c.cerberus

Would love to hear your perspectives on my current thinking/predicament.

I've previously only owned basic cars (Honda Civic, Mitsubishi Lancer). For the last 10 years, I've been driving a 2008 Honda Civic. While I have been able to afford a decent luxury car (thankfully), it's something I never really considered. However, after renting a couple of (non-luxury) new (2017+) cars recently, I was wowed by all the tech (adaptive cruise control, proximity sensors, feature-rich infotainment systems, great music). My wife has always wanted a luxury brand, but features are important to me. So, finally, after all the research I landed on an Audi A4 which seemed to meet the needs of both premium brand & great features.

Within the A4, it seems Prestige is the only one that offers some of the features that I really want (and is great for my wife too) - e.g. Adaptive Cruise Control, overview camera. Going from a $13K to a $50K car is quite the leap, and I've never driven an Audi! So I wanted y'alls impressions

- Is Prestige really worth the money?
- Do you really "feel" the difference between, say, a loaded Nissan Altima and a Prestige Audi
- Do you suggest any essential add-ons beyond the Prestige trim options?

I am in Dallas, TX

- There are barely any Prestige used/certified cars - why so? I was hoping to avoid buying brand new but it's beginning to feel like I have to
- How long does it take to get a car once you build it on the website & will dealers give you test drives on a prestige (because the dealers I saw, big ones, none have prestige in their inventory - what's the deal?)

Thanks everyone, I just can't get my head around plonking $50K but here am!

VM

You don't need to test drive a prestige; what you need to keep an eye on for test driving is sport package or not (the sport package cars are lowered and have a sportier suspension), 17" vs 18" rims (but they may all be 18"s in the US market anyways), and sport seats or not. Driving experience on the road should be identical if cars have the same suspension, rim size and seats. (Oh, and I guess there's quattro vs FWD, but... don't even think about FWD)

Oh, and didn't I see somewhere that the US-market prestige has acoustic laminated glass in 2018? So I guess that would make it quieter...

To answer your overall question - German automakers in North America (the rest of the world is quite different and the cars start out way more basic) play an interesting game where the base model trims is kinda barely enough to be considered luxury, but is heavily missing on features. Audi is way better than BMW/MB, but you can look at the feature list in the base car and compare it to a fully-loaded Honda CR-V and you'll be horrified at how underequipped a 'luxury' car is for that price point. Really, what you get in the base model car is the badge, the German driving experience (seats, suspension, steering, etc tend to feel different in a German car) and... not much else. Audi's North American trims are really divided into three - the basic trim (US Premium, Canadian Komfort) with the basic features for a one-driver commuter car, the middle trim (US Premium Plus, Canadian Progressiv) that adds most of the 'luxury' features (memory seats, navigation, etc), then the top trim (US Prestige, Canadian Technik) adds (or lets you add) the 'cool techy' features. Then on top of that you can get the sport package if you want a sportier car. What you will find is that most inventory is of the lower two trims; the cynic in me would argue that most people outside these forums buy these cars for the image and couldn't care less about the additional techy features in the higher-level trims. Also, the lightly-used cars tend to be ex-rentals, ex-loaners, etc. and are therefore likely to be lower-equipment; used higher-trim cars will come back from lease in 3-4 years.

Especially if you have little experience with German cars, I think that what you need to do is get away from the Internet, go down to the dealer, and drive something... and do a real test drive, i.e. not just drive around two blocks, but take it on the highway, on rough roads, etc. Drive a car with the sport package and one without, if you think you'd be interested in the sport package. Do you like the driving experience in the A4 or not? Then, once you figured that out, you can start thinking about Premium Plus vs Prestige, any additional options, etc you might want.

My own view is that the A4, in non-sport-package form, is an extremely balanced car that most people (except those who like their cars really sporty and tuned for handling) could be happy with, and that that's one reason why Audi sales have grown so much over the past decade.

For custom ordering a car in North America, I think the general rule is always 3 months from order time to delivery. Note that A4s, unlike the two most immediate competitors, are actually built in Germany.

JorgeGortex

Almost a year ago I bought a 2018 A4 Prestige after having driven Toyotas since age 16 (I'm 48) now. Its a night and day difference, not that I was surprised by that. Everything is sharper, tighter, quicker, and feels more put together.

As for the Prestige trim package, If you want all the bells and whistles Its worth it. I don't regret it for a moment. My car also has the sport package and I am glad I got it too as it sits comfortably low from the get go. My car has 18" wheels, and I may upgrade to aftermarket 19's at some point. I think its more a look than anything as I've read reviews and comparisons between 18's and 19's and 18's offer a more comfortable ride and gas mileage overall... but everyone's experience differs. I drive pretty conservatively anyway.

I agree with others that the best thing you can do is get down and test drive one. The car I ended up buying was not the one I test drove... didn't matter. I knew what I wanted.

Good luck.

JG

fnarq

My $.02 ... for the adaptive cruise contral, driver assist packages, etc. I think it depends on your driving style, age, and driving circumstances. I drive in heavy commuter traffic in metro NYC... the traffic jam assist is wonderful, and I won't get another car without it, as long as I'm commuting in NY metro... saves a lot of wear and tear on an older knee across a 2hr commute.

JorgeGortex

I like the feature for the same reasons in DC... but also because it makes the whole experience less stressful in general. I also would never give up this feature if I got a new car.

securityguy

If I could have purchased a Prestige I would have but not a single one to be found when I was shopping.

AudiDan2018

Hello There,

In Dallas here as well. I custom ordered a 2018 Prestige back in August 2017 and haven't looked back since. I went from driving Hondas and Acuras to Audi and it changed my life. I thought I was nuts for spending $50K on a car, but then thought about the time I spend commuting from Oak Lawn to Richardson on Central each day, and the cost just made sense for a much improved commute.

TJA is truly a game changer. Some days I make it the whole way on Central without needing to intervene, other than mild steering. Top view camera sure makes parallel parking easier and while a total gimmick, the color ambient lighting in the cabin is slick and makes for a great night ride.

I have the sport package and love the low ride, as well as the extra thigh support from the sport seats. I am 6'2". Finally, since it's 109 today in Dallas, go ahead and spring for ventilation on the front seats. Made the drive to dinner that much more enjoyable this evening.

Prestige will be hard to find right now. Think about ordering a 2019 and getting exactly what you want. That's how I talked myself up to doing it; went from looking at Premium + CPO models to just biting the bullet and getting it perfect. I ordered in early August and took delivery November 14. Good luck!

c.cerberus

Everyone,

Thank you so much for your detailed responses! Makes me all the more eager to get that prestige, even with the waiting time.

When you say '2019' - I don't see a 2019 on Audi's website - there is no A4 for 2019. Do you mean whatever I order, say in the next month or two, would be the 2019 batch?

Been watching all those A4 youtube videos - it's going to be a long wait

chemengin

Yes, absolutely 100% worth it. 360 camera, head up display, all of the driver assistance features, etc completely worth it. Many people I've spoken with don't really know how to "use" these assistance features or are too scared to really let the car "assist" as intended, and consequently write them off as gimmicks. Don't let them sway you. I use these features everyday and Audi does a very good job with these features (I've driven Teslas, BMWs, Toyotas, etc that have these features and I give it up to Audi for how well it performs).

In regards to inventory, I live in SF and wasn't able to find the one I wanted, so I found one across the country in Maine and had it shipped here.

AudiDan2018

The 2019 order book was just released and includes wireless phone charging as well. I assume that means 2019 orders open up within the next 30 days. The 2018 model year stopped production of Prestige A4 a while back. That might be why you see such a shortage.

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