It feels rather strange to be winging our way all the way over to Germany, via the Geneva Salon in Switzerland in fact, just to drive a new car which was launched to the international press towards the beginning of the final quarter of last year.

At that time, SA journalists were scheduled to join the global launch programme, but a last-minute decision not to launch the new A4 in SA until 2008 saw these delegate?s flights cancelled, until a more suitable time arose. Come early March 2008, and the time has been deemed appropriate to reveal this new mid-sized saloon from the four-ringed brand to SA hacks.

Let me tell you straight up. It was worth the wait.

The new A4 is no mere facelift, the entire vehicle has undergone extensive surgery and the end result is a car which bears only the necessary family resemblances to the older generation model. But all these modifications have been wrought for very good reason.

The underpinnings

Probably the most significant change, for us keener drivers out there, is that Audi has heard the complaints of the truly petrol-headed motoring press who, even in the almighty RS4 variant, have criticised the excessively nose-heavy balance of the A4 platform, pointing out that even in Quattro form the positioning of the motor way out ahead of the front axle line creates a dynamic character which is completely understeer-dominated. Not only would the nose always push wide first, but this peculiar weight distribution also had the effect of damping the directness of steering response, sacrificing fun-factor for safety in the hands of the less committed hard driver.

Well, that?s all changed in the new car. The company has pulled the front axle forward by just over 15cm, a change which necessitated some technological innovation and now sees the differential positioned ahead of the clutch (or torque-converter in auto models), and the heavy battery relocated to the boot. Quattro models now also employ the more sporty AWD drivetrain we?ve come to know and love in the aforementioned RS4, which distributes power in a more rearward-biased fashion to enhance agility and dramatically increase the fun-factor of making rapid progress.

Then there?s the new bodywork clothing this sportier platform. Audi designers have outdone themselves in creating a practical, 4-door saloon which exudes a low-slung, sporty character without sacrificing, and in fact improving, functional comfort levels within the cabin. Shifting the front axle already created a car with a longer wheelbase, which is both aesthetically more fetching and makes for a more planted feel when attacking tricky mountain roads.

Further enhancing this four-square, purposeful stance, the bonnet has been lengthened and the front and rear overhangs reduced, making for a mid-sized saloon which appears to hunker down to the tarmac even when standing still, while the wider track adds to the visual qualities of aggression and sleek, taut appearance when viewed from front-on.

Front LED daytime-driving lights have become an instantly-recognisable trademark of modern Audi designs, and have been incorporated into the new A4 as well, while a wider selection of larger rubber filling more accentuated wheelarches than ever before allow the customer to create a more individual package, along with several other tasty aesthetic and technical options. S-line models, for instance, take a further leap forward in visual aggression by virtue of a far more aggressive front splitter, aerodynamic-looking side sills and a subtle rear diffuser.

But this new body is not all about looking great, which it undeniably does. It?s also safer in the event of an accident, both for occupants of the vehicle and any unfortunate pedestrians this mishap might involve. And it even benefits the dynamics of the new A4, with a class-leading Cd of just 0.27 and exceptionally low weight ? just 1410kg with the lightest powerplant, the 1.8 TFSI petrol motor, doing duty up front.

All five engine variants are new as well and feature technological innovations which boost both power and efficiency ? the end result being mills which are more refined, more potent, and friendlier to our hard-pressed environment. There are two petrol variants, a 1.8-litre turbo developing 118 kW and a broad spread of torque with the peak twist stretching all the way from 1500 to over 4000 rpm, and a 3.2-litre V6 featuring FSI and variable valve lift tricks which help it to develop a very healthy 195 kW backed up by 330Nm of torque, allowing the new range-topping A4 to sprint from rest to 100km/h in just 6.2 seconds while delivering significant fuel-cost savings throughout the lifecycle of the car.

Three diesel units complete the lineup, a 2-litre TDI ?four? which churns out 105 kW and 320Nm, a 2.7-litre V6 TDI pumping out 140kW and 400Nm, and the range-topping 3.0-litre TDI which manages eye-watering outputs of 175kW and 500Nm! All of these motors, as well as the turbocharged petrol mill, utilise variable-vane turbochargers for the flattest spread of torque possible, and rev more freely than even the most modern diesel units peaking at a wholesome 5000 rpm. The advancements which these oily bit encompass are vast, and too numerous to detail here, but suffice to say that Audi has very successfully translated its Le Mans successes into road-going product in producing each and every one, which is a good thing for us.

