A4Driver

I know I'm jumping the gun here, but I'm wondering if any of you Audi insiders know of any timetable for the release of the B10? Next spring my lease will be up, and I will need to decide whether to keep my car or trade it in for a new one. I'm leaning towards keeping the car, if I can time my payments to end when or before the B10 is for sale.

Since the A4 was introduced, new models have hit the market in the following time frame:

• B5 (1996) to B6 (2002) -- 6 years
• B6 (2002) to B8 (2009) -- 7 years (Note: I consider the B7 a mostly cosmetic update, since most of the body, chassis and interior remained the same)
• B8 (2009) to B9 (2017) -- 8 years (although the car was available for sale in the U.S. in early 2016)

I will have had my car for three years when the lease expires. I figure that if I finance it for four more years, I'll be ready for when the B10s come out.
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SFV A4

Too early for anyone to know, but your graph showing A4 history is a decent indication. I'd go ahead and buy your car, make payments, and you can always sell it outright or trade it in when the next one comes along. You are in charge there, as it's your choice which year you want to let your car go. Just look at it this way... the longer you own it, the more time you have to pay it off. So you are in the driver's seat.
Another option you have is to lease the facelift model for three years, and that should put you close to or right at the B10 debut. But personally, I'd avoid a first model year run if it were me, as they are sometimes a shade more troublesome (more recalls). You also pay quite a bit more on first model year leases.

A4Driver

I have owned four A4s and each one was a first-model-year run. The only major problems were with suspension bushings (B5), which Audi of America reimbursed me for after I wrote them an angry letter, and a high-oil-use issue (B8), which was repaired for free under a recall.

Keep in mind that the A4 is introduced in Europe a year before going on sale in the U.S.
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Timfoilhat

My first year B6 was a PIA with coil packs. My wife's car, also a first year B6, also a PIA with coil packs. I sold mine off after 18 months. My wife's car lasted almost 10 years.

superswiss

The average typical model lifecycle is 7 years before a major redesign occurs. The B9 was delayed, hence it took a little longer. So the earliest you'll see a B10 available for sale will be 2024. But there will be a facelift about three years into the lifecycle. All Germans do midcycle refreshes of their models, so by 2020 we'll most likely see a B9.5. Speculation is that at that point we may see a new interior with the all new MMI from the new A6,7,8.

SchwarzS6

superswiss

Yes, there are model year changes throughout. Usually new options and packages become available every model year, new wheels and such, but that doesn't qualify as a midcycle refresh. Midcycle refreshes usually involve exterior and interior design changes, sometimes power and engine updates, new transmissions and tech updates.

cuke2u

If Audi and every motoring journal are calling it a facelift then a facelift it must be despite them being discreet, which has always been the Audi way..

A4Driver

Yes, you're right. I had completely forgotten about the coil pack issue with my B6. However, my dealership replaced them at no cost to me.
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marz1