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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  Fun car! But very expensive to fix! - 2003 Audi A4
  By trending - April 17 - 3:29 pm

  First A4, owned 2.5 years now. Very fun to drive, Quattro makes it handle like a dream. Very good in slippery weather. 60K regular service cost $700 at Audi dealer. 3 months later car needed all 4 brakes to pass state inspection $950! rotors must be replaced at each brake job (every 30K to 40K depending on how you drive). 2 months after brake job Bose stereo quit working. Not covered under CPO extended warranty $1700. Very expensive to own after original 50K warranty expires!

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  Audi 2.0T Quattro 6M - 2007 Audi A4
  By System - April 16 - 10:10 am

  Ive purchased this vehicle about a week ago. I was also looking at Acura TL, Infiniti G35, and Lexus IS 250 as well. In my opinion, Acura had the best quality and price. However, Audi was much more fun to drive and has AWD feature which is very helpful for me (I live in Boston). I am satisfied with my vehicle.

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  Engine Failed - 2007 Audi A4
  By jaa - April 9 - 3:58 pm

  After 4500 miles, the engine on my A4 developed a knock on the passenger side. Audi has replaced the air pump, ECU, and is now replacing the cylinder head. I am concerned that such a new motor has failed, and that Audi has instructed the dealer to break it open and repair it rather then replace the motor or vehicle.

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  Audi A4 convertible - 2007 Audi A4
  By bobt - April 8 - 9:04 am

  Have owned the car for 6 days and love it! Went with FWD and CVT due to price -- wanted a convertible and this is a 3rd car that will not do heavy duty driving or commuting. For general driving, the FWD is more than fine. Engine is great with 2.0T -- peppy and efficient at same time. Brother-in-law owns 05 1.8T Sedan - drove my 2.0T & says its much stronger from a standstill. Upgraded stereo with Bose/Sirius is fabulous. Interior fit/feel is intuitive, with lots of little features that make it a pleasure to drive. Top up/ down process is painless and takes less that 30 seconds. Overall, no regrets and the price was right, compared to a used 2006 BMW convertible.

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  Great looking car - reliable? Not so much - 2010 Audi A4
  By Kathy - April 7 - 3:51 am

  I bought the car certified pre owned in 2011 with 13k miles on it. Before 20k the oil light kept coming on. Took it to the dealer who said it was "normal" to use a lot of oil cause its a turbo. Took it back to the dealer when we had to start putting a quart or more of oil in every 1000 miles. They had to go thru a 3 step process to "prove" the car had an oil consumption problem which involved 4 visits to the shop over the course of the better part of a year. They finally had to basically rebuild the top half of the engine. This was around 60k miles. Fast forward to just over 100k miles and the timing chain tensioner failed. Car was of course just out of warranty and despite technical bulletins on the issue and a class action lawsuit the Audi dealership didnt cut us any slack on the repair quote. Over $13k to rebuild the engine or $20k for a new one. We took it to a 3rd party shop and managed to get the work done for a "mere" $7k. The ignition coils have failed 3 times in the last year. Random lights keep failing. Fuel pump went bad at 112k miles. Car is now just around 120k miles and has multiple EPC faults, idles rough and randomly dies at low speeds. Its been in the shop 3 times in the last 3 months, still not fixed. This is without a doubt the worst vehicle Ive ever owned. I once drove a 1972 Ford Ltd in the 90s that was more reliable. I would never buy another Audi and the only reason Im still (attempting) to drive this one is its paid off. Except for the repair bills, those keep coming!

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  Timing belt broken at 68k miles - 2001 Audi A4
  By timing belt broken - April 5 - 9:06 pm

  Nice car. European, handsome, drives nicely, especially the manual. Feels safe. Timing belt broken at merely 68k miles. It caused engine damage and I am out $6,000 now. And I drive my car very very nicely without hurting it. The manual says change the belt at 100k+ miles!! Talk about reliability.

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  Gotta get one - 2002 Audi A4
  By lovemya4 - April 2 - 10:00 am

  This car is awsome! I just got it but i traded in a Volvo S60 and i love everything about it. As soon as i got in the car i knew i had to have one. I love my car and recommend it to everyone!

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  Has Been Flawless... - 2002 Audi A4
  By a4_4vince - April 1 - 5:03 am

  I cant complain because I am absolutely loving it. More power would make it perfect!!! 2k miles and counting...

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  Disappointing Audi - 2003 Audi A4
  By Disappointed - March 31 - 11:45 am

  My 03 A4 1.8T Quattro (53K miles) is constantly in the shop. The dealership once forgot to change the oil during scheduled maintenance, forcing a breakdown on 95. Another time, the oil pump failed, again forcing a breakdown on 95. Further, separate fuel coils have failed, forcing two additional breakdowns on the highway. Aside from reliability, the A4 1.8T Quattro is a sluggish car (although it handles nicely in bad weather). I previously owned an A4 and had similar issues. While this car looks good inside and out, its reliability is unsatisfactory, to put it mildly. I will never buy an Audi again, and I urge you to exercise caution before purchasing one.

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  Excellent Follow-up - 2007 Audi A4
  By Elias Guanchez - March 28 - 11:06 pm

  I just turned-in my 2004 A4 1.8T UltraSport (5-speed manual) and am very excited. I decided to go for CVT this time, and with a few less options. This car does not disappoint, it looks great, drives great, etc.