For those who want the performance and handling characteristics of a mid-size coupe with the body of a crossover (mostly), Mercedes has a sporty new vehicle for you: the 2017 GLC43 Coupe.
Think of it as the GLC SUV with a shorter roof. No, scratch that. Don't think of it that way, because that's exactly what it is.
Underneath the hood is a 362-horsepower twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 engine that has been tweaked by Mercedes' in-house performance arm AMG. And that AMG-tuned engine is mated to an also-AMG-tuned 9G-tronic automatic transmission. From there, power is routed to all four wheels through — you guessed it — an AMG-enhanced 4MATIC all-wheel drive system.
Notably, the 4MATIC system has a rear bias. That means it sends more of the torque to the rear wheels, which further emphasizes the vehicle's sport-y driving dynamics.
IMAGE: MERCEDES-BENZ
As a result of all its AMG-ness, the GLC43 Coupe can do a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 4.8 seconds on the way to its electronically limited 130-mph top speed.
Along with a shorter, swooping roof, the GLC43 Coupe includes a sport-tuned version of Mercedes' AIR BODY CONTROL air suspension system (I'm not yelling, that's Mercedes name for it).
Also sport-tuned is the interior, which features black and red contrast stitching, a flat-bottom steering wheel and a dashboard caked in both carbon fiber and longitudinal-grain aluminum trim. And, let us not forget the optional tablet-like 8.4-inch COMAND infotainment color display mounted on the center of that dash.
IMAGE: MERCEDES-BENZ
When cars like this — the crossover with a coupe roofline — first hit the market a few years ago, I wondered if folks in the future would look back on these designs and wonder just what the heck we were thinking.
Having now driven some, including the GLC43 Coupe's bigger brother, the GLE63 Coupe, I finally see the appeal — at least from a driving stand point. I still think they look like frogs, but now I see the attraction to a car that both drives like a sports car and can also haul three kids and a labrador.
The GLC43 Coupe will be unveiled in the flesh on Sept. 28 at the Paris Motor Show. It will then be heading to U.S. showrooms in the first quarter of 2017. However, Mercedes hasn't decided how much it will cost when it arrives on American soil.
When Croatian carmaker Rimac Automobili unveiled its Concept_One, the world's fastest electric vehicle (EV) this spring, we were blown away by both its design and performance figures.
Thing is, though, sometimes having the best specs doesn't always translate into real-world speed and performance. But in Rimac's case, it does.
On Tuesday morning, Archie Hamilton released a video depicting a drag race between the Concept_One, and both a Tesla Model S P90D and Ferrari LaFerrari — two of the fastest electrified vehicles (the LaFerrari is a hybrid) around.
For a refresher, the all-electric Concept_One is said to have 1,088 horsepower. The Model S P90D produces around 532 horsepower. And the LaFerrari's V12 engine and onboard electric motor together churn out 950 horses.
That said, horsepower isn't everything, which is underscored by the car's 0 to 60 mph times. The P90D boasts a 2.8-second 0 to 60 mph time. Rimac's Concept_One is pegged at 2.6 seconds. And the $1 million LaFerrari claims to make that same sprint in 2.4 seconds.
Amazingly, on that fateful day in Croatia, the Rimac won out. Heck, it's so fast it makesLudicrous mode look downright sensible.
Here's where we come to a bit of a speed bump, so to speak. While both the P90D and LaFerrari were available to customers (I say were because the LaFerrari is sold out), the Concept_One isn't available for purchase in the strict sense; it can be custom-built on order, but you can't buy it in a store.
Regardless of whether its a production car or not, its accelerative capabilities are wildly impressive,
So let this stand as an example to us all. Just because we are privy to some astoundingly quick cars right now, the future surely holds much, much faster ones indeed.
Imagine never having to stop for a red light again – Audi’s upcoming traffic light information system won’t get you all the way there, but it will help you stop with the guesswork around when a light is going to change from red to green.
The feature will provide a countdown of exactly when a traffic light will switch from stop to go, starting a few seconds before the change, based on data provided by city infrastructure. That means it’s limited to cities where such services are available, which includes a few major metropolitan areas I the U.S. currently. The Audi system gets its data from Traffic Technology Services, an info provider that connects the dots between city infrastructure and connected vehicles.
