ACHTUN!NG | A look at the new B8 Audi A4

[Dion@Achtuning]

Barrier Motors (thanks Nico!) brought by the latest B8 chassis Audi A4 for us to check out - thought we'd share some pictures here with you.





The design of the front-end is very much like the already released B8 chassis Audi A5 and S5, with slight differences to distinguish this model. The front fascia still includes Audi's open-grille design and now larger cooling ducts in the lower section of the bumper, giving it a rather aggressive front-end. The B8 A4 is also 4 inches longer compared to the previous B7 model, and you'll notice some different body line along the side of the new B8 A4.



And of course the headlight re-design now includes the very familiar white LEDs that really separate the Audi from the rest of the vehicles on the road.







We needed the car here so we can get a brake template made for the car. Brake templates allow us to determine which of the Hartmann Wheels we have that will fit the car. Brake-wise, there won't be any clearance issues however the all new B8 chassis cars have a 66.6 center bore (similar to Mercedes Benz) so our entire product line-up will need to change to accomodate this new hub size. We will have Hartmann Wheel solutions coming soon, as well as a new B8 Audi A4 section in our online catalog.

The engine bay is certainly different as well... The oil filter relocated up top was one of the first changes easily noticeable and obviously makes for a much easier oil filter swap. APR is almost ready to release ECU programming for the new 2.0L TFSI motor and we can't wait to see what kind of power gains we can expect to see for it!





We noticed the battery has been relocated to the trunk, and further below the spare tire (which is not full-sized) and we were happy to see the famed "widow-maker" jack is no longer being supplied.



... And the 125/70-19 spare tire... Yikes!!



Stay tuned to our online catalog for new B8 A4 products coming soon!!

[Tiesto]

So the tails are LED?

[Gallep]

Do these have a SMIC or DMSIC?

[djsnowman777]

the body looks similar to the new bmw 325 chassis ..i like the overall look though with the headlights

[rpmfoundation]

exterior design looks "confused" to me.. as if though there was a deadline and something had to be thrown together ..quick..

1. from ( side/front ) angle view above, it almost looks like an Accord with BMW lines..

2. it's not anything special, tail ( just as it is in a5 ) looks like it came off of 3 series coupe, front on a a5 looks great - here.. not so much.. not aggressive.. not much of anything really, lights adopted LED style, but again .. something's missing..

3. this car is totally trying to be something...interior of A6 ( nothing to complain about ), exterior of A5 and god only knows what else..I still say Accord/BMW hybrid.

Expect re-design.. very very very soon...

[rpmfoundation]

like i said.... WTF!.. an accord style? **sigh.

[DeMOROlized]

So the tails are LED?

No they are not.

[rpmfoundation]

thats another thing - all that tech available an still no LED in the back ??

[b6onboost]

i like the front, like the rear, understand the A6-esque interior...but the side body lines look like a Picasso.

what happened to Audi's clean body lines and classy designs?

[Dion@Achtuning]

Yeah read somewhere the tails were supposed to be LED and confused that w/ what I saw... Oops. =P

[Arclight]

I'll withhold judgment on the standard version until I see one in person...although I do like the tuner versions (Abt, Caractere, etc) that I have seen on Worldcarfans.

[Jagaer]

How do you change the oil filter without making a mess?

Even if you drain the oil, once you remove the filter the remaining oil is going to leak all over the engine.

Is there something I'm missing?

[AudiMan]

i like the front, like the rear, understand the A6-esque interior...but the side body lines look like a Picasso.

what happened to Audi's clean body lines and classy designs?

i agree, when i had a b5, i loved the b6 also, even though it was bigger it had a similar design philosophy, i feel the b8 is trying to be like a BMW from the side. From the front and back its like an A/S5. I have an order on an S5 which is supposed to come in OCTOBER!!! WTF, not sure i'll buy it.

