Is light tan (not ecru) an interior color choice for the A4? Esp. the dash (most A4 dash's seem to be dark blue or black).

 

Opal Grey is a choice for the A4. In MY2000, the whole interior is the same color. The dash, stearing wheel, seats, etc. are all the same color.

 

I have the ecru/blue interior. I think the dash is dark for a reason - to reduce light reflection from the interior. I sometimes have a bugger of a time looking out my rear window because of the reflection from the ecru shelf. I would suspect that you would get that same reflection out the front if you had a light coloured dashboard.

Gordon Martin
98.5 2.8QMS (Santorin Blue)

 

My current car is solid black inside, and I don't really care for that. I prefer warmer, brighter interior colors (I didn't have much of a choice when I bought the car). When it is hot, I can actually *feel* the heat pouring off of my black dash!

But I know that reflections are a problem with lighter dash colors. Many cars have a black dash top, but everything below the top of the dash is a different color, like tan or gray (e.g. VW Passat). Does the A4 offer this?

BTW, Santorini Blue is an AWESOME color! I saw some of these on the Audi lot, and I WANT ONE!

 

I've seen this color. It's more of a gray than a tan. It's too bad that Audi didn't go with a two tone gray interior, instead of the monochrome gray. A two tone interior is more visually attractive, IMO.

 

All of the information or mis-information I am about to report on this subject took a lot of time to track down, and, for better or for worse, I have a 2.8 Avant with a "tan" leather interior ordered. I think. That's another story I'll post here if I don't get too tired of typing (the backspace and delete keys are the ones I use the most because by keyboard is rilly stooped and kant spil worth a shot).

All of these comments refer to leather interiors, because I knew that's what I wanted and I never checked the leatherette or cloth options. Before the 99.5 changes, the A4 was available with a "Terra Cotta" interior, which was a reddish brown, as one of the four upholstery color options. I only saw it on the Audi web site, never saw it on a lot, and Audi's '99 brochure has only a swatch shown. However, I didn't want Onyx (black is black, don't care what you call it) or Ecru. The Audi black interior is blah - unrelieved black seats, dash, carpets. Great hearse. A little color accent would make it look dramatic, but that ain't the case. And, as I'm sure everyone realizes this time of year, especialy THIS year, it's HOT, definitely a bun baker. Maybe a seat cooler is needed to compliment the seat heater option.... Ecru is lovely - but it's so light that I can't imagine what it would look like after six to ten years of use. I'm old enough that the kids have moved out, the dog has died, and alimony payments have ended (the reasons I can finally afford my first nice car), but, as my only haul-the-groceries to haul-the-skis vehicle, I can't imagine trying to keep an Ecru interior looking nice over the considerable number of years I'll own this car (barring my marriage to the attractive rich nymphomanic I'm still looking for who'll by me a S4, 6, 8 and HfD Sportster).

So, that leaves Opal Gray and a NEW 99.5 color called Clay, a replacement for Terra Cotta. Opal Gray is gray (sorry, jazzcat), and is surprisingly luxurious looking with the wood interior on the 2.8s. It might look like crap (a color Audi considered to go with their fortunately aborted Alimentary Atmosphere) with the 1.8 trim, but the Casablanca White sedan I saw with this interior was really gorgeous.

So, I'm finally getting to the point of all this -the mysterious new Clay color. Only a german could have considered "Clay" either an attactive or descriptive term for a color (the guy who picked this name have been salvaged from the aforementioned Alimentary design team). As many people realize, clay can be a variety of colors, depending it's parent material, organic content, and other stuff that I'm not about to dig out my soils texts to look up. And as for sounding enticing - why not just call it "Dirt", a marketing breakthrough pickup merchandising teams have yet to discover (along with "Snoose" and "Budweiser")? So, what shade, exactly, is this mysterious new color? The dealers have been given no pictures of Clay interiors, and, for real confusion check out the nearly useless AoA website - it shows the old shot of Terra Cotta above text that proclaims this to be a Clay interior; directly beneath this is a gray color swatch labeled "Clay". Go figger. So...after e-mailing the AoA web site with a request for clarification and calling Audi's 800 number twice on this issue, I can say with some authority that I don't know what the hell color this is for certain, but if I take the majority opinion on this from the named sources, Clay should be a lighter version of Terra Cotta. Now, aren't you glad you read all the way to here just to find that out??

