Traded in my 1er for an Audi A4...

[Jeef Beef]

...temporarily. Some of you may know that my car was rear ended on the way to MDTC last week by the better half of a forum member.

Took it into Northshore Collision Centre today and the service was EXEMPLARY. With my details already on file from an earlier visit last week, they were able to take my car and get me into a courtesy car straight away. Expecting a Corolla or some other insomnia inducing device, I was quite surprised when my man said:

"Would you like an Audi, Mercedes or Lexus?" Went for the one that I'd never driven before.

Initial impressions - cabin quality a whole level above the 1er. Nice supportive seats. Soft feel materials all round. Audi MMI is more intuitive than iDrive.

However when I got onto the road -
Steering is LIKE A TOY CAR. No feel, completely weightless. Horrible.
CVT is the WORST TRANSMISSION CONFIGURATION KNOWN TO MAN. Constant drone and no feeling of gearchanges is disconcerting. Also, it seems to jerk suddenly when driving off from a hill.
1.8T has torque and hauls serious ass for a base model.

PICS LATER.

[RimasRS]

So you like it or not?
And where will you hire aditional 100 ponies? to be almost on the same level?

[05C4R]

i own one of these, its my wifes car. the A4 1.8 is great for city driving and commuting, is safe and has nice seats and a good stereo. its a completely different car to the 135i. its built for people who want nothing more then a luxury car thats easy to park and drive. on the highway you can easily get under 6 liters to the 100 as well.

[MikeVictor]

Mrs. Mattyv likes Audi's because "they have pretty lights" so a 1.8T or 2.0T A4 is a contender for a new (2nd hand) car for her. I'd like to get an X1 with the 23d motor given the chance personally.

[05C4R]

they are pretty good value second hand, i got ours for 45k and it was only 10 months old and was 65k new.

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by beemer

i own one of these, its my wifes car. the A4 1.8 is great for city driving and commuting, is safe and has nice seats and a good stereo. its a completely different car to the 135i. its built for people who want nothing more then a luxury car thats easy to park and drive. on the highway you can easily get under 6 liters to the 100 as well.

It is EXTREMELY comfy with 16' wheels and non-runflats. Corrugations that I normally feel very easily in the 1er I don't even notice in the Audi.

Originally Posted by mattyv

Mrs. Mattyv likes Audi's because "they have pretty lights" so a 1.8T or 2.0T A4 is a contender for a new (2nd hand) car for her. I'd like to get an X1 with the 23d motor given the chance personally.

The 1.8T is more than enough motor. The only reason I'd want the 2.0T is to get out of the CVT or if I wanted quattro.

[alik01]

You get the CVT in the 2.0T as well. The 2.0T S-Tronic Quattro is the one with the DSG and all the goodies. The price jump is pretty huge for that one though - better off buying the much sexier and bit lighter A5 Sportback for around the same money.

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by alik01

You get the CVT in the 2.0T as well. The 2.0T S-Tronic Quattro is the one with the DSG and all the goodies. The price jump is pretty huge for that one though - better off buying the much sexier and bit lighter A5 Sportback for around the same money.

CVT is a pain. If manual is a available I'd go with that.

[alik01]

They really need the S-Line package and Xenon lines to look good and they do look pretty good with that kit on - I think so anyway.

I think you can still get a Manual with the A4 - it's a rare rare thing in the Audi world these days.

'S' mode makes CVT marginally tolerable!

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by alik01

They really need the S-Line package and Xenon lines to look good and they do look pretty good with that kit on - I think so anyway.

I think you can still get a Manual with the A4 - it's a rare rare thing in the Audi world these days.

'S' mode makes CVT marginally tolerable!

The slightly curved LEDs on the headlights look sex on the A4. The tailights in LEDs is pretty amazing too, does that come with the xenon light package?

These cars do look better than the 3er and C class IMO, but in the povo-pack spec that I got, I don't think it's that great.

The S-mode is still annoying, it doesn't like to hold a ratio and still does its CVT thing by varying what each gear actually is. Plus, with manual mode the gear lever is set up the WRONG WAY.

[alik01]

Yeah the Xenon Pack gives you bi-xenon headlights, LED DRLs, and LED rear lights (which I really like - looks amazing at dusk).

Properly kitted up, it's definitely the best looking - shame about the shoddy handling.

CVT is pretty crap, S just hides it a bit. The transmission does learn your driving still so after a while I think it gets a bit better. But for most A4 drivers it's perfect. In the next few years Audi will probably completely supersede it with the S-Tronic setup - which is truly amazing stuff.

