I almost bought, well leased, my wife an A4 about 2 1/2 years ago. It's a car I've really liked ever since it hit the street back in 1994. I always felt it was one of those rare cars that would look right decades from now, plus I really liked the way it drove. I remember there was a silver front-wheel-drive 1.8T automatic with the small wheels and tires at a local dealer; it stickered for $26,500 or so. The thing was that the 2.3-liter automatic Z3 at the neighboring BMW dealer, which stickered for $34,500, cost the same over the 3-year lease. Same down, same monthly.
Needless to say, my wife has been driving around in a silver Z3 for the last year and half, and she loves it. But her 3-year lease is almost up. That's right, we're shopping A4s again.
There's just something about the car that makes me want to own one. I was worried when I first saw photos of the newly styled 2002 A4. Like the just-replaced BMW 740i, I didn't think it was possible to replace the car with a better looking model. Plus, the new A4 looked more like the A6, which I never liked as much.
I was wrong. The new A4 is flat gorgeous. It's better looking than the previous A4 and better proportioned than the A6. In fact, with the possible exception of the BMW 3 Series, the new A4 is the best looking sedan on the market...if, and this is a big if, it's equipped with the Sport Package, which costs $1,000 and adds the 17-in. wheels and tires.
With the standard 15-in. rubber you get with the 1.8T engine, or the 16-in. rollers you get with the 3.0-liter, the car just doesn't look right. It looks top heavy and has no stance.
With the Sport Package, however, the A4's body looks like it's been shrinkwrapped around its chassis. It's low and wide with just the right amount of flare to the wheelwells. I also dig the dual exhaust tips and the subtle chrome surround of the lower grille opening, which makes the front of the car even more appealing.
I'm telling you all this because our long-term A4 does not have the Sport Package, and the result just looks funny to me. It looks like somebody put Michael J. Fox's legs on Arnold Schwarzenegger.
This is a shame, because our A4 is a truly wonderful car. Tight. Quick. Comfortable. The additional legroom over the previous model is a big plus, as is the added power of the 220-bhp 3.0-liter V6. Our car is also equipped with Audi's Multitronic Continuously Variable Transmission, which works brilliantly with the torquey V6.
The more you drive this car, the more impressive its drivetrain becomes. It's always smooth, but it's also very responsive. The CVT reacts quickly to the driver's right foot when it's left in "Drive," and it downshifts like Schumacher's ride when you take advantage of the steering-wheel-mounted shift buttons.
In the curves, our front-wheel-drive tester pleases, but it does understeer and can beat up its front tires. From the behind the wheel the car feels small and light, but it just isn't very agile when pushed hard. It likes long sweepers, but its knees buckle in the tighter stuff.
On the highway, however, those tires and a far from firm suspension add up to a great cross-country cruiser. Of all our long-termers, this is the one to take to Vegas for the weekend.
The interior is very Audi, which means perfect. This car is well built, but it has an emotional flair that is missing from, say, a Lexus ES300. The metal bezels around the gauges are a nice touch, as is the aluminum shifter base and door handles. I also get off on how nicely damped the ashtray door and the grab handles are, and I love that all four windows are one-touch up and down.
With our test car costing close to $35,000, however, I think heated seats, which are missing, shouldn't be. I would also prefer a better cupholder, and one for the passenger. I also need to keep the automatic climate control on 64F to be kept cool on a midsummer day. In most other cars 69F is sufficient to keep me comfortable.
By the time you read this, I just may be an A4 owner. Make mine silver with the Sport Package. No, make that black. We're buying instead of leasing this time, and black will always look good. I plan on owning this one for a long time.