Audi A4 is the best - from a Mercedes owner
03-05-2018, 10:47 PM
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Audi A4 is the best - from a Mercedes owner
I just rented an A4 from Silver car for 5 days on a 800 mile road trip- my actual first Audi with with the Virtual Cockpit - and I have to say FWIW I am damn impressed.
And I believe that for the money paid in the 38k range with the Virtual Cockpit (more on that later) the A4 could be the best Car on the road. Being a Mercedes owner- S550 coupe and A golf R MKVII as my daily
I dont know the entire Audi packaging but the model I rented had the VC but wasn't a fully tarted up Prestige model? Kindof in between so I am assuming this is in the 42-44k range list and Audi is giving 3-4k off them it looks like? It did say S line on the side but the seats seemed synthetic leather- maybe not? But they were bottom line seats but really quite comfortable (NOT as good as the seats in a BMW3 or 4 series- I owned a 435 Gran Coupe for 2 years and traded it in on the used Mercedes. EXCELLENT seats in the BMW. But I digress. The engine was powerful in most circumstances- has a little lag at full throttle press but who cares? Its not that bad and is barely noticeable in regular daily driving. Just a smooth dam machine. And for the money as the C, BMW 3/4 and the A4 are within the same area code price wise- its down to looks features/electronics and drivability. But ultimately I have to say with 4 wheel drive, solid (not great looks) the interior that I liked -but I didnt love, but is solid none the less, and a really nice comfortable ride with great gas mileage- the A4 has it all. But I think if I were to buy it I would buy the base model and added whatever package had the upgraded stereo, without the Virtual cockpit- unless its an alacarte option- the package that I looked at online is like $9300 above standard one gives head up display etc.. and not so sure that I would go into the 50kk range for this car (to close to the S version that is probably better for 10k more?) - but at 40k absolutely would make this happen- I enjoyed the car. I do make some comparisons with the BMW 3 and 4 series that I have a lot of knowledge of and the Mercedes C also since they are the apples to apples of the big 3 Germans- have no clue about the Alfa Guila model in this price range- worthy contender probably- I dont know much about it so...
Likes and dislikes:
+ Superior Audi Build quality- rattles and squeaks happen but not a single one in the A4- and this was over CRAPPY Louisiana highways- that state is just terrible with roads for the most part- crossing into Texas is like smooth as glass... But Audi just screws their cars together very very well- obviously some outliers but mainly a very big plus for the Audi A4 at this price point.
+ Powertrain was surprisingly smooth and powerful- this kind of performance was very high end only 15 years ago- I was impressed.
+ Aforementioned 4 wheel drive
+ The virtual cockpit - more on that later- but it looks really good- if not the Most usable thing maps wise.
+ The MMI is relatively easy to operate- none are great I'll give alight nod to the new BMW touchscreen system- but they all could be easier IMO- The Germans dont do software well to me (Except for SAP?)
+ But it mostly doesnt matter cuz of CarPlay and Android
+ The lights are very cool- I like the BMW angel eyes but the front LED twin vector pattern does it for me over the A5 version.
+ The sequential lights on the rear in all read- very very slick- I hope though that the light thing dont get too cray cray... something tells me that it is...
+ The seats not that great to look at but more comfortable than i thought
+ Love the redundant volume button on the center console very useful perfect implementation
+ I think it had the B&) upgrade- sounded really really good- heard better but this is HANDS DOWN better than the HK upgraded system in the 3/4 series. Merc C I dont Know- S has 24 speaker Burmester 1540 watts but it only sunds good LOUD- and it can get LOUD- like you can use a Merc S for a tailgate party just open the doors- I think I actually prefer the sound of the B&O in the A4- it was just more usable in the real world.. I dont know
+ "numb steering"? I dunno I turn it goes exactly where I point it? Feel the road- not much but **** do I want to -some roads are NOT to be felt- My wife has an M2... feel the road ALL the time...
THis car is just a great ride in all settings- this car is perfect on the open road and in the traffic clogged urban jungle- a great car to go fast in and a great place if your in a traffic jam.
+ huge trunk
+ back seats are for actual people
+ great gas mileage.
+ Quiet ride- MUCH better than BMWs 3/4 too much wind noise and the run flats that most of them come with are just too loud sometimes- Audi is sport with a certain amount of luxury" and quiet ness is one of those features- I am getting older- I like that part actually- and I like music so I want high speed but high refinement. The A4 is a very refined vehicle- as solid as anything in the 70-80k range.
Some hits- by NO means deal breakers but...