[MarkFC]

If I was brave I reckon a B6 or B7 model S4 would be great buy, that 4.2 ltr V8 sounds awesome. Lowish klms for around $50 to $60k.

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by alik01

Yeah the Xenon Pack gives you bi-xenon headlights, LED DRLs, and LED rear lights (which I really like - looks amazing at dusk).

Properly kitted up, it's definitely the best looking - shame about the shoddy handling.

CVT is pretty crap, S just hides it a bit. The transmission does learn your driving still so after a while I think it gets a bit better. But for most A4 drivers it's perfect. In the next few years Audi will probably completely supersede it with the S-Tronic setup - which is truly amazing stuff.

I do want to try the dual clutch tranny from VAG (the car maker, not baby maker).

The A4 definitely needs the light package to look the goods. Handling wise, my Logitech G25 has more steering feel.

Originally Posted by MarkFC

If I was brave I reckon a B6 or B7 model S4 would be great buy, that 4.2 ltr V8 sounds awesome. Lowish klms for around $50 to $60k.

Reading about all the carbon buildup issues suffered by Audi DI engines makes me stay away from the car lineup in general.

[alik01]

Yep, the combo of DSG, the 3.0TDI engine and the new 60-40 split quattro is an amazingly potent one. Really is a crying shame that the steer-by-wire steering is more woolen than a Peruvian Alpaca.

The S4 is still pretty woolen and prone to under-steer because of the engine being so far forward, hence the complete redesign for the current one. The best handling Audi is still probably the RS4. And the R8 is pretty damn sweet too!

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by alik01

Yep, the combo of DSG, the 3.0TDI engine and the new 60-40 split quattro is an amazingly potent one. Really is a crying shame that the steer-by-wire steering is more woolen than a Peruvian Alpaca.

The S4 is still pretty woolen and prone to under-steer because of the engine being so far forward, hence the complete redesign for the current one. The best handling Audi is still probably the RS4. And the R8 is pretty damn sweet too!

Your analogy is killing me

Audi/VW diesels still don't hold a candle to BMW though...the 3.0d now makes 190kw/560nm on the X3

Again, the carbon buildup issues I've seen on the RS4 makes me want to stay well away from it.

[Trexx]

what a coincidence, i drove the exact same car for 4 days in melbourne during the F1 and pretty much came to the exact same conclusion.

The CVT transmission is only ever Ok when you're just rolling around... but you can never tell when it's hooking up. the worst is if you want to take off slighlty quicker than normal - feels a bit like a slingshot and you can never tell how hard it will accelerate... understeered like crazy and the steering doesn't return to centre coming out of turns too... sometimes you get a chirp of wheelspin. other times you get an continuous slipping take up.

comfy - yes

great seats

but i'd be very disappointed if i paid $ for that car.

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by Trexx

what a coincidence, i drove the exact same car for 4 days in melbourne during the F1 and pretty much came to the exact same conclusion.

The CVT transmission is only ever Ok when you're just rolling around... but you can never tell when it's hooking up. the worst is if you want to take off slighlty quicker than normal - feels a bit like a slingshot and you can never tell how hard it will accelerate... understeered like crazy and the steering doesn't return to centre coming out of turns too... sometimes you get a chirp of wheelspin. other times you get an continuous slipping take up.

comfy - yes

great seats

but i'd be very disappointed if i paid $ for that car.

+1

It's especially unnerving when doing hill starts! Sometimes the car will roll a bit backwards even with throttle input, and then the CVT will suddenly hook up and jerk the whole car forwards. I initially thought it was the individual car I was driving, did you also experience this?

The suspension is a GODSEND on parramatta road though, feels like I'm riding a mattress. Guess you pay the price when trying to navigate any corner at more that walking pace. The front tyres lose traction pretty easily if there's throttle input coming out of a turn like you said.

[Trexx]

yeah exactly the same thing. even worse when in Reverse. try reverse parking uphills, together with an electric button handbrake that you can't modulate.... maybe i'm just old school.

once i got back to sydney and back into my 10 year old E46 i was immediately happy again.

[alik01]

Originally Posted by Jeef Beef

Your analogy is killing me

Audi/VW diesels still don't hold a candle to BMW though...the 3.0d now makes 190kw/560nm on the X3

Again, the carbon buildup issues I've seen on the RS4 makes me want to stay well away from it.

Why thank you good sir!

X3 stats sound crazy - would be interesting to have a go! My mom had X5 3.0d and that was pretty damn great.

The Audi 3.0TDI does 180kW/500Nm - does it pretty damn well and gets most cars under the LCT Fuel Efficiency bracket. They always had a knack for diesels.

