BMWBig6

My dealership's loaner car selection was limited on Saturday morning, so they tossed me the key to a 2008 A4 3.2 Quattro sedan (sticker $44,065). I was originally disappointed because I was hoping for something fun and interesting, but now I'm glad to have a B7 to directly compare with my B8, as it makes me appreciate my B8 even more. Here are the specs on the B7 in my garage now:

- Phantom Black
- Beige Interior
- 6-speed Auto
- Convenience Package
- Audio Package (Bose)
- Multi-Function Steering Wheel
- Bluetooth
- Ipod Interface
- S-Line Exterior Package
- Leather Seating Surfaces

I noticed the last 2 items say "no charge" next to them on the sticker, so maybe this was an end-of-life "Special Edition" package for the B7. I've never owned (nor driven) a B7 before, so these are actually my first impressions driving the B7. The funny thing is, the B7 is "newer" than my car, with only 1,450 miles on the odo. Anyway, here are some of the highlights and differences I've noted so far:



Exterior:

Likes:
- The little satin silver trim on top of the rear bumper to protect the trunk sill
- Folding mirrors (but more from a gimmick/novelty perspective)
- Adaptive headlights

Dislikes:
- Plain 5-spoke wheels (but they do look easy to clean)
- Nose looks stubby (piggish?)
- Visible tow hook protruding from below rear bumper (why couldn't Audi hide this?)
- Proportions (overall length vs. height) are less elegant than B8's, and B7's butch looks are especially amplified by long front overhang
- 4x4 look (too much wheel well gap)
- Small, unhappy (droopy?) looking side-view mirrors

Undecided:
- "Old-style" flip-up paddle door handles (they're not really inferior, but I think I prefer the B8 ones)
- I think I might actually prefer the B7 S-line grill design (with its vertical bars in the forefront, vs. the B8's grill with horizontal bars in the forefront instead). It's a subtle difference, but if I had to choose I'd probably go with the B7 style.

Other comments:
I don't care much for the way the car looks from the outside, as it looks too top heavy and bulbous. The B7 looks aggressive in RS4 trim, but the 3.2 with S-Line exterior is kind of bland and underwhelming to me. The B7 S-line sill extensions (or door bumper guards?) look like pontoons and add even more visual girth that the car doesn't need. The B7 isn't ugly (because I still consider it handsome), but it is a little too plain for me with the flat slab-sided doors and over-softened corners. It's almost as if Audi left the car in a rock tumbler for too long, as there are very few crisp edges or corners in the design to make it dimensional and dynamic. Some of the details on the car are nice though, like the satin bumper trim and headlight assembly design. The Audi rings badge on the trunk is smaller on the B7, which I found peculiar. I also thought it interesting that Audi changed from a single static B-pillar on the B7 to a divided B-pillar on the B8. Again, the car isn't ugly, but seems to lack some personality. It's just not something I would choose for myself.



Interior:

Likes:
- Backseat footwell lights (to me the incandescent bulbs are warmer and more inviting than LED, and I also like how only 1 side illuminates depending on which door you open)
- How the coolant temperature and fuel gauges are ever-so-slightly canted toward the driver
- How easy it is to program the clock time
- Cupholders hold 2 full-size drinks
- Backseat cupholders seem like they would hold condensation better because the bottom is a tray design (vs. open design of B8 which would allow water to drip on to seats)
- Seats are very comfortable
- Little central sun visor above rear-view mirror
- Sunroof seems quieter at speed, even at widest opening
- Trunk is approximately 3 inches deeper than B8 (measured on the floor from base of rear seatback to edge of trunk); trunk width is the same as B8

Dislikes:
- That godforsaken center armrest
- Non-angled center console (I didn't think this was a big deal in the B8, but it's very annoying to me once in the B7)
- Backseat legroom is slightly tighter than B8, not as much of a difference as I expected, but definitely bordering on "cramped."
- Bose stereo is not in the same league as B&O, but probably doesn't cost as much either
- Beige interior is pretty to look at, but soils too easily and has way too many smudge marks for only having 1450 miles (granted, this is a loaner car).
- No digital speedometer?
- Turn signal tick-tick-tick is too loud and mechanical-sounding
- Award-winner for worst placement of trunk-release and gas cap release buttons
- Have I mentioned the awful center armrest?
- Manual parking brake? Oh the humanity! (Just kidding, the brake handle itself isn't a bad thing, but it reminds me how poorly placed the center armrest is when they interfere with each other.)

Undecided:
- The car smells different than my B8, not sure if it's the leather vs. Alcantara or different plastics.
- Climate control seems harder to dial in because it's less responsive (needs input closer to extremes to notice any difference), but I bet with a few more days I'd get used to it and have better luck modulating temperature to a sweet spot
- 4-spoke steering wheel, it's not really bad but it just doesn't suit me as well as the 3-spoke
- The big red "STOP" button by the seat memory control is comical

Other comments:
I think the wood steering wheel is too "Grandpa's Jaguar" and is out of place with S-line exterior, but I know many people prefer to be coddled with a luxurious interior even with a businesslike exterior. To me, the contrast is just plain weird, and the net effect is diminished overall sportiness and less performance credibility. My B8 2.0T may not have as many ponies as the B7 3.2, but it looks purposeful and is visually coherent in theme. This B7 S-Line ("Special Edition" only?) seems to be more of a pretender posing as a performance sedan.



