2010 Audi A4 Car Review

Carried over intact after a complete reinvention in 2009, the 2010 Audi A4 continues to wear its newly styled body well. The sedan and wagon are longer and wider than the 2002-2008 A4 lineup, and in many ways, they closely resemble the mid-size Audi A6 sedan and wagon. Slightly stubbier, the A4 sedan and wagon have the now-customary deep Audi grille, LED daytime running lights, and canted headlamps that rest more attractively on the Audi A5/S5 coupes and cabriolets. With the new A4 lineup comes a deeper, darker binnacled dash that leaves out some of the more expensive wood trim of the past, and in the process omits some of the impression of quiet luxury that used to pervade all Audis. It’s still handsome and well finished, but there’s more black and metallic plastic and LCD readouts than ever.

The Audi A4 offers a single turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with one of three transmissions and front- or all-wheel drive. The base sedan has a 211-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, coupled to a six-speed manual, a six-speed automatic, or in front-drive versions, a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Audi’s best transmission, a paddle-shifted, dual-clutch gearbox, isn’t yet offered. All-wheel drive is available on the four-cylinder sedan and comes standard on the six-cylinder car. The A4 Avant wagon comes only as a turbocharged four, with quattro and the six-speed automatic. There’s not much reason to opt for the CVT version other than price. Fuel economy reaches a high of 23/30 mpg with the four-cylinder CVT.

Steering and handling are a bit lighter than in a BMW 3-Series, and all A4s have electronic power steering that responds quickly but with artificial feel and feedback. The new A4 also offers an optional system that allows drivers to select the ride quality, steering heft and quickness, and speed of transmission shifts, but the basic car’s fixed settings probably offer the best compromise for most drivers.

With its expanded interior space, the Audi A4 relieves some of the cramped feeling in the backseat. The front chairs are supportive if a bit flat across the bottom cushion, with power adjustment and leather upholstery. Most controls are easily reached, and the steering wheel tilts and telescopes to provide even tall drivers with the chance at an optimal driving position. There is much more backseat room, but the seat itself could use more bolstering and a taller bottom cushion height for better comfort. The backseats fold down for trunk access and for carrying long objects, and a pass-through for skis hides behind a fold-down armrest. The trunk is very large on sedans, and the wagon has enough room to carry four roller suitcases plus a couple of soft-sided bags. The A4’s built with tight seams and a uniformly high level of fit and finish inside and out, but there’s plenty of black plastic on the dash and a few buttons and controls with less than perfect feel-though Audi’s steering-wheel mounted rollers should be the new standard for audio controls.

Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have crash-tested the 2010 Audi A4. Both agencies give the 2010 Audi A4 the highest safety ratings possible. Safety equipment includes standard airbags all around, as well as traction and stability control. Safety options include a rearview camera, blind-spot and lane-departure warning systems, and adaptive cruise control. Visibility in both the wagon and sedan is quite good, even with the backseat’s three headrests in the upright position.

Apart from its variety of body styles, drivetrains, and safety systems, the 2010 Audi A4 offers a host of standard and optional features that are among the best in its class. Leather upholstery is standard, along with Sirius Satellite Radio; a CD player; cruise control; a sunroof; and Audi’s MMI system, which uses a rotary controller to aid the driver in setting climate, audio, and phone functions on the go. It’s a menu-based system like BMW’s iDrive, but the software’s a little more user-friendly and logical. Bluetooth, a navigation system, Sirius real-time traffic and an iPod connectivity kit are options on the 2010 A4, as is a high-quality Bang & Olufsen audio system. Audi gives buyers a choice of wood and leather colors, and the lighter palette introduced in the current generation is quite handsome and makes the cabin feel as airy as a Honda. Prices start at $32,275 and base stickers rise to $45,375.

• Styling is taut and clean
• Available quattro all-wheel drive
• Avant wagon’s utility
• Improved interior and backseat room

• Artificial steering feel with Drive Select
• Audi dual-clutch gearbox not offered
• Backseat sits too low
• Dark, hooded dash a styling step backward

With its latest reinvention, the Audi A4 finally gets the interior space it’s been lacking for a car in its price range. Wagons are even more generous with cargo space, though both sedan and wagon could use a higher rear seat for better comfort.

Automobile cites the A4’s measurements and proclaims it "significantly longer and wider than the [BMW] 3-series and the [Mercedes] C-class." The upsizing grants the A4 "a roomy interior, to which Audi adds a generous trunk." They add, there’s now "more space for long legs, broad shoulders, and tall heads than before," and that "the overall layout...is much more practical." Edmunds says the increase in wheelbase and cabin room "does more than improve the 2009 A4’s ride and handling"-it also hands the A4 "some useful rear-seat legroom at last." Few reviews cite the comfort of the Audi A4’s seats, but TheCarConnection.com’s editors feel the A4 has great front seats and plenty of headroom for all, but the rear seats aren’t that comfortable. Our complaint? The bottom cushion is short, the seatback angle is more upright than you might expect, and the seating position is low-though there’s plenty of knee room, at last.

