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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  my first audi - 2015 Audi A4
  By Hector - January 6 - 9:13 pm

  the maintenance will not be cheap but i love this car so far no issues bought used with 6100 miles

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  2008 Good commuter but definitely not a 3-series. - 2008 Audi A4
  By Iowa architect - January 4 - 11:45 am

  Bought 2008 Audi A4 2.0T AWD with 29K miles to replace a 2003 3-series that was starting to nickle and dime me to death the moonroof breaking and soggy floors (from the doors not moon roof) was the last straw. Bottom line is I appreciate the A4, but it lacks the getup and go of the 3-series, granted the 325xi BMW was a 3.0L-5 speed manual. I commute about 70 mi. per day mostly on the interstate, the A4 with sport suspension gives a decent ride and is extremely comfortable for a 35 minute commute with an aver. 24.7 MPG but it lags substantually off the line until you get to about 2500+ RPM, however, at hyway speeds it kicks into passing mode just fine and youll be going 90 before you know it. Ive driven it 6500 miles and havent had any maintenance issues yet however Ive broken the latch to the storage area in the armrest and broke the hook that holds the sun visor. Ive read these are common complaints I dont think Ive been overly hard on it. The A4 has been good for me by softening my somewhat agressive driving style. If your looking for a nice comfortable ride with some sportiness the A4 is right up your alley.

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  Budget Luxury! - 2007 Audi A4
  By Christopher - December 15 - 1:59 am

  Im rating this a 4.3 out of 5 Stars. This little car has been a joy since the day I bought it. I bought the car from ASE Auto inc in Studio City, CA earlier this month. The first thing I noticed about the car was how zippy and smooth it was. Everything seemed to be fine until I encountered a problem with reverse. I drive the automatic version of the car and they can develop some issues around 90-100k miles. The problem consisted of the car disengaging the gear if the RPMs went up too fast. (Almost as thought he car slips into Neutral). My mechanic spoke to Sam at ASE Auto and he is fixing it for free. Other than that, there have been no issues with the car. As some of the other reviews say, the car does burn oil. You may notice some blue smoke from the exhaust when you first start it but its nothing to be concerned about. I carry a quart of oil with me just in case and I top off the oil every 1000 miles or so. All problems aside, this car is nothing short of luxurious. Mine has wood trim that accents the dashboard, leather seats that have very good seat warmers, a steering wheel that feels great in my hand and a very smooth ride overall. The rear is a bit cramped with little leg room if the front seats are back more than half way and but the hatchback gives you a lot of cargo space. The cars technology is a bit dated but not obsolete. There is no aux jack or bluetooth but the sound system is just fine and the radio is very easy to use. The steering wheel also has a small dial that lets you raise and lower the volume with your right thumb and another one that lets you change the station with your left thumb. A big plus for me was not only Sport Mode but also Manual mode. The steering wheel has paddle shifters which are fun to use and good for keeping the car in a high gear when on a road trip (to save gas). There is a bit of a lag when using the paddles to change the gear but thats normal for a car of that age. Gas milage is not bad for a German V6. I average 16 city and 23 highway but the car does need Premium gas so shes an expensive date. She makes up for it in safety with a 9.6 out of 10 safety rating and airbags all around. The All-Wheel-Drive is also a bonus and keeps the car planted, even in very heavy rain. This car also shares many of its parts with Volkswagen so most parts will be very cheap. Overall, this car is definitely a good buy if you want a sporty and luxurious car thats safe, reliable and relatively cheap.

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  Love hate relationship - 2004 Audi A4
  By Brett Duncan - November 6 - 1:05 pm

  I love the thought of this car, it gets good gas mileage, its comfortable and looks nice with the top down and its great at high speeds. What I dont like... The maintenance! Its very expensive, in just two months I had an oil leak, coolent leak, transmission speed sensor failure, a whole new ac, the gear shifter peace spilt apart, the car starts funny, etc. This car also isnt fast enough for me. I should have got the V6 Quattro but thats probably just me. I want to keep the car but on the other hand I could lease a brand new one for the same price as the maintenance on this one.

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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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  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.

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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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  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.

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  Love my red a4 3.0 quattro - 2002 Audi A4
  By Andy Wessels - February 25 - 11:39 am

  Great car, super fun to drive. Plenty of torque at normal rpm range and lots of grip around the corners! Front seats are plush and comfy although rear seating is tight. Car is equipped with power everything mirrors, sunfoof, windows, seats, etc... This cars grip, power, and planted feel blew my mind when I first test drove it. Before i had a 2001 passat 2.8, and this thing just runs circles around that. Great car that i would recommend.