Team-BHP > Team-BHP Reviews > Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports


Reply
  Search this Thread
44,726 views
Old 16th April 2020, 17:38   #1
BHPian
 
prateekchanana's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 234
Thanked: 1,026 Times
2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream

Hi everyone, this is my first post on the forum, so kindly pardon if I make any mistakes. First of all thanks a lot for letting me become a part of this amazing forum. I wanted to share my experience of buying and using the A4, which is not a very popular choice anymore. I also want to thank GTO and other mods to help me compile this review.


Positives
  • The amazing 35 TDI 190 BHP / 400 NM engine
  • Great quality interiors / everything has a built to last feeling.
  • More leg space than 3 series and C class (at time of purchase)
  • Slick and fast DSG gearbox
  • Space saver spare wheel
  • 3 zone climate control and customisable ambient light colours.
  • Timeless exterior with a clean and classy design.


Negatives
  • Uninspiring 1.4L petrol engine
  • Missing features like CarPlay, Virtual Cockpit and Navigation on lower trim
  • Strictly average audi sound system
  • Small sunroof and not a panoramic
  • TPMS does not show the exact tyre pressure
  • Spare wheel is not a full size
  • The big b and the raised lower seat at the back makes it a strictly 4 seater.


Prologue

Before the A4, we have a Polo Highline 1.5 TDI which is my daily driver for a route of around 40 kms per day and Honda City 1.5 S Auto which mainly my father uses. When I started loosing for the next car, wanted it to be a luxury sedan and A4 was always on top of my list. I always liked the car since it was launched in India and have always been a fan of their design language.


Other Options

The search started with Superb, and it was bigger and had more features but just lacked the premium feel I wanted somehow. Also the more space comes at the cost of the rear looking a little too stretched in my opinion. The car was more than 150 mm longer than the A4.

The second option I looked at was the C class for sometime as it had a better petrol engine but the spare wheel taking all the space in the boot was a huge put off for me. I mainly intend to use the car on highways. Carrying luggage with that spare wheel is just not possible and the reach of service centres at our highways isn't that great in case of a flat. So it was ruled out as well.

The next was 3 series, it was older in design compared to A4 which had an interior and exterior refresh less than an year back. BMW also had tighter space at the rear and we wanted to travel a family of 4 comfortably with 2 adults being 6 footers.

Finally the A4 was decided upon. The reviews of the new A4 mentioned that it was the most spacious in its class. What also helped the decision was that I think I have always been partial towards Audi and A4. It was always on my list as my dream car since the time it came to India and I was just a kid that time who didn't even know how to drive one. I think the heart also influenced me to make purchase along with my mind. I wanted to go for a petrol car as I knew my usage won't be much but the punny 1.4 petrol was just not acceptable for the price. I finally decided to get the diesel and the 35 TDI had great reviews as well.


Booking and Delivery

The test drive was scheduled at my residence and my cousins good friend was an Audi ex-employee, so he helped in finalising the deal and getting the discount. I test drove the car for around 7-8 kms and loved the cabin insulation even though it was diesel. I found the engine adequately powerful in my short drive and the extensive seat/steering adjustment helped find a very comfortable driving position. The advance cheque was collected on the same day of test drive in January. As it was a 2017 made car, I got a good discount of around 8.5L on it. It costed me around 42.5L on road with insurance and 2+3 years extended warranty. The only choice of color I had was between Blue (pretty much looks like black at night) and Red, and I went with the Blue. The car was not at that time available at the Audi Gurgaon dealership and they asked for a time of one week to get the car.

In the meantime I started with the loan process and I got the loan approval in first week of February. The dealer told me the car is ready for collection on 8th February. Initially, I had planned to get it delivered in march end (just before my wedding) but I got the car delivered to me a little early on 14th February, 2018, which was also Shivratri. The loan was already processed and I informed the dealer on 13th that I want to collect the car tomorrow. I was informed that I will only get a temporary number valid for 30 days on such short notice. I agreed to it and I went to take the delivery with my fiancé as the same day my nephew was born and the family was in the hospital. The dealer Audi Gurugram provided a good experience and the first time I visited the showroom was directly to take the delivery.

