[Mach_1590]

MY2024 Audi A4 40 TFSI
Variant - Premium Plus
Colour - Navarra Blue with Okapi Brown interiors
Purchased in November 2024
Total driven till date - 3700 Kms
Overall Mileage - 14.8 Kmpl
Fuel - 95 RON
Dealer- Audi Delhi South




Why Audi A4?

I was craving for a sedan ever since my BIL got Slavia in 2022. After driving SUV and C-SUV from past few years, driving a sedan felt different. Good different. Enjoyed driving the Slavia over various trips and made up my mind to get a ICE sedan in near future.

Initially set a 20L budget, liked the Virtus for its exterior looks and the Verna for it interiors and refinement. But there was a big compromise for me with interior quality of Virtus and exterior looks of the Verna. Plans to buy the sedan were halted since there is literally no D-segment or 30-lac rupee sedan out there and putting 60-70L on entry level premium sedans felt like a bad decision. I would have made up my mind anyway if regular 330i was still available. Also, liked the A4 since my teenage days as we used to see them frequently during 2010s around our campus. Fast forward to October 2024, read on Team-bhp about good discounts on BMW and Audi and paid both a visit.

Went to see the BMW 330i LWB first and yeah, I was right, 330i felt wider and longer to throw around in the tight city traffic, the GC is less and considering rear seat will mostly be empty, ruled it out and went straight to the Audi showroom and after multiple test drives over a week, A4 was finalised. Buying experience was butter smooth. Essentially, I wanted to replace my EcoSport with the new sedan, but I retained my Ecosport and use it for errands.


Initial impression for fence sitters.



Engine

• 2.0 TFSI with "just" 201hp and 320 Nm of torque may not be the most powerful in the segment, but it makes a strong case for itself. The engine is mounted longitudinally. NVH is fantastically controlled.

• Delivers diesel like mileage even at 100 kmph. I constantly get 18+ KMPL on my long rides. 12+kmpl inside city.

• Tractable, picks up cleanly from low rpms without any drama. The acceleration is linear. Doesn't feel stressed throughout the rev range. Sounds nice as the revs fly.

Gearbox

• 7 Speed DQ-381 Wet Clutch is a well calibrated unit. Compliments the engine very well by masking the turbo lag. Low speed city drives are breeze thanks to this.

• Upshits quickly in 'D' mode with driving mode set on comfort. Best setting for urban usage. Shifts to fifth at 45 Kmph. 100 comes at 1.5K in 7th. "Airplane Style" gear lever design is classy. Shifts are electronic. Drops two gears when in a hurry for that quick overtake! Upshifts and Downshifts both are smooth and not felt at all.

• Paddle shifters are available for manual mode. For our traffic and road conditions, I rarely use paddle shifters. But good to have nonetheless.

Suspension and Tyres

• Audi has done some wizardry with the suspension setup on A4. It's a Five link independent setup all. Plush at low speeds, even on "no-roads". Rides nearly flat at high speeds. At low speeds it may feel like this car is very softly sprung but that's not the case. Overall, makes for a supremely comfortable ride both at front and backseat.

• For enthusiastic driving, the suspension holds up well on corners, and car holds the line, with a hint of body roll. However, it's apparent that the suspension is tuned for "Comfort". The ride is very hushed at city speeds, I have started to appreciate the silence inside cabin by turning off the music.

• Audi A4 comes with 17 inch wheels shod with 225/50 Hankook Ventus tyres from factory. I suppose they are soft compound tires and prone to punctures. Rear right has developed 1 puncture even before hitting 1k on ODO. There is minimal tire noise till 80 kmph. Grip is good on dry surface, yet to test them out on wet.

• There is no spare tire! Hate this trend. Although I have used the spare only once in last 17 years, thanks to tubeless tires, but a major sidewall puncture can leave one stranded in middle of nowhere.

Steering

• Feel nice to hold. Not the best steering out there. It weighs up well with speed but feels artificial. Not very engaging, especially due to car being FWD and front heavy. Both my Fords especially Endeavour has fantastic steering feedback.

• Has physical buttons for music, multimedia screen and cruise control with limiter along with paddle shifters.

