[JoshMachine]

Among the laundry list of some really hi-tech wizardry onboard the A4, this humble looking lever has been of great use, specially with the onset of monsoons:-



Just switch to "Auto" mode and the wipers just wash away the muck & the rainwater on the glass, presenting a clear view ahead.
No thinking required, no intervention required. Just let the contraption do its work.

Till very recently, never really bothered to "check the fine print" of the tech, which is used in so many cars these days.
It seems a combination of LEDs and a photodiode are continuously at work:-



The invisible light emitted by the LEDs is reflected by the windshield onto the photo sensor. Therefore the more moisture there is on the windshield, the less light the sensor receives. This information is subsequently relayed to a computer control unit, which then adjusts the intermittent wiper delay intervals of the accordingly.

A neat mechanism, and a great thing to have in your car

[JoshMachine]

Monsoons are in full swing here in Pune. Glad to report that the A4 is taking everything in its stride

The wonderful 5-link suspension at both the front and the rear ensures peace of mind. So much so that, I have started gaining more confidence in the A4 to take me places where I would have hesitated to take the Vento.

If the roads are:-



..no problem, the suspension gobbles up everything and doesn't let you feel anything inside.

On the other hand, if the roads are like:-



..then the A4 just glides over smoothly, enhancing the pleasure of riding on tarmac.

By the way, the odo is now trickling along at a healthy pace. Crossed 3500 km with the FE on the MID showing overall 12.2 kmpl. Think I should be able to squeeze out more in the time to come.

[JoshMachine]

5000 km update

It's been a month now since the last update. The A4's going about clocking the miles (and smiles, too) silently and without any drama.

Hit the 5,000 km mark on 14th Aug. As I had mentioned earlier, just love the way one can capture the exact time stamp besides the date.



This run rate translates to approx. 1250 km/month, and if I extrapolate, it would mean approx. 15000 km/year. Haven't had the chance to do long trips, courtesy some hectic work related travels. So hoping to put a lot more on the odo in the near future.

A few observations on the journey till date.

The GOOD part, first-up:-

* Overall fuel efficiency hovering and settling around 12-13 kmpl. Sometimes, it does shoot upto 15-16 kmpl on good open roads and nose dives to 9-10 kmpl in peak traffic. The highest MID reading has been >19 kmpl on few occasions. I use "Comfort" mode 99% of the times.

* The throttle response is almost instantaneous. The in-line acceleration is a joy to experience

* The design, am in love with it, specially when viewed from the rear 3/4 angle. Sometimes I look back at the car so many times after parking, that my kiddo has to literally snap me out of that daydream

* Have already praised the super insulation inside the cabin so many times. Detailed post, here

* A great feature, very understated, has been the "Auto-Hold" function. Has made the city travelling experience so much easy, when at the crazy Pune traffic signals. Of all the additions over the previous Vento, I guess this one really sits there amongst the top joys!
From what I have found, Audi Hold Assist is part of the ABS-ESP control system. After you release the brake pedal, the hydraulic pressure is maintained, meaning the hydraulic system keeps the brake pads pressed against the brake discs at the front and rear. During this process, the electromechanical parking brake is not in operation. This means a quicker reaction time, less noise and less braking effect at all four wheels, and enhanced comfort. This Hold Assist is only available in conjunction with the electromechanical parking brake.

* The confidence-inspiring, robust 5-link suspension is being severely tested on Pune roads (or wherever there are). And every time, it comes out with flying colors.

* The LED lights are also quite sharp. Found them to be quite helpful specially during those rainy nights on some highway stretches, when there are no streetlights around to guide.

The NOT-SO-GOOD part, next:-

* The horn pad continues to be irksome. Sometime back, I got it checked at the service center to find if the pad pressure settings can be softened up a bit so as to make the pressing easier by the thumbs, but no luck. I believe it's one of those European/German legacies (where they probably don't need to honk that much) that I have to live with an inflexible setting.

* The "my Audi Connect" app is another piece of work that needs sprucing up, when it comes to response times. I always find the app having a lot of lag, and it just takes the charm out of the whole mobile-connectedness experience.

