German Car Zone

Hi,

I am a newbie in this forum and a been silent spectator till now. I do not know if this question has been asked before, but I am curious to learn about reviews/comments on A4's reliability in comparison with the competition (3-series, C-class specifically).

Also, I'd like to know whether A4 is "considered" a class leader in interior quality for its category? I guess this is quite subjective, but I'd still like to hear logical opinions.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

- M


PS. If these issues have been discussed before (which I believe have been), I'd appreciate if you can point me to appropriate discussion threads/articles.

Hello metalblaze, cheers for your first post.

In my opinion, the A4 has the best interior of the three cars. Audi is considered by many to be the market leader for interior design. Of course, some people do think the Audi interiors are boring and ultra conservative -- that is also a reasonable point. Audi does not set out to wow people with design. I have not seen the C class' interior first hand yet, so I cannot comment on the build quality, but IMO it is not a particularly beautiful interior. The BMW is good but is a little bit flimsy in a couple of places.

Haven't seen the new C class but compared to the previous model A4's interior is better build and more solid, the materials and ergonomics are also top notch.

BMW E92 has well build interior also but i would give the A4 a slight edge in build quality and material quality.

Note here that i have a B6 A4 for 3 1/2 years and after 42,000 tough kilometers (Greek roads suck , pleanty of potholes and imperfections) you can't hear any rattle at all. The plastic parts are all in excellent shape.

I agree with Rob and Yannis. The A4 has the best interior quality when compared to E90/E91 3 Series and W204 C-Class. (Although I think E92 3 Series Coupé is on par with the A4).

Thank you all for your inputs -- much appreciated. At present, I am also seriously considering Lexus IS 250 AWD (haven't test-driven yet). I know Lexus is recognized for its reliability, but I would like to know your opinions about driving dynamics & interior quality.

Cheers,
- M

Well, personally I'd go with an A4. My sister has an IS 250 AWD, and while it's a nice car.. it's not like a german car. I mean, you can drive it of course, but it's a bit understeering and the gearbox is very slow shifting in manual mode. The big plus is the fact that it's a toyota, so you know that you're probably not gonna have any problems with it. On the other hand, it's not gonna be as fun to drive as an audi or a bmw.

I simply do not understand how the new A4's interior can be said to be superior to the 3-er and C-Class. I found it entirely unimpressive. Quite poor in fact.

Rob you say you have not spent time in the C's interior or seen it first hand, have you done so for the A4? Judging the A4 by the pictures is hugely decieving. It photographs far far better then it actually is. The entire opposite is the case for the C.

Sure Audi interiors were once outstanding benchmarks, for a small car my A3 is excellent, but the new interiors are not as good as the old ones.

Here is a review I did not long ago:
http://www.germancarzone.com/pit-gen...-choose-4.html (Mercedes C-class Vs. Audi A4 (help us choose))

I'm curious about the reliability of the new A4, I mean I know it's not going to be a peugeot or an old lambo in terms of breaking down all the time, but I mean I have to wonder. Does anyone have any experiences with Audi's either good or bad in terms of the A4? Are they more prone to reliability issues than like a bimmer or what? I only ask this cause I'm looking into a new car soon, and I wanna know EVERYTHING about the car, aside from the test-drive

Ive found that it pays to do one's research and find out as much as they can when looking for a new car.

I have been in the A4 ...and sure it is not as good as the A6 (which I am very familar with) ...but to be honest, I wasn't really thinking much about it at the time.

I'll take your word for it that the C Class is superior

A4 has lost the edge in quality material among the competition, its not better anymore. E90 recently got a facelift and the quality materials has been improved according to the pressrelese. C-class interior is good but not fantastic.

This is what disturbed me the most, looks very cheap and plastic for an Audi.