While an unofficial acceleration test isn’t the most reliable thing in the world, it can often reveal things about a car that weren’t previously known.
Luckily for the all-new Audi A4 (in Avant form) that doesn’t necessarily seem to be the case. The guys filming this video apparently did everything right, from putting the car into dynamic mode to letting the 8-speed gearbox do all the shifting – which was also properly set to sport mode.
Before we get to any official acceleration numbers, let’s run through what makes the V6 TDI Audi A4 a pretty special car. This being the top of the range model, it’s got no fewer than 272 PS, to go with its impressive 600 Nm (442 lb-ft) of torque, which is a great way to start any conversation about a family estate car.
Sure, it’s not the lightest thing in the world (thanks to its quattro AWD system) at 1,770 kg (3,902 lbs) but on paper it should still hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 5.4 seconds.
So then what’s the problem? In other words, why did it hit the 100 km/h mark in 6.2 seconds during this acceleration test? Not only is that horribly slower than what it should have done, but it’s almost a full second off its official pace.
Since the road wasn’t wet, the simplest explanation would be that the car was carrying a lot of excess weight around and the guys filming this forgot to mention it. We can clearly see another passenger holding a camera, which means that we don’t even know if there were just two people in the car. There might have been more, plus some luggage to.
An equally simple explanation would be that the guys got their facts wrong about which version of the V6 TDI A4 Avant they were in, and it was actually the 218 PS model (0-100 km/h in 6.4 sec). But speculating in that particular direction might be considered as being rude, so let’s not go there.
But what are the odds that the 272 PS V6 TDI A4 Avant quattro actually isn’t as quick as Audi say it is? Another rude assumption? Sure, somewhat, but something is definitely off here and all signs point to even more question marks.
What do you guys think is going on?