The Finalists - 2009 Audi A4 - 2009 Motor Trend Car of the Year

2009 Audi A4

What They Did Right: Stout four-banger, quiet cabin, quality interior, nice overall road feel

Room For Improvement: High price, exterior a bit too understated, light steering feel

With its all-new A4, Audi pulls off a rare hat trick: a car that's bigger, faster, and more fuel-efficient.

Powering the Brilliant Red 2009 Audi A4 2.0T quattro Tiptronic through its COTY evaluation is a heavily massaged version of Audi's 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injected mill that's a staple of the Volkswagen Group parts bin.

The updated four-banger's added power, in conjunction with the effective six-speed automatic, helps move the 2009 A4 up the time sheets. The A4 boogies from 0 to 60 in 6.5 seconds on to a quarter-mile sprint in 15 seconds flat at 98 mph. While our testers lament the lack of a paddle-shift option on the A4 we have, Audi says they're coming soon.

During high-speed passes that take us near the A4's 130-mph speed limiter, testers find the car composed, never nervous-about what you'd expect from a sedan that grew up on the autobahn. Opinions differ on the handling loop. Most feel some degree of understeer and an unwelcome lightness in the car's steering during extreme twisty situations.

Overall impressions out on the open road are more unanimous. The A4 is widely regarded as an extremely capable vehicle for everyday driving, with ample stopping power on tap (60 to 0 in 123 feet) when necessary.

There has been plenty of applause for the A4's bigger cabin, which proves nicely isolated at freeway speeds and is well-trimmed and loaded with the latest in entertainment and navigation options channeled through the nicely executed MMI interface. The cheering stops though when word spreads of the tester's price: an eye-watering $46,675. Yes, the base quattro is $ 33,525, but the option list is full of stuff most luxury-car buyers now take for granted.

So while the consensus is the latest and greatest A4 further solidifies its position as a worthy player in the midsize luxury segment, it's not quite enough of a leap to help it score the Car of the Year calipers.
- Mike Floyd