Changing All Four Wheels: Audi A4 Quattro vs. Subaru Impreza WRX

Audi and Subaru have one thing in common: they’re both relatively upstart brands battling it out with the big boys: Mercedes & BMW and Toyota & Nissan. Okay, two: each has in its stable an understated compact car that packs a wallop: the A4 and the Impreza. In all-wheel-drive turbocharged form, this pair joins the best not just in their class but also among all cars great and small.

The A4 was the first Audi of the modern (mid-90s) era that made people sit up and take notice of the marque once again. It didn’t look as sporty as the 3-series, yet not as conservative as the then C-class—the A4 opted to go for a classy, discreet look with taut, compact lines. It worked, pulling in a lot of Audi converts worldwide. Recently, Audi has recently been touting its styling more than anything else, and indeed they’ve already hit it big with the mid-size A6 and the unfortunately-named TT coupe. Now they’re set to hit a design home run with the A4.

The 2001 A4 is just as understatedly classy as before, but with a good helping of styling cues borrowed from the A6. The front retains the traditional Audi rectangular grille flanked by trapezoidal headlamp protectors with round lenses underneath. The clear headlamp protector sweeps into the side, where it meets the vertical plane of the side doors: impressive! If you’re the type who can appreciate abstract metal sculpture, you can spend hours staring at the A4’s exterior details. The roofline sweeps from nose to tail in a fluid arc, giving the 4-door sedan a coupe appearance. The rear quarter view is the best view of the car, with the upswept taillamps and the flowing sequence of backlight-trunk-bumper. Of course the only problem with this design is that we’ve seen it all before. It is something of a pity that Audi’s designers couldn’t come up with anything more original that a shrunk-down A6, but then the A6 looks so good anyway that we can forgive them.

As with all recent new models save for the S-class Mercedes, the A4 has grown in all dimensions. The 2001 model is 69 mm longer, 33 mm wider and 3 mm taller than its predecessor. One of the chief complaints against the old A4 was lack of rear-seat knee room; the new model has addressed this through a 25-mm longer wheelbase and repackaging of the interior bits to enlarge the rear seat area. The trunk is still quite roomy, able to swallow several large suitcases with ease.
Interior room aside, not much seems to have changed inside the cockpit. The steering wheel is now a four-spoker, with the familiar four gauges separated by a navigation-trip computer screen. It’s still a little bit too gray and dreary for our tastes, despite the wood strip inserts. The fit and finish are sure to be as excellent as ever.

Five engines will be offered during launch, all of them new to the A4. There’s a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder good for 130 bhp, an upgrade from the previous base 1.8. A 1.8 liter turbo with 150 bhp is replaced by—a 1.8 liter turbo with 150 bhp; however, this is a new engine with lower emissions. A 3.0 V6 is available for the first time, with 220 bhp. No European would be complete without diesels, so two are offered: a 2.5 V6 and 1.9 inline 4, both turbos and both with prodigious amounts of torque at low rpm. An S4 version with twin-turbo V6 will surely follow in a few months. Front drive is standard, but the best versions are the ones with Quattro all-wheel drive. Order a Quattro, and you’ll get a six-speed gearbox, too. A continuously-variable automatic is an option.
Since the styling has improved, it’s only appropriate that so has the driving. The A4 exhibits a better ride, as well as improved steering response. Front seat passengers will be protected by front and side airbags, and a curtain airbag running front to rear on both sides will also be standard. Electronic traction and braking controls and the security of the all-wheel drive make for a formidable active safety package. Prices start at £20,000 going all the way up to £30,000 for the 3.0 V6.

It’s not going to be easy battle for the A4. The new BMW 3-series has recovered some of its sportiness and appeal, while the 2001 C-class oozes just that: class. Meanwhile, there’s the hot new compact Lexus IS200. (See Global Domination, March-April 2000). In the styling wars, there’s the to-lust-after Alfa Romeo 156 and soon-to-be-released compact Jaguar X-type. Audi should stay on its toes, but we think the A4 has all the makings of another winner.

Compared to the easy-on-the-eyes A4, the new Impreza is a love it or loathe it proposition. One thing’s for sure: it’s not invisible anymore. Those large fishy headlamps will stare at you from a mile away. Side bulges like those on the Skyline GTR emphasize the car’s muscular potential. The rear features large trapezoidal lamps and a more discreet spoiler.

Not all Imprezas are supercar-caliber though; the base model is a 1.6 with a mere 94 bhp. Next up is a 2.0 with 124 bhp: good for sub-10-second 0-100 km/h.

The best Impreza is of course the Turbo, which can give a Porsche 911 a run for its money. The 2.0 Turbo now pumps out 215 bhp, for a 0-100 km/h run of less than 6 seconds. The engine has been retuned to provide better response down low, with a “softer” boost to the turbo. This means that the rush is still there, but it’s not a Saturn V rocket anymore when it lights up; maybe more like a Titan IV.

The wagon is an integral part of the Impreza lineup, but as before, it doesn’t look as attractive as the sedan. The large load space will be welcome, although in truth this wagon doesn’t look as usefully long as conventional wagons Astra and Corolla.

Unlike the old A4, the old Impreza badly needed improvements in its cabin quality. The Impreza features better plastics now, with a cleaner layout and some silver trim to liven things up. It’s still a catch-up situation when compared to the Focus and new Civic cabins, but the gap is considerably narrower.

As with all new models, the Impreza has grown in all directions, also to the benefit of interior room. More importantly, its front track has been widened to improve stability. Subaru resisted the temptation to use its all-new Legacy platform and instead improved on the old Impreza floorpan. This is probably to help the reliability of the World Reliability Championship.

Speaking of the WRC effort, the Impreza attained iconic status precisely after winning the World Rally Championship. So we can’t wait for the new Impreza to thunder down dirt trails followed by a huge billow of dust, probably faster than its opposition. That will increase the desirability of this model no bounds. 555 Rally blue, anyone?

By Jason Ang | Photos Courtesy of Audi and Subaru