[quattro.it]

What are you guys smoking that the B8 looks like an Honda Accord (you gotta fucking be kidding me along with your other comments) or BMW 3-series!!! All I can say is go buy an Acoord becuase you are not worthy. Have any of you driven a B8 yet?? Didn't think so. Same goes for BMW xDrive. If that works for you then go for it dude!

[Panzr15]

How do you change the oil filter without making a mess?

Even if you drain the oil, once you remove the filter the remaining oil is going to leak all over the engine.

Is there something I'm missing?

You change it the same way you change it on a BMW (E46 3-series), take the plug out, wait for everything to drain. There shouldn't be a lot of oil in the filter by the time everything else is drained. Yay gravity. Works best when the engine is warm.

[NewEnglandRS]

Perfect, though I wish it had LED taillights and the exhaust were on opposite sides on the 2.0T

[rpmfoundation]

What are you guys smoking that the B8 looks like an Honda Accord (you gotta fucking be kidding me along with your other comments) or BMW 3-series!!! All I can say is go buy an Acoord becuase you are not worthy. Have any of you driven a B8 yet?? Didn't think so. Same goes for BMW xDrive. If that works for you then go for it dude!

Um i still stand by what i said.. in fact i gave a visual reference ( please see above comment )

That car is like a puzzle, different pieces from numerous cars.. it's not unique whatsoever. ( A5 is, R8 is , older gens B7, B6, etc.. )

They could of done a lot better job on the exterior. My comparison to and accord is not a compliment - it's damn near FUGLY.

Squished back ( copied from 3 series coupe ) like someone sat on it, front is bad bad bad.. ( LED's ) so friggin what..

I HAVE DRIVEN THE B8, - no matter how good the engine may be, or interior.. I refuse to drive a FUGLY car.

[Anthony]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is the best looking new A4 that Audi has ever released. I liked the classic and simple lines of the B5, wasn't wowed by the bulkiness of the B6, really liked the more sculpted lines Audi went with on the B7, and now am just in love with this B8.

Every new model release takes a bit of time to sink in, but this is the first one that won me over right away. Looking forward to seeing this on the road, and in the hands of us enthusiasts.

[Skyler@Achtuning]

Perfect, though I wish it had LED taillights and the exhaust were on opposite sides on the 2.0T

Looking at the underside it seems that they may release a dual exhaust option later. The lower valence unbolts and it seems that there is room for another muffler on the right side.

[DeMOROlized]

Looking at the underside it seems that they may release a dual exhaust option later. The lower valence unbolts and it seems that there is room for another muffler on the right side.

The 3.2 has dual exhaust. That's what the room is for.

[DeMOROlized]

Um i still stand by what i said.. in fact i gave a visual reference ( please see above comment )

That car is like a puzzle, different pieces from numerous cars.. it's not unique whatsoever. ( A5 is, R8 is , older gens B7, B6, etc.. )

They could of done a lot better job on the exterior. My comparison to and accord is not a compliment - it's damn near FUGLY.

Squished back ( copied from 3 series coupe ) like someone sat on it, front is bad bad bad.. ( LED's ) so friggin what..

I HAVE DRIVEN THE B8, - no matter how good the engine may be, or interior.. I refuse to drive a FUGLY car.

If you think the B8 looks like an Accord then you are seeing something that none of us can see. Care to enlighten us as to which part of the B8 looks like the Accord?

As for the B8 being an FUGLY car, all I can say is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that your opinion is most definitely in the (so small that it's almost negligible) minority. But that's ok, because that makes you unique and special.

[rpmfoundation]

If you think the B8 looks like an Accord then you are seeing something that none of us can see. Care to enlighten us as to which part of the B8 looks like the Accord?

As for the B8 being an FUGLY car, all I can say is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that your opinion is most definitely in the (so small that it's almost negligible) minority. But that's ok, because that makes you unique and special.

the LINES of the 4Door..& THE WHEELS of the coupe????!!..