It’s also limited in terms of vehicles affected, with 2017 models including the Audi Q7, A4 and A4 all road with firm levels that include Audi connect being the only ones that can take advantage of the feature. Plus, it’s a pay service rolled into the Connect Prime subscription offering Audi provides. But despite its limited scope and scale, it is indeed an industry first, and one that will hopefully pave the way for deeper future integrations between smart city infrastructure and connected cars.
Similar solutions are available as third-party apps for your smartphone, including EnLighten, an app that sounds audible alerts when a traffic light is about to change. Audi’s system sounds like it might be more closely tied to official city traffic light servers, however.
Audi and EnLighten offer similar motivation for making traffic light advance warning info available to drivers: to diminish driver stress. I’m still curious to see how this performs as a directly integrated OEM offering on cars, in terms of alleviating distractions and stress.
Following two confirmed Tesla Autopilot-related crashes in the U.S., including a fatality, German lawmakers are planning legislation that would require carmakers to include a black box for cars.
More commonly associated with aircraft, the proposed black box would record when an autonomous system was engaged, when the car asked the driver to retake driving duties and when a human driver took control or not, according to Reuters.
The intent of this legislation would help both carmakers, regulators and law enforcement officials determine who is responsible in the event of an autonomous car crash.
Both Volvo and Mercedes-Benz have said they will accept responsibility for the actions of its cars when in autonomous driving mode.
I suspect, though, simply knowing when the system was engaged or not won't be the only factor used to determine fault or responsibility. What if, for example, the driver fails to have needed service or repairs performed on the car and the autonomous system malfunctions as a result?
While it now appears clear that legislators will need to rein in companies like Tesla from acting irresponsibly with its tech, I also fear any laws written that affect autonomous tech could be formulated without a broad understanding of how the systems work.
For example, along with the black box idea, German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt also wants legislation to include language that allows the human driver to check out and not pay attention to traffic but also requires them to remain in the driver seat so they can intervene in the case of an emergency.
It simply isn't realistic to expect a person to go from napping to evasive driving in a split second. Hopefully, Germany's home country automotive experts—who tend to be conservative players when it comes to autonomous tech— can help guide the legislation so that it's tied to reality.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Soon after Uber all but admitted defeat in China last week, the narrative emerged that the American firm's failure came down to unfair home-ground advantage for Didi Chuxing, the main domestic competitor.
Sure, it's easy to point to other companies that have run up against barriers to entry in China. The country has accrued something of a reputation for having spurned giants like Google, Facebook and Amazon for homegrown companies.
Uber fit nicely into that group, but blaming China's government for its shortcomings trivialises how well Didi Chuxing managed to steadily take over the market over the years — and how well it had integrated itself into the country's existing web culture.
Didi Chuxing — formerly Didi Kuaidi — itself is a merger of two warring ride-hailing apps, Didi Dache and Kuaidi Dache. They had already spent a couple of years leaking hundreds of million dollars trying to undercut each other on prices bye the time Uber decided to enter the market in 2014.
In response, the two merged in early 2015 and formed a formidable front against the U.S. firm. With backing from two of China's largest internet firms, Alibaba (a Kuaidi Dache investor) and Tencent (with Didi Dache), the married entity was able to tap into some of its investors' successful products.
Chinese taxi drivers queue up to have their smartphones installed with Kuaidi Dache in 2014.
IMAGE: CHEN ZHONGQIU/IMAGINECHINA
Tencent's WeChat messenger is a prime example. WeChat is the dominant chat app used in China, and by 2014 people were already booking cabs from within WeChat's interface without leaving the app.
This worked seamlessly with the all-in-one experience that people were already accustomed to within WeChat, which was already commonly used to do everything from splitting the tab, paying for bills and even cashlessly pay small merchants at roadside stalls.
Additionally, with Tencent partnering and acquiring coupon sites, WeChat was able to push discount deals at restaurants and stores — and cab rides — directly to users. This was another marketing tool used to undercut Uber.
By mid-2016, Didi had a reported 99 percent market share of taxis and 87 percent of privately driven cars. It spread to 400 cities, while Uber China had just 60 before this week's merger.
Lyft, the U.S. number two ride-sharing app, has made tentative steps into China, but chose to cooperate with Didi instead of fighting it. Lyft took an undisclosed amount of investment from Didi in September 2015, and the two started allowing cross-platform cab booking in April this year.
