DriveItself

Hi, I know this is an obvious question, but I have searched the forum and I don't see a thread dealing specifically with this issue, so I apologize in advance if this duplicates something else, but here goes....

Looking for some buying advice.

I'm interested in a 2019 A4. As a Consumer Reports fan, I like the fact they rate the car very highly. In particular, I want all the safety systems I can possibly get... all the alerts, Adaptive Cruise Control, Heads up display, etc etc.

From my reading and researching, it seems like my ideal model is a Prestige trim Quattro model with no other options.

But looking around at various dealer websites it seems that such a model is very hard to find, if not non-existent, at least among current inventory.

Is my best bet to order a car? (My current car is not a lease, so I'm not in a hurry or on a fixed schedule). How long does it take to order such a model, without any extra options?

I haven't yet talked details to any dealers, but I plan to start doing that this weekend. That's why I'm looking for the advice.

Thanks much for any advice!

DriveItself

I should add... I'm in the US, in Southern California. Plenty of dealers near me.

DeXel

Yes DriveITself, the simplest option is to order the car exactly the way you want it. When I was looking for my Prestige back in 2016, it took me nearly 3 months to finally find one on the dealer lot. I am planning to place a factory order on the next one as it was too much trouble.

SFV A4

Welcome! A few thoughts... All A4's are very safe. You would not need the options you listed to make it that way. The best way to avoid accidents is to simple pay attention and leave your phone out of sight. All the alerts and add-ons are nice, but can also be distractions and even cause problems. Many owners shut off the sensor options due to false readings. Be open-minded to a premium plus package. Many come very well equipped and you can save some money and time.
Yes, ordering a car gets you exactly what you want. Before going that route, I'd email a few local Audi dealers and see if any have what you want. Or get friendly with one and let he or she do a regional search.
Good luck and keep us posted!

VM

I haven't kept up with the US market packages; is the adaptive cruise included in a base prestige now?!

HyperS4

Best advice I can give is build one online to the specs that you want. Then take that build price and compare it with A4's you see in dealership inventories online. When the price is close to one, open the window sticker or check for options to see if it has the safety suite. If it does then youll know its a prestige because thats the only way it can be optioned.

Yes, the A4 is one of the safest sedans on the market. Yes, people will tell you that you dont need those safety technologies if you pay attention. However, even though you may be paying attention, other drivers arent. The safety suite helps mitigate any situations you might not foresee. If I could have only two options of new tech on my car it would be Side Assist and Adaptive Cruise. Luckily I already have Side Assist, but in my previous Audis I had the Adaptive Cruise and it was awesome on long highway drives. It even saved me once when someone stopped short in traffic in front of me.

VM

I would echo the adaptive cruise recommendation. I got adaptive cruise almost 'accidentally' (I wanted pre sense city and that's bundled with ACC on Canadian-spec cars) and I think it is an absolutely, insanely fabulous feature. I would never, ever, ever get a car without ACC again...

chemengin

Agreed. There was a thread here previously that asked whether or not the Prestige trim was worth it, and the overwhelming majority said yes. I would suggest using Autotrader to find the car you want, unless you want to custom order. Don't be afraid of purchasing out of state as well. It will open up a lot of listings.

DriveItself

Thanks for the replies, appreciate it.

Yeah, a good clear listing of the trim levels as of 2019 is here: https://www.audiusa.com/models/audi-...rims-and-specs
(You have to click on the "45 TFSI" buttons to see the trim levels for the quattro model; they are slightly different.

For me, when I look at the Premium line, the things I care about are ACC and perhaps the heads up display. I gather from my reading that I could get those on a Premium Plus model with some additional package... that would be fine with me.

When I search Autotrader or Cars.com for 2019s with Prestige trim, I find just a few cars in the whole country. I'm not sure how much individual dealers update those listings, but when I've searched local dealer websites here in LA (where there are a bunch of Audi dealers, not just one or two), I find the same thing. Maybe one or two Prestige trims.

Currently I'm driving a 2016 Mercedes GLC. At the time I got it I was switching from a 2002 Toyota RAV4. At that time, the Mercedes was the rare German car where Forward Collision Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking, and Blind Spot Monitoring were standard on the base trim. I found one with just base trim and the upgraded stereo, which was the only option I cared about.

I like the GLC just fine but I've decided I don't need such a large car and I would really like to have more safety warnings. I have a pinched nerve in my neck, and it's a little uncomfortable for me to constantly turn my head to check traffic around me. I've found the blind spot warning in the GLC a huge help.

For a while I considered the new Genesis G70, and I still have some interest in that. But because of problems with setting up a dealer network, it's not available in California yet! And it seems there isn't going to be much inventory even when it arrives. I was in Vegas 10 days ago and looked at a few on a dealer lot there (dealer was closed, so I didn't get to drive one). My impression was the car is a bit small. The A4 seems to me to be the perfect size for someone who's usually driving one or two people and very occasionally needs to carry 3 or 4.

I'll go talk to a dealer tomorrow to get a sense of what trim levels and additional packages might give me what I'm after. Since I'm in no rush to get a new car, I'm getting the feeling I'm going to be ordering a car, which I've never done before.

Thanks again for the advice.

HyperS4

I am seriously considering the G70 at the end of my lease. I think it really ticks all the boxes for me. Plus, I can still use a JB4 on it . Yes, it is about 4 inches smaller than the A4, so it does make a difference for rear passengers if you take any.