Headlights and Taillights -

• Projector LEDs at the front with all-weather lights(cornering lamps). Fantastic illumination on DRY surface, cornering lamps can be switched on with a button and they stay illuminated. Also, can trigger with steering input as well.

• Taillights are LEDs with sequential turn signals and include rear fog lamps.

Touch Screen And FATC

• High resolutions 10.1" screen with Android Auto and Apple Carplay - both wired. The screen is responsive with haptic feedback. Both Android Auto and Apple carplay work well with high quality graphics.

• FATC is 3 zone A/C unit with physical buttons. Surprisingly good cooling for a European car, let's see how it performs in peak summers. Low fan noise adds up to the premium experience. The high quality buttons are joy to use, that "click" is very satisfactory. Rear AC vents make a useful case for our extreme summers.

Interior space, Seats and Boot

• Interiors are typical European affair, high quality with exceptional fit and finish. For a car that's nearly 4.8m long, the interior space isn't much to write home about, a six footer sitting behind another six footer will make things very tight. It is essentially a 4 seater due to massive central hump. Okapi brown shade doesn't make it feel roomy either. The Glove box is smallish and is not cooled.

• 12-way adjustable electric seats, lumbar support adjustment range is quite good. The seat compound is hard, however I develop pain in my right thigh after few hours of continuous driving which is new for me. Organ type A-pedal could have made things better. It's a low slung "sedan" and perhaps I am not used the seating position yet. That being said, the view from driver seat is quite good. Bonnet is visible.

• Rear seats are fixed with 40-20-40 split. The recline angle could have been slightly better. The thigh support is adequate for adults under 5'10". Can access the trunk from the rear seats. There is a key-locking mechanism for the rear seats which I find a bit weird.

• 480L of boot space. It's a mediocre sized trunk which houses the battery(mild-hybrid) and tools underneath with neat arrangement. Has a puncture repair kit, inflator and safety jacket as well. It also has the removable net to hold loose items. The subwoofer mounted on the parcel tray may reduce practicality.

Safety

• The car is rated 5 star by Euro NCAP and comes 8 airbags, ESC, TC, 3-point seatbelts, ISOFIX and Auto-door lock.

Few noteworthy remarks

• All four windows are one touch up and down. Sunroof is decently sized. I am not a fan of sunroofs anyway.

• 10-speaker "Audi" music system has tight bass, may not cut it for audiophiles but will suffice for majority out there. Works well for me. On par with Endeavour's 10-speaker system.

• The speed alarms are very irritating and hog the multimedia screen for few seconds.

• No Wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay is a bummer, since it also has wireless charging, you still end up using the cable.

• Ambient lights are present on the doors, front cupholders and footwell in 30 colours.

• Bonnet is very heavy and is supported by hydraulic struts.

• Passive TPMS is a let down. My 12 lac Ecosport has the active one along with passive keyless entry. I believe passive keyless entry should be standard on a premium car.

• Start-Stop system is ON by default. I always switch it off. Auto-hold is god sent.

• MID has neat layout and is very easy to read. The analogue dials are a treat to look at.

• Alloy wheels are plain-jane and boring. Plan to change them after 5 years. I want to keep things as stock as possible in the warranty period.

• The car has very good underbody protection coupled with 165mm GC, it took care of my concern of driving a "sedan" on unknown roads. Now I take it everywhere.

• My first choice was BMW 330i(discontinued), not the LWB, since I already have a large SUV, Audi A4 emerged as the next best premium yet compact option.

• Slidable front armrest with wireless charger and storage underneath.

• Didn't opt for Technology variant as the upgrade was mostly cosmetic, if it had ADAS, Ventilated Seats and 360 degree cam or any two, would have surely upgraded. I am not a fan of Virtual Cockpit. Less screens the better. Yes, 20L rupee sedans have more bells and whistles than A4.

• Got extended warranty(5yrs), Audi logo puddle lamp(4 Nos) accessory, full tank 97 Octane fuel a sapling and a cake as complimentary.

Closing statement

Had multiple test drives over various road conditions before finalising the deal. Dealership wasn't pushy at any point, had a premium experience all throughout. I was part of the PDI and the tech guy explained the PDI process in detail, no complaints there. VFM factor was hard to beat post discounts.

