Venom Team

Howdy All!

I'm working on buying my first real car, and I've settled on the A4/A5 platform. I've effectively reached the end of what I can research alone, and so I was hoping to draw on y'alls collective knowledge to help inform my search.

I'm down to effectively three options.

The dealer has a very nice A4 Premium Plus coming in at the port that looks fine.

They also have a 2018 A5 Sportback Prestige with about 8k miles on it, but with the sport package, 19 inch wheels, ventilated seats etc on it.

They also have some great 2018 low milage Premium Plus A4s available.

I'm looking for feedback on whether Prestige is worth the increase over the Premium Plus, and what the consensus on the sport package.

The new A4 Premium Plus and the 8k A5 Sportback Prestige are effectively the same price, while a 2018 A4 Premium Plus is about 6-7k less than the first two.

Thank you so much for your help and experience!

Timfoilhat

The A5 Sportback is one sexy car. I would have gotten one instead of the A4 P+ (sport, cold weather, technology) I did except for the side windows. The side windows "seal" into the top of the sill with the door motor, so every time you open the door the go down 1/4" and every time you close the door they go up 1/4". I had windows like this on an Infiniti coupe around 2003. They were problematic. If the battery dies and you need to open a door? Nope. You get to crawl through the trunk so you can pop your hood to change the battery. Ice storm? That's right, the windows freeze and you can't get in the car to warm it up to melt the ice. Sure would have liked the Sportback for the added utility, but no way I'm doing that window mess again.

The other differences aren't significant enough to me to sway me either way. No matter what you'l love having a new Audi. Best of luck in getting your new car.

VM

Re: the sport package, you have to drive both cars and make up your mind. I would never get the sport package; there are many people on this forum who would never get a car without the sport package.

Keep in mind that this is a substantive package with suspension, tire (possibly 19" summers instead of 18" all-season", height (2cm lower), etc. changes. The sport package is NOT an appearance package like it is with some other manufacturers.

lowjdml

I really appreciate the Driver Assistance Package and Traffic Jam Assist and absolutely want them on future cars.
Lived with frameless windows before, don't love them but I'd put up with them for the Prestige trim.
Where I travel, there are enough high curbs that I don't want a lowered car. YMMV.

Onewolf42

I just bought an A4 quattro premium plus and I absolutely required ventilated seats (They are a godsend here in Central Florida) and they require the Sport Pkg (which also lowers the ride 23mm and gets you sport seats and passenger side lumbar support (which my wife loves)). The only two things the Prestige adds that I would like are advanced cruise control and traffic sign recognition (which apparently I can add with an OBD plug 'upgrade').

lowjdml

Fortunately for me, when I ordered mine in 2016 it was possible to get ventilated seats w/o the Sport Pkg. In fact, Driver Assist was an option only available with Prestige trim back then. (I really wanted a First Edition A4 with Driver Assist but First Edition cars were only available P+.)

MDAudi

I got the Prestige package on our A4 and Allroad because that was the only way to get the Driver Assistance Package. That alone was worth the money (for me). We didn't get any other extras (OK, we got a color that cost $500+ extra, but that was it).

Last week, I rented a Silvercar which was a 2018 P+ A4. I noticed several differences. Of course, I really missed the Adaptive Cruise Control and the Lane Assist that come with the DAP. The ACC really makes driving on anything other than an empty road much less of a strain. But there were a few other things that nagged me by their absence. I have come to rely on the extra cameras you get for the 360/top view when I parallel park. Yes, I can parallel park very well without them, but the cameras really help out, especially the front camera. One little thing that made me laugh--the Nav on P+ only suggests one route when it calculates directions, whereas with Prestige, you get 3 options to choose from. A completely unnecessary dumbing down of the nav software to differentiate P+ from Prestige, but I gotta admit I missed having the choices. And I missed the High Beam Assistant, speed limit sign recognition and HUD, but not as much as some of the other features.

So, what does it boil down to when it comes to Premium+ vs. Prestige? I probably won't ever go to Premium+ if I get another Audi. Certainly not until DAP filters down to the lower trim levels--but even if it does, if the 360/top view cameras stay in Prestige, I probably will stay with Prestige.

Still, the 2018 P+ A4 is a sweet ride and way better than any other car I have ever owned. If I had to live with it I could. Your dilemma is having a bunch of very nice cars to choose from. In many ways, you really can't go wrong.

On the Sport Package, I didn't get it for 2 reasons: 1) I was already spending too much money on my cars and didn't want to spend $700+ extra, and 2) the sport package lowered the car (ride height drops by about 1") and I didn't want a car that was undriveable after a very heavy snow due to low clearance. The standard A4 is already a bit lower than I want.

marz1

jeffj2h

traumeri

Echo most of what's already said and would reiterate the convenience of HUD and 360 camera. I believe some functions of the DAP can be unlocked with OBD without opting for prestige. The dual pane glass is nice and one reason I splurged for prestige, and this is not available in A5 SB Prestige. I have the sport suspension but opted for the 18" all-season tires. You should definitely drive both suspensions and determine which suits you best.