[IT]

So 6 months has passed, and it really is time to let the D4 move on, but its always grated on me that for a car that was better than a D3 in every possible way simple didn't get me excited until probably the last fortnight.

To put this in perspective, in the last 6 months I've done 2000 miles in the A8, and 6000 miles in the TT. The low spec, smallest engine, 2 wheel drive noisy soft top variant that on paper is the one not to have, and yet I've driven it daily. Commuted hundreds of miles and raved about how its so good I'd love the RS version. And I still do.

All whilst the D4 sat on the drive, with its radar cruise, massage seats and sumptuous trimmings did nothing but grow slightly older.

This wasn't a conscious decision. Both cars were taxed, insured, road legal and good to go, but I kept picking up the keys for the TT. Every time.

Its not like you can even pick them apart on running costs. They both nail mid 30's on the motorway, it'd be tough to suggest one is more frugal than the other. If I absolutely had to pick, then the D4 uses slightly less fuel. And the D4 is more comfortable, more prestigious and virtually effortless to drive. I even look infinitely more hetrosexual stepping out of the D4, and its believable I work in IT for a living.

So why didn't I drive the D4 then ?

I couldn't work it out. I Even drove my D2 a few times this summer and I Feel something in that that the D3 often lacked, and the D4 is lacking completely.

'Urgency'

With hindsight, this answer is so bloody obvious than i'm kicking myself hard for missing it, and it goes a lot like this:

In 1994 Audi created the A8, and in their wisdom at the time, us lucky UK folks only got the petrol versions. This meant, that everytime you press the throttle, the car actually moves forward immediately, and if you're lucky enough to have 8 cylinders it will do this rather quite quickly.

In 2002 along came the D3, and fortunately although a diesel model was around, many sensible folk continued to burn the faithful T-rex juice so that getting out of a busy junction was a throttle press, and not a 2 hour planning exercise.

But by the D3 facelift, we're seeing a lot more brontosaurus fuelled cars out there, and they're happy plodding up and down the motorway but when you actually, really want to do something quickly. It just can't.

But this is ok, because we all remember the D3 petrol variants and we know its a fundamentally good car, but will some laggy engines.

So here is 2010. The D4 arrives with a choice of petrol of diesel. Everyone buys diesel. There is a 4.2 FSi but no one buys it. There is a 4.0Tfsi and the S8, both of which rely again on Turbos to really deliver the kick. Start/stop is here and everything has been downtuned to be eco.

If you want a D4 with non-turbo torque off the line, then its going to have to be one of the handful of W12's that are kicking around, and even then only in long wheel base.

And this people, is the crux of my conclusion. For a car to feel sporty, it just simply has to have some go from a standstill. Turbo lag cannot be excused simply because it does twice the MPG.

I am now more interested than ever to try out the new SQ7 with its electric turbo charger on its diesel V8. I wonder if this is the answer to making a diesel feel sporty again ? If so, will we see it in the D5? I'd like to think so.

For me, I now love the D4. I've reset my expectations from a 'newer version of the classic sporty D2' to simply being the best motorway mile munchers I've ever been in, and it fits the bill perfectly.

So, if you want a simply excellent motorway cruiser, get a D4. You absolutely will not be disappointed. Its step up and then some from a D3, never mind the D2.

But, if you've been a D2 enthusiast, or looking for that launch of the line, and MPG isn't the most important factor then join the growing queue of folks looking out for tidy D3 S8's imo