I've been hearing a lot about a facelift for the current generation Audi A4 and A4 Avant before the end of the year. Has anyone heard anything about this?

 

I thought I heard that the new chrome grill surround on the A8 was going to be used throughout the entire range, but I'm not sure.

 

Sounds like that'll be the major change, plus some tweaking of the rear headlights.

 

Here are some shots I found of the facelifted A4 expected later this year. This is obviously the A4 Avant, but the changes to the A4 should be similar

 

I hate that Ford Edsel center grille!!!!

 

Yuck. Definitely a step backward! I thought the last two body styles were great steps forward, but this one sucks. What's with that stupid gaping maw grill permeating their whole line? It seems totally uninspired, and unrelated to the rest of the car. The rear lights seem like an afterthought as well.

 

So I've been trying to look up this Ford Edsel you brought up, here's all I could find.



Sure there's a huge grill in the middle, but otherwise I see no resemblance

 

it's the inner beauty that is the same.....

 

my eyes, oh my eyes........

Bangled BMWs don't look so bad anymore.....

 

From this angle it reminds me a little of a Saab.



As for the grille, as I understand it, the Auto Union Type C is part of the inspiration for the new grille.

 

If you are going to put such a big and squared off grille in the car, Audi should also have made revisions to the sheetmetal around it to better integrate it to the overall design....but they didn't.

Take a look at the new Chrysler 300C and Dodge Magnum (Can anyone post a pic of these 2 cars so I can illustrate my point, please) which also have very big and pronounced center grilles. The design of both of these cars is pretty chunky and muscular in which case the agressive looking front end blends fairly well with the rest of the car and the low roof line helps tremendously in achieving the desired effect.

I don't like Audi's new style direction. Audi is a clean, elegant and subtle car not an exercise in Batmobiles or Edsels.

I think Daimler Chrysler did a masterful job with the 300C/Magnum and perhaps both of these are the absolutely best American cars to come out of Detroit in more than 30 years. I drove the Magnum ( a 3.5L 250HP SRT model, not the HEMI R/T) and was quite impressed. Is not a MINI at all, but it was a very solid car, excellent handling, braking and powertrain. High quality construction inside and out and no rattles. Japan, inc, watch out, your hour has come.....

 

 

...and a little bit of a Subaru for me.

The reason that the Audis look so much worse than the 300 or the Magnum (I don't love either of those cars either, mind you) is that Audi insists on dragging that grille all the way down to the bottom of the car's body, rather than putting it in some context. There's just no way that's going to look good on a car that's otherwise styled so conservatively.