Audi tweaks A6 in all the right places

Every year, when I was a kid, I’d work myself into a giant Christmas lather — all that expectation wrapped up in a tree, a stocking and a shiny pile of presents.

I’ve outgrown such childishness, of course, and these days find myself concerned with weightier matters, such as which rig I’ll get for my annual tour of the Northwest. If I’m going to put 1,000 miles on a car, give or take, I’d rather it be one that I like.

Starting around October, I try to be extra good in an effort to appease the gods who decide such things. I wouldn’t want to leave something so important to chance.

Just as in times past, when I made up a Christmas list each year, I have a vehicle wish list. To handle the prospect of ice in the Columbia River Gorge and snow on Snoqualmie Pass, my ideal ride is sure-footed. Because comfort matters, it has great seats and a sound system that won’t turn Mingus to mush.

High-intensity-discharge headlights are high on my list, as are fog lamps — front and rear, please — to show the way in the wicked Central Basin soup.

Christmas comes with its own set of expenses, so I put in a special request for something economical. It also should be moderately sized, but roomy, as the children I visit and their SO’s have become quite long-legged of late.

And, finally, if it’s not too much to ask, it should have enough power to be interesting and handle well enough to be fun.

Apparently, the gods who decide such things consider this a reasonable list, for in the season just past, they sent me an Audi A4, which satisfied all my picky desires and some I didn’t know I had.

For 2006, the A4, which with last year’s advent of the A3 became Audi’s second-smallest car, receives not so much a makeover as a trim-level realignment. Available in sedan, wagon and convertible body styles, the A4 can be had in any number of trim and model designations.

This year, the sedan and wagon can be had with a robust, 255-horsepower 3.2-liter six in addition to the 200-hp 2.0-liter four that was introduced mid-year 2005.

When ordered with Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system, the six is paired with a six-speed manual transmission or optional six-speed automatic. The front-drive version gets a continuously variable transmission.

A new S-line package replaces last year’s Ultra Sport package and fetches 18-inch, five-spoke GmbH wheels, sport-tuned suspension, brushed aluminum interior trim, restyled front and rear bumpers, side sill extensions, rear spoiler, three-spoke steering wheel wrapped in perforated and triple-stitched leather and an S-line logo in the grille.

We drove the S-line, equipped with the four and a six-speed automatic transmission.

For the time being, the Cabriolet, or convertible, version continues with last year’s power choice, a turbocharged 1.8-four that makes 170 hp or a 220-hp, 3.0-liter six.

Consistent with Audi convention, the A4 is a hedonist’s delight. Dollar for dollar, Audi interiors are the most attractive in the business and the materials, ergonomics and fit-and-finish are beyond reproach, with the exception of an ongoing conflict between the fold-down center armrest and the rearmost cupholder. Simple solution: leave the armrest in the upright position.

As far as I can tell, all the Germans have been making great seats forever and not even hours on the road could put a kink in my back or a hitch in my get-along. The rear seating area is commodious to the point that even my 6-foot-6-inch friend Greg swore he was comfortable back there.

An audiophile might have found the audio system lacking — even I wished for an adjustable midrange — but I never felt cheated, sound-wise.

On the road, Audi’s proven quattro all-wheel-drive system and electronic stability control system provided sure footing during the intense snowstorm that hit the eastern slopes of the Cascades. My concerns about the S-line’s low-profile tires in adverse conditions proved groundless.

The 200-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter is both willing and reasonably thrifty, garnering EPA ratings of 22 city/30 highway (although it’s happiest on premium fuel); it makes enough torque in the lower rpm for carefree city driving, but does its best work when allowed to run up the revs.

The engine is nicely mated with the Porsche-designed Tiptronic six-speed automatic, which constantly adapts itself to the driver’s style. On the long uphill run into the Cascades from Seattle, it held to its top gear without hesitation, downshifting only when I needed to squirt through slower moving traffic.

And for those special occasions, a Sport mode makes aggressive shifts and holds onto lower gears longer. A manual mode lets the driver make the decisions.

The S-line trim is not the ultimate performance version of the A4 family — that mission is reserved for the eight-cylinder, 340-hp S4. Still, the S-line is nimble and tossable. Its four-link front suspension is clearly a cut above the McPherson strut setup found in most cars of its size and the Servotronic power-steering system is accurate and responsive.

All A4s come equipped with a full complement of airbags, including side-curtain bags, and active front head restraints. Anti-lock brakes are standard and the brakes maintain maximum effectiveness by automatically clearing themselves of moisture.

All this wonderfulness comes at a price, of course. A4 prices begin at $28,360, including destination, and S-line sedans begin at $31,660. Our well-equipped tester tipped the scales at $42,460, a stiff price indeed for a compact, near-luxury sedan.

On the other hand, when a guy makes up his wish list, who’s to blame him for asking for the best? Among the handful of cars that play at this level, this is arguably it.