The ACCEPTANCE part:-

* Initially, the absence of ventilated seats on such a luxury offering put me off, theoretically. However, to my surprise, I was hardly uncomfortable even while driving in hot & humid afternoons. The 3-zone air conditioning is very good, and compensates for whatever lacuna the seats may have.

* During the very initial days of ownership, when I/we were still getting used to the cabin layout etc, I felt dismayed about the seemingly lack of storage options. But then, now, it is not so bad. There is adequate space to keep your coffee mug, water bottles, tissue paper box, keys, loose change, mobile, and some knick-knacks which is a good enough arrangement. No food allowed inside the car, strictly.

* The mild hybrid is another area, where I haven't delved into much. I turn off the auto start/stop feature, the moment I switch ON the ignition. But have accepted that the feature is there to stay and may have its minor advantages in aiding the fuel efficiency.

In summary, when I look back at these first 5000-odd km, I (or we as a family) have started to understand why the A4 continues to be one of the best-selling entry luxury sedans for Audi. It is really a well-put together bundle of nice luxury + useful feature-sets that customers will want from this price bracket

[JoshMachine]

Nothing like a good "wipe n wash" to get your car back shining like new in the muddy monsoon. And if its done with passion and excellent attention to details, then it becomes a delightful experience!

For that, as mentioned earlier, I trust Glosswerkz completely
I have availed of a regular AMC from them, the results are simply too good.

Some pics for viewing pleasure, post a regular wash and some minor detailing (they call it just cleaning):-







Experiences like these keep my love for the car (and that color) intact.

[JoshMachine]

Of rear seat belts, nice weather and a short Pune-Mumbai run

These days, wearing a seat belt at the rear is the talk of the town. And rightfully so.

Found this neat display in the A4's MID. Whenever somebody buckles up at the rear, that respective position gets lit up with a green colored belt:



If anyone does mischief and removes it on the go, I (as the driver) will immediately know and ask to do the needful. Nice.

On the weather, everybody's saying monsoon about to retreat from Pune. Nobody really knows when actually.
But whatever's happening, the evenings get very pretty these days. So, at the first available opportunity, we usually try to head out to the nearest coffee shop, and catch some of these sepia tones on the way:-



Speaking of heading out, did a Pune-Mumbai run via expressway.

Early Sunday start. Nice weather all along.

Almost amongst the clouds in the ghats:-



At the food mall, couldn't help but capture the Sahyadri beauty, felt-lined by the silver clouds:-



Another beauty capture, this one's on the ground though:-



A cruise on the expressway in a A4 with fav music does have its advantages, and a FE of 21.7 kmpl adds to that experience surely



Overall, for a run of ~150-odd km, the MID showed these stats. Not bad, I would say:-



Rested for a few hours. The Terra Grey color really is an attraction on the car:-





On the way back to Pune, had to wade through the Sunday evening Mumbai traffic. Things were bad at some places, cows trudged faster. And forced us to take detour at some. The A4's (mild) hybrid ran out of juice at signals and long stops.

Took us a royal 5 hrs to return to Pune, the MID numbers all askew as compared to the morning:-



Amongst all this drama, one thing stood out - the A4's ability to hold you tight inside that cocooned cabin is simply fabulous. We could manage to keep our sanity in those traffic snarls, courtesy the comfortable & ergonomic seats.

This first short-ish trip really showed us what the car is capable of. Have put some destinations on the check list for the next trip already

[neoonwheels]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

These days, wearing a seat belt at the rear is the talk of the town. And rightfully so.

Found this neat display in the A4's MID. Whenever somebody buckles up at the rear, that respective position gets lit up with a green colored belt:

If anyone does mischief and removes it on the go, I (as the driver) will immediately know and ask to do the needful. Nice.

I have observed the same behavior in my Octavia last week. If the seat belt is removed, the seat turns red with beeps

[JoshMachine]

The other day, I had to use the manual/Tiptronic mode on the A4 due to very heavy crawling traffic. In the A4, one has to shift the ergonomic yacht-like gear lever to the left for this mode, post which the "+" and the "-" signs get lit.