= The VC is pretty but really doesn't do a whole lot for me- maybe I wasn't getting all the functionality of it down google maps looked cool- but like half tone dark? I could see but would like that brighter- I do like to see things in proximity like that but its not a must
and for real NAV and Traffic- Apple Car play /Android Auto - all we really need. Again if you can only get it with $9300 upgrade- no but paying like 3k alone id probably do it cuz it is pretty- and highly functional and easy to navigate- but sometimes just the compass would show and I couldn't get the map back? I went into all the menus i could... Anyway I believe that most functionality is taken care of though Carplay anyway
= The interior in general is nice but its kind of tighter than it should be- while the quality of the dash is absolutely top notch- I will give it to BMW on this one- it just seems like you have more room in the 3/4 series- and not that theirs looks any better its just to me a better use of space and the center tunnel is narrower AND their arm rest is slightly higher meaning you can rest your arm on the armrest and scroll the wheel at the same time- so much easier. The arm rest of my R is low too- but it doesnt utilize a have a scroll wheel. Mercedes has that part of the interface pretty perfect too. But again its nice and livable but to be honest I like the B8 version with the inset screen better- and that dashboard- it was just high class- and should have just been improved on- the "tacked on" looking screen aint a deal breaker - but Meh... Yes the Mercedes C is tight feeling too with its VERY wide tunnel- But I could easily live with the A4 interior no doubt at all- just wasnt up to all the hype about Audi interiors I guess. And since the RS5 that was looking at before i bought the 550 would amp up this interior with cooler Alcantara steering wheel- very nice Carbon Fiber trim and the uber cool seats- forgetting price...
= About that screen and its tacked on-ness- if Audi could And i know they could make that screen FRAMELESS it would be BAD *** the black border makes it look 1990s (Like the Merc tack on too- the BMW is not frameless by any stretch but has much less black banding. But that would lend itself to a "tacked on" look but would be so dam cool- they did with the mirror- even on my R.
One more thing about the screen- IT SHOULD BE A TOUCHSCREEN! Not for the "Complex" Audi Interface but for CarPlay and Android Auto- they are simply better with touchscreen interface and just give it up Audi- VW uses touchscreen- its just better- keep the scroll wheel but the middle screen is perfect for a touchscreen. Use a microfiber or the scroll wheel for those of you who DONT want to use the touchscreen- I would all day in CarPlay.
= While it looks good and it will age well- it is kind of bland- solid for sure, contemporary yes, but could use a bit more pepper... yes the S does add that but is also 15k+ more? but I would have to have 19's on it (adds 2k) to sex it up a bit. That front grill is nice but could be cooler- maybe not RS5 honeycomb but something? Not ugly at all and many want some stealth- this maybe too much? Daytona Pearl gray would look nice and like a business suit.. BUT ALL THAT SAID, the 3 series direct competition and is UGLY and dated- the Mercedes C SEDAN? Meh, the rear end looks terrible IMO- the Coupe looks very cool though. So the A4 wins the looks department- the best house on a bland street.
= The B pillar seems a bit forward? Its not that wide which is good but just felt is was just to close to the side of my head? Just me? On the 435GC the B pillar is swept back and made a huge difference and and not just for viewing out, but I went to hang my elbow on the window ledge it really hit the B. And I dont sit that far back at all- but maybe I just need to adjust more if I owned it- or look at a sportback of course- but since I love my 550 I wont be facing that decision.
= And not really a negative just those flashing bicycle reflector lights for the Blind spot monitoring almost gave me turrets or something sometimes- I love the boldness but its a bit much- maybe a couple of 2-3" long thin LED lines stacked on top of each other that glowed BRIGHT yellow for an alert- would be so Audi and with a frameless floating screen lol
But I just gotta say I was really impressed with this car in so many ways- its not perfect- nothing is- but for the price paid it is closer to perfect than anything in its price point- or even above its price point. I have owned some really nice cars from a BMW Z4m for 3 years- numerous BMW ZHP models (ranks in the top 10 of BMWs ever made IMO) Even a Scirocco 16V!! 3 GTIs, my current R that I LOVE, my wifes M2 is really dam good- it not a bit rough...AND I owned an Audi 4000 from new and put 100,000 miles on it - white with blue cloth interior- LOVED that car - and a blue A4 first generation- what a beautiful ride. But forget all that, If I wanted a proper 4 door sedan that executes everything at a very high level with German engineering and a little bit of exclusivity- at an "affordable" price- this is the car I would pick hands down. Not that that means sh*t to anyone of course LOL.