Few pictures clicked from mobile phone, please excuse the quality

[abhishek242001]

Congratulations on your new ride. I am looking for A4 Technology as my next car. Was checking the difference over Premium Plus to see if its worth the extra bucks. If you can share, how much was the final costing for you post discount?

[beemer5499]

Great review! I have never been able to get more than 7-9 kmpl in Delhi traffic!

Are you sure this is MY2024? If so, they have changed the alloy wheel design again to the MY2021-2022. In MY2023 A4’s, all the variants had the same alloy wheel design.

[naveendagar]

Hi

Heartiest Congratulations for the amazing car. It will live upto your expectations and will most probably outlive every other car.

I have MY23 car and got different look wheels than yours (picture attached). The wheels in your car used to come in My21-22 cars. Am not sure whether they have gone back to ancient design but request you to check with them once.

Best wishes.

[jetpack470]

I bought an A4 tech in July 2024, my car has the same alloys as the one that OP received. I believed they made these the stock alloys around June only for all models of A4. Wasn't a big fan at first, but over time they've grown on me. They definitely don't look cheap, maybe not as flashy as some other designs, but not cheap either.

[TurboPetrol150]

Congratulations! And wish you many many happy miles ahead. I myself am eyeing an A4, especially because of the current discounts. Would a deal close to 40L on road Delhi be a realistic expectation and could you mind sharing a few details regarding your own purchase?

[jetpack470]

Originally Posted by TurboPetrol150

Congratulations! And wish you many many happy miles ahead. I myself am eyeing an A4, especially because of the current discounts. Would a deal close to 40L on road Delhi be a realistic expectation and could you mind sharing a few details regarding your own purchase?

I can not speak for delhi or for premium plus but I got my a4 tech for 50 on road Gurgaon. This included 5 year basic service and extended warranty and a couple of accessories. Also as a tip for prospective buyers, do not get ceramic coatings from dealers (audi or otherwise), they don't know what they're doing and will likely inflict swirls on the car in the process. Better to get it from a real detailer.

[Themomomonsterr]

Congratulations on the new ride! Your post was very detailed and informative. If I may, what kind of discounts did you end up receiving? Please do share if you don't mind. Thanks!

[raz0405]

I got my A4 40 TFSI from Bangalore around the same time. Took delivery on 31st Oct, 24. The B&O speaker setup in technology pack is superb. Rest everything is just cosmetic over premium plus. Audi generally gives you an offer that you can't refuse and it was the same in my case. The car per se is really good and even I moved from SUVs (Tiguan & Mercedes ML) to a true blue sedan.

[Mach_1590]

Originally Posted by abhishek242001

Congratulations on your new ride. I am looking for A4 Technology as my next car. Was checking the difference over Premium Plus to see if its worth the extra bucks. If you can share, how much was the final costing for you post discount?

Hi Abhishek, thank you! Final OTR was 43L including the TCS. The major difference is B&O sound system and Virtual Cockpit between the two.

Originally Posted by beemer5499

Great review! I have never been able to get more than 7-9 kmpl in Delhi traffic!


Are you sure this is MY2024? If so, they have changed the alloy wheel design again to the MY2021-2022. In MY2023 A4’s, all the variants had the same alloy wheel design.

Thanks! Perhaps you drive in B2B traffic? But still 7 kmpl sounds too low. I am yet to see efficiency drop below double digits. What RON fuel do you fill?

Yes they have swapped the wheels from 5-spoke to 10-spoke for cars manufactured after June 2024. Mine is July 2024 made.

Originally Posted by naveendagar

Hi

Heartiest Congratulations for the amazing car. It will live upto your expectations and will most probably outlive every other car.

I have MY23 car and got different look wheels than yours (picture attached). The wheels in your car used to come in My21-22 cars. Am not sure whether they have gone back to ancient design but request you to check with them once.

Best wishes.

Thanks a lot
Sure it feels built to last, enjoying every bit of it. Yes they went back to the old design.

