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Since my TT was at the dealership last week (more on this later) and they didn't get it done by Friday, the service rep kindly lent me an A4 for the week-end.
It was 2004 A4 1.8T sedan tip in Dolphin gray, and to summarize my whole experience in two words: "overweight and underpowered"..

First of all it's a really comfortable and smooth ride, although the shocks are not too soft meaning I was able to take corners at decent speeds (but obviously much slower than in my TT). The interior equipment interior is decent, but it doesn't have anything more fancy than my 3.2 other than power seats (driver only) and an armrest - but the latter can be fixed easily ;-)

On the downside however, the car felt like a boat.. even with a Turbo, the 1.8-liter engine suffers from a substantial weight problem, especially when mated with the automatic tranny - which I was very disapointed with.

A few other points noted:

1. Acceleration: even when the turbo kicks in, very weak
2. Handling: decent but suffers from too much weight, and understeers a lot
3. S-mode: the "S" shouldn't stand for "Sports" mode but for "Sissies" mode.. it barely makes a difference in the upshifts, and upon approaching a corner and slowing down, it doesn't even downshift!!
4. "Manual" mode: again very weak, would shift only a couple of seconds after I ordered a change. Also wouldn't downshift from 2nd unless 1st gear put the engine under 4,000 rpm.. why!?
5. Cruise control: ok but why the heck did they add an extra "arm" instead of adding the controls to the existing one??
6. Indicators (blinkers): if I want to leave it on for 3 seconds, I will keep it pressed for 3 seconds. I can see how it's convenient on the highway for quick lane changes, but it's pointless in the city especially when you accidentally tap it..

When I got back in my TT this afternoon, the first thought was "Why am I sinking" ;-) [in reference to how low the seating position is] but as soon as I took off, it was more "HOLY **** where did all this power come from!?!"

Overall I was glad I had the chance to experience a different Audi car for a few days, especially since it convinced me I made the right choice (originally debated getting an A4 Avant for the increased cargo space..)

 

sounds like you were suffering from DSG withdrawal

 

For example, when approaching a corner, I would feel for the inexistent paddle behind the left part of the steering wheel ;-)

 

But yeah, it's definetly a different experience. I somewhat enjoyed the comfort/quiet/etc as a change from the TT.

 

Was it CVT or Tip. The tip is a total dog.

 

Tip.

 

Yeah it does not mate well with the turbo. It's also about 200 pounds heavier than the other 1.8Ts.

 

Pray that nobody from B6 Forum sees this post . Lol.

 

At an Audi event I had a chance to hammer an AllRoad 2.7T 'round New Hampshire Int. Speedway. It took about 2 seconds from slapping the pedal to the floor to actually noticing a change in power.

On the other hand, I also took an A4 3.0 Tip-that was pretty good.