But with the Didi-Uber China merger, Lyft looks like it might be left out cold. In reaction to the news, Lyft put out a statement taking a swipe at Didi, saying: "We always believed Didi had a big advantage in China because of the regulatory environment. The recent policy changes are exactly why we did not invest in the region.
"Over the next few weeks, we will evaluate our partnership with Didi."
Ouch. In the Chinese ride-sharing landscape, all new entrants are merely pieces on a chessboard belonging to Didi.
The used car industry is an interesting business. The market is huge – 45 million used cars are bought each year in the U.S. But the biggest player, CarMax, only controls about 2% of the market – but is still valued at about $12 billion by Wall Street.
So that makes the market not only ripe for disruption, but also extremely lucrative.
Carvana is a used car dealer that thinks it can gain some of this marketshare by bringing an e-commerce approach to the industry. The startup, which we’ve covered before, has brought the entire sales process online. And today the startup is announcing that is has raised a $160M series C to further expand its model across the United States.
A prospective car buyers stars on Carvana’s website, and picks out the exact car they want. The company offers cars in almost every body style and price range, and had about 5,000 available as of last night. There’s no bargaining, but the company consistently offers prices a few thousand dollars better then Kelly Blue Book’s suggested retail price (and lets you compare the two).
All financing and paperwork gets done online, and you have the choice of either having your car delivered or available for pickup at one of the company’s “car vending machines”.
What’s a car vending machine? It’s literally a big glass building that automatically dispenses a car that is preloaded by the company in the days prior to the customer picking it up. Carvana opened their first one in Nashville last year, and will use this funding to open more around the country.
Does a car vending machine sound gimmicky? Of course. But the company explained that it also has a practical purpose, besides being great for advertising. The status quo for Carvana is currently to deliver your new car to your door, which obviously costs more than having you pick it up. So by building a car vending machine in each city the company can save the money they would spend on having employees delivery it to your door.
This $160M in funding follows $140M in equity and $400M in debt previously raised by the company. While Carvana won’t disclose specific investors, they have said that the round had participation from both new and existing institutional investors.
Like previous funding rounds, growth and expansion is where Carvana is planning on spending this money. But with this new funding they are planning to expand and have readily available inventory in over 20+ markets by the end of the year, which will probably require them to shell out a ton of cash for a ton of used cars.
Plus, the company needs to build more physical locations to store (and possibly vend) cars in each of these new cities. As Ernie Garcia, founder and CEO of the company explained, they could choose to grow slower with much less capital, but Carvana (and their investors) believe that they found a solid business model, and want to ramp up and strike while the iron is hot.
A Missouri man might not have made it safely to the hospital without the aid of his Tesla Model X’s self-driving features (via Slate). Joshua Neally, the 37-year old Model X owner, was on the way home from his law firm after work when he was struck by a pulmonary embolism. Neally allowed the Autopilot system to take over for 20 miles of highway driving, which brought the vehicle and its driver to an off-ramp close to a hospital, where he was able to finish the trip.
Tesla’s Autopilot system may be under scrutiny after an accident in Florida earlier this year resulted in a driver death, but this is an example of where it definitely helped the operator of the vehicle. The obvious question that comes to mind is whether it would’ve been safer on the whole for Neally to pull over and call an ambulance instead of relying on his own car’s self-driving features, since Neally admits he didn’t “remember much of the drive” after his embolism began.
But whether or not Neally made the right call in continuing to drive himself, it proves the importance and necessity of offering safety features like Autopilot: In clutch situations like a medical emergency where we feel like our life is on the line, very few people can be relied upon to make the sane, logical and most conscientious choice about our actions.
Neally told Branson local NBC affiliate KY3 that he “just knew [he] had to get [to the ER]” once he began feeling the symptoms of the pulmonary embolism – in other words, he was essentially panicking and his instinct kicked in, convincing his brain the best course of action was to get to the hospital as quickly as possible.
Continuing to drive while under extreme physical duress might not have been the best choice, but it was the human one, and that’s what makes Autopilot’s role in getting Neally to the hospital in one piece so poignant. Plus, the fact that Neally had a choice at all is a chance outcome of the severity of the embolism: If it had been something more severe, and he wasn’t able physically to continue driving or make a decision, Autopilot would’ve engaged its failsafe mode, which decelerates the vehicle, turns on the four-way hazard lights and slowly moves the car to the roadside.
