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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  Bad investment - 2007 Audi A4
  By Allan - November 1 - 12:32 pm

  Purchase vehicle at 55000 miles, had to replace the top because back window fell out. X 58000 the first ignitor went bad, @ 60000 the second ignitor went bad @ 63000 the third one went bad and I replaced the balance. At 65000 miles the rack and pinion seals went bad leaking oil how to replace whole system for $2200. So in the past year I had to spend $1500. For a new top, $2200. For a new rack and pinion steering system, $300 for igniters and $600 for tires. The total is $4,600 which I could have put on a new car. And the bad part was even though it was under a 30 day warranty the dealership would not even help covering the cost of the top or anything else. We have since gone to the Attorney General in Massachusetts to help the next guy not getting stuck by A supposing reputable Car Dealer.

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  excessive oil consumption and many other problems - 2009 Audi A4
  By Christine Hoang - October 26 - 10:35 pm

  DO NOT BUY THIS CAR AT ALL !!! BUYER BEWARE !!! We first leased and bought a 2009 A4 car and it uses oil extensively. It did not even pass its first smog check and now the car is considered a total loss. The Audi dealer said that it will cost $14,000 to replace the WHOLE engine. We have tried many cars from the past from BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus and this is the worst car in our lives!!! I just read the class action lawsuit on this car extensive oil usage ... it is outrageous and we brought in the dealer twice and they did not warn us. I hope Audi this review and rectify their problem. This is unacceptable!!!

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  AUDI A4 ....What a dissapointment!! - 2009 Audi A4
  By Ramon Albarran - October 14 - 10:24 am

  Do your research!!! I purchased this used 2009 A4 Quattro with 72k miles, the car is very appealing and looks very nice which is what my wife liked about it. I thought I got a really good deal on the car, but now I know why the dealer basically gave it away and didnt push for that extended warranty. This car is by far the worse car Ive ever had on maintenance issues. The oil consumption is just ridiculous and just started ticking very loud...I have a 3 series BMW and absolutely love it. Im going to be trading the Audi in soon for another BMW and be done with this car. I jumped in this car without doing my research and paid for it. There are complaints about this oil issue every where and the dealership will not help unless your under warranty. Even under warranty it will be a hassle, dont make the same mistake!

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  Less Impressed Than Id Hoped - 2008 Audi A4
  By D Manetta - October 13 - 2:33 pm

  Purchased this car in 2014 after my 2006 A3 2.0T was totaled by a hit-and-run driver. The 2008 A4 had 28K miles from a warm-weather state and was a one-owner car from a vacation home - well cared for with full service records based on time, not mileage. I would have preferred Quattro, but the price and mileage were hard to beat. I should have listened to my instincts. Vastly different character than the A3... this A4 feels like a luxury car without any sporting pretense. The CVT transmission is horrendous - slow to respond in standard mode, jerky engagement from dead stop... in Sport mode, it holds RPMs far too long at low speeds before initially "upshifting." Engine vibration is far more apparent than it should be for any luxury vehicle - the same engine in the A3 was less prone to vibration. Brakes on the A4 are less direct, more difficult to modulate and with longer pedal travel than the A3 - might be fixed with stainless steel brake lines. Steering is much lighter and less dynamic as well same with the suspension which is calibrated for a compliant, soft ride over handling - lacking the balance of a BMW 3-series. Lastly, the climate control is noticeably less accurate than the A3... the interior temp seems to be about 5 degrees higher than the set point during all seasons. Might be a faulty part or just the nature of the system - hard to tell and not worth tearing apart the climate controls to find out. On the good side, the car is indeed comfortable as a highway cruiser. The interior materials are top notch. The trunk seriously swallows more cargo than my wifes Ford Escape. Instruments are legible and direct. For the price paid, the car came well optioned for a 2008 model - although bewildering that certain features now standard on mid-level cars (like heated seats, Bluetooth and USB/AUX inputs) were nowhere to be found on my A4. Its a handsome car that will serve as a good family hauler for a couple of years - a car that I wouldnt be ashamed to take clients between point A and B. Lesson learned though - its not a drivers car in the same way a 3-series might be. No major mechanical issues so far (knock on wood)... replaced post-purchase: an A/C diverter valve, the engine thermostat and the window lock switch. Not bad for a mid-2000s Audi. Overall, Im not sure I would buy the A4 in this configuration again... at this price point for a used vehicle, there are more competent sport sedans and more reliable family sedans that cost less to operate.

