ACCORDING to Audi the average driver spends two whole weeks every year inside their car.

In a lifetime of motoring that adds up to more than two years, 24/7 behind the wheel which means any car worth its salt has to be a home from home.

Factor in the demand for technology on the go and cars of today have to be as much about onboard systems and connectivity as they are about ride and handling.

Enter the new Audi A4 - a car that is packed with equipment to make life on the road as easy as possible.

It arrives in November and in top specification quattro S line trim is a tour de force of performance hooked up to modern needs.

In traffic it can almost drive itself, out in the open it delivers a superlative sporty ride while inside it can keep you bang up to date with what is going on in your world.

The cabin is as futuristic as they come with Audi's virtual instrument panel displaying everything from a conventional speedo and rev counter to a full colour, high definition sat nav map on a giant screen behind the steering wheel.

There's even a head up display - again in colour - relaying the car's speed and navigation instructions in the driver's line of sight.

Smart systems to integrate your phone functions onto the central display screen and a charging pad which is wireless are all there to make life easier - and two phones can be connected simultaneously.

Driver aids include blind spot alerts and lane departure warning as well as cross traffic sensors which warn of approaching traffic when reversing.

There are even sensors which warn rear seat passengers of potential hazards when opening the back doors while the new A4 is smart enough to stop the car turning across oncoming vehicles.

Automatic parking - which the A4 can handle too - seems old hat.

Bringing all the car's sensing devices into play - and that includes radar, ultrasonics and cameras - and when active cruise control is engaged it can navigate automatically through traffic at speeds of up to 38mph.

The new A4 quattro sits at the top of a range which costs from £25,900 and in S line trim with a 3.0-litre, 272ps V6 diesel under the bonnet is priced from £38,135.

However, the smart stuff comes at a price and the A4 quattro we tried cost £51,245 - serious money but in the executive market it is setting new standards.

The power is plentiful and the latest quattro goes about its business with absolute competence.

Ride and handling are out of the top drawer - previous versions of the A4 could be a little fidgety under some circumstances - and noise levels inside are impressively low.

A lot of that is down to streamlining and compared to alternatives such as the BMW 3 Series, Jaguar XE and the Mercedes C-Class the new A4 is the most aerodynamic of the lot which helps performance all round.

The quattro can knock off the standing 60 in 5.3 seconds and with an eight speed tiptronic automatic gearbox allied to paddle shifters it is a true sports saloon.

Top speed is 155mph yet on 19-inch alloys it is rated at 54.3mpg with emissions of 137g/km. We clocked up an average of 41.5 to the gallon and that was exploring the car's potential on the open road to the full.

Technology has even been drafted in on the fuel efficiency front with a coasting function fitted to the transmission to kick in under low throttle settings and the sat nav being programmed to prepare the car for what's coming next on the road.

The engine meets the latest Euro 6 standards and is not affected by the so-called ‘dieselgate' scandal which has embroiled the Volkswagen Group.

As well as having a 12 gallon fuel tank it is also fitted with a 5.5 gallon reservoir for AdBlue diesel additive which helps the engine run cleanly. An AdBlue top up point is located inside the fuel filler flap although Audi says it should not require refilling outside of the car's 19,000 service intervals.

Inside, the new A4 has more space than before especially in the rear where legroom has been increased by an inch from a driver's perspective there is a very comfortable cockpit-feel with all controls falling to hand easily, either from the centre console or from around the steering wheel.

Boot space remains at 480 litres extending to 965 litres with the rear seats folded. That's par for the course among cars of this ilk and about the only feature on the new A4 which can be described as such.

The rest is upping the ante among executive saloons in a way that makes the mind boggle at what's coming next on the techno front.