You can argue about whether or not a driver in this situation is more or less likely to continue driving rather than pull over and call an ambulance since the system is present to begin with, but you can also debate whether allowing Autopilot to drive was more or less safe than other options. What you can’t argue is that people will always make the most rational and informed decision when their life feels immediately threatened, and that’s where autonomous technologies stand to make the most impact.
The new Bugatti Chiron isn't even on sale yet. And the car that the ultra-luxury French brand used to tease it, the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo, wasn't ever intended for sale. Despite that, though, both the Chiron prototype and the one-of-one Vision were auctioned off to a Saudi prince for over $5 million.
Prince Badr bin Saud of Saudi Arabia posted two pictures taken by photographer GFWilliams to his Instagram account of the Bugatti prototypes, showing off his two new (presumably) prize possessions.
Since both of these cars were built for show rather than sale, it's unclear if they run and drive. Sometimes, carmakers do get prototypes up and running. Other times, they don't.
Regardless, the cars will make awesome additions to his collection.
No matter your feelings about the purchase, you can't deny that owning both of these stunning Bugattis proves that it's good to be the ... prince?
Generation Y, the millennial generation, is all about experiences. Turns out, they'd rather spend their money on travel, food and adventure than on material goods.
Frankly, that inclination never really made sense to me, a millennial. A trip is fleeting and memories are fluid. But stuff ... stuff is forever.
Accordingly, I've filled my life with dozens of cheap used cars, a pretty snazzy collection of sport coats (if I do say so myself) and more than a handful of Legos. All the while, I watched as my friends uploaded images of themselves in front of the Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower and on the rims of Icelandic fjords.
For my exposure to foreign cultures and lands, I relied on TV shows and the occasional Snapple bottle top to satiate my negligible need for world exploration. Meanwhile, I settled into the realization that I would never side with my contemporaries in the argument of stuff versus experience.
That said, never in my life did I expect to find an object that I thought might knock my fellow millennials off the experience train and back onto the the possessions path. However, I think I've found it: The Aston Martin DB11, the tactile good that could cure the millennial obsession with experiences. And, funnily enough, I had to travel to Tuscany to experience it for myself.
Subtle beauty
Turns out, Tuscany is a beautiful place — and far greener than I had expected.
What struck me most about it, though, was that its visual splendor wasn't 'in your face.' Instead, it has a subtle allure. Unlike, say, the Grand Canyon, the Tuscan landscape doesn't punch you in the face. You could admire it and soak it in, or you could just as well ignore it.
If you do study the rolling, tree-covered hills of Tuscany, you're in for a treat. It's dotted with distinctive geography and picturesque towns. Because of its understated beauty, Tuscany was the perfect place to first lay eyes on the DB11.
Walking up to the DB11 for the first time, I couldn't believe I was looking at a production car and not a concept. That said, none of it was 'too much' or garish. Every single carefully crafted line was both subdued and essential to the whole.
IMAGE: NICK JAYNES/MASHABLE
The hood, for example, which is the largest single piece of aluminum on any production car, wraps over the front and gives it a sleek, sporty but hunkered-down look. And cut into the expansive piece of perfectly curved aluminum clamshell hood are four air vents that cool the engine beneath its skin.
Following the lines to the back, you discover the DB11 is far wider than you might expect. Its broad rear haunches drop off abruptly at the sharp C-shaped taillights. And although the rear-end is a bit squat, it hides some clever design work.
The lines of the DB11 send air underneath the bodywork, which is forced out on the rear lip of the car that Aston Martin calls the "Aeroblade." This creates a virtual spoiler of air, which serves the same aerodynamic function as a physical spoiler without causing any drag.
The distinctive new — but decidedly Aston Martin — exterior styling is underpinned by an all-new chassis. I won't bore you with its details. The highlight, however, is that since Aston Martin designed the chassis to accommodate both four passengers in the cabin and a V12 engine under the hood, it's far roomier than not only its predecessor, the DB9, but also other cars in its class.
Twin-turbo V12
The V12 Aston designers left room for in the chassis is an impressive thing indeed. Unlike so many carmakers today, Aston refuses to install engines with fewer cylinders to its cars. So it developed a new 5.2-liter V12 engine and bolted to it two turbochargers.
The result is raucous 600 horsepower that is routed to the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic transaxle (a transmission/axle hybrid) mounted in the rear of the car. All told, the DB11 will do a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 3.9 seconds on the way to its 205-mph top speed.