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  Save some money and buy a Jetta - 2009 Audi A4
  By Justin - October 13 - 1:40 am

  I have owned more cars than I can count. The Audi A4 was hands down the worst car I have ever owned. I bought the car with 40,000 miles on it. It was beautiful and drove great. As the 60,000 mile mark started to tick on the odometer, it started to fall apart. Every 1,000 miles the oil light would come on. I would take it in and the dealer said "add a quart of oil!" Thank you but is my car burning that much oil that I need to add a quart every 1000 miles or less? They offered to replace the turbos that "might" be the problem... Then the transmission problems started in. A very loud "clunk" every time you hit the gas pedal from a stop. Back to the dealer, "past the warranty, 7,000$, sorry, dont know what to tell you." Apparently the transmission slips into neutral when you stop and then clunks into "gear" (CVT transmission) when you hit the gas. It sounded and felt like the transmission was falling out everytime you stopped at a stop sign. It was embarrassing. It had to be driven like a manual and ease it in. Then the interior rattles started. It sounded like something was loose in the doors, every door. The kicker was when I started dating a girl that drove a 1 year newer Jetta. It was THE EXACT SAME CAR with the same features for way less money. She opted for the manual transmission so no tranny problems for her. The good things about the car is that it has comfortable seats and the interior design is comfortable, although, coating on the plastic will start peeling off so your interior will look 10 years old after 5 years. I had enough and traded it in. After 2 years of ownership I realized I could have bought a new car for cash with all the repairs and losses. The first thing the dealer asked when I traded it in and before he looked at the car was "Let me guess, Tranny or electrical?" Sums it up right there...

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  Way Too Many Problems.... - 2009 Audi A4
  By Mark - October 7 - 2:07 pm

  I love Audis, and have always wanted one for myself. I purchased my first Audi less than a year ago - a used 2009 Audi A4. It was fantastic for a few months....and then the oil problems started. Less than a year in and I have spent over $2,000 fixing oil problems which are not covered under the recent lawsuit. It really has made the car not worth it in the least. Additionally, the first Audi dealership I went to, had the worst service I have ever experienced. STAY AWAY FROM AUDI OF WESTWOOD MASS! They literally broke my engine hood one of the times I had to leave my car there. Everything about them was terrible from misquoting repair costs to not getting the right repair done the first time. They are horrible. So yeah, love the car but its unfortunately not worth it. Go for a Benz or BMW I guess.

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  stay away - 2006 Audi A4
  By jei - October 1 - 10:53 pm

  2006 a4 cabrio s line. this car suck .. its not reliable at all . I have 95000 miles on it and every 2 months something break or stop working . the parts are crazy expensive. the material that the interior is made of are cheap and dont last at all. the car feels cheap all over .. my 2000 bmw with 180000 miles had way way way less problems than the audi and still going strong . I really regret buying audi.

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  2006 Audi A4 2.0 Turbo Quattro - great car - 2006 Audi A4
  By john s - September 21 - 10:18 am

  Audi got it right with this car. I have 187,000 miles on it and it runs/drives great. Paint is a little chipped from the constant driving and I hit a deer that made a dent in the drivers side door but other than that the car handles great on winding mountain roads and in the snow/rain. I change the oil every 5000 miles with full synthetic and the engine hums like new. Only complaint is changing the timing belt and water pump every 100,000 miles ($1600). I would highly recommend this car to anyone looking to pick up a used car for a teenager.

