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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  Audi A4 - A huge dissapointment - 1998 Audi A4
  By Audi owner-Maryland - April 15 - 10:00 am

  All I can really say is that this is the WORST car Ive ever owned. I bought the vehicle with 38,000 miles and by 48,000 it needed new rear brake pads and rotors. But that was just the beginning. At 60,000 miles, the rear struts and bearing had gone. At 65,000 the front CV joints has deteriorated to the point of failure. Now, at 68,000 miles the car is in the shop due to excessive engine noise and the fact the engine check light has gone on. Im afraid of what the shop is going to tell me. In fairness to the car, it performs fantastic and looks great. But the reliability problems that have plauged Audi in the past are well evident in the newer models as well.

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  Awesome car - 1999 Audi A4
  By jona - April 15 - 10:00 am

  Poor mans BMW. Every single person that has been in this car said they would buy it instead of a BMW. Drive it in wet weather and there is no comparison - you cant even tell its raining this thing sticks to the ground so well. No sway around corners and it handles very confidently. Anyway, everyone and their brother is driving a 3-series (here in San Francisco).

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  Best car ever - 2004 Audi A4
  By audi 1.8t - April 13 - 1:34 am

  This car is better than any other. Has awesome stereo lots of bass sounds great. Has lots of power from a 1.8 t. Great sport suspension rides as if the car was riding on rails, love the smooth shifting. Really beats any other car. Great gas mileage, comfortable to drive over 1200 miles.

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  Lovely drive, a hit @ home - 2009 Audi A4
  By Rohit - April 12 - 11:00 am

  Looked at the Infiniti G37 and BMW 3 series before settling on the Audi A4. Owned an A6 over 10 years ago, and wasnt sure if we wed buy another Audi, but the A4 has bested all my expectations in the little time Ive had it. Didnt need AWD as we have a SUV at home, so I got the FWD with Sport package in Premium Plus trim. Car drives beautifully, hugs the road esp on turns, sounds great, and the LEDs turn heads for sure. The MMI is very easy to learn and the AMI and Bluetooth work like a breeze. The extended length also comes in handy. The next few years will tell me how much theyve improved the Reliability but so far so good.

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  Excellent - 2004 Audi A4
  By tmphilpot - April 10 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. Its sporty, yet has enough room to carry stuff and people. I recommend it to everyone.

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  Will Look Swanky in 2020 - 1998 Audi A4
  By A.E. Sadler - April 9 - 10:00 am

  Unlike the Passat wagon, Avant styling is sublime, its performance striking. Its in the details. VW settled on aluminum roof racks, A4 goes steel. VW goes for a painfully boring interior, Audi goes tight & classic. Avant is designed with just enough room for hauling, but it handles like a cool, little sportscar. Drawbacks: no backseat space. A4 performance at low speeds is annoyingly sluggish. It zips confidently on the highway, but the neighborhood runs is a crawl from 1st to 2nd gear. This for a V6? The red dash is cool, but tough on the eyes.

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  A4 2.0l TDI 8 speed auto - 2009 Audi A4
  By big kev - April 2 - 8:21 am

  Weve got the diesels and I bought one 3 weeks ago and traded my 2007 BMW 328i. It looks great, the interior is beautiful and the ride is nice and comfortable without being too sloppy. The BMW was my first and last - the ride was horrible. This is as powerful, the auto changes cannot be felt, even in sport mode unless you really look for it - Im old and like smooth! There is no perfection but this car is excellent in every way. The diesel engine does clatter but you cant really hear it from inside except when you accelerate and then its only a bit of noise - like noisy tappets on an old car. Great.

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  Burning Oil - 2007 Audi A4
  By ashou - April 1 - 5:56 pm

  I have to take my car in every 1500 to 2000 miles to have oil put in because the car is burning the oil so fast. This is my 3rd Audi and I purchased this one under the assumption it would be like my others, oil change every 10,000 miles, I was wrong. The dealership keeps telling me this is normal and I dont believe them. Ive contacted a lawyer because I want my car fixed before it goes out of warranty and find myself needing to replace a $10,000 engine.

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  Run, Dont Walk - 1999 Audi A4
  By al - March 29 - 4:17 pm

  RUN, dont walk away from this car. 154,000 miles over 10 years have not been easy. Started needing heavy repairs right after the extended warranty ran out, at 60K. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, to the tune of $15,000 in repairs over the life of the car. Even the seats wore out. Audi software does not work on the computers many foreign car repair places have. Many places cant even do oil changes. All repairs are expensive and then something else crops up. Audis are NOT for anyone who needs a reliable car and doesnt know much about how they run.

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  second A4 betterthan 1998 version - 2003 Audi A4
  By blueheron - March 28 - 2:00 am

  I have only recently traded my 1998 A4 and am mesmerized by the new engine and the incredible interior ergonomics and Quality. This is truly a better version of the previous generation A4.