And I believe that for the money paid in the 38k range with the Virtual Cockpit (more on that later) the A4 could be the best Car on the road. Being a Mercedes owner- S550 coupe and A golf R MKVII as my daily
I dont know the entire Audi packaging but the model I rented had the VC but wasn't a fully tarted up Prestige model? Kindof in between so I am assuming this is in the 42-44k range list and Audi is giving 3-4k off them it looks like? It did say S line on the side but the seats seemed synthetic leather- maybe not? But they were bottom line seats but really quite comfortable (NOT as good as the seats in a BMW3 or 4 series- I owned a 435 Gran Coupe for 2 years and traded it in on the used Mercedes. EXCELLENT seats in the BMW. But I digress. The engine was powerful in most circumstances- has a little lag at full throttle press but who cares? Its not that bad and is barely noticeable in regular daily driving. Just a smooth dam machine. And for the money as the C, BMW 3/4 and the A4 are within the same area code price wise- its down to looks features/electronics and drivability. But ultimately I have to say with 4 wheel drive, solid (not great looks) the interior that I liked -but I didnt love, but is solid none the less, and a really nice comfortable ride with great gas mileage- the A4 has it all. But I think if I were to buy it I would buy the base model and added whatever package had the upgraded stereo, without the Virtual cockpit- unless its an alacarte option- the package that I looked at online is like $9300 above standard one gives head up display etc.. and not so sure that I would go into the 50kk range for this car (to close to the S version that is probably better for 10k more?) - but at 40k absolutely would make this happen- I enjoyed the car. I do make some comparisons with the BMW 3 and 4 series that I have a lot of knowledge of and the Mercedes C also since they are the apples to apples of the big 3 Germans- have no clue about the Alfa Guila model in this price range- worthy contender probably- I dont know much about it so...
Likes and dislikes:
+ Superior Audi Build quality- rattles and squeaks happen but not a single one in the A4- and this was over CRAPPY Louisiana highways- that state is just terrible with roads for the most part- crossing into Texas is like smooth as glass... But Audi just screws their cars together very very well- obviously some outliers but mainly a very big plus for the Audi A4 at this price point.
+ Powertrain was surprisingly smooth and powerful- this kind of performance was very high end only 15 years ago- I was impressed.
+ Aforementioned 4 wheel drive
+ The virtual cockpit - more on that later- but it looks really good- if not the Most usable thing maps wise.
+ The MMI is relatively easy to operate- none are great I'll give alight nod to the new BMW touchscreen system- but they all could be easier IMO- The Germans dont do software well to me (Except for SAP?)
+ But it mostly doesnt matter cuz of CarPlay and Android
+ The lights are very cool- I like the BMW angel eyes but the front LED twin vector pattern does it for me over the A5 version.
+ The sequential lights on the rear in all read- very very slick- I hope though that the light thing dont get too cray cray... something tells me that it is...
+ The seats not that great to look at but more comfortable than i thought
+ Love the redundant volume button on the center console very useful perfect implementation
+ I think it had the B&) upgrade- sounded really really good- heard better but this is HANDS DOWN better than the HK upgraded system in the 3/4 series. Merc C I dont Know- S has 24 speaker Burmester 1540 watts but it only sunds good LOUD- and it can get LOUD- like you can use a Merc S for a tailgate party just open the doors- I think I actually prefer the sound of the B&O in the A4- it was just more usable in the real world.. I dont know
+ "numb steering"? I dunno I turn it goes exactly where I point it? Feel the road- not much but **** do I want to -some roads are NOT to be felt- My wife has an M2... feel the road ALL the time...
THis car is just a great ride in all settings- this car is perfect on the open road and in the traffic clogged urban jungle- a great car to go fast in and a great place if your in a traffic jam.
+ huge trunk
+ back seats are for actual people
+ great gas mileage.
+ Quiet ride- MUCH better than BMWs 3/4 too much wind noise and the run flats that most of them come with are just too loud sometimes- Audi is sport with a certain amount of luxury" and quiet ness is one of those features- I am getting older- I like that part actually- and I like music so I want high speed but high refinement. The A4 is a very refined vehicle- as solid as anything in the 70-80k range.
Some hits- by NO means deal breakers but...
= The VC is pretty but really doesn't do a whole lot for me- maybe I wasn't getting all the functionality of it down google maps looked cool- but like half tone dark? I could see but would like that brighter- I do like to see things in proximity like that but its not a must
and for real NAV and Traffic- Apple Car play /Android Auto - all we really need. Again if you can only get it with $9300 upgrade- no but paying like 3k alone id probably do it cuz it is pretty- and highly functional and easy to navigate- but sometimes just the compass would show and I couldn't get the map back? I went into all the menus i could... Anyway I believe that most functionality is taken care of though Carplay anyway
= The interior in general is nice but its kind of tighter than it should be- while the quality of the dash is absolutely top notch- I will give it to BMW on this one- it just seems like you have more room in the 3/4 series- and not that theirs looks any better its just to me a better use of space and the center tunnel is narrower AND their arm rest is slightly higher meaning you can rest your arm on the armrest and scroll the wheel at the same time- so much easier. The arm rest of my R is low too- but it doesnt utilize a have a scroll wheel. Mercedes has that part of the interface pretty perfect too. But again its nice and livable but to be honest I like the B8 version with the inset screen better- and that dashboard- it was just high class- and should have just been improved on- the "tacked on" looking screen aint a deal breaker - but Meh... Yes the Mercedes C is tight feeling too with its VERY wide tunnel- But I could easily live with the A4 interior no doubt at all- just wasnt up to all the hype about Audi interiors I guess. And since the RS5 that was looking at before i bought the 550 would amp up this interior with cooler Alcantara steering wheel- very nice Carbon Fiber trim and the uber cool seats- forgetting price...