The car was already covered when I reach along with 3-4 more cars which I think were also getting delivered the same day. The Gurugram dealership is huge and one of the biggest car showroom I have every visited. The SA who was handling my booking was not in office that day and I was attended by another SA who handed over all the documents of the car. I was in a little bit of hurry as well as by the time I got the keys I was informed of my nephew's birth and wanted to rush to the hospital as well.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_9601.jpeg
2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_9844.jpg

As the car was purchased on Shivratri I installed a Shiva idol in the car.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-photo20180305131603.jpg

Also received a keychain with a matching Audi logo.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_9605.jpeg

I love the front end of the car. The full LED lights have an amazing throw and light up the road ahead perfectly. The rear LEDs with the sweeping indicator look pretty cool as well. I like the chrome used on the front grill and find it very classy as well. The design may seem boring to some and resembles the old A4, but I feel its built to last and will age very gracefully. Personally, I am not a fan of Mercedes design language and find it a little overdone in some cases.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_9631.jpeg

The car has more than 25 colours to choose from for the ambient lightening. You can also individually choose the colors for the door trim + upper dashboard, lower dashboard and footwell. This is pretty cool and give a custom look to the car. You can also choose different level of brightness for these lights.

The cushioned and wide gear lever is really nice to use and works as a hand rest as well. You can control all the multimedia functions while resting on your hand on the gear lever and its just perfect ergonomically. Strangely, the gear lever retains its original position even while changing gears. This can be a little troublesome who is not familiar with this as normally the gear liver moves and stays at the selected gear. The only way to know which gear you are in while looking at the gear lever is to check the lights of P, R, D/S and N. The P button is located on top of the gear lever and can be pressed directly form any mode. You can move the gear lever towards the left to change gears manually and can use paddle shifters behind the wheel as well.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_9851.jpeg

The parking break is electronic and the Auto Hold button next to it is very useful in traffic and on slopes. You don't have to keep on holding the brakes or switch to neutral and Drive repeated because of this. After coming to a complete stop if you press the break a little extra then the Auto Hold engages with a green light in the instrument cluster. You can let go of the break and simply press the accelerator next time you want to move.

There is space to keep your keys and and a separate know ahead of it to control volume and change tracks. You can turn on/off the music system by pressing this same knob down. Once used to them, you can control everything without taking your eyes off the road and the locations of buttons is very handy.

Also notice the classy ash tray with the metallic top finish. Looks really nice and I mainly use it to store change.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_9852.jpeg

The three zone climate control is useful and the AC is very effective. Even in peak delhi summers the car cools very quickly. The controls are very easy to use and you simply have to swipe your finger over the silver buttons to see its functions, the button can be moved up or down to select the mode or change the setting. The current temperature showing within the knob is a very neat touch and has a very satisfying click with each change you make.

For some reason every time you switch to Auto mode by pressing the centre of the road knob the air circulation mode is turned off and then you have to turn it on again. There is a dedicated drive select button below the AC controls and there is also a customisable button on steering wheel to which I have set to change drive modes as well. It is very handy while driving.

I hate the dummy buttons below the ACC. Would have been really good if they offered any other functions or could be customisable instead of just being there without any use. Even the "View" and "NAV" button on steering wheel are not of any use and a sore in the eyes. The View button changes view if you have virtual cockpit which my car doesn't. The NAV button takes you to navigation which is again missing in my car. I feel there should be an option to change the function of such buttons.

There are four driving modes which are Dynamic, Comfort, Individual and Auto. The Dynamic mode changes the engine and steering quite well and is nice to drive with it on highways or on twisty roads. The weighted steering increases the confidence level and you always know where the car is going. The gearbox automatically switches the gears to sports mode as soon as you switch to dynamic mode which deals shifting of gears. You can however switch to back to normal drive mode with by changing it through the gear lever.

The comfort mode is what I use most of the times in city roads and the steering is light and easy to use. Auto mode changes the gear response according to the way you are driving and changes the gears according to how much throttle input you are giving. I have not used the Individual mode much as the predefined modes are adequate for all driving conditions.

The Audi sound system is strictly average and there is nothing much to say about it. The sound never cracks even at the highest level but its not great in any expect. My polo with its upgraded Focal speakers and tweeters sounds better most times. The speakers are overall a letdown in an otherwise nicely packed pachaoge. The MMI system is easy to use and playing the calls and answering calls over bluetooth is easy. The audio is clear on both ends and the other person never has issue in listening to what I am saying. But even the top tech trim misses out on the amazing Bose sound system which is a Tech pack.

The way the TPMS works is also very cumbersome. You can set and store the tyre pressure you find ideal by going in the car settings in the MMI. The setting is found after 5-6 clicks and sub menus. Once set, if any one or more of tyres looses tyre pressure, TPMS light shoes up on the central instrument cluster. There is no way to check which tyre has lost the pressure and you have to get all four of tyres checked. Once the tyres are refilled, you again have to set and store the tyre pressure in the car settings in MMI or else the light does not go away.

The first drive I took it out of Delhi was to a place called Tikli Bottom near Gurgaon. I went there for a pre wedding shoot with my fiancé and told the photographer I need a couple of pictures with the car as well . Taking it on the highway was really nice and my desire to take it for a long drive increased even more.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-pg1.jpg
2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-pg2.jpg


The After Sales Experience

Initial experience provided by Audi Gurugram was really nice and they allowed a dedicated relationship manager (RM) greeted me during delivery and asked me to contact him for any doubts or service related queries or accessories. I got a call from him 2 days after receiving the delivery of the car and he asked me how am I finding the car, and scheduled a meeting with me.

