Audi A4

The Audi A4 made its debut in the late 1990’s, and since then has been well loved as a clean German performance vehicle. Each successive generation of Audi’s A4 has been born with more polish, more power and better fuel economy. Not only does this make it a good new car to buy, it also makes the Audi A4 an easy used car to sell.

The overview

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Audi has earned a high rank in the performance luxury industry, managing to hold its own against powerhouses like BMW and Mercedes Benz.

Their exclusive quattro all-wheel drive technology means they have a significant handle on road-hugging performance, the Audi A4 is a performance vehicle with luxury appeal.

The most recent generation is a tad larger than its older brothers, although keep in mind that this is a vehicle that will never be built for basketball players or sumo wrestlers. Particularly the back seat which seemed to earn a unanimous thumbs down for its lack of leg room.

If that is the A4’s only drawback, we aren’t complaining too much. Extra weight in the back seat just slows us down anyway.

The A4 Cockpit

In true Audi style, the cockpit of the A4 is understated and made with high quality materials. For convenience many of its parts are highly adjustable so almost any driver can find that perfect sweet spot.

Small details make a difference, and Audi proves that they understand this concept. Controls are easy to use and designed with a focus on the driver, seats offer lumbar support encouraging comfortable but proper posture while driving.

In the name of keeping a tidy vehicle, Audi thought of everything and included many strategically located pockets, pouches and cubbies to help on-the-go drivers stay organized.

Under the hood

The Audi A4 offers many state of the art technologies under its hood, such as:

Style options

Audi offers the A4 in a couple of models, with several engine and transmission combinations for each.

A4 Sedan offers two engine choices: A 200 horsepower 2.0 liter turbocharged inline 4 cylinder engine and a 255 horsepower 3.2 liter V6.

Those who opt for the inline 4 cylinder have three transmission choices:

While the 6 cylinder engine is only offered with their six-speed automatic transmission.

A4 Avant (wagon) also offers the two engine options above, however Audi does not offer the CVT transmission on this model. Not your mother’s station wagon, the 6 cylinder engine option will propel this wagon from 0-60 in 6.6 seconds.

Equipment options

Truly the most important part of the performance vehicle is its equipment. That said, here are some of the standard equipment, safety and comfort features found on the Audi A4:

Audi also offers option packages to suit any taste including the Sport Package, Premium Package and Lighting Package. All three of which offer too many added options to list here.

On the road

It goes without saying the the Audi A4 is considered a joy to drive by almost every reviewer that gets behind its fully adjustable steering wheel.

The A4 steering is crisp and stable at high speeds. This is a car that gobbles up curvy roads like that’s what it was born to.

The suspension is firm but not so firm that your kidneys hurt after driving about town. If you are looking for bruised kidneys, go for the stiffer more performance-driven sport option.

As with most performance vehicles, when you get behind the wheel of the A4, you feel the immediate desire to be on a windy mountain road, leaning into the curves with the wind in your hair.