For Americans, the prefix ?ultra? has somehow become a meta tag for guiltless indulgence, overrun by visions of diet supplements, antacids, cigarettes, and beer that sure isn?t beer if you ask us. The 2017 Audi A4 Ultra might very well make you feel better about your decision, but it?s far from the hollow shell of the full experience that those other products provide. For some relatively modest sacrifices under the hood, the A4 Ultra goes about 10 percent farther on a gallon of fuel, according to the EPA numbers. And in every other respect, it?s a plush A4 sports sedan.
Across the model line, the new A4 is longer, lower, and wider than its predecessor, with a bit more interior space as well. Yet with 70 to 100 pounds of weight dropped, in A4 Ultra form it manages to peg the mileage meter for 2017 at an EPA combined rating of 31 mpg. Against the A4?s other two longtime German rivals, the BMW 3-series and the Mercedes-Benz C-class?or against the most efficient versions of the Jaguar XE, Volvo S60, or Lexus IS200t?that?s the best it gets in this class. And it?s 4 mpg better (combined) than last year?s A4. The Fuel-Stingy One, If You Don’t Count Hybrids and Diesels
There are some asterisks accompanying the claim?and those superb corresponding EPA city/highway ratings of 27/37 mpg. The A4 ultra has a lower-power Miller-cycle version of Audi?s familiar 2.0-liter turbocharged TFSI (gasoline) four-cylinder engine. Here, though, it incorporates shorter compression and longe...