[fluidicjoy]

Congratulations on your new car Saurav! This was a very nice read and I especially liked the purchase experience and dilemma. You have penned it down so well that I could feel each and every emotion, since I was closely following this purchase. I look forward to reading more about the Honda Jazz as well.

I am eager to see this beautiful new A4 in person. Since I know you're an exceptional photographer, would love to see some beautiful DSLR photos of this car taken outdoors. A small suggestion form my end in anticipation of the beautiful pictures I hope to see on this thread. Find a way to blur your license plate using a better software rather than painting it blue, so it doesn't disturb the elegance of the frame.

Since I love gadgets, I would love to see lots of small videos on the different technical aspects of this vehicle like the Wireless Charging, the beautiful Headlights including the throw and beam patterns and any other bits and bobs you find along the way. Will stay tuned to this thread.

[jkrishnakj]

Hearty congratulations Sauravpat. It’s raining Audi’s in the forum and as a fellow Audi sedan
Owner, I can’t be happier.

Loved reading and it shows your passion and love for cars.

Wishing you hundreds of thousands of happy miles with your A4.

[PistonHead2003]

Congratulations on your new car! The A4 looks gorgeous in this shade.
Your way of writing is just amazing. Wishing you happy miles ahead.

[sauravpat]

Originally Posted by GTO

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Reviews section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage tomorrow

Thank you to all the members for so much support and love for what is my first thread on TBHP! Many more will definitely follow

Originally Posted by Excommunicado

As for the car, it is, to quote Mat Watson here - " Bloomin' lovely".

Bloomin' lovely it really is!

Originally Posted by Nair.V8

Congratulations Sauravpat on purchasing this elegant beauty, that too at a great price! At this price point the A4 makes great sense as opposed to the overpriced Camry. Wish you a blissful & safe ownership experience.

For self-driven folks, the A4 is a much better proposition than the Superb or Camry according to me. And even though the A Class Limo and 2 Series GC are great driver's cars as well, they are not really in the same bracket as the A4 and that is evident looking at their size, feel and perception from others as well.

Originally Posted by manson

Cabin quality and feel with the feature list on the A4 Premium trim is anything but BASE spec, I'd happily settle for the same trim option for 5.5 lac lesser ever single day of the week and twice on Sunday!

Absolutely! In this age of aggressive marketing and constant comparisons with other cars and variants, it becomes difficult to evaluate our needs objectively as we more often than not go for the fully loaded trim.

How I wish that at least the European car brands introduce 'Option packs' for cars in India as is the practice in Europe where we can select individual features and pay extra for them to really get what we exactly want.

But that will reduce their margins and operational efficiency I guess. How I wish that happens though. We would gladly pay 1 lakh more for just the rear ac vents and climate control since that is all that's missing really.

Originally Posted by fluidicjoy

I am eager to see this beautiful new A4 in person. Since I know you're an exceptional photographer, would love to see some beautiful DSLR photos of this car taken outdoors. A small suggestion form my end in anticipation of the beautiful pictures I hope to see on this thread. Find a way to blur your license plate using a better software rather than painting it blue, so it doesn't disturb the elegance of the frame.

Will definitely do so. Like I mentioned that we brothers hardly travelled anywhere in the Jetta, same is the case with the new A4. We haven't driven it/ travelled in it anywhere after the 2nd day of getting it home! But we'll definitely be going somewhere soon where I can really test more features and click better photos.

The photos I uploaded definitely do not do justice to the looks of the car.

[Vidzy]

What a thread. Loved reading it mate. Congratulations once again on your A4. waiting for your detailed review once your parents come back from their epic trip! Cheers!!

[Vidzy]

Hey mate! Please share the experience of the road trip. The good and the bad.

[sauravpat]

4500 km Ownership Update (less than 2 months!)

In just over 50 days of ownership, my travel savvy father has managed to complete 4500 kilometres in our new A4. This includes multiple trips to Nashik, Ahmednagar and Diveagar.

It also entails a huge road trip of more than 1700 km to coastal Karnataka and back. The car has not seen a single issue or niggle. Expected of the price I suppose.

Positives:

1. Suspension: After the first trip back from Diveagar, the first thing my dad said was this car did not scrape its underbelly at places where the Jetta used to do so on the rural roads in Diveagar.

This speaks volumes about the frankly ridiculous pseudo - SUV craze we have going on. A well-tuned Sedan is all the car that most people will ever need despite having such a long wheelbase.

2. NVH and Refinement: Breaks between drives are far rarer in the Audi as compared to the diesel Jetta. Fatigue has gone down. Can cruise all day at 80-100 kph without breaking a sweat

3. Seats: Stellar comfort in the 12-way powered seats with 4 way electric Lumbar Support.

4. Fuel Efficiency: The car is giving us around 10-11kpl in the city and 16-16.5 kpl on the highway. Considering that the A4 travels more on the than in the city distancewise, the total FE since buying the car is around 14-14.5 kpl.

Since our other cars are a Vento and Jazz both used almost exclusively in the city, the A4 is turning out to be the most efficient car in our garage at the moment!


Negatives:

1. No Seat memory: Switching between drivers means that the seat memory function feature is sorely missed. This absence was felt especially during the long road trip as my father and his cousin took turns at driving every 4 hours or so.


First Dent and Ding:


The A4 has its first dents through the most bizarre way possible. In Karnataka, a couple of bulls were fighting on the highway. Seeing this, my dad slowed down the car and waited at a safe distance.

As a truck came powering down the other way on a single lane highway, he saw the bulls late and started honking like mad. The bulls got scared and blindly ran into the side of the car.

The result: 3 small dents - 2 on the panel above the driver side front wheel and 1 on the door.



They are very shallow and no paint loss or scratching. So we have decided to live with them. It is obvious that they just need a tap with a mallet from the inside. But we are apprehensive since removing the door card and reinstalling might introduce a rattle. Maybe a suction cup specialist can remove them.

The diameter of each dent must be around 10 mm at the most and depth around 5 mm. Really small and one can notice them only on careful inspection.

I am mindful of not doing anything to void the warranty. Hence we have chosen to ignore them. My parents were so sad that this happened through no fault of ours and I referenced the TBHP thread saying that dents and scratches are bound to happen and they need not ruin our experience, especially since we will be having the car for a minimum of 7 years more.

Leaving note:

The build quality is just mind-blowing. Not a single squeak or rattle. The car is extremely comfortable for 4 adults. My Audi Connect also works flawlessly. You can do triple-digit cruising without batting an eyelid all day long. The very definition of a mile muncher.

Would appreciate any insights on how the dents can be removed... or do we let them be?

[Vidzy]

Originally Posted by sauravpat

4500 km Ownership Update (less than 2 months!)

In just over 50 days of ownership, my travel savvy father has managed to complete 4500 kilometres in our new A4. This includes multiple trips to Nashik, Ahmednagar and Diveagar.

It also entails a huge road trip of more than 1700 km to coastal Karnataka and back. The car has not seen a single issue or niggle. Expected of the price I suppose.

4500 in 50 days, you really have stayed out of the car literally
Sorry to hear about the dent. It hurts specially when its not your fault. I hope you can find a good mechanic who can remove them using the suction.

Just wanted to know one thing, could you feel body roll and vertical rolls due to the soft Indian tuned suspension at 80kmph and above more than your jetta? I feel it as compared to my Octavia. Secondly handling corners at decent speed of 70-80, any under steering felt?

[JoshMachine]

Just wanted to thank you again for the crisp replies to those numerous queries that I had on the A4 . Your ownership thread gave some nice pointers to the buying process.

Helped me a lot to finalize our A4, albeit the Premium Plus variant

[manson]

Originally Posted by Vidzy

Just wanted to know one thing, could you feel body roll and vertical rolls due to the soft Indian tuned suspension at 80kmph and above more than your jetta? I feel it as compared to my Octavia. Secondly handling corners at decent speed of 70-80, any under steering felt?

The A4 certainly has lots of understeer at highway speeds. The A4 in its FWD avatar sheds it's sporty feel in the lower speeds for a more luxury barge like feeling when driven fast. It is best enjoyed through a relaxed drive over a long conversation or listening to good music and enjoying the ambience of the cabin.

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

Helped me a lot to finalize our A4, albeit the Premium Plus variant

With all that follow-up on the A4 thread I always felt it was only a matter of time that we're going to see you getting one yourself. Congratulations mate!

Audi India is running 20 percent discount on the extended warranty, best to buy it right away incase you haven't added it already.