Tech, tech, and more tech!

But we?re really just beginning with the monstrous list of goodies packed into the new A4 range. There?s also a complete lineup of gadgets and gizmos in here, most of which are normally only associated with higher-priced, more luxury-oriented vehicles than the segment in which the A4 competes. Here?s a truncated listing, just to illustrate how richly specified the new A4 is.

On the safety side of things, there?s the option of active cruise control, which constantly monitors the road ahead and warns the driver of potential collisions looming, Audi parking assist, subliminal lane-change warning signals, a digital lane ?watcher? which causes the steering wheel to vibrate if the vehicle is seen to be leaving its chosen lane without indicating the intention to do so, and an active, variable-rate steering setup which, by the way, now links with the steering column itself lower down for even more improvements to steering response and feel.

Entertainment systems benefit from the company?s continued close working relationship with audio masters Bang and Olufson, and the A4 sports a stunning 14-speaker hifi offering simply superb clarity and depth of sound reproduction. There are also a ridiculously comprehensive array of inputs, making the car capable of interacting with pretty much any mobile or modern entertainment rig you could possibly dream of.

And in terms of dynamic systems, the A4 now sports continuously variable dampers which allow the driver to tailor the ride to suit his or her current demands at the push of a conveniently located button on the centre console which cycles between three preset modes ? comfort, dynamic, and automatic, and one individual mode which can be minutely tailored via the excellent MMI interface for absolute dynamic individuality. These settings not only affect the dampers, but also the steering rate in models equipped with the variable steering setup, throttle maps, and automatic gearbox levels of aggression.

Now, I?m getting bored, and although the crazy list of really nifty features is by no means complete, let me get to some driving impressions...

Autobahns and mountain roads beckon...

First off, know that driving a left-hand drive car in European conditions makes it difficult to say with absolute certainty just how the new A4 will react on our SA roads and layout, so we can?t wait to get hold of RHD models and blast them out to Harties for an afternoon for final, definitive judgement on home soil, but even with the unfamiliar layout of the steering wheel and roads the new A4 feels streets ahead of the old. And in fact, feels as though perennial competitors 3-Series and C-Class have suddenly got a lot of dynamic catching-up to do...

Due to some launch timing constrictions, partly my own fault since I was having so much fun in the mountains on the border of Germany and Austria, I only actually got meaningful time behind the wheel of a tiptronic-equipped 3.2 V6 quattro, pretty much fully specced. I absolutely adored the choice of interior trim, featuring a mixture of black leather and grey Alcantara on both seats and door-trim, as the cloth inserts make the seats even more supportive when you?re ?on it? than all-leather items, but you don?t sacrifice the sheer sumptuousness of leather in the process!

Pulling away from the Audi Forum at the Munich Airport, the new A4 feels a superbly tractable and light-touch traffic companion, with wonderful interior ergonomics and superb sound from the B&O setup to keep you whistling along merrily. The engine note on the 3.2 has definitely become a lot throatier and more aurally satisfying, while still remaining on the safe side of unobtrusive if not extended to the 6500 rpm redline, at which point it really makes itself heard quite effectively.

As soon as we hit the autobahn, and my first taste of completely legal, derestricted driving comes up, the new Audi absolutely seamlessly transitions from comfortable boulevard-cruiser to stable and confidence inspiring high-speed bullet. Although the winter tyres fitted to our cars (there is a fair deal of snowfall here and there around Germany today, and quite a bit of ice on the roads) see the speed warning chiming in at 210 km/h, I stroke the V6 up to between 230 and 240 a couple of times on our unscheduled trip out to the Audi Museum in Ingolstadt and back out to our lunch venue on the aforementioned borders.

