Overview & Reviews

The Audi A4 holds the distinction of having single-handedly revived the Audi brand. Launched in the mid-'90s, the compact A4 quickly became a favorite among luxury car buyers thanks to its beautifully finished cabin, sharp handling and available Quattro all-wheel drive. Although the A4 has offered these core characteristics from day one, it has become increasingly polished and high-tech with each successive generation. No matter which year you're looking at, the A4 promises both engaging performance and suave style inside and out.

The sedan body style has been a constant for the Audi A4, but depending on the vintage, you may also find wagon and convertible variants. Turbocharged four-cylinder power is typically found under the hood, yielding both reasonably spirited acceleration and satisfactory fuel economy. In road tests, we've consistently praised the A4's refined character, with more recent plaudits going to its spacious backseat, which has adequate room for full-size adults.

User Reviews:

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  Meh - 2009 Audi A4
  By Anonymous - December 6 - 5:21 pm

  Quite frankly, its hard to be ambivalent about $40k purchase, but I have to be honest with myself, and 9 months after purchasing this car, I cant say its changed our lives. Its solidly built, but theres a fair amount of road noise. For all the self- congratulation from Audi about the increase in size, its really not all that roomy. I think my wifes old 2001 Jetta had more room in the back. The MMI might be good compared to options from other manufacturers, but its hardly intuitive. In sum, its a solid but not outstanding effort.

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  Noisy Brakes! - 2009 Audi A4
  By Anonymous - December 6 - 4:52 pm

  I love my new Audi A 4 Avant Wagon but very concerned about the noise the brakes make. It sounds like a loud creaking noise each time I apply the brakes regardless of whether the brakes are cold or warm. There is an abnormal amount of brake dust,as well. The Audi dealership tells me that this noise is "normal" and to help quiet the noise, I should slam on the brakes (in an empty parking lot) to "reset" them. I actually did this to no avail. This seems silly and hard to accept for a new 42K car. Also the GPS is extremely difficult to use - very complicated. Seats are not very comfortable after the first 2 hours. Other than these few issues the vehicle performs and drives very nicely.

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  Find me a few tires - 2007 Audi A4
  By Joseph Thompson - December 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car brand new after trading in my 325i. I love the Quattro, but I cant keep tires on it. Discount tire tells me that the alignment is always out. No matter where I take it, I still have problems. Pep Boys blames the tires and Discount blames Pep Boys. Its really frustrating. The car does have some Turbo lag but not all the time. It usally happens when you catch a stop light turning from red to green and you stomp on it. It doesnt happen all the time and I dont believe its dangerous like a few reviews state. The car is zippy and loves the highway. I cruise at 100 mph no problem through Arizona. I will sometimes put extra oil in it between changes, no reason to complain.

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  Looking forward to the lease to end - 2008 Audi A4
  By Jon - November 29 - 2:00 am

  I lease my cars for 3 years for multiple reasons. The most important reason is because I want a dependable car thats not going to break down and is under warranty. Ive been towed twice since I got this car new in April of 2008. The first time was when a fuel sensor failed. I was stranded at a stop sign. Audis roadside assistance was so bad that I had to join AAA to have my car towed. I was told me there was a recall going out on the fuel sensor. With 30m miles on the car the car stopped moving forward or backward at an intersection. I couldnt put the car in any gear other the gear it was in. To Audis praise Audis roadside assistance was great. Repair: a bolt had fallen off.

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  Shoddy interior quality - 2006 Audi A4
  By Audi vs BMW - November 28 - 2:00 am

  Initially, I was very happy with my purchase of the Audi A4. With its AWD, it was the perfect choice for driving in Wisconsin winters. However, four years into my purchase, I am very disappointed because of the shoddy wear of the interior. The glove box has fallen off, and from what I read in Audi forums, this is fairly common and Audi charges big bucks to fix this defect. The leather of the drivers seat has developed cracks. And the hinge on the center console has stopped working. I previously owned a BMW 318ti for 10 years. Year ten, the interior was just as good as the day I purchased it. For the money, I was expecting the same quality. Audi does not deliver. I will return to BMW.

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  Amazing - 2006 Audi A4
  By Vasil - November 14 - 2:00 am

  Amazing car! I have owned Mercedes, BMW and now Audi! And I want to say German cars are the best! And also I want to say to everybody: the Germans car need more care than others! If you not care about your car, you will get a lot of problems! So stop writing bad reviews! Check oil level on every fueling, dont drive you car after starting the engine first time in the morning, wait couple minuets, dont kill engine, and you never get a problems!

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  Not this one - 2006 Audi A4
  By jojo - November 14 - 2:00 am

  Noisy, bed road holding, not reliable, you will need a private gas station. All the report are advertisements=lies

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  Great Buy - 1998 Audi A4
  By A patel - November 13 - 2:00 am

  Bought it with 129,000 miles on it. After buying it, spent few grand on regular maintenance (timing belt, fluid flushes, water pump) none of those thing were needed, but I was looking to keep it for long time. Currently has 140,000 miles on it. It has been very reliable for me ever since I bought it. Only thing I had to fix after I bought it, was wheel bearing and valve cover gasket set. I have many after market parts on it such as (performance chip, borla exhaust, itg air filter, etc) the gas mileage has been decent. 18-20 city and 26-31+ highway. Which I think its great for an all wheel drive car. I will drive it till wheels fall off.

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  Worst car ever - 2004 Audi A4
  By john - November 11 - 2:00 am

  A week after I bought the car the fuel pump went. Center arm rest broke and so did the glove box. Closed the door one day and the side air bags went off 6000 in repairs for the side airbags but was covered by Audi USA. Thermostat broke twice. The speakers cut in and out. Rear Windows wont work and front ones work when they feel like it. Burns a quart of oil every 1000 miles Audi says this is normal. Had to replace the clutch. And transmission rebuild. Coils always fail leading to misfiring witch overheated my engine blowing the head gasket and cracking the head. There is lots more Im forgetting I could have bought this car ten times over.

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  Buy/Lease a Japanese Car Instead - 2009 Audi A4
  By Cars are Us - November 7 - 1:00 am

  Audis 4 cylinder engine - 2.0 ltr - is a poorly designed and engineered engine. It is not smooth and has a slight roughness at idle. The engine burns oil -about one quart every 1200 miles or so. Audi USA says this is normal for a car with an MSRP of $40,000+. Audi obviously went the cheap route and doesnt ant to stand behind its product. I buy or lease cars for their engine reliability. And in this department, Audi is a definite loser. Buy or lease a Honda Accord, Lexus, Toyota- upscaled models nicely equipped. They are far better cars and their manufacturers stand behind their products - unlike Audi.