Originally Posted by jetpack470

I bought an A4 tech in July 2024, my car has the same alloys as the one that OP received. I believed they made these the stock alloys around June only for all models of A4. Wasn't a big fan at first, but over time they've grown on me. They definitely don't look cheap, maybe not as flashy as some other designs, but not cheap either.

They don't look cheap until you see those drool worthy 19" wheels on the A6 .

Originally Posted by TurboPetrol150

Congratulations! And wish you many many happy miles ahead. I myself am eyeing an A4, especially because of the current discounts. Would a deal close to 40L on road Delhi be a realistic expectation and could you mind sharing a few details regarding your own purchase?

Thank you. The offers right now may not be as good as the year end discounts and there was also a price increase. Still, if you're lucky, you'll get 2024 manufactured vehicle for similar price. I closed it at 43L.

Originally Posted by Themomomonsterr

Congratulations on the new ride! Your post was very detailed and informative. If I may, what kind of discounts did you end up receiving? Please do share if you don't mind. Thanks!

Thank you. 43L OTR. Tech Pack was available at 46L.

Originally Posted by raz0405

I got my A4 40 TFSI from Bangalore around the same time. Took delivery on 31st Oct, 24. The B&O speaker setup in technology pack is superb. Rest everything is just cosmetic over premium plus. Audi generally gives you an offer that you can't refuse and it was the same in my case. The car per se is really good and even I moved from SUVs (Tiguan & Mercedes ML) to a true blue sedan.

Hey! Cheers. Yes, I find this sedan to be right sized for all purposes. Feels right at home in the urban setting as well as the highways. Indeed, Audi's year end offers were hard to say no to. Although I'd still prefer Endeavour over A4 for multi day road trip.

[beemer5499]

Originally Posted by Mach_1590

Thanks! Perhaps you drive in B2B traffic? But still 7 kmpl sounds too low. I am yet to see efficiency drop below double digits. What RON fuel do you fill?

Hey! Cheers. Yes, I find this sedan to be right sized for all purposes. Feels right at home in the urban setting as well as the highways. Indeed, Audi's year end offers were hard to say no to. Although I'd still prefer Endeavour over A4 for multi day road trip.

Yes it’s mainly B2B traffic in the city with no highways or long open stretches. The best I have seen in the city would be 9 and it’s been 1.5 years of getting the car.
I only fill XP95 from Indian Oil in the car since getting it.

How would you compare the driving experience of endeavour vs A4 since we also have an endeavour which is on the way out? Also, A4’s boot is big but not practical enough like an SUV’s boot. Sadly, Delhi NCR 10 year rule will put away so many good cars to rest (in different cities).

[Mach_1590]

Originally Posted by beemer5499

Yes it’s mainly B2B traffic in the city with no highways or long open stretches. The best I have seen in the city would be 9 and it’s been 1.5 years of getting the car.
I only fill XP95 from Indian Oil in the car since getting it.

How would you compare the driving experience of endeavour vs A4 since we also have an endeavour which is on the way out? Also, A4’s boot is big but not practical enough like an SUV’s boot. Sadly, Delhi NCR 10 year rule will put away so many good cars to rest (in different cities).

Okay. I mostly drive Ecosport for city runabouts. Although A4 has seen some slow moving traffic, but it's mostly driven for weekend outings.

Endeavour in comparison feels rugged, raw and agricultural. The seats are more suited for doing 1000 kms in a single day and continue doing so for multiple days. Yes, it can also load twice the capacity of luggage with 5 people on board. I rate it very highly and would have surely kept it for 15 years or more if not for NGT. It is tall yet dynamically very competent and more suited for our highways with that suspension travel. Even after 6 years, it feels the same.

[beemer5499]

Originally Posted by Mach_1590

Endeavour in comparison feels rugged, raw and agricultural. The seats are more suited for doing 1000 kms in a single day and continue doing so for multiple days. Yes, it can also load twice the capacity of luggage with 5 people on board. I rate it very highly and would have surely kept it for 15 years or more if not for NGT. It is tall yet dynamically very competent and more suited for our highways with that suspension travel. Even after 6 years, it feels the same.

Yes Endeavour is a real mile muncher and there isn’t a car made like that with a similar 3.2L engine till date.

