Make sense of this – Audi India has silently introduced the mid-life update of the A4 sedan. Can you not? Don’t worry as no one can! Why would the Germans do such a thing? Or maybe, we are just jumping the gun. Quite possibly details of the refreshed A4 weren’t supposed to go live until a specific date. If that’s the case, then someone is getting fired!

So, what do we have here? It is the facelift that Audi unveiled globally in June 2018. Indians can safely say that this version of the sedan was a long time coming. Like the all-new A6, which received a price list on October 24, 2019, Audi India has kept only a single, petrol-fed powertrain for the refreshed A4. Dubbed as the 35 TFSI S Tronic, it is available in two trim levels – Premium Plus and Technology. Choosing the former would land a price tag of Rs 42 lakh, whereas the latter costs Rs 45.55 lakh (both prices are ex-showroom India).

It is time to break out some performance figures. The 1.4-litre, turbo-petrol engine pumps out 148bhp/250Nm and comes mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission. The setup is enough for a 0-100kmph time of 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 210kmph. Audi has also stuffed a mild-hybrid system to support the engine. A4 fanatics will tell you that none of those figures is any better than what the pre-facelift model offered. That’s correct.

As far as the standard list of features goes, it includes ambient lighting, three-zone climate control, electric boot release, cruise control with freewheeling capability, front and rear parking sensors with a rear-view camera, and MMI Radio Plus infotainment system. The Technology trim ropes in Audi’s Virtual Cockpit with MMI Navigation Plus, support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and wireless mobile charging.

It is sad to see that features like smartphone integration and wireless mobile charging are not standard on the car. And, with a petrol-only portfolio, the Audi A4 facelift has reduced the audience size as well. In India, it competes with the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the Jaguar XE. Which one would be your choice?