‘With this car you don’t actually notice whether you are driving 130 or 180’
The A4 was once Audi’s success and is still in the books as the Dutch best-selling model of the brand. The current generation A4 (code name B9) has been around since 2015 and is therefore comfortably the senior in its segment. The fact that you do not immediately notice the age is thanks to a major facelift in 2019, which brought the model in line with the rest of the range. Can the model still survive a bit? Owners provide the answer.
The Audi A4 is in an increasingly less popular segment. Also in this premium middle class, SUV-like vehicles are slowly replacing more traditional body shapes. Although the A4 is still the most popular Audi in the Netherlands, the brand only sells around 800 of them every year. Until 2018, this was almost never less than 2,500. By comparison, Mercedes-Benz has put more than twice as many C-Classes on the road in recent years, and there have sometimes been more. That Mercedes can already get his chest wet, because Audi will probably launch a new A4 this year. Now we take one more look at the current, outgoing model.
Audi A4: interior and space
For a long time, the word ‘Audi’ was synonymous with ‘interior finish’. This A4 still seems to correspond to that image. “The interior finish is much nicer than the Ford. Here you see that you are dealing with a Premium (sorry for the word) brand,” winks the driver of an A4 2.0 TDI Ultra from 2018. Another goes into further detail: “The interior is also very nice. Beautiful materials, clear stylish layout and everything you touch is soft-touch. And the click of every push and turn button, great. This makes you feel that Audi is really a step above Volkswagen.”
Yet all that glitters is not gold. “What is a bit lacking is storage space. The large compartment for the co-driver is not that large because there is a large cupboard in it. No idea what this is; but it takes up a hell of a lot of space,” writes the owner of a facelifted A4 from 2019. This is also noted by the driver of a 2016 A4: “What is disappointing is the space in the glove box. You can barely fit anything in there and it fills up quickly, because the CD player with 2x SD and SIM card is also in it.”
Rest on board
What several drivers also notice is the peace and quiet on board. “The car is very quiet, whether you drive 80 or 200 km/h, the noise level remains at such a low level that it never bothers you or you can’t have a decent conversation with a passenger,” says the driver of an A4 2.0 TDI Quattro from 2016.
“The peace and quiet in this car is really relaxing,” says another driver. “Where I used to (= in the Volvo V70) always get comments from my wife and kids that I was driving too fast, now people were reading a magazine at the same speeds (170-180 km/h). With this car you don’t really notice whether you are driving at 130 or 180. That is really nice.”
There is one exception to all these positive reactions, also from a diesel driver: “The B9 is praised for its tranquility. Now I’m switching from a Lexus IS 300h – and that makes a world of difference. The Audi can’t match that! Well, apples and oranges – because diesel versus petrol. Well, it must be said. IS 300h is in a class of its own in this respect.”
‘Choose the sports seats’
We see it more often in reviews: people who afterwards would have preferred to choose different seats. This is also the case with the Audi A4. “The standard seats are really too small for the car,” writes one driver, “but – I have complained about this before – in the A4 you can only order sports seats in combination with a leather package (or you have to go through the Choose Sport trim, instead of Design). Standard seats are really substandard for a car of this price.” An initially very critical driver reported that ‘the seats are nothing’, but changed his opinion over time: “I took a trip to Hamburg last week and the seats are OK, so it is less bad than expected.”
There is no displeasure about the sports seats, this A4 driver sums it up nicely: “The S-line seats fit perfectly. In combination with the x-adjustment of the headrests, I can adjust this chair completely to my liking. It feels like a glove. With the tilt position you sit more in a bucket, so that your thighs rest nicely on the extension of the chair. The cheeks provide good lateral support.”
Road behavior Audi A4
In general, drivers are satisfied with the handling of their A4, although this is not always without caveats. “The handling and the tranquility in the car are excellent,” writes a largely satisfied driver. “The sports suspension will contribute to this. On a cobblestone road you experience the less pleasant properties of the sports suspension. Then you really notice that the car is as stiff as a board. I personally take that for granted.”
“The car sits firmly on the road,” someone else experiences, “especially at higher speeds on the highway or in (gentle) bends. I am not a super sporty driver myself, but I do appreciate it when the car gives me confidence when I go a little faster through a sharp bend or roundabout. Which this car absolutely does.”
However, the A4 does not satisfy everyone. “If you are used to a BMW, driving an Audi is something different,” this driver experiences. “I don’t think the dynamics are really there. I personally think the handling of a BMW is better, but perhaps a sports suspension on the Audi will solve this. So I forgot about this option.”
Problems and irritations
Owners and drivers report few major problems with their A4s, but some notable issues are noted. For example, a 2.0 TDI driver soon had to contend with a diesel running on three cylinders – a problem that resolved itself. The connection with Android Auto also caused this driver concerns. The infotainment system showed malfunctions for several drivers, although not everyone complains. “The entire MMI breaks down periodically. Only the rev counter and speedometer remain visible. Everything in between, and the screen in the middle literally goes ‘black’ with the message ‘The MMI is switched off. Operation currently not possible’,” reports one of these unfortunate people. Two 2.0 TFSI drivers appeared to have a problem with the cooling system, issues that were resolved under warranty.
Although the Audi A4 is considerably less popular than before, it still seems to be able to satisfy its drivers quite well. Most drivers appreciate the tranquility on board and the stable handling, although the A4 does not appear to be a car that you should buy for its sportiness. There is criticism of the standard seats, an upgrade to sportier S-Line seats is recommended. The storage space in the interior also appears to be limited.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl