Article Comments-2009 Audi A4 First Drive and Full Test

34 messages, Last post on May 05, 2009 at 5:37 PM

You are in the Audi A4 Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens

What is this discussion about? Audi A4, Sedan

First Drive: 2009 Audi A4 Avant - First Impressions: A stylish, lively driving package as always, but there's even less cargo room than before.(more)

Full Test: 2009 Audi A4 - What Works: The best-handling A4 ever; beautifully built interior and now with actual rear-seat legroom; fantastic brakes.(more)

Outline

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#12 of 34 No Maunual or DSG is a deal-breaker by svo May 11, 2008 (9:06 pm)
My wife and I would both be driving new A4 2.0T Quattro manuals by 2010 if they were available. I passed on the A3 for the same reason. And these motors are $500 and a memory-flash away from another 50-60 HP & Lb-Ft, with no loss in fuel efficiency. Sad- the Euros are dumping the sport wagon as soon as there is a real opening for them in the US market due to fuel costs. VAG did the same thing to the Passat wagon. I'll stick with my '01 S4 Avant longer and my wife will stick with her Volvo V70R (both wagon-AWD-Manual-Turbo) and then we'll surely look to Munich also. Oh, and I've never seen a flat cargo bay and rail-mounted, fold-down rear seats in a vehicle. Likely not possible. Not a matter of oversight, a design choice. Spontaneous & convenient cargo-hauling (my S4 seats fold down instantly) vs. plan-ahead & hassle (remove & leave the seats behind) with greater rear leg room. Few rear seats in compact models see a lot of use by adults, especially in the US. Replies to this message: rjlaero (May 14, 2008 7:44 am) byronwalter (May 18, 2008 8:35 am) sunilb (May 18, 2008 4:10 pm) huntzinger (Jun 02, 2008 6:28 am) and 1 more...
#13 of 34 Re: No Maunual or DSG is a deal-breaker [svo] by rjlaero May 14, 2008 (7:44 am)
Replying to: svo (May 11, 2008 9:06 pm) In reality, how many manual 6 speed A4 wagons are ordered every year? Yes, the hard core people are upset about the 09 lack of a manual, but the milllions of dollars it takes to produce each model can't be justified on a couple hundred people each year being happy. I would say less than 500 manual transmission 2.0T avants are made each year in the United States. That's an incredibly small amount of cars. Everybody wants aggressive pricing and deals by the manufactuer. So concessions have to me made to keep costs in line. Wagon people are very finicky at times, and even if there was a 2.0T 09 6 speed manual, you can bet people would still find something to complain about it. Replies to this message: byronwalter (May 18, 2008 8:35 am) sunilb (May 18, 2008 4:10 pm) huntzinger (Jun 02, 2008 6:28 am) gasser (Jun 03, 2008 6:03 am)
#14 of 34 Re: No Maunual or DSG is a deal-breaker [rjlaero] by byronwalter May 18, 2008 (8:35 am)
Replying to: rjlaero (May 14, 2008 7:44 am) This is a tough one for me as well. I really do want an Avant... would be my third... but I have never owned a car with an auto. Well, except for that $75 Chevy that I owned for 12 miles. Twelve miles, three flats, and then the transmission went. I just might go for the Avant, auto and all. One of the area dealers (NE Ohio) mentioned that they should have a B8 A4 for test spins sometime in the first half of July. I'm guessing that it will be auto-equipped. I hope to get my butt up there for some drive time ASAP.
#15 of 34 Re: No Maunual or DSG is a deal-breaker [rjlaero] by sunilb May 18, 2008 (4:10 pm)
Replying to: rjlaero (May 14, 2008 7:44 am) My understanding is that they already build the car (with manual transmission) for the European market... so why not just offer the option here in the states?? Okay, so the mfr doesn't have to have them sitting on dealer lots, but perhaps they could make these available to customers who want to order them. Replies to this message: huntzinger (Jun 02, 2008 6:28 am) gasser (Jun 03, 2008 6:03 am)
#16 of 34 Full Test available! by KarenS HOST May 29, 2008 (10:29 am)
Full Test: 2009 Audi A4 Replies to this message: rjlaero (May 29, 2008 1:05 pm) 604doc (May 30, 2008 9:50 am) tib2006 (May 30, 2008 10:46 pm) contractor1 (Jun 01, 2008 4:20 pm)
#17 of 34 Re: Full Test available! [KarenS] by rjlaero May 29, 2008 (1:05 pm)
Replying to: KarenS (May 29, 2008 10:29 am) I don't think it's fair to compare the 265 hp 3.2 with a blown V6 300hp from Bimmer, and complain about the BMW being faster. Even the 328 get's pricey with options and get's to mid 40's for the AWD model. A 328x is a 7.0 second car 0-60 with an automatic. A 335xi automatic does not do 0-60 in 5 seconds. And a fully loaded 335 xi sedan with all the nav, tech, and sport packages can get to 52k. I'm thinking a top of the line new body 09 3.2 with all the navigation and tech upgrades coming in 46k. 6 grand will easily pay for a turbo V6 upgrade. Not everybody wants to pay that premium for power they may never use. Audi sells very few 3.2 model A4's to begin with. The turbo 4 is 80% of the A4 market in the US. The 2.0T is probobly a far better value for the money. Nobody has a gas turbo 4 with 260 lb ft of torque 1500 rpm. That engine will do mid 6's 0-60 and be just a hair slower than the V6, if at all. Audi has a new 330/350 hp supercharged S4 in the works, so if you need more power, it's coming down the road. Replies to this message: 604doc (May 30, 2008 9:50 am) tib2006 (May 30, 2008 10:46 pm) contractor1 (Jun 01, 2008 4:20 pm)
#18 of 34 Re: Full Test available! [rjlaero] by 604doc May 30, 2008 (9:50 am)
Replying to: rjlaero (May 29, 2008 1:05 pm) Is it a sure thing that the 3.2 with 6 speed manual won't be available in the States? I really want an AWD sedan with a 6 cylinder and manual trans. I think I'm running out of options. Maybe the '09 C-class will work.
#19 of 34 It's not about the horsepowers by keithseo May 30, 2008 (12:32 pm)
How many buyers of the entry level luxury sedans are revving their engines every day on the road? The A4 and the 3-series are driven mostly by ordinary consumers getting to work or around cities. The difference of the 35 hp, to me, sounds negligible, particularly when you compare the outdated look of the 335's interior and the awkwardly finished lines of its rear end with the A4's beautifully designed lines everywhere. I would buy a 2009 A4 over a 2009 335i anytime. (maybe just me)
#20 of 34 Re: Article Comments-2009 Audi A4 Avant First Drive [KarenS] by sluramod May 30, 2008 (2:20 pm)
Replying to: KarenS (Apr 11, 2008 6:08 am) I'm waiting to test-drive 2.0T Avant. Audi dealer here (san jose,ca) says they will get the cars at the end of september. I used to drive manual, but there is no way anybody can convince me to drive manual to/from work in traffic. And my wife does not want to hear anything about manual. Get yourself S4 for hp and manual stick. 2.0T quattro avant with tiptronic is the best combination to have for a small family car IMO. Please don't compare this car to 335i, because even 328i (no awd) 'with packages' will cost you almost 40k. Add navigation and you crossed 40K mark for 328i.
#21 of 34 DIESEL by erik May 30, 2008 (3:40 pm)
We need the sweet 2.0 TDI engine.