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Reprinted from What Car? Awards 2016

CAR YEAR

OF THE

AUDI AWARDS SPECIAL

CAR OFTHE YEAR2016

whatcar.com whatcar.com

Overall winner

CAR OFTHE YEAR2016

Photography by John Bradshaw

Shot atBrighton, East Sussex

Audi A4 3.0 TDI 218 Sport

Awards 2016Overall winner

Choosing this year’s winner was anything but easy. The brilliant Skoda Superb came mighty close and Mazda’s latest MX-5 also made the final round of voting.

However, when we considered the strength of the competition the A4 had to overcome just to top its class, it simply had to win. It brings new standards of refinement, interior quality and technology to the compact executive class.

We reckon the 3.0 TDI 218 is worth the relatively small premium over the 2.0-litre diesels for its superior refinement, comfort and effortless performance. Whichever version you choose, though, you’ll be getting an outstanding car.


Best coupé

CAR OFTHE YEAR2016

This win marks two years on the bounce for the latest TT, as it continues where the old TT left off. We’d like to say it was a close-run thing but it really wasn’t. Yes, there are plenty of other sleek-looking offerings in this class, but all of them demand some form of compromise from you – either in the way they drive, how easy they are to live with or how much they’ll cost you to buy and run.

In contrast, the TT is not just the best coupé on the market, it’s one of the best cars you can buy, full stop.


Shot at Swanage, Dorset

Audi TT 2.0 TFSI 230 Sport

WinnerCoupé


Sponsored by

Best compact executive car

CAR OFTHE YEAR2016

Audi deserves congratulations for the new A4. The real surprise here is that it isn’t a 2.0-litre diesel taking the honours but a smooth V6.

This helps the A4 feel like a much more luxurious car, thanks in part to an interior that is head-and-shoulders above the competition. Effortless performance also boosts the sense of grandeur.

With fuel economy and CO2 emissions barely any worse than those of smaller-engined models, the A4 3.0 TDI 218 is the most impressive car we’ve tried of late.

WinnerCompact executive car


Shot at Brighton, East Sussex


Family car best buy more than £19,000

Convertible best buy £25,000-£35,000

Large SUV best buy more than £40,000

Audi A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI 150 SE Technik

Audi A3 Cabriolet 1.4 TFSI 150 Sport Nav

Audi Q7 3.0 TDI quattro 272 SE

YOU’D EXPECT A family car that costs in excess of £23,000 to offer a premium interior. The Audi A3 Sportback has just that – in spades.

Its cabin is beautifully put together and SE Technik trim brings sat-nav, cruise control and reverse parking sensors. Audi’s excellent MMI infotainment system, complete with pop-up 5.8in screen, is also standard. There’s room for five adults, along with a boot that’s big enough to cater for family life.

The 2.0-litre diesel engine is a real peach; its impressively strong performance makes for

unexpectedly potent point-to-point pace if you want it. This, matched to responsive steering and tight body control, gives the A3 Sportback an agile feel, no matter whether you’re in town or enjoying more open roads.

It’s also efficient: it returned 51.2mpg in our real-world True MPG economy tests, while company car drivers can also enjoy low car tax thanks to CO2 emissions of just 108g/km.

A five-star Euro NCAP rating and a driver’s knee airbag add peace of mind, and cement the A3 Sportback’s family car credentials.

THE A3 IS hard to fault if you’re after a four-seat convertible that’s fair value, comfortable enough for long journeys and fun when you want it to be. It’s one of the roomier hatchback-based convertibles, so carrying four average-sized adults will be no problem, and the dashboard is classy-looking, feels great and is finished with a 5.8in colour screen.

Complete with the sweet-revving and satisfyingly punchy 1.4 turbocharged petrol motor, the A3 Cabriolet feels keen and responsive, yet is as easy to potter about town in as the

standard A3 hatchback. Just make sure that when speccing your car you delete this trim’s sports suspension. It’ll cost you nothing and brings a more comfortable ride.

Sport trim also brings more exterior style highlights, an acoustic hood that noticeably improves refinement, more supportive seats and a system that allows you to vary the steering and throttle response.

Overall, it’s a fantastic all-round convertible that compromises little of the A3’s everyday useability, while adding the fun of a soft-top.

IT WAS ALWAYS going to take a mighty car to unseat last year’s winner, the Range Rover Sport. However, 2015 produced two potential candidates in the shape of the Volvo XC90 and Audi Q7, and it’s the Audi that edges it.