Motoring:

Likes:
- The throaty V6 makes nice noises, and pulls effortlessly with authority and little drama (seems faster, though I don't know how much of this is due to sensory illusion so maybe it just "sounds" faster since I have no data to confirm this)
- Indicated fuel economy for a barely-broken-in 3.2 V6 is really good. I was seeing 21-27 MPG around town. I'm going to reset the trip meter and see how close I can get to the 24 MPG my 2.0T has been averaging so far on the same routes.
- The ride is quite comfortable
- Steering feels nicely weighted (firmer than B8 with ADS in Auto)

Dislikes:
- Very noticeable vibration at idle while car is engaged in Drive, which leads me to believe that the smoothness of the B8 2.0T has less to do with motor enhancements and more to do with Audi's momentary disengagement of the B8's drive-line when the car is stopped and idling (in gear). This is the first thing I noticed about the B7 and while the V6 lives up to the claims of buttery smoothness while underway and at higher RPMs, it's not smooth at all at idle and you feel it in the steering wheel, pedals, seats, etc. I never experienced this in BMWs, but they do have better balanced inline sixes. However the C6 A6 doesn't seem to suffer from this problem so perhaps poor cabin isolation from NVH is to blame here. This problem unfortunately reduces one's sense of the B7's ultimate refinement in a big way.
- Tiptronic is not as immediate when shifting
- Too much squat, pitch, and dive in suspension (I was embarrassed to see my headlights bobbing up and down when scooting from a stoplight)
- Exhaust is too loud at part throttle, and sounds too much like a V6 Mustang in stop-and-go driving (though it sounds better at full roar).

Undecided:
- Brakes, haven't pushed them yet

Other comments:
The B7 feels ponderous in athletic maneuvers but has great road manners when just cruising. The isolation from the road is a trade-off though, as it's less engaging to drive (mostly due to the suspension and sometimes vague steering only when compared to ADS in Dynamic). Behind the wheel, I sometimes thought I was piloting an A6. The driving experience was nothing like the wired, go-kart feel I get behind the wheel of an A3, which is more tactile and direct.


Conclusion:
I hope this doesn't read like I'm taking a big crap on the B7 because I'm not, and I actually do favor some things about the B7 over my B8. It's not a fair apples-to-apples comparison anyway for several reasons:

1) The B8 replaced the B7 and obviously reflects years of progress and technological development, not to mention changing trends and fads.

2) I configured my B8 exactly the way I wanted but I had no control over the B7's configuration, so that explains some of my qualms (it didn't have Nav so I obviously couldn't compare that). I'm sure I'd be critical of a differently equipped B8 loaner car too, on the same basis.

3) I'm biased and am probably over-emphasizing traits that reinforce my decision to purchase a B8, there I said it LOL!

Anyway, I just thought it would be worth sharing some of my initial impressions of the B7, as it has been an illuminating experience for me and makes me very glad to have my B8. The point of this post was not to determine which car is better, but to gauge how far Audi has come in a single generation.

~pino~

the "Audi's momentary disengagement of the B8's drive-line when the car is stopped and idling (in gear)."
Where can I find more info?

Spacecadet_CC

weird - the B7 S-Line doesn't come with 3 spoke? And wood????? That is a definite miss.

Spacecadet_CC

excited because I LOVE my B6 (A4 and current/temporary S4). So definitely hyped up from reading this.

My only disagreement, and it is only a subjective one, is that I really like the stubbiness and butch looks of the B6 (over the B7), and it has been one of the only things that I have been hesitant on. I have always been a Euro-blunt/stubby fan so am going to have to get used to it a little. BUT, when the car is set-up with the S-Line (like yours is), it looks perfectly balanced. So I am on my way to being happy!

Blake P

Either you are one observant **** or you purposely spent a lot of time checking out that car. I don't think I've made that many observations about my B8 and i've had it over 2 months!

afouralex

agreed, it blows my mind how he thinks of everything...maybe has a checklist?

BMWBig6

<i>
When the car is at a standstill, a controlled drive-off clutch disconnects the transmission from the engine even if the selector lever remains in position D. As soon as the driver releases the brakes, the clutch is engaged.
</i>

I believe this contributes the most to isolating the cabin from any vibrations while stopped in gear, though the 2.0T uses 2 balancer shafts that rotate at 2X the crankshaft speed to minimize vibrations too.

BMWBig6

Which implies to me that there is a full S-line package that includes all the other goodies. I think my B7 loaner has standard suspension too (which would explain the nice ride and 4x4 look). There are no S-line badges on the interior, just the exterior.

I don't know for sure, but I really think my loaner car is one of those end-of-model-run "Special Edition" packages that Blake P was talking about, where all of the A4's were built with S-line exteriors at the end of their production run, presumably to help boost sales or get rid of spare parts (and perhaps also to annoy people like Blake and I who paid extra for the S-line exclusivity up front in the beginning of the model run, LOL).

BMWBig6

The B7 taillights aren't distinctive enough (B6 didn't have this problem).

BMWBig6

My wife likes to move things around the kitchen or bathroom, just to see if I notice. I always do, so the joke never gets old to her.