The next day the RM visited me with a very classy wooden box which had an engraved welcome letter, a bottle of wine and some chocolates. He again told me that he will be my single point of contact for anything and everything related to my car and I should contact him for all my queries.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-0732c62c1eff41d5bcef131ea3bbf968.jpeg
2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-wine.jpg
2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-765c5b6ecf1140c28ad908aa3aca945e.jpeg

As I had preposed my purchased from March to February, at the time of delivery I was given a temporary number which was valid for one month, and I was told I will only get the extended warranty once I get the permanent number of my car. I was told during delivery that I will be informed within 2 weeks for the permanent number and the same will be installed at my residence. However, 3 weeks passed and I did not get any update I contacted both my sales advisor and RM regarding the same and they said they will get the car registered on priority.

30 days passed and my car was still not registered and I got a call on 16th march form my sales advisor that as now it is more than 30 days and the car is not registered, I now need to visit the authority for them to verify the car and only then I will get the permanent number allotted to my car. I visited the authority on 17th march and the car was registered the same day, Audi sent a guy to help me along and I didn’t had to do anything there. The 3 years extended warranty arrived a coupe of weeks later but that also required making regular calls and following up. This was a little disappointing as all these should be done automatically without the customer making calls for these. Thankfully, the company arranged installation of the number plate at my residence.

A month later, in mid-April my RM called me for mandatory software update to my car, he arranged a pick and from for the same and I even asked me to get me the Audi floor mats and mud flaps installed to the car. I did purchase a third party full coverage floor mats for the car but was not satisfied with the same. The RM offered me a discount of 20% on both the mats and mud flaps so I was happy with the price and went ahead with it. The car was delivered back the same day

The mats are a perfect fit and carry the A4 branding. They are very easy to clean as well.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_9854.jpeg


Living with the A4

From the first day, the car has been an absolute dream to drive and I simply love the way it accelerates. Never fails to put a smile on my face every time I take it out. Even with a little hard acceleration the tyres are very quick to roll and the ESP light flashes on the instrument cluster. The engine is never out of breath and the accelerations is very satisfying even after reaching triple digit speeds. It might not be feature rich and lacks a lot if we compare it to what is offered by Skoda but I simply love the quality and material used in the interior. The steering feels nice to hold too. All the plastics on top of dash are soft touch and have a build to last quality.

The DSG gearbox is very quick to upshift and downshift gears with a little throttle input. The paddle shifters make the experience even better when you want to drive aggresively. I drove the car from delhi to Mussorie and the car gave a lot of confidence while going up and down on the mountain rods. There was never a moment when I felt not in control. I used the Dynamic mode throughout the mountains and found the car mostly to be in the correct gear. I did use the paddle shifters a couple of times for overtakes and the car was never out of grip or power and always felt in control.

The overall visibility is also good and you notice the blind spots most on the hilly roads. The A-pillar was not too obstructing and never caused any problems. The outside rear view mirrors are decent size as well. The outer part of the ORVM is slightly tilted which further helps the view. The left side rear view mirror moves down a little when you engage reverse to help parking. Both inside and outside rear view mirrors are auto dimming and are very effective to keep any direct light reflections off your eyes. The ORVMs are heated as well and are very useful during the fog. During one of such drives on a single highway after returning from a function, all the windows and ORVMs were filled with mist. It took the car less than 10 minutes to clear all front, rear and outside mirrors. The LED headlights very also very useful and the road had very good visibility according the fog.
2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-da9098fa5ebb48de8675246064202582.jpeg

Gave the car a thorough wash after coming back.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_9847.jpg

I like the alloy design of the car, its not too fancy but not too boring. Its just simple and elegant just like the rest of the car.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_9845.jpg

I bought a cover soon after this and keep the car covered whenever not in use.

The rear doors have in built sun shade which covers almost the entire windows and are pretty affecting in blocking the heat. The seats sear 2 comfortably at the back with even legroom but a 5th passenger never feels welcome. The floor hump is huge and the middle seat is raised which makes it very uncomfortable for areas passenger on along drive. The rear visibility is also hampered if you have a passenger sitting in the rear middle seat. There is plenty of headroom for everyone as the rear of the car has scooped out space.

