Haven't pulled the trigger on an A4 yet, but close.

Couple questions, couple nitpicks here.

1. Are the overhead interior lights (near the rear view mirror) actually bright enough in this car, and what color tone do they have? Everytime I've sat in one, all I see is very faint, ugly blue light from the overheads. Granted, I've only sat in the car during daylight or inside a brightly lit dealer, so the overhead light is getting washed out at least a bit. But it still seems weak to me. Can someone assuage me that the overheads are actually bright enough to do their job, and that they don't have the hideous blue color tone of a button-battery-powered keychain flashlight?

2. I read recently that the HVAC systems in old Audi models (like 1980's old) used to have some really unintuitive behaviors, like, (and Im trying to recall now because I can't find that webpage now), but something like, you had to switch the AC compressor on before it would let you switch from outside air to recirculating. So I guess my question is, does the current A4 have any stupid idiosyncrasies like that? Can I assume that the AC compressor turns on automatically when you set the vent position to windshield, like every car I've owned since 1990? (The reason Im asking this insipid question is that, the other car I'm considering, BMW 3 series, has no L-R Sync mode for the climate control. I can't believe BMW would be stupid enough to omit that, and it's the main reason Im probably going to buy the A4 over the 3.)

3. Does anyone else find the seat and trim options really disappointing? I can't stand the aluminum ellipse trim. The burled wood trim is very nice but looks TERRIBLE agains the grey dashboard. That combo looks great in the build-your-own pictures on the website, but those pictures show a black dashboard, which is not reality. If it were a black wood it'd be great. I just don't understand brown-and-grey, it's the most awfully drab combo ever. And the driftwood grey trim is just, bleh. It actually blends with the dash the best, colorwise at least. The nougat brown seats are ok, but only ok, and they'd pair much better with a true black not grey interior. The cognac brown leather BMW offers in the 3 is a muuuch nicer shade of brown. Color-wise BMW's interior options are far better overall. :-( The A4 piano black trim looks great, but unfortunately you can only get it with the black optics package. Which segues to...

4. Is anyone else disappointed that you cant pair the black optics with matador red or scuba blue? I think black optics w/ red especially would look sharp.

Ranting points aside, I do actually like the car a lot. I'm not bothered by the B9's similarity to the B8, but then Audi has always been off my radar until now so it's all fresh to me anyway. And I love how it drives the couple times Ive test driven.