2muchtorque

Hi everyone,

I'm interested in purchasing my first Audi A4 (US version, if that matters) and have selected a few years. All the options below have less than 55K on the ODO. Have owned a few BMWs over the years, and a Q7 and done all maintenance on them myself.

So from this list below, which one would you recommend ?

• 2019 Premium S-Line AWD (this has some damage reported on the rear - I can inquire about the incident if this is a really good year)
• 2017 Ultra Premium FWD
• 2021 40 Premium Plus AWD (there are several of these, fresh out of the lease)

Also, how intrusive is the lane assist (and any other **assist**) features ? Can they be turned off permanently ? Does the 2017 version have less such "features" ?

Thank you for your time.

A4Audi4Fun

My take is avoid FWD and/or 40 TFSI engines period . You buy Audi for AWD and you will miss the extra power the 45 TFSI provides over the 40.

Lane Assist is controlled by a button on the indicator stalk and can be turned off.

2muchtorque

Thing is, if I need AWD feature, which is rare considering where I live, I'll drive my Q7. Or my 528xi.

In my experience, AWD lowers the mpg, introduces a transfer case which needs to have its fluid changed regularly (and at least on Q7 it's a tricky job), another differential to maintain and it's harder to work on generally as it is more "crowded out there" compared to FWD. So unless I truly need AWD for its purpose, which I really don't here, I'd pass on it. Unless, of course, certain features only come with "quattro".

The reason I am looking at Audi is because I've bought quite a few tools for my Q7 already, German suspension is still the best out there, for the comfort and quality of the seats, the quality of the interior, and I really like the inside and outside design (and they have the most experience with turbos if I'm not mistaken).

The extra power would be great however, since I'll drive this car to work on busy roads, I doubt I'll have the chance to use it. I've only seen ONE 45 TFSI around my area with that low mileage, and that one has been in an accident (now I wonder why ... ).

For good ? Does it stay off between re-starts ?

apprehends

When you turn off the lane assist, it is off until it is turned back on, however, when it is on, it stays on between restarts

SMac770

You must have a 4L Q7, not a 4M Q7 (MLBevo). 4M uses the same Torsen center diff ZF transmission config as most of MLB and MLBevo, until Audi started pimping the DL382 and their quattro ultra.
All the B9 A4 are going to be DL382 DCT. The 2017 will be Torsen, the 2021 will be quattro ultra.
2017-2019 are B9.0, with MIB2 and normal MMI dial. 2020+ are B9.5, with MIB3 and touchscreen.
You're not getting lane assist without Prestige trim, afaik.
You list the 2017 as ultra, but also awd? MY17 ultra should be the b-cycle engine with fwd.

142 guy

I am always a little fuzzy on the phased introduction of Quattro Ultra on the A4; but, certainly after 2019 all A4 Quattro cars will be Ultra. Ultra is heavily front wheel drive biased with the Ultra / 4WD clutch on the transmission output shaft to the rear being open most of the time. My 2021 allroad definitely has a front wheel drive understeer feel to it. On very icy conditions, if you hit the gas in a corner you can feel the car transition from slight understeer to oversteer. Get enthusiastic and you can wag the back end with no problem. I don't mind the mild understeer; but, you should test drive first to decide. However, if you want an A4 and you want a later model you are getting Ultra. If I resist the urge to pass and travel at the posted speed limit, my 2021 ultra equipped allroad delivers fuel consumption figures that are significantly better than the Transport Canada drive cycle numbers.

If you don't need AWD the FWD with the B cycle engine might be a good option. It still has 200 hp so it should not be a dog and the modified Miller cycle engine should treat you well with highway fuel consumption. I would expect you should be well over 40 mi/gal in straight up cruising. I don't know about the US market; but, the FWD with B cycle engine disappeared from Canada around or before 2021 and was fairly rare prior to that.

In Canada, in 2021 all A4s, even the entry level had lane assist. I can't speak to earlier years or other markets. I don't find the lane assist intrusive, it definitely will not steer the car for you. In fact, I find that you almost have to be right at the edge / outside the lane before it shakes the wheel. We did a little 500 km road trip yesterday and the lane assist never went active. As noted, if you don't turn it on it stays off.

B9.5 cars have revised styling with a revised MMI. Styling changes are subjective and relatively minor. The change to the MMI may be worth checking out to decide whether it has value for you.

Early B9 cars had water pump / thermostat housing leakage issues. There is a class action for claims on this. I don't know whether the later cars are better or just haven't entered the failure mode yet.

It is not particularly relevant; but, I think Volvo is the winner in the years of turbo experience marathon. The 200 series has had a turbo option since 1981 in 1987 or 1988 Volvo had sold more turbo equipped cars than the total rest of the (spark ignition) world market. Audi's turbo experience may not be particularly useful because the B9 cars still suffer from waste gate wear which results in DTCs and a need to replace the complete turbo assembly. In 2021 the A4 switched from the IHI turbo to a Garrett turbo so that problem might have gone away or may be waiting to return as the Garrett equipped cars age.

This car sounds like it is going to be a daily driver in which case reliability matters. Perhaps check the Consumer Reports Buyers guide for reliability info. In 2021, the A4 was ranked better than average. You might want to check to see if particular years have deteriorated. The Consumer Reports reliability guides indicate that the most problematic reliability area for the A4 (and jut about all cars) is in-car electronics. The only recall that I have had for my allroad is the MMI firmware update to deal with potential back up camera issues. Base level models have less in car electronics so may have less problems.

In picking an A4 versus any other car, I would not assign too much value to having tools for the Q7 which might work on the A4. The only things that may be transferable are a vacuum extraction pump for oil changes and a VAG enabled scan tool.

LightningTruck

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I've owned both a 2017 and a 2022 since new.
Of those choices I would go for the 2021, many updates and improvements were made over the years.
Make sure you hire an independent mechanic put it up on the ramp and inspect the car before you buy.
.

2muchtorque

Thanks for all the details provided ! And you are correct, I have a 4L Q7. I was wrong when I said changing the transfer case oil was tricky on the Q7 (it wasn't) - I confused it with same procedure on my 528xi bimmer which I've done around the same time two years ago.

Oooops ... My mistake again. The 2019 S-line was AWD and 2017 was indeed FWD. I corrected my initial post. Sorry about that ... (had too many tabs opened )

2muchtorque

Many thanks for your detailed reply ! I'll do more research on this issue.

Hope the turbo lasts for 150K with more frequent oil changes.

Already doing it

I probably exaggerated a bit with that sentence but hey, how many other brands use XZN triple square sockets ?