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by manson

With all that follow-up on the A4 thread I always felt it was only a matter of time that we're going to see you getting one yourself. Congratulations mate!

Thanks a lot manson

Audi India is running 20 percent discount on the extended warranty, best to buy it right away incase you haven't added it already.

Absolutely. Cannot agree more on the importance of warranty inclusion!

However, I managed to squeeze out the below as special waivers after some deliberate negotiations:-
* 5 years “comprehensive” service value package (the latest & greatest Audi has to offer, inclusive of brake discs+ brake pads)
* 5 years extended warranty
* 5 years roadside assistance
* 50% off on Audi Secure insurance (incl RTI + engine protector + key loss cover etc)
* Audi Essential kit (the accessories jing-bang kit, incl all-weather floor mats + logo lights + key ring etc)
* Handling and logistics charges
* Preferential (lowest) RoI with dealer partner nationalised bank (incl 1-day disbursement guarantee)
* Superfast facilitation with RTO for choice registration number

[DeKay]

Originally Posted by sauravpat

Would appreciate any insights on how the dents can be removed... or do we let them be?

Mr. Sudhir Gaikwad (Pune based) - Paintless Dent Repair - +91 9552629516

You're welcome!

[manson]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

Absolutely. Cannot agree more on the importance of warranty inclusion!

Wow, you really went all out with after sales coverage! What did it finally cost you all inclusive?

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by manson

Wow, you really went all out with after sales coverage! What did it finally cost you all inclusive?

1). 5 yrs comprehensive service package + 5 yrs extended warranty + 5 yrs roadside assistance + Audi accessory kit + handling charges: 100% discount of the list price.
2). RTI insurance (engine protection + key cover etc.): 50% discount of the list price.
Total 1) + 2) = ~8 lakhs worth discounts.

3) Special OEM /corporate relationship discount ~1.50 lakhs

Grand Total ~ 9.50 lakhs discounts in general.

Add to that, some ~0.5% RoI discount from bank for the portion taken as loan.

[sauravpat]

Originally Posted by DeKay

Mr. Sudhir Gaikwad (Pune based) - Paintless Dent Repair - +91 9552629516

You're welcome!

Thanks for sharing. As of now, we have learnt to live with the dents. They are not too visible and we have decided we will not baby the car. Maybe do all denting and scratch removal every couple of years. But will contact him as and when needed.

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

Grand Total ~ 9.50 lakhs discounts in general.

Add to that, some ~0.5% RoI discount from bank for the portion taken as loan.

You have really smashed the ball out of the park with your negotiation of all the service/warranty/accessory tangibles. Excited for you to get your car as well.

By the way, for anyone wondering about the AC in the rear of the Premium Variant, there are fully functioning blowers under the front seats. The SA had told us that there are ventilation ducts. So we were under the assumption that the air sent to the front footwells passed through these ducts and ended up at the rear. But there are actual blowers in these ducts. This has been a pleasant surprise. However getting it to work properly is a little complex.

LThe Premium variant has a different climatronic panel. In the PP and Tech, we have toggles to select the direction from where the air comes out. Here, Audi has given a knob which can alter this in 4 clicks for every two blower positions. So we can choose varying percentages between 2 air flow directions instead of the usual 50-50 split most cars have.


One needs to turn the blower direction knob at the 6 o'clock position to maximise the effect of the AC at the rear of the car.
This ensures a roughly 35-65 split between the vents on the dashboard and vents in the footwells and below the front seats. Turning up the fan speed to more than 75% of the max setting ensures a speedy reduction in temperature.

So basically it is a single zone climate control system with rear blowers under the front seats instead of on the central console pillar like in most other cars and the Premium Plus and Tech variants of the A4 as well.

PP and Technology owners, would love to know if your cars have these underseat vents in addition to the center console vents or just the central ones?

The design flaw is that the mats tend to creep forward a little and cover up those vents unknowingly most of the time. So one may need to actively pull the mats back so that the vents can do their job.

Also my mother tends to keep her purse/handbag there which again blocks up these vents and renders them useless. So the Premium variant does have a rear ac blower in the footwell. This makes the AC performance acceptable. Nothing to write home about. But still took a good 4-5 trips to figure out how to get the best performance from it. Really shouldn't be this hard to figure out. It is what it is though.

@Vidzy will love some input from you if you have tried playing with these settings.