Overview of the Audi A4
In 1995, the Audi 80 became the Audi A4 - and proceeded to help put the brand on the executive-car map. The A4 has improved over the generations to become a formidable rival for the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and for years now has led the medium-luxury-car segment for interior presentation. It is available in sedan and wagon forms, with coupe and convertible versions since 2007 adopting the A5 badge. There are also sportier S4 and RS4 variants, as well as a high-riding Allroad model.
AUDI A4 GENERATIONS (SINCE 2001)
2001-2008
2008-2016
2016 onwards
RUNNING COSTS
Fuel Consumption
2.0L 4-cylinder turbo diesel: 4.5 to 4.6 litres per 100km
1.4L 4-cylinder turbo: 5.5 to 5.6 litres per 100km
2.0L 4-cylinder turbo: 5.3 to 6.8 litres per 100km
= Highly economical.
= Good economy.
= Average fuel use.
= Heavy consumption.
Servicing
Currently costs about $1620 for a servicing package covering three years or 45,000km. Audi A4 parts and accessoriescan be found on Gumtree.
SIMILAR MODELS TO AUDI A4
BMW 3 Series
Jaguar XE
Lexus IS
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR: AUDI A4 (2008 to 2015)
A4s fitted with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission can have problems due to accelerated wear in the gearbox. The seven-speed unit can suffer from clutch wear that will make the car shudder on take-off.
In other cases, the Mechatronics unit (which controls the gear selection) can develop faults leading to all sorts of transmission woes.
The A4 four-cylinder engine can also use more oil than some owners were expecting and the 3.0-litre V6 can develop a noisy timing chain.
Like many common-rail diesel engines, the Audi diesel can suffer from a build-up of sludge in the intake tract that needs to be cleaned out.
A 'check engine' light combined with sluggish performance is the first sign of sludge.
The A4 in diesel form was caught up in the infamous 'Dieselgate' scandal that arose in 2015 - where software was fitted to the engines to make them pass official emissions testing before reverting to a dirtier running mode in the real world.
There's a recall to fix this.
