IT’S funny how the Audi A4 with the new 2.0 TFSI quattro running gear contrasts with its equivalent A5 Coupe.

While the two-door coupe seems like great value priced from $80,000, the $10,000 cheaper four-door sedan is not so impressive.

The reason is simple: in the A5, the more expensive six-cylinder models are clearly not as dynamic or involving as the base 2.0 TFSI versions, while even the base A4 1.8 TFSI with Drive Select is impressive at $20K less than the 2.0 TFSI quattro version.

But don’t get us wrong – the A4 with the latter powerplant is still a blast to drive, offering a level of poise and interactivity that previous-generation models (electrifying B7 RS4 excepted) could not hope to emulate.

As with the A5 2.0 TFSI quattro we drove on the same day, the A4 sedan uses a descendent of the highly lauded 2.0 TFSI engine found in the VW Golf GTI, but now uses variable valve timing and a host of other efficiency-enhancing innovations to really fly along.

Producing 155kW of power and 350Nm of torque, it feels plenty powerful, and supremely smooth, as it delivers its performance through a wide arc of revs.

And just like in the A5 2.0 TFSI quattro, you are just as well off in the sweet six-speed manual gearbox as you are in the super slick seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic transmission.

This powertrain brings all the B8 A4 virtues together in a finely balanced and wonderfully realised package.

It is just a shame that the 2.0 TFSI quattro costs so much.

We recommend it, but selecting a few choice options like Direct Drive and Audi’s excellent sat-nav system could save thousands of dollars in the superb front-wheel drive A4 2.0 TDI Multitronic – although you’d really, really miss the security of all-wheel drive, of course.