After some time, I wanted to stop the car and move to "P" (park) mode. An interesting thing happened - the moment I pressed the "P" button (NOT the electronic parking "P" brake) on the lever while it was in manual mode, the lever automatically/ literally shifted back right to its regular position. For a moment, I thought something had gone wrong and so I tried this again with the same result.

So, what the lever possibly does - once I press the "P" (park) mode on the lever, the DSG mechatronics overrides all activities and puts the lever back into its normal position, irrespective of the mode it is currently present.
Nifty, I would think.

[NerdyMillennial]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

After some time, I wanted to stop the car and move to "P" (park) mode. An interesting thing happened - the moment I pressed the "P" button (NOT the electronic parking "P" brake) on the lever while it was in manual mode, the lever automatically/ literally shifted back right to its regular position. For a moment, I thought something had gone wrong and so I tried this again with the same result.

This is actually fairly common and happens on most gear levers of the BMWs as well. And if I remember correctly, even the Jaguar F-Type does this.

[Cresterk]

Well that's interesting. I have seen this feature before but I didn't know the A4 also came with it. Most of the time these cool features are generally deleted from the Indian spec cars, especially when it's not the flagship models.

[CEF_Beasts]

A very interesting comparison between the Audi A4 S-Line (3.0L V6 Diesel) and C300 4Matic (2.0L 4cyl Petrol).

Although neither cars get the respective engines in India, other aspects are same as the cars sold in India and the A4 is the winner of the test!

The Red and Black highlights really complement the A4 well!

Between the petrol versions of both cars available in India, the A4 is solid VFM!

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class has been called out for it’s downgraded quality in the interiors, whereas the Audi is solid!

https://youtu.be/XSMi0Y1nEWE

[manson]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

So, what the lever possibly does - once I press the "P" (park) mode on the lever, the DSG mechatronics overrides all activities and puts the lever back into its normal position, irrespective of the mode it is currently present.
Nifty, I would think.

Close to 18K on the odo and I had no idea about this since I've hardly ever used the manual mode or even the paddle shifters! Its quite the party trick to impress myself on a mundane day

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

Although neither cars get the respective engines in India, other aspects are same as the cars sold in India and the A4 is the winner of the test!

This feels more of an Audi PR exercise than a fair comparison review. The engine on the comparison A4 is easily the better one but the face of the car hardly seems 'fresh' which is probably why they've sent in one in a more shocking shade with blacked out trims than a run of the mill silver/white car.

[nxshar2]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

Of rear seat belts, nice weather and a short Pune-Mumbai run

A cruise on the expressway in a A4 with fav music does have its advantages, and a FE of 21.7 kmpl adds to that experience surely

Those are pretty impressive numbers. I did mahabaleshwar - powai run with FE of 16.5 today and was thinking that was good, way to go it seems! What fuel are you using? I am currently at 1100 on odo and been using indian oil xp 95 so far.

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by nxshar2

Those are pretty impressive numbers. I did mahabaleshwar - powai run with FE of 16.5 today and was thinking that was good, way to go it seems! What fuel are you using? I am currently at 1100 on odo and been using indian oil xp 95 so far.

I was using Shell regular petrol for the first 2500-odd km. However, post that, I switched to XP95, with the current odo reading touching almost 7000 km now.

The switch to XP95 (or XP100 couple of times in between) makes the car feel more responsive, for sure. The FE numbers speak for themselves

[100Kmphormore]

Nice ownership review! Why did you sell the Vento, since I remember that thread well and ownership was a breeze, and was wondering why it wasn’t updated in the last 6 months or so. What an answer to my wondering!

[nxshar2]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

The FE numbers speak for themselves

Originally Posted by manson

Close to 18K on the odo and I had no idea about this since I've hardly ever used the manual mode or even the paddle shifters! Its quite the party trick to impress myself on a mundane day

Hi manson, Josh - what is the best way to auto start music play when you switch on the car. I use Youtube music but it still asks me to select the song and go to downloads when offline. Kind of annoying when you just want your downloaded playlist to start when you are in a hurry to drive off. e.g in my old city i have a usb plugged in which auto starts. Any tricks i am missing.