I wonder where the wheel design came from ... hmmmmm


I ended up buying B7 just because of how the new one looks..
Btw.. ( i heart the interior though ) - always liked the a6 / a8

[Dion@Achtuning]

Design cues tend to get shared across different makes... Happens very often. Plus I can't ever look at a car in stock form and judge appearance - every car I own has to get molested in some way or another.

I found a couple Caractere pics (sedan version) as well as Rieger's B8 A4.









I think these cars are HOT!! (And I realize not everyone is into the look...) Can't wait to see what Oettinger has in store for us!!

[Monizzle]

^^yeaaah, i don't want to have to spend another 30k to make my 40k car look good.
i love the front of the car, the 3/4 view, but head on from the tail it just looks weird...avp status.

[rpmfoundation]

i've been cranky all day.. so my apologies to all.. everyone has a different taste and i completely understand that.

I just think A5 is so unique looking..was hoping a bit more from the audi designers when the A4 came out..bit more drastic change..

and i completely agree with above.. spending 30k on a 40 k car? why dont i just buy a Skyline..(R34) nicely equipped..

[EuroB6]

it's ok..looks very similar in the front to the B7 model, but the rear looks great and of course the interiors are a nice upgrade

[rpmfoundation]

interior is awesome.

[tri955]

the side view is very dull - i am almost seeing Ford Five Hundred - especially with the dumbo ear side mirrors. designed by J Mays i believe who designed the original TT.

objectively the styling is a mixed bag - i preferred it when Audi stuck with their classic teutonic beauty - in an effort to be trendy they have failed. the a5 has a way more successful look though.

[quattro.it]

Is that supposed to be an S4 wannabe? Weak.

[GO-GOTEKNO]

in person they do look way better

[sixfiveoh]

Wow. That rear looks absolutely gorgeous. I think the problem of the bland rear end can simply be solved with a quad exhaust and a more aggressive diffuser.

[RAyala2.7T]

In person they do look better. Loads of potential. I like how its now a little bigger and I love the updated interior. Xenon's are a must in the A4 though. Those halogen housing are terrible!

[vjma]

like i said.... WTF!.. an accord style? **sigh.

In case if you didn't notice, the B8 design was out BEFORE the Accord. The fact that the B8 is only available in the US now doesn't mean it's not out elsewhere. So B8 copied Accord, don't think so. It's probably the other way instead!

p.s. They don't look anything like each other on the road!

[rpmfoundation]

jeez this was done and over with.. read 10 posts up or something.. it was late, i was tired and cranky that day.. who cares what it is.. - for all we know Audi designer is driving a honda :) haha or vise versa.. WHO CARES.. leave it be..

[TapouTx914]

I like the car although i do like the styling on the b7 more. still a really great looking car.

[cerfus]

^^yeaaah, i don't want to have to spend another 30k to make my 40k car look good.

exaaactly, this car is boring as fuck stock, and to make it nice, you have to invest at least another 10-12k in a body kit, exhaust, tint, and wheels/tires. And that just takes care of the looks, now you have to take care of that small 2.0T.. how about a 2.0 twin turbo?..

btw the rieger one with black rims is soooo mean looking!

[Dion@Achtuning]

I'm pretty sure I can show you how good one of these can look in under $3K...

[Blake P]

Thanks for sharing the information! I know the center bore changed from the B7 A4, but any thoughts on what the ideal wheel width/offset will be for the B8 A4? Some are saying it can easily accomodate 9" wide wheels with the right offset, but many tuners have opted to go with 8.5" ET 35mm to be on the safe side.

[Dion@Achtuning]

I think it's more to do with over-all application compatibility... I can sell more 8.5 et35s for most Audi cars across the board then I can 9s.

[Blake P]

I think it's more to do with over-all application compatibility... I can sell more 8.5 et35s for most Audi cars across the board then I can 9s.

Sounds lazy to me! But seriously, do you think 8.5" ET 35mm is the OPTIMAL wheel setup for the B8 or would you recommend something different?