Buttressing this opinion (O.K. Beavis - I know, I said butt..heh heh, heh heh) is the following from the sparse materials that were provided the Audi dealers describing the 99.5 changes; "Additionally, Clay replaces the Terra Cotta interior". Generating more confusion, however, are the sentences that imediately precede that quote: "New interior Atmosphere selections are available for both A4 models. Ecru/Clay was developed especially for North America in response to this market's preferences for lighter shates". One of my sources at the Audi 800 number said this referred to Ecru seats with Clay carpets and perhaps(?) dash and door panels.

If I recall, this whole discussion started over dashboard color, so I should say something about that. During a recent discussion with Audi engineers (they frequently drop by my house for a Bud and a chew) they assured me that the Clay interior comes with a paisly dash, plaid door inserts, and tie-died carpets, and that the Audi web site is run by an eighth grade class in Non de Plume, Quebec.

O.K., so I wouldn't know an Audi engineer if he changed the flat tire on my 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis (I drive some exciting iron - eat your hearts out). Best as I can tell, the dash and other miscellaneous pieces on the leather Clay interior are Cabernet(?!?!). This sounds horrid (Cabernet = red?), although it might be a real find for the guy who posted here after his drunk girlfriend (hurlfriend?) barfed in his A4, provided she's a wino.

Still confused? Me too, and, as I said, I have an A4 ordered that may be Melange/Clay. Then, again, it could be Casablanca White/Ecru/Clay. But, that's another story, and my delete and backspace keys are starting to smoke.

 

RPF,

The Ecru/Cabernet is not as bad as it sounds, but then I am biased because I bought it! The Ecru leather seats and door inserts are complimented nicely by the Cabernet (not really red, more of a brown with red highlights) dash and top of the doors. The bottom of the doors and the carpeting are clay which is a dark grey, darker than the Opal grey. I think Ecru/Clay will be similar but the dash and doors will be Clay, similar to the Ecru/Onyx interior. Then again, you can get Clay in the seat leather, which sounds nice depending on the other colors. AoA is really bad about getting the info to its dealers and the web site needs some serious updating. When I ordered my Hibiscus Red with Ecru/Cabernet I had the identical combo to look at on the lot. This combo is not mentioned on the web site or in the brochures. Anyway, I hope this helps. Clay is definitely a dark grey.

Regards,

Mike

 

You'll have to find these on the lot as no brochure mentions them nor are they represented on the web site. I am getting the Ecru/Cabernet which is really beautiful IMO because it has three tones. Brown (some red in it) dash and door tops, white leather seats and door inserts and then clay lower door panels and carpet. Clay is a dark grey, darker than Opal grey. I think Ecru/Clay would be two-tone sort of like the Ecru/Onyx interiors (this is shown in the current brochure). Hope this helps. I'll post some pictures when I pick my car up.

Mike

 

Thanks, Mike, for the info. Like all, I love this web site. If I'd discovered it before I ordered by Avant I'd have skipped the Bose and installed my own seedy changer.

It's sort of funny that I finally ordered the car of my dreams (minus the Claudia Schiffer option) and I'm not sure what the hell the interior will look like. I did trust Audi to put together a tasteful comination (how many manufacturers have such an elegant approach to interior design as Audi has in their Atmospheres collection). Although I dearly wanted a C. White A4, I ordered Melange Metallic just to get some leather options beside the admittedly stunning Ecru and the abysmal Onyx.

 

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