2011 Audi A4 Quattro Prestige Drive Select Titanium Pack Loaded on 2040-cars

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Meet the first of four Audi A4s coming to our long-term fleet

Yes, you read that right, this is the first of a quartet of A4s we'll be looking at over the course of the year. We're kicking things off with an Audi A4 Premium Plus sedan, and we'll be looking at other iterations of the A4 line later on: the A4 Prestige, Allroad, and S4. What we hope to do is provide you with a thorough examination of each variation, and hopefully give you some guidance on what's worthwhile and what isn't. But first, let's introduce you to the A4 Premium Plus. What we got The A4 Premium Plus is the middle child of the standard A4 line, fitting between the entry-level Premium and the top level Prestige. Stepping up to the Premium Plus adds 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, an S Line body kit, Bang & Olufsen sound system, parking sensors, aluminum window trim, and heated power seats with memory. The model we received from Audi has a number of upgrades that bring it quite close to the Prestige trim level. Most notable is the Technology package, which adds the Audi Virtual Cockpit instrument panel, which replaces the physical gauges with a big LCD screen. It also comes with rear cross traffic alert. A First Edition package was added, too, which adds cooled sport seats, a three-spoke steering wheel, and unique wheels and aluminum interior trim. Our favorite part, is the sport package, which adds sportier suspension, a black headliner, and the aforementioned sport seats. What we skipped Really, we didn't skip much here – this particular A4 Premium Plus is pretty loaded. The only packages not included were the Cold Weather package, which includes heated rear seats and steering wheel, and wheel and tire options. The heated steering wheel isn't necessary since winter is almost over (at least we hope). The cost of these packages added up fast, too. Moving up to the Premium Plus trim over the standard Premium added $3,800. The Technology package was $3,250, the First Edition package was $1,100, and the Sport package tacked on $750. Along with the white paint at $575, our Audi has over $9,000 in options. That brought our tester up to $49,825 from a base MSRP of $40,350. We like everything that's been added. If we were to pick packages we could live without, though, we'd probably pick the Technology and the First Edition packages. As slick as the LCD instrument panel is, there's nothing wrong with physical needles and dials.

Audi TT Quattro Sport Concept takes the next-gen to the extreme

There's little doubt that the new Audi TTS and its 310-horsepower, 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder will be very quick when released to the general public. As a means of reminding us that Audi can do much more with the little TT, though, the German manufacturer has presented this, the TT Quattro Sport Concept, alongside its litter of new sports cars.
Complete with a 420-horsepower, 2.0-liter, turbocharged engine - yes, it really puts out 210 horsepower per liter - the TT Quattro Sport can snap to 62 miles per hour in just 3.7 seconds. 331 pound-feet of torque is also on offer, meaning this one-off TT outguns the TTS by 110 horsepower and 51 pound-feet of torque.
An S-Tronic transmission shuffles the power about, while the car itself rides on a lowered and stiffened suspension. 20-inch alloys are featured with centrally locking, racing-style hubs. Those racy wheels are housed in wells that have had their arches stretched an additional 1.18 inches, which, along with the lowered suspension, contribute to the TT's aggressive looks.

Watch Audi R8 give Birth to RS3

In the cold light of reality, it's a fairly dubious proposition to suggest that the Audi RS3 Sportback shares much of a mechanical relationship with an R8. One of them is supercar with a snorting V10 and lithe body, while the other is a still-capable hot hatch with roots lower in the brand's range. However, marketing doesn't necessarily have to sell real life, and Audi's advertisers are nailing the emotional pull of these two models in a spot called Birth. With dramatic music and a sci-fi aesthetic, the R8's V10 roars as the supercar stretches and deforms, and eventually the hot hatch gets plucked from its metallic loins. Regardless of how closely these two models are related, this commercial looks and sounds fantastic. With the US rumored to get the RS3 in sedan form at some point, hopefully we get a tweaked version of this ad.