This headroom space comes at the cost of make the sunroof opening pretty small and it does not open completely. The sun shade to cover the sun roof inside is manual but is of very good quietly. It blocks almost all the light when closed. It even blocks some sound because I have noticed there is some difference in sound at high speeds with the sun shade open as compared to when it is closed.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_9849.jpeg

Also notice the automatic rain sensor as visible in above picture, it does the job pretty well and controls the speed of wiper as per intensity of rain. Both the front seats are electronically adjustment for height and have lumbar support. The steering is manually adjustable for reach and rake and finding a perfect driving position is not difficult. There is no memory seats option but the car is primarily driven by me so I don't miss it much. The cruise control is easy to use as well with a separate stick for it below the left indictor stick.

You need to pull the cruise control switch to turn it on, and then press the button on top of it to set it to current speed. You can change the speed by +/- 1 kmph by moving the stick a little up or down like you do for lane change. If you move the stick complete up or down like you would to to give a turn indicator then the speed changes in denominations of +/- 5 kmph. A little tap on the break pedal or pushing the lever back disengages cruise control. If you accelerate more than the set limit, the car automatically stops at the pre set limit of cruise. However, if you want to resume the set cruise speed after pressing the break pedal, just pull the lever once more like you would for a dipper and the car accelerated till it reaches the previously set limit. The controls are very easy once you are used to them.

I normally get 15-16.5 kmpl on highways and 10-12 kmpl in city. I have seen the average go upto 18.5 when using cruise control. I find this very reasonable with the engine and segment of the car. The engine is a breeze to drive on highways but it sometimes hesitates to change gears in stop go traffic. Due to this, many times I need to accelerate a little more to move to a higher gear and it leads to a jerk during the shift. Switching to paddle shifts gets rid of this or manual gearshift gets rid of this problem. The breaks are very confidence inspiring and I have never had the car comes to a halt very fast. The break pedal has a sturdy feel and not difficult to get used to.

The ride is also very compliant on the highways and it soaks up all the bumps very well. I have never scraped the bottom or the mudflats on the delhi speed breakers and potholes even when fully loaded with 4 adults and luggage. The mud flaps of my city are always scratching speed breakers even with 2 adults. The ground clearance is good and better than the city. The cabin insulation is also very well done and there is hardly any sound inside the car even with the diesel engine. The engine is very well refined and never feels out of power. Even on highway speeds there is not much of wind noise or cabin noise inside the cabin.

I find a couple of features missing after using the car, like I would have loved to get a digital cockpit but did not find it worth the extra 4.5 lacs. Only if it was viable an option for some extra amount would have been great. The other major differences between the technology trim were memory seats, wireless phone charging, wooden inlays, GPS and Audi Smartphone interface (including Apple CarPlay). Out of this Apple CarPlay is what I miss the most as if that was there you can use your phone for navigation as well. At this price memory sears and CarPlay should come standard in the package but it was not.

The standard dials have a large MID in between, which gives quite a lot of information. You can view your entire contact list, change tracks and do almost everything you could with virtual cockpit except having maps. The MMI display on the centre of the screen is very clear as well and there is no problem visibility even in sunlight. The issue however is with the Audi Assistant. It has a lot of difficult in understanding indian accents. Even simple commands like "Call my father" doesn't work 8/10 times. In my Polo, pressing the audio command button straight away wakes up the phones virtual assistant (Siri/Google Voice) and it works remarkably well for most things. Audi could have done something similar till the time they can make their system customised to work with well with Indian accents.

During the purchase, thought there is not an option to choose I preferred the look of silver / grey metallic trims which I had instead over the wooden inlays in top tech trim. However, within a couple of months of use, the silver trim has started developing scratches without any sort of abuse. The scratches are very clearly visible on the door trim and some even near the gear lever. The car is mostly driven by me or sometimes my father and I don't recall any incident in which we could have directly caused these scratches.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_9853.jpeg

The Horrible Part of After Sales

The major shocker came for me in August, when I was filing my return and was told by my CA that the 1% TCS amount which was supped to be deposited by Audi (their dealer Zenica) is not reflecting online. Again I had to make calls to my Sales Advisor and RM. The SA told me that he left Zenica and is now working for Mercedes but he gave me a few numbers of the accounts department as well. After continuous calls and emails, I was told my Zenica that they have deposited the amount but due to some error it is not reflecting for many of their customers, I insisted to them to send me the same in email and they gave in writing as well that my TCS has been deposited and gave me their TAN number but not the TCS certificate. And the amount which they said, they have deposited is 34k, as it was mentioned in invoice and not 42k which the SA told me when he gave me the quote. The mistake was on my part as I did not check the same amount during taking the invoice so I did not fight over the extra 8k.