= About that screen and its tacked on-ness- if Audi could And i know they could make that screen FRAMELESS it would be BAD *** the black border makes it look 1990s (Like the Merc tack on too- the BMW is not frameless by any stretch but has much less black banding. But that would lend itself to a "tacked on" look but would be so dam cool- they did with the mirror- even on my R.
One more thing about the screen- IT SHOULD BE A TOUCHSCREEN! Not for the "Complex" Audi Interface but for CarPlay and Android Auto- they are simply better with touchscreen interface and just give it up Audi- VW uses touchscreen- its just better- keep the scroll wheel but the middle screen is perfect for a touchscreen. Use a microfiber or the scroll wheel for those of you who DONT want to use the touchscreen- I would all day in CarPlay.
= While it looks good and it will age well- it is kind of bland- solid for sure, contemporary yes, but could use a bit more pepper... yes the S does add that but is also 15k+ more? but I would have to have 19's on it (adds 2k) to sex it up a bit. That front grill is nice but could be cooler- maybe not RS5 honeycomb but something? Not ugly at all and many want some stealth- this maybe too much? Daytona Pearl gray would look nice and like a business suit.. BUT ALL THAT SAID, the 3 series direct competition and is UGLY and dated- the Mercedes C SEDAN? Meh, the rear end looks terrible IMO- the Coupe looks very cool though. So the A4 wins the looks department- the best house on a bland street.
= The B pillar seems a bit forward? Its not that wide which is good but just felt is was just to close to the side of my head? Just me? On the 435GC the B pillar is swept back and made a huge difference and and not just for viewing out, but I went to hang my elbow on the window ledge it really hit the B. And I dont sit that far back at all- but maybe I just need to adjust more if I owned it- or look at a sportback of course- but since I love my 550 I wont be facing that decision.
= And not really a negative just those flashing bicycle reflector lights for the Blind spot monitoring almost gave me turrets or something sometimes- I love the boldness but its a bit much- maybe a couple of 2-3" long thin LED lines stacked on top of each other that glowed BRIGHT yellow for an alert- would be so Audi and with a frameless floating screen lol
But I just gotta say I was really impressed with this car in so many ways- its not perfect- nothing is- but for the price paid it is closer to perfect than anything in its price point- or even above its price point. I have owned some really nice cars from a BMW Z4m for 3 years- numerous BMW ZHP models (ranks in the top 10 of BMWs ever made IMO) Even a Scirocco 16V!! 3 GTIs, my current R that I LOVE, my wifes M2 is really dam good- it not a bit rough...AND I owned an Audi 4000 from new and put 100,000 miles on it - white with blue cloth interior- LOVED that car - and a blue A4 first generation- what a beautiful ride. But forget all that, If I wanted a proper 4 door sedan that executes everything at a very high level with German engineering and a little bit of exclusivity- at an "affordable" price- this is the car I would pick hands down. Not that that means sh*t to anyone of course LOL.
Last edited by LOVEMYGOLFR; 03-08-2018 at 08:42 AM.
03-06-2018, 05:56 AM
#3
AudiWorld Member
Previous Merc owner myself, I agree with what you wrote about the A4 but would put the S Class more in line with the A6. Audi has just showed the new A6 (C8) at the Geneva Motor Show and it really looks like another winner for Audi. We still don’t know if it will get the 7 or 8 speed transmission in Canada yet but if it does get the 8 speed I would definitely consider it as my next ride when it arrives in Canada, I have owned two cars with double clutch transmissions and even though they perform quite well they are not the smoothes.
03-06-2018, 07:02 AM
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Previous Merc owner myself, I agree with what you wrote about the A4 but would put the S Class more in line with the A6. Audi has just showed the new A6 (C8) at the Geneva Motor Show and it really looks like another winner for Audi. We still don’t know if it will get the 7 or 8 speed transmission in Canada yet but if it does get the 8 speed I would definitely consider it as my next ride when it arrives in Canada, I have owned two cars with double clutch transmissions and even though they perform quite well they are not the smoothes.
03-08-2018, 12:44 AM
#6
AudiWorld Super User
Nice review with a different perspective! One suggestion though and that would be to add spaces between your paragraphs; it makes it way easier to read.
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