Your car has the same vintage as ours. Any plans to sell it? I wish to know how much should one expect for a 2018 registered endeavour 3.2 titanium 4x4 which is Delhi registered and run about 80k.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by beemer5499

How would you compare the driving experience of endeavour vs A4 since we also have an endeavour which is on the way out? Also, A4’s boot is big but not practical enough like an SUV’s boot. Sadly, Delhi NCR 10 year rule will put away so many good cars to rest (in different cities).

I have both an endeavour 3.2 and an a4 bought in December 2024 (close to 6k km run) so -

The drive quality is fantastic in a4 and endeavour is relaxed cruising in comparison. If you look at the middle of the speedometer and that’s 100 vs 140 on the two cars and that says it all.

The seat comfort on the a4 isn’t as good for long drives compared to the upright seating in the Endeavour. And rear seat comfort is far less than the Endeavour so that my wife feels it cramped. In fact I was looking at an a6 before the endeavour, moving from a Scorpio and she vetoed that saying it was too cramped. Any long drives with family will be in the endeavour.

The Hankook tyres are trash. I had a sidewall blow out in one tyre at barely 1k km and then changed them to JK Levitas Ultra. That is a new premium tyre that JK has introduced and so far I’ve been impressed, this is definitely not one of the taxi quality tyres that you would expect from a typical JK. Grippy, less noise, priced competitively to Michelin and Continental

Word of advice - change oil at 5000-7500 km depending on your usage. Don’t stretch that 0w20 oil Audi uses (or VW, Tata, Hyundai and many other brands these days) to the full 15000 kilometres they suggest. 0w20 looks as thin as brake fluid or plain water when you drain it out, and pitch black - at just 6000 km.

If you don’t then keep in mind that a lot of the gripes people have with high mileage Audis (valve cover and gasket leaks, timing chain issues) are common in cars where the engine has not had regular enough oil changes.

Originally Posted by beemer5499

Yes Endeavour is a real mile muncher and there isn’t a car made like that with a similar 3.2L engine till date.

Your car has the same vintage as ours. Any plans to sell it? I wish to know how much should one expect for a 2018 registered endeavour 3.2 titanium 4x4 which is Delhi registered and run about 80k.

Keep the endeavour, the use case is entirely different from the Audi. And you can take the endeavour anywhere with a clear conscience - to places you’ll hesitate to take any sedan let alone an audi.

[naadopaasaka]

Thanks for your review! I hope you enjoy your car.

I have driven a 2024 Audi A4 40 TFSI petrol a few times in the past couple of months. I have driven about 100 km on the highway and also a little within the city in varying traffic conditions. So I can’t claim to be particularly well-acquainted with the car, but I think I’ve experienced it enough to make the following comments. There are some rather strange choices that Audi has made that results in what I consider a sub-par ergonomic (or should I say UI/ UX) experience within the car.

1. The “park” button on the gear selector is in a weird position. Your left thumb likely won’t naturally sit there to press it. This is compounded by the fact that there is no indication along the line of lights indicating the transmission position (R, N, D, etc.) as to whether the car is or is not in park. So it takes some getting used to if you’re new to the car.

2. The joystick used to position the ORVMs also controls the folding of the ORVMs. I don’t know if it is cost cutting, but when even significantly cheaper cars have a separate button for this, it is unfortunate that Audi did this. It also isn’t the easiest bunch of symbols to understand if you’re new to the car.

3. The laziness on shifting the controls from the left-hand drive configuration to the right-hand drive configuration is very apparent. Driver-centric controls like the auto-start-stop button or the drive mode selector are on the left of the dashboard towards the passenger.

4. You really have to reach into a well to operate the engine start-stop button.

5. Cruise control is on a stalk. That stalk is not easy to reach.

I know this might sound like nitpicking. But can’t one expect more from a car at this price point?

Having said all that, the seats are really comfortable, the material quality and aesthetic decisions are fantastic (this car is beautiful), and there is a lot good about the car. It certainly isn’t a driver’s car though in terms of performance and dynamics, but it isn’t seeking to be one. I sometimes wonder what it is besides a relatively easy entry into the premium German segment.