AUDI A4 3.2 QUATTRO

The Audi A4 3.2 quattro doesn’t speak German, it speaks the language of “technical perfection.”

The 2009 version – which includes an all-new design – delivers the workmanship expected of the brand: quality without compromise.

It’s almost as if the A4 3.2 quattro drives itself. It delivers effortlessly precise handling, spontaneous acceleration, and on-a-dime braking — in a sporty, upscale wrapper with all occupants safely ensconced inside the lap of luxury.

A4 is offered with a choice of five engines. My tester was the 3.2-liter FSI V6 version, coupled with an automatic, Tiptronic transmission that delivers power to the road via quattro permanent all-wheel drive. Racing from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 6.7 seconds, the flow of power continues undiminished until a governor stops the madness at around 150 mph. It has an EPA rating of 17 mpg in the city and 26 mpg down the highway.

Blessed with clear roads, this driver’s car was put through its paces – within the limits of civilization – to make sure PR people at Audi aren’t just hyping this bad boy. The results are in: No, they are not.

Dressed in an elegant Brilliant Red coat of paint and a Cardamom Beige lavish leather cockpit, my A4 tester was not as intuitive and user-friendly as this Norwegian would have hoped. Let’s just say that seven days was not long enough for “your professional automotive journalist” to figure out what all the buttons and thinga-ma-jiggies were for.

The A4 sedan is adorned with a vast array of technological and electronic whiz-bang gadgetry. The centerpiece of the interior is a 6.5-inch color monitor into which virtually all controls are incorporated: navigation system, audio system with AM/FM/satellite radio and six-disc CD changer, and three-zone climate control — to name but a few.

Other goodies include a Bluetooth hands-free interface, iPod interface, rear-view camera, trip computer, rain/light sensors, Audi parking system, power moonroof, and on and on and on. All controls are oriented toward the driver, placing him or her in firm control.

The A4 cabin is comfy cozy, pampering four adults in spa-like bliss. Head, leg, shoulder and hip room are all taken into account, with the front passengers able to dial in their preferences to the nth degree.

And that is not hyperbole. Two examples are driver lumbar support with four settings and seat heating that can be controlled in six stages. Mere mortal controls typically provide only the option of high or low.

The A4 received five of five possible stars for safety from the NHTSA, and includes front, side and side-curtain airbags, a stabilizing dynamic steering system and – my personal favorite – adaptive cruise control. When cruising down I-5 with the cruise set at 60, the A4 detects the vehicle ahead and reduces the car’s speed as the distance narrows. What did I say about the A4 almost driving itself?

If the cliché that “the devil is in the details” still needs validation, the Audi A4 obliges. Let’s use the mundane parking assistance system as an example. The A4 not only provides an audible signal (using ultrasound technology) that chimes with increasing intensity as an object gets closer, it also delivers visual evidence. A rear fish-eye lens provides the driver with a generous 130-degree view of the area directly behind the car. This “remote broadcast” appears on the navigation screen, easily visible by the driver.

The A4 continues to be refined and improved, somehow improving upon perfection. I’m waiting for the car to make an appearance in a future James Bond flick, with Q delightfully demonstrating slightly embellished newfangled gimmicks. Then again, the A4 doesn’t launch missiles or navigate underwater — yet.