Why the tech-heavy 2017 Audi A4 epitomizes 21st century luxury

It's 2016 and there are no bad cars. There just aren't.

Sure, I recently kvetched about the Maserati Ghibli. But, in the grand schemes of things, the Ghibli is not a bad car — it's just a bit disappointing and arguably worse than its competitors. Not so long ago, cars used to be a lot worse than they are today. Let me explain what I mean.

Until very recently, the 1990s for example, even brand-new cars had issues that buyers would consider unacceptable today. Some suffered from throttle hesitation or inadequate brakes, while others were just generally poorly built and suffered from poor reliability. In the last two decades, through technological advances, virtually every carmaker has remedied these problems.

You might think that would make a car reviewer's job easier. In fact, it's had the opposite effect; it's made it much, much more difficult. That's because nearly every brand-new vehicle is pretty darn good.

They all ride smoothly. They're all pretty quiet. They are all incredibly safe. And they boast never-before-seen levels of efficiency and refinement. Accordingly, separating the wheat from the chaff isn't as simple as it once was.

IMAGE: AUDI

Once in a great while, though, a car comes along that stands out from the rest — one that does not just most things better but all of the things better than anything else on the road. And, right now, the car that most stands out in the market saturated by marvelous new cars is the 2017 Audi A4.

Surprise, surprise

When Audi unveiled the 2017 A4, at first blush, I was sort of underwhelmed. That's because it looks a lot like the last generation A4 — at car that, for all intents and purposes, was just "fine." It was a good car and a strong competitor in the compact luxury sedan marketplace. However, it never really inspired awe or really forced me to give it a second thought. In this way, the last A4 was like Tobey Maguire — good, but not revolutionary. You could easily forget it was around.

This new A4 is different.

Granted, the all-new A4 has slightly updated styling compared to the last A4. Broadly, though, from an exterior styling standpoint, there's not a lot of difference between the new and the old. And, although the 2017 A4 rides on a new chassis, based upon its looks, I mistakenly assumed the driving experience would be the same, too.

IMAGE: AUDI

Getting behind the wheel for the first time, the 2017 A4 immediately met my preconceived expectations:

 ✔️  A new interior with a few nice pieces of tech.

 ✔️  A nice driving feel, thanks to its refined and crisp new chassis.

 ✔️  An engine that is both peppy and relatively efficient.

 ✔️  Good, but not revolutionary.

Funnily enough, I carried these preconceptions with me through the first half of the week I drove it. "Yes, this is fine," I thought, as I commuted from home to work and back again. "Yes, the engine is smooth and the dark leather interior accented by aluminum bit has some nice features. But is it that special?" I reckoned it wasn't.

Then something happened. I was driving south down the 405 from Los Angeles toward Long Beach when it struck me like a bolt of lightning. I can't tell you exactly what it was, though.

Maybe it was the fact that I had clicked the 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission into Sport mode and was full-throttling the 252-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine past some chuckleheads on the freeway that hooked me. Maybe it was the perfectly tuned Bang & Olufsen sound system thumping away a flawless beat that put me into a euphoric trance. Or perhaps it was divine intervention.

Regardless of what exactly sent me over the edge, at that moment, I turned to my co-pilot and said, "This is the best car I've ever driven."

"Really?" he replied with surprise. He thought, like I had, that since the exterior of the A4 hadn't changed much that the rest of it hadn't either.

IMAGE: AUDI

21st century

As if I had planned it, I launched into a point-by-point demonstration of what I meant, showing him all the standout features. I started with the cabin, which I believe is the epitome of 21st century luxury and why the A4 takes the new car cake.

Everything about the interior is futuristic and intuitively laid out. The materials, for example, are sturdy and of surprisingly high quality. Zoom in on the smallest details like the compact climate control pod in the center dash and you'll find it is the perfect blend between visual and tactile elegance.

"Even the dang knobs feel solid!" I exclaimed, twisting the air temperature dial.

I then turned my co-pilot's attention to the screens. There are two of them. The first, in place of the instrument cluster, is the 12.3-inch display called the "virtual cockpit." Designed to limit distracted driving, the virtual cockpit puts all of the most important vehicle information right in front of the driver. Since it's Audi, the info is packaged in a very aesthetically pleasing way.

"See, with the push of a button, I can run a 3D version of Google Maps in the center or throw the speed up front," I explained.

IMAGE: AUDI

I then gestured to the center dash-mounted screen, which doesn't look like a tablet that was fitted to the dash as an afterthought, unlike some of the A4's competitors. I encouraged my co-pilot to play with the vehicle settings displayed on the screen via the Audi MMI joystick knob topped with a touchpad in the center console. There, he could also see Google Maps, among many other screens, or adjust the vehicle drive mode.

By then, he was hooked. "This thing is so futuristic!" he beamed.

While I generally try not to geek out too much on things like screens and climate control buttons in a review, I do so here because they exemplify what the A4 gets right. These aren't wholly distinctive features. Other European automakers offer 12.3-screens and quickly adjustable climate settings. None, however, does quite with the same elegance or intuitiveness as Audi.

I should mention, detailing those highlights doesn't even begin to address some of the other tech offered in the A4 like the full color head-up display (HUD) or Audi Connect 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot.

Audi's virtual cockpit

IMAGE: AUDI

Then we discussed the German sedan's driving characteristics. Depending on the drive mode (of which there are four), the A4 can behave like a distinctly different car, allowing drivers to literally dial the car in to suit their own tastes.

Dynamic mode, for example, ramps up throttle response, and allows the turbocharged engine to snarl a bit. Dynamic mode also changes shift points in the new transmission. What's more, it also stiffens up both the suspension and the steering. Alternately, Comfort mode has the opposite effect, quieting down and softening all the bits.

For fear of getting bogged down in detailing the nitty-gritty, as I did that day while cruising down the 405, let me summarize. All things taken into account, the A4 feels sturdier, more luxurious and refined than any of its competitors. It looks, drives, feels and acts like a much more expensive car than it is. And that's not something I can say for any other car in its price range.

Well-rounded

Now, I'll grant you that the A4 lacks some exterior excitement and some of the cars from its competitors are more visually appealing. Frankly, it was this lack of exterior flare that clouded my prejudgement of it. That said, there is something to be said for having an anonymous luxury sedan. Not everyone wants to be flashy or boastful with their car.

IMAGE: AUDI

Looking more broadly, let's think about the 2017 A4's place in the market.

Audi's home-country competitors have hung their hats on either luxury and driving dynamics to distinguish themselves in the marketplace. This, at a time when fewer buyers care about rear-wheel drive sports sedans and place less stock in wood-laden, old-world luxury interiors. Meanwhile, for the last decade or more, Audi has defined itself with its tech.

I believe wholeheartedly that attitude has allowed its designers not just to look at the world today but rather the future and what cars will be — and, more importantly, car buyers will want from them.

While other European carmakers are playing in automotive parameters set in the 1990s, Audi is playing on the field defined by the 2020s and beyond. You need not look any further than the 2017 A4 for example of what that looks like.

Because of that, the A4 isn't just "good" by 2016 standards like everything else, it is great — and the best new car on the road today.

2017 Audi A4

The Good

Most powerful base engine in its segment • Techie and refined interior • Attention to detail

The Bad

Uninteresting exterior styling

The Bottom Line

If you can look past the 2017 Audi A4's evolutionary exterior styling, inside you'll find one of the techiest, most refined and generally enjoyable cars on the road today at any price point.