For a considerable amount less than the Range Rover, the Q7 offers everything the large SUV buyer is looking for. It has a superbly built interior, a long list of standard equipment and is beautifully refined – its six-cylinder diesel engine is silky smooth, and wind and road noise are negligible. That engine

is powerful, too, and although the Q7 isn’t the sharpest-handling SUV, its supremely cushioning ride at all speeds more than makes up for that, especially with optional air suspension. Inside, there’s masses of space for four adults and the option to carry children in its standard sixth and seventh seats, while the Q7’s boot is a practical size and shape.

Audi’s MMI infotainment system is another plus; in this guise it stands as one of the best on sale anywhere. It has sharp graphics and is easy to use via the Q7’s slick rotary controller.

Key facts

Key facts

Key facts

True MPG 51.2mpg

True MPG 38.2mpg

True MPG 32.6mpg

Pricing List price £23,835Performance 0-62mph 8.6secTop speed 135mphRunning costs Government economy 68.9mpg

Government CO2 108g/kmCompany car tax band 19%Insurance group 23



Pricing List price £50,340Performance 0-62mph 6.5secTop speed 145mphRunning costs Government economy

47.9mpgGovernment CO2 153g/kmCompany car tax band 28%Insurance group 40

Compact executive best buy £25,000-£35,000

Coupé best buy £25,000-£35,000

Compact executive best buy more than £35,000


Audi TT 2.0 TFSI 230 Sport

Audi A4 3.0 TDI quattro 272 S line

BUY ANY BMW, Jaguar or Mercedes-Benz executive saloon and we’ll tell you the same thing: stick with a four-cylinder diesel engine. You’ll save a heap of cash and won’t sacrifice much performance or refinement.

So, it’s in unfamiliar territory we find ourselves here because we reckon the 3.0 TDI 218 is the pick of the A4 range.

It’s only fractionally less efficient than the 2.0 TDI 190 model (officially and in the real world), and delivers the sort of creamy performance and whisper-quiet driving manners that would shame some luxury

limos. Put simply, it feels more like a baby A8 than a 3 Series rival.

For most buyers that’s a jolly good thing because executive saloons aren’t sports cars. They’re bought by people doing lots of business miles, usually on the motorway, which is why comfort and hushed cruising manners are absolutely the priorities.

Factor in the 3.0 TDI’s class-leading interior and surprisingly low CO2 emissions, and we reckon it’s worth the relatively small premium over the 2.0 TDI 190 Ultra.

THE TT IS a familiar face here, with various incarnations having won at least this price point in each of the past 10 years.

The latest TT shows all the signs of continuing the success. The fact it’s so light certainly helps; it’s one of the main reasons the Audi is more agile than its rivals. The weight advantage also helps with straight-line performance so, unless you have a particular urge to frighten Porsche 911s away from traffic lights, there’s really no need to bother with the range-topping four-wheel-drive TTS. Crucially, the TT isn’t just

about having fun. It’s a wonder-fully easygoing companion when you just want to get where you’re going. It also has one of the finest cabins of any car in any class, with materials that wouldn’t look out of place in a high-end luxury limo.

The TT is even a great ownership proposition. Such strong desirability means it’ll depreciate far more slowly than its rivals, and you can bank on almost 40mpg in real-world driving. All that should leave you enough money to add one or two key options, such as satellite navigation.

AS YOU MAY have guessed, we’re quite taken by Audi’s new A4, especially its V6 diesel variants. The 272 S line might have the same basic engine as the car above, but it develops significantly more power and has four-wheel drive as standard.

You need the added traction quattro brings. The high-output 3.0 TDI gives performance that a sports car wouldn’t be ashamed of. The 0-62mph time is only half the story, thanks in part to the smooth eight-speed auto gearbox; it always feels rapid when you flex your right foot.

It might have lowered sports suspension as standard but that doesn’t mean this A4 rides like an excitable kangaroo. Yes, it’s a little firm at low speeds but it’s never uncomfortable and smooths out as speeds increase – that’s largely thanks to the adaptive suspen-sion. The handling is the best of any current A4, too.

On top of a stonking engine there’s also all the stuff we love about lesser A4s, such as the classy-feeling interior which even shames most cars from the class above. Factor in decent economy and it’s an easy win for the A4.

Key facts

Key facts

Key facts

True MPG 43.5mpg

True MPG 38.1mpg

True MPG 38.3mpg





Pricing List price £38,950Performance 0-62mph 5.3secTop speed 155mphRunning costs Government

economy 55.4mpgGovernment CO2 134g/kmCompany car tax band 24%Insurance group 40


Model shows 18” wheels which are not available to order on this trim

For more information on Audi’s winners visitwww.audi.co.uk/whatcar

car - audi uk · shames most cars from the class above. factor in decent economy and it’s an easy...

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