German Car Zone

There is no analogue clock.

Very honest analysis. No matter how attractive the B8 A4/A5 interior is, it's a major step back from the B7 which had quality on the same level as the new C-class.

I know he meant in terms of looks that why i said the C has better materials and fit/finish

I didn't notice for the mark-sensitive Audi. But the dash material looks better than in the W204, who is like you said a bit too shiny and also, the texture is not as refined as in the Audi. But it does feel very solid and reassuring.

We once had a B5 A4 in the family (2.5 V6 TDI Quattro, beige leather, light wood). My God, what an interior... It was just gorgeous. Absolutely mind-blowing. Once you were inside, you didn't want to leave it... A masterpiece. Unfortunately, the rest didn't follow: Quattro problems, turbo and airflow-sensor broken, the car was slow as hell (no turbo) and smoked more than an airplane.
But the interior, wow...The delicate wood all along the interior, the splendid leather, the soft plastics everywhere, the expensive touch of the buttons, the super-easy gearbox... Fit and finish were perfect, bar the handles who were peeling at some places.

No car in the category could come even close to a B5/B6/B7 Audi. Even the excellent e46 was beaten in this respect. And the W203... no comparison.

The W204 has an even better "quality-feel", no peeling plastics, and the same fit and finish. However, the dash material is not on par with these old Audis. The e90 is a bit disappointing (lots of black, hard plastic bits, some fit imperfections), and the B8 is now the worse of the category.

I think that the Audi-finish is now inferior because they spend more money on other areas of the car. The B5-7 were praised for their interior, but critcized for everything else, and especially the handling. Audi doesn't have sub-par drivetrains any more, but has lost the edge in the finish and interior...

Karma given! Great post dude, I only see this thread just now
If only you had put a facelifted 3er in the comparison, and it would have been perfect.

IMO, the A4 could VERY WELL have been a VW. The quality is about equal. The Benz definitely gets my vote here. Ever though I am not a huge fan of the styling, the quality is good.

Lol that is hilarious, the difference in quality is night and day. Latest VWs like the Passat , the Scirocco and the Tiguan are very mediocre.

PS. I was reading the Greek Autobild today and they said that Q5 has the best quality in it's class like the A4. They give a 19 out of 20 for quality impression.

They have said the same in their A4 vs 3 series comparison...

autobild.gr

They say that A4 has a more luxurious interior and the materials are soft and remind of an upper class car , while 3 series inside is plain.

Well thing is, journos only give a quick stare to the interior, ok looks good, and then they move on to measure the length of the glovebox and the size of the boot handle...
They are used to say "Audi's the benchmark", and will say that long after this is not true any more. They they will start to realize it's not true, say it's crap, and will go on saying it's crap long after they have recovered...

I remember seeing many reviews saying the W203 has an outstanding finish...false.
Now many say the W204 has a bad finish...false.

They always are a train too late...

That's actually not the case. Pretty much all the plastic on the center console is hard and doesn't have the soft and rubbery feeling like the B7. The plastic feel sort of like my computer keyboard and feels slightly hollow.

With the B6 A4, that was the case. With the B7/B8 i'm afraid not!

I agree, the B6 had an interior quality feel that really struck me.