It isn?t a drawn out affair, dialling up such speeds, that V6 pulling with silken verve deep into the red markings on the tacho. In manual mode, this self-shifter doesn?t cut your fun at the redline and allows you to spin the motor right up to 7000 rpm, at which point the rev-limiter halts the fun and not the gearbox software shifting up to the next gear in the interests of engine longevity. Combined with the fabulous sense of surefootedness which only AWD could impart given the patchy ice on this high-speed highway, it means I can pretty much stay in the fast lane unmolested from behind for as long as I please, only shifting into slower lanes when the SatNav prompts me to in preparation for my next turnoff.

And once we do leave the autobahn for the smaller, twistier bits of our journey which eventually lead us up to a glorious luncheon spot in the surrounding mountainside, the A4 still refuses to be rattled. I shift the Audi driver select program from automatic to dynamic to ensure that the chassis and suspension remain unflinchingly on my side even on these unfamiliar roads, and the vehicle comes even more alive!

All right, the throttle map in this mode is perhaps a touch too sensitive, but its a fact exarcebated by my lack of knowledge of these roads, and the on-off throttle application necessitated by this uncertainty can sometimes slam through the Quattro drivetrain quite jerkily, but the tauter damping makes for a chassis which is just beautifully composed under all conditions and seems to react to your inputs with sportscar-like precision. So much so that, despite driving on the ?wrong? side of the road and from the ?wrong? side of the car, I?m soon placing the inside (right-hand) wheel so close to the kerb that I can hear the snow piled up in the gutters crunching beneath the generous 19-inch rubber through every sweep and curve. There?s more than enough urge on tap to dispatch slower-moving traffic with confidence as well. See a gap, pull out and squirt, and the A4 3.2 surges forward with a minimal TED (time exposed to danger) and slices back into the single lane travelling in the direction the navigation system says I need to be going with disdain.

After lunch, we?re let loose on one of two looping test-routes which ought to take us around an hour and a quarter to complete, but the lack of precise direction in the route schedule sees my navigation system taking me into the town centre of several small villas steeped in centuries-old history before being instructed to make a U-turn to continue my route. The roads in these inner-city sections are insanely tight and twisty, but still the A4 manages to feel compact and nimble despite actually being rather large for a mid-sized saloon! That?s what such precise steering does for you.

Unfortunately there?s quite a lot of traffic here, so I?m never quite free to truly unleash the vehicle and go to absolute max-attack mode, but I get up to 7 or 8 tenths commitment on some of the more inviting, out-of-town sweeping sections and can?t wait to try it on familiar, SA roads at the absolute limit based on these brief excursions.

All too soon the drive is over, and I find my multiple town-centre visits have meant that the group, which ought to have rendezvoused at the hotel we had lunch at, has already left for the Munich airport and our flight home that very evening. Luckily the awesome autobahns and superb lane-discipline of European drivers means that there are no traffic snarl-ups whatsoever in the hundred-odd kays of this journey, and since the fuel gauge is low from all the fun I?ve been having I finally slot fully automatic on the gearbox and ride the satisfying swell of low-range torque all the way in at the variable speed-limits as indicated by the digital boards overhead.

Driven like this, the V6 is unbelievably frugal, just sipping at the depleted tank to complete the entire trip back on less than half of the quarter-tank remaining. And even driven like this, the superbly-built and exquisitely engineered new A4 still manages to feel special, which is honestly a trick which not many products intended to be a marque?s volume-seller can pull off.

No doubt, Audi has it right

Mulling over the entire test drive at the Burger King while we await our flight to Frankfurt and from there back to good ?ol Joeys, my impressions of the new A4 remain undentably solid. Dynamically, it?s a completely reformed car, and although I?m a committed fan of the dynamics of a good RWD chassis I fear that in terms of outright ability this new car could soon be handing out bloody noses to the so-configured German competitors in this segment.

It could probably even teach them a thing or two in terms of absolute construction integrity, and even packs a spec-sheet which makes it look on-paper as if it should be punching a full class higher.

At Geneva, Audi?s stand held a fairly incongruous-looking RS4 convertible based on the new A4 underpinnings, and I for one cannot wait to get hold of that monster. I have a feeling that both M3 and C63 AMG will be left, dynamically speaking, in the wake of this example of Ingolstadt?s finest...