Long-Termer Review: 2023 Audi A4

A year with the Audi A4, likes and dislikes!

Audi released the A4 in the mid-90s to go head to head with its German cousins, the Mercedes C-class and BMW 3-series. The A4 is offered in various guises; saloon/sedan, as a practical estate car, elegant convertible, and the performance focussed S4 and RS4 variants. The current 5th generation A4 was released in 2016 and given a facelift in 2020, upgrading its headlights, taillights and body panels, which overall gave it a more aggressive stance over the pre-facelift model. Whilst the 3-series has always led the pack in this segment for driver engagement and for its performance ‘M’ variants, the C-class has excelled in providing a silky smooth ride and wafty suspension, it would seem the A4 is trying to play catch-up. Although it might not be as good in the corners and not provide the steering ‘feel’ of a BMW, it grips impressively especially when fitted with Audi’s famous ‘quattro’ all wheel drive system. The suspension is firmer than a C-class, but on a good road surface and fitted with sensibly sized alloys it provides a comfy ride, and gets more hunkered down to the road the faster you go. If understated elegance is your thing, it's hard to beat the Audi. 

In the Mercedes and BMW you get massive screens with lots of functionality, whereas the A4 sticks with a single tablet in the middle of the dashboard. The instrument clusters are displayed in the virtual cockpit. The climate controls are all physical dials and tactile buttons that make it much easier than having to scroll through a menu each time you want to change the temperature.

So what is a new A4 like to live with? I have been driving a 2023 model A4 for the past year and overall I have really enjoyed the car. One of my favourite aspects is the exterior design and the ‘Chronos Grey Metallic’ colour. It’s further enhanced by the 19” five spoke alloys and  S-line trim pack which gives you blacked out badges, de-chroming and a flat bottom steering wheel. Picking the ‘Atlas Beige’ leather over black was definitely a good choice as it makes all the difference in a hot place like Dubai and gives an airier feel to  the cabin. Talking of hot places, the AC is excellent and cools the car down in no time, even in the blistering summer heat. The back seats are also comfortable and can fit 3 adults (although the person in the middle may not be the happiest!). The boot is also copious (460 litres), and will easily fit two large suitcases and a small carry-on case, handy for when you need to do the airport run.

This particular A4 is a 35 TFSI, and like with many other  modern day car makers this model designation does not correlate with the engine size. It’s powered by a turbo-charged 4-cyl that produces 150 bhp and 270 NM of torque. The engine is mated to a dual-clutch 7 speed transmission that powers the front wheels. Combined, it is well suited for daily driving with enough power for cruising and overtaking during your commute down the E11! The smoothness is coupled with great fuel economy. It has averaged a combined 36 mpg or 7.8 litres/100km, and costs around 120 AED to fill a tank based on current fuel prices. 

Onto dislikes…for a vehicle of this price point (around 230,000 AED new) it’s disappointing that memory seats only come as an option. I share the car with my wife, so memory seats would definitely save having to readjust my seating position each time. Onto the interior, like with many manufacturers, Audi has gone with piano black inserts that look great for the first two weeks of use, but quickly scratch up and attract lots of fingerprints. Another annoyance are the alloys, although the five spoke design looks great, they attract lots of brake dust and can be a pain to keep clean! 

Is it expensive to maintain? As the car is only 12 months old, I haven’t had to do anything outside of the scheduled maintenance (covered under the 5 year service package) which is required every 12 months or 15,000 km, whichever comes first. There are no documented horror stories around reliability of these models, but as with any pre-owned car make sure to look for a full service history and get a pre-purchase inspection done before parting with any cash. In terms of used car values, you can pick up a 2021 American spec car with under 40k km for around 117,000 AED or 2023 GCC spec from the official dealer for around 150,000 to 175,000 AED. 

Overall Rating  (Excellent - 4/5)

If you’re after a practical, understated, smooth riding and economical saloon, the A4 might just be the car for you. 

Driving (performance, refinement, handling) : 4 /5 (great refinement, could do with some extra power)

Behind the wheel (seating position, infotainment, quality): 4/5 (minimalist design and quality of fit and finished is superb)

Practicality (interior space, boot): 4.5/5 (missed out on 5 as the seats don’t fold flat)

Ownership (costs, reliability, equipment): 3.5/5  (high cost to purchase new, missing some equipment and german cars can cost more to maintain in the long run)

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