[JoshMachine]

Some pictures from earlier today at the office.

The Terra Grey Metallic is an amazing color, just can't stop gushing at the beautiful contours:

[Lion hearted]

Hi @JoshMachine

What a review!! 7 stars, no less. Many thanks. I am in the market for a new car. And it may not come as a surprise that I am totally confused between the Kia Seltos diesel AT, the JC diesel manual, the yet to be launched Hyundai Tucson 2022, maybe even the Superb, and definitely the A4. And no, this is not a simple 'what are my needs' kind of question and analysis to zero down to the final contender/s. This is purely a heart decision and the cars shortlisted above are all those that tug at my heart and of course have good engine-gearbox combos, which is a necessary/essential criterion for selection.

Like you, I am about 6'1" tall - my current drive is a Ciaz ZXi+ (petrol) - and one of the confusing aspects is whether I would like to settle for another sedan with a low slung seating position (though I have adjusted the seat of the Ciaz to a reasonably comfortable position for myself, and yet it is low, if you know what I mean). Instead drop all sedans from the shortlist and focus on the SUV segment - JC, Tucson and increase the choices to include the Meridian etc.

Your detailing of the seating position in the A4, not once but twice over, has given me some confidence that it may not be that bad after all. But, I'll still ask you; how is the A4's seating position compared to a Ciaz or the City? Which are perhaps amongst the higher sedans (better GC, options to adjust the seating high) in the market today (ignoring the Slavia and the Virtus twins for the moment, since they are not part of my comparo). Is your ideal seating position in your A4 lower than what you would be able to manage in, say, a Ciaz/City? Is ingress/egress a problem for you?

Thanks much!

Mod Note: Please avoid typing like..... this...

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by Lion hearted

Hi @JoshMachine
What a review!! 7 stars, no less. Many thanks

Thanks a lot, humbled

I am in the market for a new car. And it may not come as a surprise that I am totally confused between the Kia Seltos diesel AT, the JC diesel manual, the yet to be launched Hyundai Tucson 2022, maybe even the Superb, and definitely the A4. And no, this is not a simple 'what are my needs' kind of question and analysis to zero down to the final contender/s. This is purely a heart decision and the cars shortlisted above are all those that tug at my heart and of course have good engine-gearbox combos, which is a necessary/essential criterion for selection.

The tug of war(heart) between all your choices is going to be one of its kind! All the cars you mentioned - Seltos, Compass, Tucson, Superb and the A4 - have their own unique personalities.
And I am not even talking about the obvious things, the drivetrain (AT vs Manual), fuel type (diesel vs petrol) or the bhp range differences (Seltos vs the Compass vs the A4). Wishing you all the best to sort this one out
And yes, after the initial comparo, it WILL be a heart decision!

Like you, I am about 6'1" tall - my current drive is a Ciaz ZXi+ (petrol) - and one of the confusing aspects is whether I would like to settle for another sedan with a low slung seating position (though I have adjusted the seat of the Ciaz to a reasonably comfortable position for myself, and yet it is low, if you know what I mean). Instead drop all sedans from the shortlist and focus on the SUV segment - JC, Tucson and increase the choices to include the Meridian etc.

Well, the low seating is definitely a conundrum but I think only you are the best judge to solve it.
When I started doing the test drives, the A4 was first off the block. And as I mentioned in my review, even though the seat height per se was lower than my Vento's, the multitude of adjustment options came to the rescue. And the rest is history.
But this may not be true with you. Unless you try it out yourselves, and get comfortable with the thought, the matter may come in the way of deciding something like the lower-seated Superb or the A4.
The Compass or the Tucson will offer no such difficulty, obviously. Or even the Meridian. But am sure you will want to consider these CSUVs not just on the basis of their ground clearance. A Meridian or a Kodiaq offer a completely different proposition - when we consider as basic a thing as no. of seats on offer, utility options, off-roading capability and so on.

Your detailing of the seating position in the A4, not once but twice over, has given me some confidence that it may not be that bad after all. But, I'll still ask you; how is the A4's seating position compared to a Ciaz or the City? Which are perhaps amongst the higher sedans (better GC, options to adjust the seating high) in the market today (ignoring the Slavia and the Virtus twins for the moment, since they are not part of my comparo).

You definitely seat lower in the A4 as compared to the City or the Ciaz, for example.
But I didn't find this to be any issue as such after getting used to it. The overall ergonomics make the experience quite comfortable once you immerse yourselves in the plushness of the A4 seat. And my parents have also given a thumbs-up when they occupy the rear seats.
In terms of other sedans, you might want to check out the Octavia or maybe a pre-owned Jetta?

Is your ideal seating position in your A4 lower than what you would be able to manage in, say, a Ciaz/City? Is ingress/egress a problem for you?

Yes, my normal seating position in the A4 is lower as compared to that of the City. I have driven my colleague's City and I can clearly feel the difference.
Initially, I indeed felt some minor inconvenience during ingress/egress but I got over it in couple of days. Just got used to it now.

Hope I have been able to respond to your queries satisfactorily. Please feel free to shoot more, if you want anything clarified. Will try best to answer them.

[JoshMachine]

When I looked back at my car parked in the office lot, I saw this from a distance:-



Wondering if I should contact the folks at HAPPYDENT, to add to their collection

[Lion hearted]

Thanks again @JoshMachine. A 5 star reply on a 7 star post! Am very clear on the driving position issue and query, so thanks a lot for that. And yes, the driving position alone will not determine my choice of car, nor will the high seating position alone tilt the scales in favour of the SUVs. It has to be a consolidated view / decision, which it will be, if the head rules the heart. For the time being, since I am in no rush, I will continue to read, research and watch (both reviews, videos but also these cars in real life), and hopefully the path will clear up, rather than get more muddled. Thanks again and will perhaps bother you again if needed. Cheers.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I don't spend much time daydreaming about cars I can't expect to own, but saw this thread and thought I'd make an exception! Indeed a dream car!

