Audi shows its quality

Premium car makers have seen the bar consistently raised for quality and seamless fit, not only within the industry but also with firms like Apple.

Audi has been the champion of fit and finish for years, but for many years buyers were looking as much at the ultimate handling as they were at the door gaps.

Market sentiment has changed, in Audi’s favour.

Looking at the new A4 is an exercise in seeing Vorsprung durch Technik embodied not just in the engineering but in the very pressed steel of the car and the paint finish over it.

Just look at the sharply sculpted ‘tornado lines’ of the pressed steel panels to see the challenge this poses to competitors.

The A4 interior shows how you put together a cabin that features a subtle, high-quality design with superfine detailing and gap-free construction. Observe the overhead map light – not many people will. It’s wonderfully designed and finished, with a delicate silver trim.

There are rumours that Audi has nine people whose sole job is to match the interior shades of black, so that everything, every material and component, has the same matt shade and finish. Obsessive? Just look – closely – at the results.