[aus135i]

who rear ended u?

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by alik01

Why thank you good sir!

X3 stats sound crazy - would be interesting to have a go! My mom had X5 3.0d and that was pretty damn great.

The Audi 3.0TDI does 180kW/500Nm - does it pretty damn well and gets most cars under the LCT Fuel Efficiency bracket. They always had a knack for diesels.

BMW keep improving that engine, at 190kw/560nm I don't think any other manufacturer is even close to it.

On top of that they still got the twin turbo unit that does 225kw/600nm. Bloody amazing motor in the X - vehicles! While Audi/VW diesels are almost as good, I couldn't go past an oil-burner from bavaria.

Originally Posted by aus135i

who rear ended u?

A friend. We're still friends.

[Jeef Beef]

Review after 1,000km

Okay after living with this car for the third week, I believe I can be qualified to give some judgement on how it is everyday.

Drivetrain

The 1.8L direction injection turbo is an absolute charmer. It pulls strongly from low revs, makes a nice turbo whistle and has a deep engine note. On the road, it definitely feels more than the 118kw/250nm figures suggest. Off the lights, the car has plenty of pick-up and go and never really feels underpowered. A tested 80-120kph of 5.3s shows how strong the midrange is.

If the BMW N20 turbo 4 is anything like this, then we are in for a treat. The only criticism I have is that the engine does not rev past 6,000rpm, but for a CVT equipped car it rarely matters.

The praise ends there however. The CVT transmission works fine when you're moving about, and responds smoothly to kickdown and eerily holds the engine at a constant 5,000rpm as speed builds. During cruising, it likes to keep revs between 1,000 and 1,500rpm no matter what your speed which is excellent for fuel economy.

Unfortunately, as soon as you stop and try to go again, the transmission feels like a manual driven by someone with left leg spasms. I never knew that an automatic could be so jerky to drive. When you move your foot off the brake and press the accelerator (especially on hills) the tranny will think for a sec, before suddenly hooking up and jerking the car forwards. It's quite disconcerting during peak hour bumper to bumper drives.

Even worse is during parking, since the CVT seems to not roll when you take your foot off the brake. Accelerator input is required which is quite annoying in tight spaces. Also, when you try to reverse up a gradient, THE CAR WILL ROLL FORWARDS EVEN IF YOU HAVE YOUR FOOT HARD DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR. The CVT is a freakin lazy bastard that takes about 0.5s before going "oh right, you want power to the wheels, here you go." I almost rolled forwards into my friend's mailbox on his steep driveway before the whole car jerked backwards (complete with wheelspin) and I almost ran into the garage door. Second worst automotive experience I've had (first being the situation that put me in this POS)

The FWD nature of the car also means that the front tyres love to chirp from moderate applications of power. Coming out of corners, there is always a tug on the steering wheel when the turbo torque kicks in along with a bit of wheelspin. Sometimes it's mad fun being a massive hoon (driving at 20kph) but sometimes it's just antisocial. More than once has an old lady looked at my disapprovingly.




Steering and handling

It's shit. That pretty much sums it up.

Steering wheel has as much feedback and feel as the analog stick on my PS3 controller.

Overall grip is okay on the Michelins, but being an Audi the front washes wide very early. Some complain about the understeer in our Bimmers but god damn unless you've tried driving with Macca's trays under the front wheels, you have not felt what Audi understeer is famous for. Luckily turn in is quite eager and body roll is well controlled so you can still steer it with some vigour.




Ride quality/NVH

This is where the Audi shines. Extremely plush and comfortable, perfect for cruising around.

Interior noise is also very low and isolates the outside world quite nicely. There's minimal tyre roar and you can just hear the exhaust when accelerating hard.




Interior/practicality

Again, Audi traits show through. Interior design better looking than BMWs.

Very roomy for 4 adults (don't try 5 big guys, I did and it didn't turn out well). Boot is cavernous. Seats lack lateral support, but are soft and great for long drives.

Stock stereo system shits all over BMW. The system is 11 speakers. There's also plenty of options on what is displayed on the very large LCD screen in between the speedo and tacho, again better than BMW's single readout display.





Miscellaneous

THE A4 LACK A PROPER LEFT FOOTREST - URRGHHHH this annoys me to no end. Could never find a comfortable position for my left foot.

Top hinged accelerator - again an annoyance. You cannot place any weight on it otherwise the car accelerates. Have to spend effort to keep the right foot elevated so it doesn't touch it.

This is different to bottom hinged BMW pedal where I can actually rest my foot and it only goes if I put effort into pushing it down.