After multiple delays form Zenica, I finally had to file my return without claiming the TCS amount. I kept following it up on emails and even complained to Audi directly over emails and phone call, but there was no update. One fine day in September, I woke up to the news that the owners of Audi Gurgaon have been arrested on Delhi airport for bank frauds and they were trying to run away. I also read that the dealership has been closed and the horrific stories of customers who were supposed to take deliveries. I contacted my RM to get the update for my TCS and he told me that the company has not even deposited his TDS from last 3 months and he can not help me and is not even certain about his job anymore. I lost all hope of the 40K amount I was supposed to get but still wrote a mail to Audi and even called their customer care. I was told there has been an overflow of issues related to Zenica and I will be contacted soon.


First service

An year passed and it was Febraury, and I had given up all hopes of the TCS now coming back to me and stopped calling or sending emails for it. It was time for the first service and I got the same done at Audi Delhi West as my cousins friend who helped during the purchase knew the Service Head of Delhi West. I went to personally drop the car as it was the first service. While on my way back after dropping the car my SA called me and told that the tool kit is missing in the car. This was really strange and I told him to check again as I had never had a puncture yet and I never removed the kit from the car. An hour later he called me and told the kit is there but since it is located behind the wheel, the guy who inspected the car missed it. The kit is located just near the rear seat.

I was initially given an estimate of 31k for the service but after my cousins call the bill was reduced to 26k with almost all the things remains the same and the only major change was in service labour charge and removal of AC disinfectant. The car was run for around 7k kms at the time of first service. I was happy with the experience and the cost as I was expecting it to cost me around 30k per service as told during time of sale.

A couple of months later in August 2019 I got a follow up email form Audi regarding the TCS and they asked me to submit some documents to proceed with the TCS claim and also the process I had to follow. This was a surprise as I had given up all hopes for it, and I sent them the documents within 48 hours of the email. It took 3 more mails and another 2 months for Audi to check my documents and send a reply. Finally I was told, I now need to get 2 contracts made on Stamp Paper, which basically said that once I get the amount settled from Audi, I have no further claim on it and will never file a case against Zenica for the same. It also said the I have appointed Audi to represent my case and file all the claims against Zenica which may be more than the TCS amount. I got the stamp papers made for ₹1500/- and sent the same to Audi Delhi South, as told in email. A few days lated I got the call from Delhi South dealer that my cheque is ready and I can come and collect it. I finally got the TCS amount fo 34k in November 2019, more than 1.5 years after purchasing the car.


Ceramic Coating

The same day after getting the cheque I decided to pamper my car a little and dropped it for Ceramic coating at detailing skull in Noida. They give me an estimate of 23k with a warranty of 5 years of coating and 2 inspections every year with a free car wash. The experience there was nice and I think they offered pretty low price as they are not much popular right now. I dropped my car for 1 day and went again and collected it again next day. The car looked amazing after the treatment.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_5050.jpeg
2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_5051.jpeg
2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_5052.jpeg

They asked me not to wash the car for a week and visit once again after a week just to check if the coating is holding on fine and gave a nice wash to the car that day as well.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-wtjt2308.jpg

I also ordered the audi logo shadow lights for the front doors form aliexpress and installed them myself. The installation was easy and straightforward and hardly took 10 minutes. The lights were plug and play.

Sorry for the bad quality image.
2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-e73729b687034016b096ceacb86b11df.jpg

I saw this same light during the delivery as well and it costed around 5k if bought form Audi directly.

I also ordered a metalling Audi logo keychain form aliexpress and it looks nice as well.

2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-img_9856.jpg


The Tyre Burst

In January, during one of the highway trips, my mom and dad had a burst tyre at just 11k kms. My dad is a very sedate driver and never over speeds be it in town or on highways. As per him, he missed a pothole on a single road highway at a speed of around 75 and heard a loud thud. He immediately stopped and saw the front left tyre was complete flat. Strangely the TPMS light was not lit up yet. At that time he was on a single road highway near Ambala. I called both Audi and ICICI (insurance) and asked them to send someone for help. But since the location was such, it took both of them more than an hour and by then the tyre was already changed to the spare. All the tyres come with one secure bolt which are different for all cars and hence have a different key for each car. This key is provided in the tool kit and makes the tyres more secure. All the other bolts are normal and can be opened with any toolkit.

The spare wheel comes with a speed limit of 80 and hence we had to get the tyre replaced asap. I checked the tyre price in delhi and even considered using the insurance as I had tyre protect. But my insurance renewal was due in a month and it didn’t make sense of loosing the NCB for this. I got the same tyre changed from Ambala itself, and got alignment done from there. It costed a little more form what I was quoted in Delhi but I had no option as dad had to return back the same day. My cousin has an A6 and he has had 3 of his tyres bursted at different times and told me this is pretty common with his Audi. I removed the tyre protect during the insurance renewal in second year as it was not of much use. I always take everything else including Engine protect, Key Protect and zero dep in the insurance for complete peace of mind.


