2012 Audi A4 prices revealed

Audi A4 buyers will pay more for the cleaner, revised car, which goes on sale in 2012

Prices for the A4, which gets cosmetic tweaks, new interior trims and a range of engine revisions that slash CO2 emissions, reveal that the entry-level A4 saloon (a 188bhp 1.8 TFSI) will cost around £600 more than the car it replaces, at £22,815.

The 2.0 TDIe, which emits 112g/km of CO2, will cost £26,555, a rise of more than £1400. The cheapest four-wheel-drive variant, a 2.0-litre TFSI petrol goes up by around £100, to £29,170.

There are three new diesel options, which are all 2.0 TDIs. The 161bhp version, which emits 115g/km of CO2, and is available with a six-speed manual transmission only, costs £27,575. The 175bhp unit will be offered with a Multitronic automatic gearbox and a dual-clutch S-tronic unit, as well as the manual.

There's also a 201bhp version of the 3.0-litre V6 TDI, which will be available with a Multitronic automatic gearbox to start with (at £30,490), but a cleaner manual version will follow in the spring.

The pricing is likely to give the A4 a slight advantage over entry-level versions of the new BMW 3 Series, which goes on sale in February although its 316d and 318d variants are likely to redress the balance when they arrive in March.

The A4 Avant will start at £24,015 for the 1.8 TFSI, while the beefed-up version of the car, the Allroad, will be priced from £31,475 (2.0 TFSI quattro with 208bhp) up to £36,840 (3.0 TDI quattro with 242bhp and S-tronic gearbox).