Beautifully written and presented review of this lovely car. Thank you! Wishing you happy years and km together.

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by Lion hearted

Thanks again @JoshMachine. A 5 star reply on a 7 star post! Am very clear on the driving position issue and query, so thanks a lot for that. And yes, the driving position alone will not determine my choice of car, nor will the high seating position alone tilt the scales in favour of the SUVs. It has to be a consolidated view / decision, which it will be, if the head rules the heart. For the time being, since I am in no rush, I will continue to read, research and watch (both reviews, videos but also these cars in real life), and hopefully the path will clear up, rather than get more muddled. Thanks again and will perhaps bother you again if needed. Cheers.

Wishing the best to you for your search
If I may, you could lay down 5-6 potential options in front of you, and start taking some test drives. Since you are in no rush, you can take your own time to decide what suits you best.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I don't spend much time daydreaming about cars I can't expect to own, but saw this thread and thought I'd make an exception! Indeed a dream car!

Beautifully written and presented review of this lovely car. Thank you! Wishing you happy years and km together.

Thanks a lot for your kind words

[JoshMachine]

My experiments with truth: Noise levels

A few days ago, I was at a place waiting and seated inside the A4, the engine purring quietly at a steady rpm since it was stationary.

Since I was pretty close to a busy place, I couldn't help but notice the sheer amount of traffic noise streaming out there.

I also realized that inside the car though, everything was eerily silent.

I looked at the decibel meter on my watch, it showed this:-



I double-checked the application but it showed almost the same value. Couldn't believe what I was seeing!

Curiosity got the better of me, and I downloaded this noise level chart:-



This chart clearly shows that if seated inside the A4 with no music, things will be quite quiet.

This took me back to one of my "likes":

Super silent on the inside, very good NVH insulation. Tombstone-like.

I tried some more scenarios just to experiment with truth.

So here goes..

Decibel meter with windows rolled up and light music inside, car stationary:-



Decibel meter with windows rolled down and close to some shops with normal traffic, car stationary:-



Later in the day, decibel meter with windows rolled down and close to a traffic junction, car stationary:-



Finally, decibel meter with windows rolled down, car moving at 60-70 kmph (kiddo wearing the watch and clicking the pic, not me):-



Even though the above readings are not super-scientific or something, but they give a fair indication of the noise levels.

As a general thumb rule, need to ensure that windows are kept rolled down. The unusually high decibel levels can accelerate fatigue setting in, pretty quickly.

However, one thing stands out - the A4 is ultra-silent inside with windows rolled up, Q.E.D.

[JoshMachine]

2500 km update

Earlier today, crossed a mini-milestone. 2500 km on the odo:-



Nice feature, to be able to capture the exact time (down to the minute), day and date of such milestones.

Accompanied by a nice shot from above:-



So, it has been just over 2 months that we got the A4 home and it has been smiles all along. But not so many miles, as we would have liked.

No significant changes to the 'likes and dislikes' so far. Related post.
Coming from the Vento, the transition is now complete, I think so. Related post.

[GForceEnjoyer]

Congratulations, I've loved reading all your posts here so far. Hope your A4 provides you with plenty of pleasure in the future too.

[JoshMachine]

Raindrops keep falling on my head (err..sunroof), goes the famous song by B.J.Thomas.

Monsoon's just started to tease us here in Pune.

Very limited use cases for a sunroof in India, the below ones being one of them.

Front seat view:-



Balcony view:-



Just love this

[JoshMachine]

Pune Metro work in full swing across the city.

My wifey and kiddo see perspectives of barricades, concrete towers and diversions.

I see this



320 Nm vs 1300 Nm, wonder what it feels like to drive such beasts!
The one in the background, I mean.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

2500 km update

Earlier today, crossed a mini-milestone. 2500 km on the odo:-

Hey, the cluster reminded me of this neat trick which you are probably aware of.

This small round patch you see on the tacho is the ambient light sensor.



It senses the ambient light and accordingly, sets the brightness of the cluster lighting during day time. Its a VAG group trait available on the high-end clusters.

Try this out in the evening when it is dark - get into the car, headlights switch in off (O) position, shine a light from your phone to the sensor. The cluster will light up completely for an instant and will gradually fade out to dark.

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Hey, the cluster reminded me of this neat trick which you are probably aware of.

No Chief, was not aware. Although, I did see it there but didn't think of it much.

This small round patch you see on the tacho is the ambient light sensor.
--
It senses the ambient light and accordingly, sets the brightness of the cluster lighting during day time. Its a VAG group trait available on the high-end clusters.
--
Try this out in the evening when it is dark - get into the car, headlights switch in off (O) position, shine a light from your phone to the sensor. The cluster will light up completely for an instant and will gradually fade out to dark.

Thanks for sharing the detail

I checked out your Youtube video for the live demo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lElZRy-GS5c&t=17s

Will surely try it out on the A4.

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Try this out in the evening when it is dark - get into the car, headlights switch in off (O) position, shine a light from your phone to the sensor. The cluster will light up completely for an instant and will gradually fade out to dark.

Will surely try it out on the A4.

Tried this yesterday evening & night, but the cluster doesn't light up. I have to manually move the switch to 'Auto' or side lights mode.
Any coding required?