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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  GET RID OF THE MINUTE WARRANTY EXPIRES - 2009 Audi A4
  By Bill Young - August 18 - 5:54 am

  Electrical system malfunction melted spark plug and blew #2 cylinder at 58000 miles during an uphill climb. As of review, i do not have full scope of engine damage, but was quoted $5700.00 to replace engine with another Turbo charged 4 with 100K on it....NO THANKS Done with AUDI

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  Smoothest car - 2014 Audi A4
  By Seattle Car enthusiast - August 7 - 3:20 pm

  After owning a few BMWs and a Lexus, I was dead set on getting something cheaper. Walked into the dealer to buy a GTI and left with a 2014 A4 with the Black Optics package. First off - astounding looking car. Audi has come a long way from the bubbly design of early 2000s. Secondly, its the smoothest car Ive ever driven. Thats coming from someone who owned a 550, 135 and RX over the past decade. Its undoubtedly due to the higher torque at lower revs as well as amazing steering feel. One thing I wished: I think the car could do with a bit more power at the higher end (3-4k revs) but it doesnt necessarily need it for most Americans driving style. Overall, amazing car, buy it and dont worry about a thing.

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  Audi A4 Wagon, great car but is an oilaholic! - 2010 Audi A4
  By David TW - July 30 - 10:12 am

  I love my 2010 Audi A4 Avant, its the third Audi Ive owned but it slurps down oil at an average rate of a Qt every 670 miles. My previous cars which included two Audis (a 2004 S4 Avant and an 2007 AllRoad V8 never needed the hood opening between services. That is true for the four BMWs (three 7 series and a 535 xi wagon). Its just not right. My dealer Audi of Fairfield County tells me the consumption is within range but we all know thats a sham. Audi agreed to settle a lawsuit last year where they agreed to replace the crankcase pressure regulating valve. front crankshaft seal and front crankshaft bolt, they will also update the engine control module control software to match the new parts, all free of charge. I intend to take this up with them next week. I really love this car and hope this can be resolved or it will be time to move on. I will keep you posted

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  Love my A4, great value - 2012 Audi A4
  By Michael - July 25 - 10:00 am

  This car is a great value. I bought it certified pre owned which I dont regret at all. Wonderful warranty come with it, maintenance included for some mileage intervals. The ride on this car is the best of any car I have had, I couldnt imagine a smoother ride at this price point! I like the navigation screen and map, but the screen could be bigger. Infiniti Q50 has the perfect screen size, get the queue from them! Trunk is huge, I love the way the trunk pops open when you hit the switch or button, if you have your hands full its wonderful. There are hooks in the trunk ceiling for shopping bags so they dont fly around (genius!), both back seats fold down. The Bang & Olufsen stereo is top notch, clear and awesome sound, better than the Bose with Infiniti. I dont like that the car doesnt connect Bluetooth for music on your phone, that is such an easy add for a car company, the connector for the phone to play music is in the glovebox, very odd, and you cant have both that and the headphone connector in the armrest for music. Audi, fix this! I do like the CVT transmission, very smooth ride but it seems to have play in it when taking off sometimes, they cant find anything wrong but its something to get used to, if they even make this trans anymore. I LOVE the led running lights, has to be my favorite feature! Looks awesome driving, and its the last year with the individual dot lights before they made the continuous line light, just my preference. The gas mileage is amazing, I get almost 30 mpg with almost all city driving. Freeway driving takes it over 30. With the turbo you cant tell you are driving a 4 cylinder, I cant stress how I hated a 4 cylinder before, but with this car I love it Pros: gas mileage, smooth ride, solid feel, very stylish, big trunk Cons: no Bluetooth music feature, small navigation screen

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  My dream(affordable) car - 2004 Audi A4
  By Slava - July 23 - 1:19 am