Second Service

Two years passed and it was time for the second service. This was done at the reopened Audi Gurugram as the Delhi West dealership has closed operations now. I arranged a pick and drop this time. The first estimate given to me was 39k but the final bill was around 30k after removing the things that were not mandatory. The car clocked around 12k kms on the second service.

I removed the alignment and balancing this time as I had just got it done last month after I replaced the burst tyre. The other major thing that was removed was Engine Detailing (around 5.5k) which as per SA was cleaning the engine with nitrogen as cleaning with water is not possible. I enquired if it is necessary and he said if the parts are rusting then it is, but I can opt out of it. I asked him not to do it and also as I knew someone at the service centre who works in body shop asked him to talk to the SA. Later the SA told me he got it done but removed it from the bill.

When the car came back after the service the bill mentioned that the wiper fluid bottle cap is missing. I did not notice the same when I sent the car for service but don't know how it went missing. I asked the SA to install it and he told me it costs around 2.5k and will come on order. I checked aliexpress and found the cap with the same part number and shape for 600/-. For some reason A4 uses a rectangle cap which is difficult to find and only one seller had it on AliExpress unlike the countless round ones. The cap has reached India I am yet to receive it.


Final Thoughts

2 years later, I am still totally in love with the car and still smile every time I am behind its steering wheel. The car is amazing to drive on highways and has great stability at high speeds. I have used this car from Delhi to Jaipur, Mussorie and Ambala and love driving it on the highways. The car reached triple digits and you don't realise it I you don't see the speedometer. I have driven it for 8-10 hours in a single day covering more than 500 kms. There is no fatigue at the end of the drive as compared to City or Polo. I know the cars are poles apart but the lack of wind noise and the stability are great to have on the highways. It inspires a lot of confidence and the A4 keeps on going without a sweat. The car was dream come true for me and will always be special for me.

The service costs are also reasonable as per standards of the segment and I don't find them exorbitant. There are no quality issues, loose plastics, discolouration or any other problem with the car in 2 years. The paint quality is top notch as well. I think the fit, finish and quality of parts used both in interior and exterior of cars is just perfect and could not have been better except the silver plastic trim used on the interiors.

The major sad part is the after sales experience and the service centres trying to add unnecessary things to the bill every time, but then this true with almost all the brands. The silver plastic trim scratching very easily and not having CarPlay is a big miss. Also, the tyre bursting at just 11k kms was really sad and I have never had such an issue with any car before. The whole TCS issue was a major put off but it was primarily the dealers fault and not company's. However the company took quite a lot of time to resolve the issue. Like many other companies, customers are not a priority in India which you don't expect after spending such a big amount on a car. The after sales experience is a very important factor which helps the customer visiting the same brand again and should be more important.

Last edited by Aditya : 5th July 2020 at 22:22. Reason: Typos
prateekchanana is offline   (68) Thanks
Old 20th April 2020, 08:02   #2
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,336
Thanked: 298,736 Times
Re: 2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

Your car is going to our homepage .
GTO is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 20th April 2020, 15:32   #3
BHPian
 
evil_grin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 289
Thanked: 963 Times
Re: 2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream

Congratulations! That is the most practical car in that segment.

Looks like both Mercedes (boot) and BMW (rear) lost a customer because of lack of decent space. Which is ridiculous on their part, given how expensive these cars are.
evil_grin is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 20th April 2020, 18:04   #4
Senior - BHPian
 
ChiragM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,545
Thanked: 17,341 Times
Re: 2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream

Congrats on the car and nice review prateekchanana.

Quote:
I wanted to share my experience of buying and using the A4, which is not a very popular choice anymore.
Yes, agreed. The A4 for me would be the last option in the segment. Today, I would pick the C-Class, or XE, or the Volvo S60 (when launched). Audi has lost the charm it had before and the A4 has now been discontinued. Your car does look good though. Hope the new A4 does make it to India soon.
ChiragM is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 20th April 2020, 18:44   #5
BHPian
 
prateekchanana's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 234
Thanked: 1,026 Times
Re: 2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChiragM View Post
Yes, agreed. The A4 for me would be the last option in the segment. Today, I would pick the C-Class, or XE, or the Volvo S60 (when launched). Audi has lost the charm it had before and the A4 has now been discontinued. Your car does look good though. Hope the new A4 does make it to India soon.