Passengers aren’t the only ones to benefit from the added space. There’s more room for stuff in the A4’s "truly huge (i.e. flat, tall, and deep) trunk," says Car and Driver. The A4 Avant wagon tops the sedan with 17.3 cubic feet of space behind the rear seat, a hold that AutoWeek says "approaches the trunk space in full-size sedans such as the BMW 7 Series." AutoWeek also adds "with the rear seat folded, the Avant’s 50.5 cubic feet approaches the space in...the Ford Escape and the Nissan Murano." Though "the vast majority of Americans don’t seem to care for wagon variants," Popular Mechanics thinks "the convenience offered by the A4 Avant’s fold-down rear seats, its hatch and its comprehensive array of rear load-support bars, hooks and nets is worth a close look."

Audi does a better job than most companies in matching plastic textures and colors, so the A4’s interior still ranks above those from BMW and Mercedes even though it’s lost some of its rich-looking wood trim and conservative style over the years. "The design of the A4’s interior sets a new standard for small premium sedans," Edmunds says. "Not only is it fantastically comfortable, but also it looks beautifully modern and wonderfully constructed - nothing feels cheap." Car and Driver feels that "clear attention was paid to the haptic quality of the A4’s various buttons, switches, and other ditties that one must twist, poke, or pull."

The 2010 Audi A4 spans a wide performance spectrum with its available engines and transmissions. The base sedan has a 211-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, coupled to a six-speed manual, a six-speed automatic, or in front-drive versions, a continuously variable transmission (CVT). All-wheel drive is available on the four-cylinder sedan and comes standard on the six-cylinder sedan. The A4 Avant wagon comes only as a turbocharged four, with quattro and the six-speed automatic.Though it’s slower with either engine than the latest turbo BMWs, the Audi A4’s performance is quick. Edmunds puts it bluntly: "a BMW 335i can blow its doors off," they contend, and the Audi is a "bit lethargic considering our test car’s lofty sticker price." Edmunds was testing a V-6 A4, however; for 2010 Audi does offer an S4 with a supercharged V-6 engine to compete with the BMW turbo. Car and Driver finds the turbocharged four-cylinder "zippy," while Automobile clarifies that the new "211-hp TFSI unit has nothing in common with the outgoing car’s heavier and thirstier 200-hp edition." AutoWeek asserts this powerplant in the A4 Avant is "smooth, strong and sweeter than ever and, in a sense, not turbolike at all. Throttle response is immediate."

The 2010 Audi A4 sedan’s four-cylinder engine is "paired with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic in Quattro models," Automobile reports, while "front-wheel-drive cars will be available with the continuously variable Multitronic transmission." A "six-speed ZF automatic transmission, quattro all-wheel drive and the latest evolution of Audi’s 2.0-liter turbo with gasoline direct injection" is the sole wagon configuration, AutoWeek says. Audi’s become synonymous with all-wheel drive; "Quattro has been around since the earth cooled," Edmunds comments, "and we’re fans." With a power bias of 40:60 to the rear wheels, "the A4’s self-locking center differential redirects that power to the axle with the best traction" when traction suffers. Automobile points out "if need be, up to 90 percent can be directed to the front wheels."

All A4s have electronic power steering that responds quickly but with artificial feel and feedback. The new A4 also offers an optional Drive Select system that allows drivers to choose settings for ride quality, steering heft and quickness, and speed of transmission shifts. "Drive Select is a kind of personal onboard tuning service," AutoWeek says. Car and Driver is fine with the variable steering feel, calling it "less conspicuous" than similar systems offered on BMWs. Automobile feels the steering is "light and direct" in town, "meatier" on back roads, and "relaxed, thanks to a languid four turns lock-to-lock," on the highway. AutoWeek agrees with TheCarConnection.com; the Audi’s steering in most situations is "very light at low speeds, and while it firms up at high speeds, it wants to wander off center a bit, with a hint of twitch."

Ride comfort is a better proposition with Drive Select; Popular Mechanics says it enables driving in "tranquil fashion," while Car and Driver contends Drive Select’s programmed feel is "innately clean enough." This time Automobile points out, "On predominantly washboard tarmac, the difference in ride between the comfort and the dynamic settings was as stark as the difference in visibility between a lunar eclipse and a power failure in a coal mine." Edmunds complains that it "defaults to the Auto settings every time you start the car. It shouldn’t." Motor Trend thinks "the system isn’t perfect-dynamic’s ride is a bit too harsh for everyday driving, and comfort’s steering is too uncommunicative in turns. However, auto mode makes the best of both settings." Drive Select is an option, however, and cars without it "have precise, nicely weighted steering and firm, tidy ride qualities that are perfectly agreeable," Car and Driver comments.

Automobile observes that "thanks to Quattro and those wide eighteen-inch tires, traction and grip are phenomenal," and that "handling balance feels a lot more neutral than in the outgoing model." Edmunds calls it "a very sharp, communicative sedan and it’s fun to throw around," also noting that the brakes are "fantastic."