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  I love my Audi, my Audi loves my wallet! - 1996 Audi A4
  By Gabe - September 10 - 3:51 pm

  Bought my 2nd Audi A4 in May, 2015 after the automatic transmission burnt out on my 1st one (2.8 non-Quattro) during the harsh Chicago 2014-2015 winter... Decided to go with a stick shift Quattro this time & I love it more than my last one! Manual transmission performs so much better than automatic & responds quicker, only issue for me is its not fast enough. My opinion, a 2.8L motor should put out at least 200HP & should have better gas mileage (mine got about 16mpg city /25highway). The car weighs A LOT (approx 2 tons) and has poor acceleration & fuel economy for that reason. Ive added a few modifications including coilovers, air intake & straight pipe exhaust system & basic weight reduction which in turn I noticed large increase in acceleration (a little more acceptable for me), increase in gas mileage (20 city/28 highway), & improved handling (car scrapes going over speed bumps & cracked oil pan once since putting on coilovers) Common issues: both of the 96 Audi A4s I bought had a lot of small issues which needed to be addressed: heated side view mirrors not heating, factory radio in safe mode, driver side window wont roll down, armrest cover broken in two pieces, leather seats ripped up, need something to prop the hood with, needed upper/lower control arms, inner/outer tie rods, front/rear struts & strut mounts, required entire tune up Automatic 96 A4 (2.8 non Quattro)@144K had extra issues: sunroof would get stuck open when opened all the way, smoking from motor (required valve cover seals replaced), bad alternator Manual 96 A4 (2.8 Quattro) has extra issues: odometer/tripometer doesnt show (all other dash lights & components work), whirring noise (required a wheel bearing), radiator leaking (required a hose replaced) Forked out a lot of cash (almost $3000 cash in repairs) for mechanics to fix my first Audi just to have the stupid automatic trans get effed up by 6 inches of snows Learned my lesson & did most of the repairs/modifications on my 2nd Audi myself... Sure I broke a nut or a bolt, or got lost / didnt know what to do at some points but I learned a lot & Have the pleasure to say that I know my Audi like the back of my hand... Now I feel safe working on any B5 & will never consider selling my 2nd Audi! Im saving up to get a 2nd car to keep my baby off the road, my first car was a Honda CRX & I want another one just for the killer gas mileage! Long story short, buy this car if you want something sweet & worthy of saying "Yup, thats my car!"

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  Its all fun n games, until catastrophe happens.. - 2008 Audi A4
  By Arbeitspferd - September 2 - 6:11 pm

  I have an 08 A4 Quattro 6MT Special Edition S-line. I bought it as a CPO car in 2011 with 36k miles. The car is absolutely sublime to drive in every way, even with the firm suspension. The first year I owned it, I put over 25k miles commuting 100mi each way for work, across a mountain range. The traction control and AWD have literally saved my life twice hitting black ice on a bend in the highway. Very little issues with the car cruise control module went out, covered under warranty ignition switch died last year out of warranty, $160 total (cheap). Then one day, accelerating onto the interstate, the engine shut down leaving me just enough momentum to coast over to the shoulder (on a massive bridge, no less). After having it inspected and diagnosed at the dealer, it turns out a high pressure fuel pump exploded, literally. It blew metal shrapnel into the engine destroying the block and fuel system. A piece(s) of shrapnel severed the intake cam chain, seizing the cam and destroying most of the remainder of the engine. The engine is damaged beyond repair and has to be replaced, to the tune of over $7500! Audi has generously offered to cover 25% up front, but I am currently working with Audi of America to see if they can extend that courtesy a bit more. At this point, I havent decide if Im going to keep the car after all this or just dump it. Either way, Im out as much as $6k on a car only worth $11k... If you want a car that is nearly perfect to drive, this is the one. Specifically the 2008 owing to its having the new AWD system (which is MUCH better than the old Haldex system). That said, Id have some kind of extended warranty, service agreement, and/or a whopping fistful of expendable greenbacks.