Thanks Chirag, and I couldn't agree more. If had to make a purchase now after more than 2 years, I will probably choose the new 3 series or S60. XE still has a cramped rear which won't suit my needs. I love the C class interiors but the spare eating up on boot space is still a turn off. I don't find the front end of the new A4 very appealing and will not choose it over the competition even if it is launched now.
prateekchanana is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 20th April 2020, 19:35   #6
sgm
BHPian
 
sgm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: KA 03 / KL 27
Posts: 214
Thanked: 532 Times
Re: 2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream

Quote:
Originally Posted by prateekchanana View Post
Thanks Chirag, and I couldn't agree more. If had to make a purchase now after more than 2 years, I will probably choose the new 3 series or S60. XE still has a cramped rear which won't suit my needs. I love the C class interiors but the spare eating up on boot space is still a turn off. I don't find the front end of the new A4 very appealing and will not choose it over the competition even if it is launched now.
Congrats prateekchanana. Your car looks just like a new even after two years.

There is no doubt that A4 has the best boot.For the current 3 series, boot space is even less compared to C-class. What BMW has done is, there is a flat panel covering the entire boot on top of the spare wheel. This is specific to some markets like ours.
Attached Thumbnails
2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream-boot.jpg  

sgm is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 20th April 2020, 20:36   #7
BHPian
 
prateekchanana's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 234
Thanked: 1,026 Times
Re: 2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream

Quote:
Originally Posted by sgm View Post
Congrats prateekchanana. Your car looks just like a new even after two years.

There is no doubt that A4 has the best boot.For the current 3 series, boot space is even less compared to C-class. What BMW has done is, there is a flat panel covering the entire boot on top of the spare wheel. This is specific to some markets like ours.
Thanks SGM. And also thanks providing that info, I did not know BMW is doing 3 series boots this way. Guess a single car which ticks all three i.e. big boot with a space saver, spacious rear seats and a powerful petrol engine is still missing and you need to make a compromise one way or other.
prateekchanana is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 20th April 2020, 21:13   #8
BHPian
 
BMvW.Rajat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 56
Thanked: 232 Times
Re: 2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream

That's a great review. I honestly love the A4 and have driven it a lot (previous generation), my brother-in-law owns one, but that was with a multitronic (CVT) and this is the S-Tronic.

I feel that the fit and finish is far superior to the C class and so are most of the materials used. The C is definitely a looker but I never liked the plastics used on the center console. The C also has one of the most unrefined Diesel engines that I've ever driven whereas the A4 feels more like petrol at idle. Great refinement!

What was the price difference between the model you selected and the technology? And apart from the virtual cockpit and the touchpad, was there any other major difference?
BMvW.Rajat is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 20th April 2020, 21:30   #9
BHPian
 
prateekchanana's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 234
Thanked: 1,026 Times
Re: 2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream

Quote:
Originally Posted by BMvW.Rajat View Post
That's a great review. I honestly love the A4 and have driven it a lot (previous generation), my brother-in-law owns one, but that was with a multitronic (CVT) and this is the S-Tronic.

I feel that the fit and finish is far superior to the C class and so are most of the materials used. The C is definitely a looker but I never liked the plastics used on the center console. The C also has one of the most unrefined Diesel engines that I've ever driven whereas the A4 feels more like petrol at idle. Great refinement!

What was the price difference between the model you selected and the technology? And apart from the virtual cockpit and the touchpad, was there any other major difference?
Thanks a lot Rajat. I agree with you that the fit and finish, S-Tronic transmission and engine are great in this package. My only gripe was I wanted a powerful petrol but I had to choose diesel due to lack of options. The Diesel engine on its own is perfect and I have never experienced such good refinement and NVH levels in any other diesel.

The price difference in the top trip was around 4.5 lacs. The major diffenrces apart form virtual cockpit and touchpad were Wooden inlays, Memory seats and external mirror, Navigation and Audi Smartphone Interface (CarPlay and Android Auto).
prateekchanana is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 20th April 2020, 23:42   #10
BHPian
 
sid_deb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: NCR
Posts: 356
Thanked: 899 Times

That's a superb review. Wish you many more happy miles.

I am also on the lookout for a luxury sedan or compact SUV. Contenders are X1, 3 series or C class. Confused between diesel or petrol. Given the 10 year rule, what makes more sense? Won't be keeping the car for more than 8-9 years. I understand reliability would become a serious issue anyways after that time. Is it okay to go with diesel? Love the torque and performance of the diesel. Any guidance will be much appreciated.
sid_deb is offline  
Old 21st April 2020, 00:10   #11
BHPian
 
Ranjith812's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Muscat/KL
Posts: 54
Thanked: 86 Times
Re: 2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream

Awesome review! It's a lovely car. And that black colour looks classy.
A power-packed machine with great design and interiors.
Wishing you many more happy miles.
Ranjith812 is offline  
Old 21st April 2020, 01:55   #12
BHPian
 
Raulspace999's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 70
Thanked: 84 Times
Re: 2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream

Nice review there. A nice ride indeed. Nothing can come close to a superior ownership experience with a decent car coupled with 'satisfactory' customer experience. Why i mean 'satisfactory' is because i feel you indeed had to pull some strings with the Audi team through your connections to considerably seek a reduction in the service estimate.

