So please tell me your secret and I know there must be one or every other automaker would be producing comparable vehicles.

I was fortunate enough to test one of your A4s in San Francisco, and no other area could have provided a better test track.

I thought the Lehigh Valley had some rugged roads until I bounced around on San Fran's streets. Cobblestones, trolley tracks and uneven pavement throughout the city make it possible to lose a filling on a given turn and defy a vehicle to deliver a comfortable ride.

The A4 absorbed bumps like a paper towel soaking up a spill in a TV commercial. It kept me in control by refusing to shimmy or shake, and keeping its wheels in contact with the road at all times.

I was in total control when we drove down "the crookedest street in the world." Lombard Street is such an attraction that visitors crowded both its summit and base at 8:30 on a Sunday morning.

It's a big thrill for those with vehicles to navigate its multiple switchbacks, and standing alongside the road you can literally see most of them grasping their steering wheels in a white-knuckle death grip. The A4 corners so well, however, that my wife did Lombard's famous hill with only one hand on the wheel. I was disappointed that the street didn't prove a tougher challenge for the A4.

A must read for all Audi lovers!
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Source: The Express-Times via AudiWorld, picture by Audi

Labels: Audi