stevev3

Hi. New to the forum. Am considering buying a new 2019 A4. Wondering everyone's thoughts/advice. Does it really require premium gasoline?

Also considering Infinity Q50 and Acura TLX.

HyperS4

Yes, it really requires premium gasoline. You can eat McDonalds every day and survive, but how would you feel? Same thing.

Everyone here pretty much loves the car. The AWD is superior to everyone else out there which makes handling exceptional. If you read through most of the threads you can find some issues that people might have or general questions. Take your time and research.

StKnowhere

Suggest to consider a used/CPO car to avoid the high depreciation the first couple of years if cost is a consideration.

Flyguy31

I just purchased a month ago and I'm really enjoying it. It's my first new car since 2010. I only bought Acura but moved away from the brand. I heavily suggest staying away from the TLX. It's very outdated interior and poorly reviewed transmission kept me away. I had one as a loaner and hated it. If you want an Acura, wait another year for the remodel. The RDX is nice, but there have been issues with the head unit also and I think the Audi's is easier to use with the MMI. I suggest test driving the A4. I don't have any info on the Infiniti.

Soonermagic

I had Acuras for a long time, but the brand and the cars became stale and outdated. Purchased a new 2018 A4 and I will never go back!

lsbuffs

Same. I had the TL, RL and finally the TLX. The TLX tranny was awful..not sure if they've resolved those issues. Moved from the TLX to a 2017 A4 and zero regrets.

PghRich

I'd certainly take an A4 over a TLX or Q50. If you're looking for new in that category, the new 3 series would be a must-compare. I almost bought a Giulia, but the reliability stories scared me away.

I'd also recommend a 1-2 year old used. Pretty much the same car and I recently bought mine with 30k miles and 18 warranty months left for about 55% of original sticker.

VM

What engine is in the Q50 these days? When I was shopping, it was the 2016 MY which had just abandoned the naturally-aspirated 3.7ishL V6 for the Mercedes 2.0T (and a delayed-availability 3.0T) which... frankly, either bolted to a Q50 or a 2016 C300, made a convincing case for the far better/smoother/etc A4 engine.

StKnowhere

Agree. Audi's business model seems to be turn customers over to a new model every 2-3 years so trade in value is low and depreciation high.

Acuransx

+1 as regards opinions on the TLX. As a long term Acura guy with a /94 NSX very sad to see what has become of Acura.

We have an A6 (mine -- 2015 3.0T Premium Plus sport package) and an A4 (wife's -- 2018 Quattro Premium Plus sport package). I like a 6 cylinder engine and for the longest time poo-pooed the turbo 4 bangers. Now I have to admit that I like driving the A4 way more than the A6. Better ride, better handling, feels as quick as the A6 and much better gas mileage. In short, fun to drive. Only drawback is that back seat is a bit cramped. I feel that in the segment the A4 occupies it is one of the best all round packages there is. Just go in with eyes open -- these cars are not Toyotas and the reliability is not in my experience Toyota/Lexus or old school Honda/Acura-like.

Also think about Audi Care because the transmission requires a fluid change at 40K miles that from what I understand is very expensive and Audi Care will cover that. I believe that Audi Care package represents a significant savings over a la carte service for the first 40K miles. As stated above a CPO car (especially a service loaner) is a pretty good idea and can represent a good value. However, for what it is worth I'm no fan of higher mileage CPO cars -- sometimes you can get a dud and you never really know how the car was treated before it comes into your hands.

Final thought -- as I said above these are not Toyota/Lexus and my experience and that of some good friends with A4s and A6s has not exactly been stellar in the reliability department. I'm not bashing the product inasmuch as we own two but I'm loathe to buy another Audi -- will only lease -- too many things have gone wrong with the A6 in the 3.5 years/35K miles I've had it and the factory attitude isn't the most customer centric at times. I've been lucky as the dealer I use for service (not the selling dealer as they were worse than awful) has been great and the service manager has been very helpful. However there are plenty of stories on AW that are evidence of poor factory support and VAG not "owning" their defects. The A4 oil burning fiasco of a number of years ago comes to mind as well as timing chain and turbo defects. In fact my A6 had its upper timing chain tensioners replaced under warranty at 27K miles -- sorry, but in my opinion that should not happen with a modern vehicle, let alone one at this price point. Audi has a long history of timing chain tensioner issues. Chevrolet managed to get that right in its small block V8 decades ago -- what is wrong with VAG? A fine/fun car to drive but can be expensive once warranty is over.

Best,
Jeff