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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  Typical Euro car with high maintenance requirements - 2002 Audi A4
  By baldya4 - October 22 - 2:50 pm

  Ive owned the car since new with 220K miles. It has never been to the dealer or private mechanic except for the initial free maint and the few minor recalls. However, that is not to say it has not had its share of anomalies. Three timing belts, 3 water pumps, 3 batteries, One fuel pump, too many coil packs to count, one temp sensor, two valve cover gaskets and one thermostat. All this may sound horrible and it probably would be if I had no mechanical aptitude or desire to do my own repairs. The car is actually easy to work on. Very modular in the way things come apart. Information is readily available on the Net. Ive kept this car because the 1.8T engine block is bullet proof.

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  Loyal A4 driver disappointed - 2013 Audi A4
  By zoeman21 - October 14 - 11:34 am

  This will be my 5th A4 in either a sedan or wagon version. While the car looks great inside and out and the improved HP over the years has added to the thrill of driving the new electronic steering has certainly been a negative. If you are looking for a soft feel to lumber off to the grocery store the steering is fine but push it a bit or take a long highway trek and you will notice the floaty feel. Overall the car is fine but if your a searching for a tight steering / handling feel you may want to give the car a good test drive before you purchase. After this lease is up I will definetly look at a tighter car like the BMW.

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  Used to love Audis :( - 2011 Audi A4
  By audikate - August 15 - 8:37 pm

  It absolutely breaks my heart to write this review (seriously, Im emotionally attached to my Audis)... I have been driving Audi/VW for the past 15-16 years. This was my first new Audi purchase (I had previously bought used). Car was AWESOME for the first 1.5 years. In the past 6 months it has started an problem burning/consuming oil. First, I had to add one quart of oil between changes (every 5000 miles), which we are told is within spec for this Audi. It has progressively gotten worse and is now burning so much I have to add a quart every 750 miles. Audi would not do an oil consumption test until it got BELOW 800 miles. IF Audi fixes the problem, I think Ill have to switch brands. :(

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  2.8l Quattro - 1998 Audi A4
  By theburchyfeel - August 4 - 6:31 pm

  I love my a4. I bought it used over a year ago, and havent had too spend TOO much money fixing it up. Of course, some things have gone wrong, but thanks to a large internet owners community, you can easily fix many problems yourself if you are willing to learn some DIY. I have never once regretted buying it.

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  Disappointed - Oil Consumption Nightmare - 2007 Audi A4
  By jbgjresq - July 9 - 4:41 am

  Purchased car just off lease at approx 52K miles. My wife is the primary driver doing a 14 mile RT work commute. Car was always maintained by dealer while on lease. Overall a great car to drive but (big but) the greatness is negated by the incredibly excessive oil consumption. Right away I noticed the oil consumption issue. Even after oil changes (always 100% synthetic) it uses approx 1 qt every ~400 miles. Doing a quantitative test now down to the mile and pint. I am so disappointed at this example of Audi german engineering. In 40 years of car ownership, I have never seen this issue with any other properly maintained domestic or imported car or truck. In a word - "disappointed"

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  Disappointed Audi Owner - 2010 Audi A4
  By dfinlayson - July 3 - 7:28 pm

  I am so very disappointed in the performance of my 2010 Audi A4. June 13, 2013 with mileage at 111044 km I replaced both front wheel bearings and hubs at a cost of $1809.50. Then on June 24, 2013 (115240km) Pad Wear sensor had a broken wire. This required new front pads and rotors even though there was still available wear on the original pads. This problem cost $681.63. I have previously owned two Subaru Outbacks which I drove well over the 100,000 km mark. Neither required this type of extensive, expensive repair. Having to replace front wheel bearings at such low mileage doesnt seem reasonable to me. Is this something Audi A4s experience as the norm? Disappointed

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  Welp.. - 2005 Audi A4
  By nightseeker - June 26 - 5:41 pm

  I purchase an early 05 B6 1.8 about six months ago with about 110k on it. I have put about 4K miles, $4K into it so far. As soon as I replace one thing it throws two new codes, pretty frustrating to say the least. I Love/Hate this car. Dont buy one of these unless you can afford to fix it, or fix it yourself. At this point it should be good til 200K but Im not convinced. -Brake switch -ECU- Coolant migrated through wiring into my computer and fried it. -Fan Module -Turbo - was bad, upgraded to K04& remapped software. -MAF sensor -Ignition Coils -Oil Level/Temp sensor -Thermostat -Engine speed sensor -Shift lock Solenoid is out now but will still shift out of park if you know the trick.

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  Great Car - 2011 Audi A4
  By rrocks - June 19 - 7:58 pm

  Loved this car. Had it for two years and 20K miles and had no problems. Decided to try something new but then was kicking myself and missing my Audi. Enjoyed the handling and speed and the pick-up. It felt like a race car, even though it looked like a sedan. I had absolutely no problems with this car, although I did have to add half a quart of oil at about 8K and 18K miles -- very minor and not a problem at all.

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  Exceptional car, exceptional quality -- poor sound system - 2013 Audi A4
  By hobbes944 - June 1 - 10:35 pm

  I love this car -- it looks great inside and out, the build quality is extraordinarily high, and it offers just the right balance of tight handling, comfort, and size. Personally, I find the engine to be more than up to the task for fun driving (especially when combined with the sport suspension, which I also have), although if youre after raw horsepower you should probably look for something other than the A4 at this price.

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  8000 mile update - 2013 Audi A4
  By mugman1 - May 25 - 9:11 pm

  Wanted to update my review first made shortly after purchase. Have owned the vehicle for 8 months now and continue to be impressed by it. No problems after 8000 miles. Car was virtually unstopable in heavy snow (with 4 Pirelli snows mounted) this past winter. I average 26-28 mpg in mixed drving best tank 34 mpg highway at 70 mph. Despite what some others have noticed, the engine has not consumed any oil in its first 8000 miles. Break the engine in as directed in the manual and there should not be any problem.