SkiingInABlueDream

I'm cross shopping the 2018 A4 and BMW 3 series. Since I found a thread on a BMW forum discussing "what do you hate about your F30 3 series?" which was very informative, it seems reasonable to ask the same of the A4.
I've driven both cars; both are very impressive. So far Im only finding pretty minor things I don't like in the A4: I'm not crazy about the dashboard aesthetics, but I don't hate it. The interior is dark grey not black, to my eye at least. No black wood dashboard trim option. The brown wood doesn't match the not-quite-black interior, and the grey wood and aluminum ellipse are ugly, IMO. And I don't like the digital speed readout in the middle of the speedometer gauge. I can't really think of anything else. None of those things are deal-breakers. (The BMW on the other hand has run-flat tires, an intrusive rpm rev-match on down shifts (manual trans) and no ability to sync the L and R climate control sides. Those are potential dealbreakers.)

I love how the A4 drives. If I go with it, the car I'll order will be a Premium Plus, quattro + manual trans, Sport package, Matador Red and pretty much nothing else. NOT the Nav and Telematics package - I dont need Nav and I really do not like the virtual cockpit.

That all said, what, if anything, do you dislike about your B9 A4? I want to know ppl's pain points before I buy - thanks!

SkiingInABlueDream

Whichever I eventually choose, this will be my first of either brand. I drove a 2004 Subaru WRX from 2004 through 2017. :-)

VM

Things I don't like?
- turning radius. The turning radius on the B9 is only like 0.5 ft less than a GMC Yukon. The car is strangely not nimble in tight parking garages and the like...
- the wipers are not great
and I'd be inclined to be critical of the transmission. I'd be VERY curious to drive this engine paired with a torque converter auto and see how it does... (but you're looking at the manual anyways so who cares)

Digital speed readout in the middle of the speedometer? That's only on virtual cockpit-equipped cars, isn't it? (And one of the reasons I love my virtual cockpit! When I was very young, my dad had a 1987 Buick with a full digital instrument cluster and a lovely giant digital speed readout. Then the world went idiotically back to analog in the subsequent decades. It's so nice to have nice big digital numbers in the A4...)

SYMAWD

You can drive an A6 or Q7 with the 2.0t and the 8 speed auto.

VM

Hadn't thought of the Q7, though I did know about the A6. That being said, the A6 is significantly bigger/heavier than the A4, so it's not going to be a direct comparison of the transmissions...

... but I do definitely intend to test drive a 2.0T A6 if I find myself bored at the Audi stealership one of these days.

SkiingInABlueDream

Thanks for the reply! Would you mind clarifying a bit what you don't like about the wipers? (I assume you don't just mean the wiper blades the car comes with! :-)
Regarding the digital speed readout, you might be right, I need to re-check that. The car I test drove had the virtual cockpit. Now that I think about it, a mechanical needle-dial would sort of preclude a digital readout right where the needle's spindle would be. Seems we're 180 degrees opposite w.r.t. dashboard aesthetics! One thing I love about the BMW 3 series is the instrument cluster is very old school analog looking. :-)

acruxksa

I can't comment on the BMW because I've never driven one. I've driven several VAG cars though. Along those lines, the B9 A4 is absolutely nimble and well healed on the roads of Alaska. This may be a far cry from the freeways most people know, but when the roads are ice laden with no shoulders, plenty of corners, no lighting and moose around many of the turns, I'm completely satisfied with my choice of the B9 Audi A4.

I bought this car because I play a cellphone game called ingress and it's perfect for the job. Great mpg, great handling and all weather capability.

As for dislikes, they're minor. Sometimes it shudders and shakes upon starting and MMI - Cellphone data connectivity seems arbitrarily limited solely for profit. I can't say anything bad about the A4's performance and handling.

CDang

I went from a 2005 STi to the A4. I don't have that many miles on it yet but so far Apple Carplay is losing connection when I first connect it and reverse with the Parking Assist on. Started happening after the last two IOS updates. The MPG is not close to the Audi's claim most likely due to horrendous Los Angeles traffic. Wish I could afford the Traffic Jam assist. The MMI Connect app is not that useful for me and definitely not worth the $499 for six months. Otherwise the A4 is great so far.

savi01

1. I hate how many rattles there are now in the cabin. From the speaker covers, to the dash... it's getting REALLY annoying. I've had my dealer take care of a couple of the rattles, but for the speaker covers they did a half-*** job and I ended up removing them and adding felt tape myself.

2. In normal drive mode, I hate the "hesitation" when moving from stop. This isn't a problem in Sport mode, but I don't always want to have to be in Sport or continuously have to switch between the two.

3. Sometimes while listening to the radio, each time I switch to a different station the volume automatically reduces. Doesn't happen every time, but it gets annoying.

acruxksa

I would add this to my list of dislikes, I hate normal driving mode and am almost exclusively in sport mode. This is mostly because the shifting seems to miss my choices in normal mode but somehow seems to guess better in sport mode. I'm not against having both options, but it would be nice if i could choose a default and it would stay that way through shutdowns and restarts.