TheCarConnection.com sits with the minority on the virtues of Drive Select. It strips some of the basic goodness from the A4-steering feels too slow or too heavy, depending on the mode chosen, and ride quality can turn brittle in Sport mode. All of this can be corrected by leaving the car in Auto mode-or not opting for Drive Select at all. The worst offense with the A4, though, isn’t Drive Select; it’s the absence of Audi’s fantastic dual-clutch transmission.

Reviews from around the Web agree with TheCarConnection.com: The current Audi A4 has a sharp sense of style outside and a neatly arranged cabin with maybe a little less panache than in the past.

The resemblance to Audi’s own A6 is strong, particularly in the "tornado line" that borders the passenger cabin from the front fender to the rear fender. The size of the A4 is similar, too; it has grown substantially larger in both sedan and wagon form. It’s "4.6 inches longer and two inches wider than before," Car and Driver says, and it "grows from one of the smallest cars in its class to one of the largest, versus competitors such as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the BMW 3 Series," according to AutoWeek. That increased size gives it "infinitely more presence," Car and Driver adds. "Imagery doesn’t do justice to the new A4." Motor Trend likes the new "sculpted lines" and the "more aggressive front end," noting that the changes provide the A4 "a planted, sportier stance" that "holds the road with a new sense of confidence and enthusiasm." TheCarConnection.com’s editors have some qualms with the deeply cut-in grille, but the LED running lights are an interesting, forward-looking filigree. Car and Driver agrees and approves of the new lighting applied to the nose, calling it "LED eyeliner"; Cars.com deems these lights "an uncommon feature, but they are very good at grabbing the attention of oncoming motorists thanks to the bright, white light they emit." In general, the exterior shape is more balanced on the wagon, which AutoWeek reviews favorably. It’s "good-looking to boot," they report, with "muscular proportions, short overhangs and gracefully arcing roof."

With the new A4 lineup comes a deeper, darker binnacled dash that omits some of the more expensive wood trim of the past, and in the process leaves off some of the impression of quiet luxury that used to pervade all Audis. It’s still handsome and well finished, but there’s more black and metallic plastic and LCD readouts than ever. It’s "a huge step forward," in Car and Driver’s opinion. "Even without the sunroof, the space feels open and airy." Motor Trend gives their approval to the "high-quality materials and clean, attractive design [that] continue to live up to Audi’s stellar reputation as the industry benchmark." The best details? A thick steering wheel, a choice of brushed-aluminum or wood trim, and a more substantial look than either the rival BMW 3-Series or the Mercedes-Benz C-Class-as well as the ubiquitous starter button.

Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have crash-tested the 2010 Audi A4. Both agencies give the 2010 Audi A4 the highest safety ratings possible.

The 2010 Audi A4 does have an exhaustive list of standard safety equipment. Cars.com says that list includes "six standard airbags," as does Motor Trend, which notes that side airbags for the rear seats are "optional."

Other standard safety features on the 2009 Audi A4 include anti-lock brakes, stability control, traction control, and LATCH child-seat hooks.

Popular Mechanics notes the Audi A4’s exotic safety options, such as "active cruise control, lane monitoring and collision warning-not to mention Audi side assist, a radar-based system that warns against vehicles approaching from the rear three-quarter view-often a potential blind spot for drivers." There’s also a backup camera, Cars.com reports.

TheCarConnection.com points out that the Audi A4’s rear seat also has headrests for all three passengers. Visibility in both the wagon and sedan is quite good, even with those headrests in the upright position.

Apart from its variety of body styles, drivetrains, and safety systems, the 2010 Audi A4 offers a host of standard and optional features that are among the best in its class.

Standard features on the A4 include the usual power accessories, an AM/FM/CD player, and air conditioning. Motor Trend reports leather upholstery is standard. Also on the equipment list for all A4 wagons and sedans are Sirius Satellite Radio; cruise control; and a sunroof.

Bluetooth and a navigation system are options on the 2010 A4, as is premium audio. Motor Trend notes "a choice of Bang & Olufsen stereo systems, including the excellent 14-speaker setup we sampled, plus a six-disc CD changer and iPod connectivity." Of the upmarket sound options, "We have no complaints," Edmunds reports.

Audi’s MMI (Multi Media Interface) system, which uses a rotary controller to aid the driver in setting climate, audio, and phone functions on the go, is a standard feature, and a somewhat hit-or-miss one. It’s a menu-based system like BMW’s iDrive, but the software’s a little more user-friendly and logical. The MMI "makes [BMW’s] iDrive seem like a cruel joke," Edmunds observes. Cars.com believes "MMI can be tedious to use at times, but Audi does provide secondary controls for the air conditioning system."

A keyless entry system is offered on the new 2010 Audi A4. "It can-like most cars in this segment-recall radio presets, exterior mirror positions, and interior-and-exterior lighting preferences on approach and egress," Cars.com reports. "But programmability now extends to many more ancillaries, such as deactivating the auto-up feature on the rear windows or turning down the intensity of the steering-wheel warning vibes when the new lane-monitoring option thinks you’re veering."