  Ive owned this car for about 3 years and have driven it personally for about a year so far(my mother was driving it before me) the interior is great looking but the material that covers the buttons is crap and supper cheap. The car handles very nicely and sounds great for a bone stock car. In terms of reliability, ive had only little things break like the glove box hinges and window regulator but WOW was it expensive-400$ for a window regulator. that includes the labor aswell. The sound system is great 10 spkrs all around and it comes with a sub built in if you get it with Bose. Ive added 19in rs4 rims and man o man does it look nice. performance wise is a great cruiser but not that fast, like 0-60 7-8 ish seconds. a full tank costs about 60 and youll be looking at 250-320 miles range. The only thing I hate about this car is the steering wheel, I cant really find a comfortable way of holding it since the stereo controls or in the sides but other than that great and car and I would consider buying another one. newer model of course.

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  Love and hate, go hand in hand for this car. - 2004 Audi A4
  By Matt B - July 12 - 1:02 am

  You really have to be passionate about owning this car. Like, to a point where fixing it as almost your priority. There is something constantly wrong with this car. Sunroof leak... ruins the headliner... also to a point where water will ruin the amp.... suspension issues with the control arm bushings not lasting, J-plug cracking and leaking coolant... and putting plastic just where it doesnt belong, window electronics crap out too. Its almost not worth the premium price brand new if you think about it. There is always something wrong with this car. It was probably best to lease this car when it was brand new... dont get this car used... there is a reason why you dont see so many of these cars on the road. And as far and repairing this car... parts are expensive and what crawl space do you have to work with. You have to remove so many excess things just to get to what you need. I loved this car, but it was such a hassle.

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  Great Car!! 185K - 2007 Audi A4
  By a4lasvegas - June 3 - 6:42 pm

  I bought my A4 2.0T FWD new in 08. It now has 185K miles and still has the original clutch. Maintenance has been: timing belt at 90K, engine hood piston (holds the hood up when open) and the normal - Tires, brakes, Headlights, taillights, battery, ignition coils. The only thing that has ever broken is the latch on the center console. I went from a 2001 Porsche 911 to the Audi (kids got to big to squeeze in the back) and while it doesnt have the HP of the 911 it has been a fun car to drive with fantastic gas mileage. Vegas to LA usually 32-33 MPG at 80mph+

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  Meltdown - 2007 Audi A4
  By czech3 - May 20 - 7:58 pm

  At around 120k miles I replace the timing belt. The engine sounded more high pitched with a whining sound right aferwards. Several thousand miles later the oil symbol started flashing and several blocks later the engine was toast. The local garage it was towed to thought it was the timing belt. Took it to the dealer and they said it was the oil pump. When Consumer Reports says the A4 models have major engine problems I guess this is what they meant. No satisfaction from the Audi dealer...only blame that I drove it several blocks befor pulling over.

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  I love it, but I hate it too. - 2004 Audi A4
  By lagdh - May 16 - 3:00 pm

  This car is fantastic... When it works. For all the two years Ive had it, I dont think it has worked properly for more than two months of that time. Theres always some problem which is hard to diagnose, the problem which then ends up being expensive. This is not to say that it isnt a great car, it certainly is. The Quattro AWD is spectacular in the snow and sticks to the road in summer as well. Performance needs improvement though --- Theres very little low-end torque, and there just needs to be more horsepower to propel this 3,500 pound car. Overall Id say dont get this car over 100,000 miles, itll just frustrate

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  Highly recommended - 2006 Audi A4
  By jasonppn - April 17 - 5:56 pm

  Many people complain about expensive maintenance. If you are like me and do your own maintenance, there is very little you have to do or pay. I have an OBD II computer that I use whenever the check engine light comes on (not often). I bought it with 55,000 miles on it, it now has 87,000. Ive had to replace a coil pack (easy fix, $37 and 1 hour of my own labor), divertor valve ($150, 2 hours labor), and that is all. To change your oil, it is handy if you have the Audi tool ($100) for cartridge style oil filters (youll have a mess if you dont), but you can make your own pretty easily out of a hose and the right diameter bottle. The car drives absolutely beautifully, couldnt be happier.