Audi has redesigned the A4, the most popular car in its range. The new Audi A4 continues with a style formula that stimulates buyers back into the brand again and again. Is the Audi appeal just a style and status thing or is it worth more than that? Michael Moroney drove the new A4 and gives his verdict.

Audi seems to have a lead in areas of style and appeal and that lead shines through in the new A4 model. The new A4 styling is distinctive but not brash or bling and it's winning more new customers based on image to begin with.

The new Audi A4 comes with refreshed design style to further enhance its appeal, combined now with an economical yet powerful petrol engine. Prices are expensive at over €40,000.

The new A4 design has been tweaked in all of the right places so that it's new while being very much still the Audi that it's expected to be. This new A4 feels and looks bigger based on some subtle design changes and on how you look at the car.

Audi has achieved this extra space feeling inside by moving the front axle system significantly forward. This has added over 12cm to the wheelbase, making it one of the longest wheelbase designs in the segment of the market. This has added interior space and given more comfort when combined with a revised suspension.

From the rear, the styling changes and the new lighting cluster give the feeling of a wider car. From the front the new headlamps produce a similar appeal.

On the inside, the style continues with refreshed designs for the dials and control area. An electromechanical handbrake is neat and easy to use. The cabin area is slightly more spacious, again getting the benefit from the long 2,808mm wheelbase. Rear passengers get 36mm more legroom and the extra length has given more boot space.

Audi claims that the shorter front overhang and better weight distribution give better balance to the car. This converts to impressive driving feel, great road holding and smooth running. And you get all of those feelings with this new A4.

I've had the 1.8-litre TFSI petrol engine version on the road for a test drive. The Audi TFSI technology gives the car an impressive level of fuel economy. TFSI is a form of petrol injection combined with a turbo-charger to deliver maximum power with a frugal economy level.

The test car delivered 160bhp, which is well ahead of cars in its class. Engine power is complimented by high torque levels, which top at 250Nm, again a class leader. Volkswagen's Passat, which is available with a similar engine, is the only car to come near the new A4 when it comes to performance. For other cars, the power but more significantly the torque margins are bigger.

This engine also delivers in terms of acceleration and economy. The acceleration rating is 8.6 seconds in a 0 to 100km/hr race. That's again top of the 1.8-litre petrol engine class.

Despite being a petrol engine, this 1.8 litre turbo-charged power unit comes well ahead of the field in economy and CO2 emissions. That is apart from BMW's super efficient new 1.8-litre engine in the new BMW 318i, which can deliver extraordinary figures in economy and CO2 ratings. The new Audi A4 1.8 TFSI is next up.

The end result is that with a CO2 rating of just 169g/km, this new A4 comes into Band D for road tax purposes. That means lower road tax, down to €430 per annum, very competitive for a car in this class.