You can fire the engine one of two ways: By pressing the ignition button quickly or holding it for several seconds. The latter causes the V12 to ignite quietly, rather than with a roar. Of course, I preferred the roar of the quick-push ignition.
For as shouty as it is at ignition, the DB11 is even louder at full throttle. And its perfectly tuned exhaust note is matched by some truly prodigious acceleration. Since the V12 is turbocharged, its acceleration isn't as snappy as other naturally aspirated engines.
I'd liken it to stepping on a fresh, bendy branch versus a dry, brittle one. That doesn't accurately impart the gravity of the turbo'd V12. So, instead, let's say pushing the throttle to the floor is like pestering a pet tiger versus a wild wolverine. A tamed tiger will put up with you for a minute before it attacks, but a wolverine will just haul off and maul you.
That's the DB11's V12: Thanks to the turbos, you can bat it around for a minute without fear of immediate retaliation. Push far enough, though, and its roar and raw, animalistic power will make your blood run cold.
IMAGE: DREW GIBSON/ASTON MARTIN
That's not to say that the car is unwieldy. The DB11 is a grand tourer, which means it's soft and more stately than a sports car. Its electronic steering is very light but also quite precise. And in its standard suspension ride mode, the DB11 glides down the road like a big, soft sedan. Though it can be ratcheted up to Sport+, which makes it taut without also being vertebrae-fusing.
Real materials
Even when you're not indulging in the sounds and organ-reordering acceleration of the DB11, you're still audience to one of the most stylish modern luxury interiors on the planet.
Aston Martin's representatives stressed that everything occupants see and feel inside the cabin is real. If it feels like leather, it is. If it feels like carbon fiber, it is. And if you're looking at the interior and think it reminds you a bit of a fine leather loafer, there's good reason. Aston designers borrowed leather detail work from high-end shoe designs.
IMAGE: NICK JAYNES/MASHABLE
They then mated all those high-end materials with segment-leading technology from Mercedes-Benz. That means the DB11 has both old-world luxury and also cutting-edge technology.
Ultimate experience
The thing is, for as apt as it was for Aston Martin to launch its latest car in Tuscany, I could have driven the DB11 in Toledo, Ohio and enjoyed it just as much. The rich greenery of Central Italy didn't make the experience for me, the car — and the painstaking, handcrafted care that went into making it — did.
That's because with its outstanding exterior styling, raw V12 power (and soundtrack) and sumptuous but tech-laden interior, the DB11 transcends the physical world and the rules governed by traditional objects and into the world of experience. You don't simply own ordrive the DB11, you experience it.
What's more, it's more than just one of the best 'things' on the planet, it's also one of the ultimate experiences money can buy. Millennials, your experience fixation has met its match.
Aston Martin hasn't just created the latest and greatest ultra-luxurious sport coupes on the planet, it has created one of the ultimate experiences money can buy.
A driver of a Tesla Model S died in early May when both he and his car's semi-autonomous Autopilot system failed to see a tractor trailer crossing in front of the car on a highway in Florida.
While it seemed like the perfect storm of real-world chance versus automotive high tech, it turns out not just an unlikely blend of coincidence could cause Tesla's Autopilot to miss an obstacle.
Researchers at the University of South Carolina and China’s Zhejiang University, in collaboration with the Chinese security firm Qihoo 360, say they've both easily blinded Autopilot and also caused it to see phantom obstacles.
When they take the stage later this week at the Defcon hacker conference, the researchers will detail how they used relatively accessible (but expensive) devices to deceive Tesla’s Autopilot sensors, according to Wired
Intriguingly, the researchers, turned white-hat hackers, didn't actually have to hack the car. They simply jammed the stationary test car's front-mounted radar, ultrasonic sensors and cameras by exposing them to various machines that emitted light, radio and sound.
As you can see in the video above, Autopilot suddenly and without warning loses track of the car ahead when the radio interferer is activated.
What's more, the researchers created the same blinding effect by draping a car with acoustic foam, which is far cheaper than devices with five- and six-figure price tags.
Granted, the machines employed by the researchers are expensive — and wrapping something in acoustic foam would be obvious. So, it's unlikely they would be used by would-be hackers to impair a single car. However, the tests prove that there are more issues with Tesla's Autopilot system than was initially anticipated.
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.
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