It leaves lesser mortals like me wonder if Audi India is trying to fill their cash coffers through overcharging on service costs thereby compensating for the poor car sales.
Raulspace999 is offline  
Old 21st April 2020, 07:44   #13
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,336
Thanked: 298,736 Times
Re: 2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream

Fully read your review last night! Congrats on the car. Must say, I appreciate Audi for stepping in like they did and refunding your TCS. Many manufacturers wouldn't do that & simply pass the blame on the dealer. Audi just gained that much more respect in my eyes .
GTO is offline   (5) Thanks
Old 21st April 2020, 11:59   #14
sgm
BHPian
 
sgm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: KA 03 / KL 27
Posts: 214
Thanked: 532 Times
Re: 2 years with an Audi A4 - Living my dream

Quote:
Originally Posted by BMvW.Rajat View Post
I feel that the fit and finish is far superior to the C class and so are most of the materials used. The C is definitely a looker but I never liked the plastics used on the center console. The C also has one of the most unrefined Diesel engines that I've ever driven whereas the A4 feels more like petrol at idle. Great refinement!
C-class got a face lift in 2018 and it has a very refined BS6 diesel engine now in C220D and C300D forms with 9G TC auto box and I personally find it to be a bit more refined compared to 3-series but A4 has an edge here.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sid_deb View Post
That's a superb review. Wish you many more happy miles.

I am also on the lookout for a luxury sedan or compact SUV. Contenders are X1, 3 series or C class. Confused between diesel or petrol. Given the 10 year rule, what makes more sense? Won't be keeping the car for more than 8-9 years. I understand reliability would become a serious issue anyways after that time. Is it okay to go with diesel? Love the torque and performance of the diesel. Any guidance will be much appreciated.
List down your requirements, take multiple test drives, go through different reviews of all the short listed cars. Last year I went through this phase and finally selected C over the others as I felt that is was the best match. No car can may satisfy all our requirements If it is petrol, then it is a no brainer, it has to be a 330i. C for comfort and X1 for practicality from what you have listed.
All the best sid
sgm is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 21st April 2020, 12:04   #15
BHPian
 
prateekchanana's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 234
Thanked: 1,026 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by sid_deb View Post
That's a superb review. Wish you many more happy miles.

I am also on the lookout for a luxury sedan or compact SUV. Contenders are X1, 3 series or C class. Confused between diesel or petrol. Given the 10 year rule, what makes more sense? Won't be keeping the car for more than 8-9 years. I understand reliability would become a serious issue anyways after that time. Is it okay to go with diesel? Love the torque and performance of the diesel. Any guidance will be much appreciated.

Thanks Sid. If you are not using the car as your daily driver, I think the petrol makes more sense. I feel the new 3 series is a better looking and finished product compared to the C class. However if you want space then X1 is the best bet. Do take test drives of all three and see which one suits your requirements best before you finalise.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ranjith812 View Post
Awesome review! It's a lovely car. And that black colour looks classy.
A power-packed machine with great design and interiors.
Wishing you many more happy miles.
Thanks Ranjith, but its a moonlight blue not black. I won't blame you as the car does look black most times, especially when not in daylight.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Raulspace999 View Post
Nice review there. A nice ride indeed. Nothing can come close to a superior ownership experience with a decent car coupled with 'satisfactory' customer experience. Why i mean 'satisfactory' is because i feel you indeed had to pull some strings with the Audi team through your connections to considerably seek a reduction in the service estimate.

It leaves lesser mortals like me wonder if Audi India is trying to fill their cash coffers through overcharging on service costs thereby compensating for the poor car sales.
Thanks Raulspace. I agree with he overcharging part by service centres but I think thats the case with most companies. Till the time you don't find the best one in your town or build a good rapport with a SA, the chances of paying for unnecessary things is always there. Even for my Honda and VW, I prefer my car getting serviced almost 20kms away when I have an option just 5kms aways from my place.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Fully read your review last night! Congrats on the car. Must say, I appreciate Audi for stepping in like they did and refunding your TCS. Many manufacturers wouldn't do that & simply pass the blame on the dealer. Audi just gained that much more respect in my eyes .

Thanks a lot GTO. I agree Audi stepping in was a very welcome step when I had given up all hopes. Even a friend of mine who is a CA suggested to let go of it and that there will be no point of pursuing further as the dealership was closed and the fault was not on part of Audi directly.

Last edited by Gannu_1 : 21st April 2020 at 12:41. Reason: Back to back posts merged. Please use the multi-quote functionality (QUOTE+) while quoting and responding to multiple posts at once. Thanks!
prateekchanana is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks