92 — North Shore News ~- 27 NEW STYLING and a smoother, more powerful V6 engine are the major changes £0 the 1992 Audi 100. A four-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS are standard equipment. Both front-wheel drive and permanent ali-wheel drive are offered. Audi 100 New model has effective steering, smooth transmission BUYERS WHO are willing to fork cut over $35,000 for a car generaliy prefer an engine with at least six cylinders. It doesn’t seem to matter how sophisticated a small engine is, or how much power 2 turbocharger or supercharger can squeeze out of its hard-working little pistons. The more expensive a car is, the bigger its engine must be. Witness the peor sales of the Saab’s wonderful 9000, which has one of the best four-cylinder engines in the world. This might help to explain the introduction of a new V6 engine in the redesigned Audi 100 sedan (the 206 model designation is gone). The front-wheel-drive Audi 100 S and all-wheel-drive 160 S quat- tro and CS quattro models now offer a standard 2.0-liire V6 engine. Previous models offered smaiter five-cylinder and tur- bocharged five-cylinder powerpiants, There is an exception. The new, high-perfo:mance version of the 100, the S4 quattro, retains a turbocharged 2.2 -litre five-cylinder engine, but my guess is that it will eventually. be replac- ed by a high-performance V6. The practical benefits of an ex- tra cylinder are numerous. The new engine provides additional horsepower (172), improved low- end torque, and a smoother power delivery, and is one of the quietest powerplants in any luxury car to- day. : But its major benefit is proba- bly psychological. The Audi 100 is now on par with its competitors including the Acura Legend, Mercedes-Benz 300E, BMW 525i and Lexus ES300, ail of which of- fer six-cylinder powerplants. The 100’s fresh new exterior styling follows a theme first de- veloped with the Audi V8 and recently the Audi 90. A one-piece hood and _ grille with the distinctive Audi in- terlocking rings (representing the four automective engineering firms, DKW, Horch, Wanderer and Audi, that merged to form Price as Tested $51,230 Type four-door, five-passenger luxury sedan Layout longitudinal front engine/permanent all-wheel drive Engine 2.8-litre V6, DOHC, 2 valves per cylinder, electronic Audi in the 1930’s) is flanked by large rectangular halogen headlamps and integrated parking lights. The new 100 has rounder, softer fenders, new bumpers and a new trunklid and new tailamps, but otherwise, it is about the same size as the previous model. As with previous 100’s, the new model is available with permanent all-wheel drive. Using a centre differential which disperses power to all four wheels, the Audi quattro system provides superior traction, steering control, and braking ability on slippery sur- faces. In addition, ail 100’s come with- _four-wheel disc brakes and ABS (anti lock brakes) for improved steering and braking control in panic situations. ~ The new 100 is a very pleasant , car to drive, and the permanently engaged four-wheel drive system multi-point sequential fuel in- jection Horsepower 172 @ 5,500 rpm Torque 184 lbs-ft @ 3,000 rpm Transmission 4-speed automatic Curb weight 1,685 kg/3214 Ibs Wheelbase 2,692 mm/106.0 in. Length 4092 mm/192.6 in. Width 1,777 mm/70.0 in. Greg Wilson TEST DRIVE detected, except when See The Audi page 29 cannot be Height 1,437 mm/56.6 in. Trank space 510 1/18.0 cu. ft. Fuel Economy City 14.8 1./100 km, 19 mpg Hwy 10.6 1.100 km, 27 mpg Warranty 4 yrs/100,000 The Audi 100 is available at Guildford Motors, 13820 i04th Ave., Surrey, phone 983-3577.