I recently drove the 2003 Audi A4 Quattro 3.0 with a silver exterior, black leather interior and Tiptronic Transmission. The car also had the sport and every other available option package. Simply stated, it was as loaded as they come.

To begin with, I love the exterior look of this car. In a world of a zillion entry level sport/luxury sedans that all look similar, the A4 is truly a unique looking 4 door vehicle. Some people I know have commented that the car looks pudgy but I think it's short and stout stance give it a muscular appearance. My comments come with a single caveat: This car absolutely has to have the 5 spoke 17 inch rims that come with the sport package. The standard 16 inch rims positively ruin the looks of this car. It's quite amazing but absolutely true. Without the 17 in rims this car is not nearly as appealing.

Even more impressive than the exterior good looks of this car is its interior design. The automotive press has long raved about Audi interiors and for good reason. You simply cannot find a higher quality interior and standard range of features in any other car in this price range, period. The quality of materials, fit and finish, and attention to detail is truly stunning, even when considering this car stickers for just over 40 large. Two features I took notice of which demonstrate this attention to detail were the sunshades built into the rear door sills and the small sun visor above the rearview mirror which can be extended to block the sunlight which may sneak in between the mirror and the headliner. Both are very nice touches, particularly in Arizona. The interior is not roomy by any stretch. Many other vehicles in this class feel roomy by comparison. The back seat is cramped for anyone over 5'9 in terms of leg, head, and shoulder room. The situation is worse if the driver is over 6 feet. If you won't be carting tall people around on a daily basis, this is obviously not a problem, but it is something to be aware of. The seating position and lay out of controls in the front seats is great. It is snug, but it adds to the sporting appeal of the interior. The same can be said for the relatively high beltline of the car. It just makes one feel as though you are sitting in the car, as opposed to on the car, which is so common in Japanese vehicles. The only thing which detracts from this is the overly firm cushioning of the seats. The quality of leather used here was impressive, however, the seats just didn't quite fit me despite all attempts to adjust them accordingly. This is one area where Audi needs some work on its interiors, as I have experienced this in other Audi vehicles. The seats just need softer cushions. All of the vehicle's controls are within fairly easy reach and the soft touch switches and surfaces are a step above anything else available in this price range. The dual zone climate control cooled the car off quickly, even in a sweltering Arizona summer, and the Bose stereo sounds great. Just sitting in the lot at the dealer, I couldn't have been more pleased with the car's looks and ambience. This is where the vehicle truly excels.

Where the car does not excel is on the freeway on ramp. I floored the accelerator at the entrance to the freeway while already moving about 5 mph and was downright shocked that the car had less spiritied acceleration than my former car, a VR6 Passat which had 30 less horsepower. I kept looking in my rearview to see if there was a trailer attached. I thought the additional ponies and torque would offset the higher weight and the mechanical drag of the quattro system, but I was very, very wrong. There are many cars available for $40,000 + that would whip this car like a red-headed stepchild. A slightly used Mercedes C32 can be had for about $45,000 and that car delivers on the luxury interior while running with M3s, Vettes and 911s. But you don't have to spend anywhere near that much to exceed the performance of this Audi. An Acura TL, Nissan Maxima/Altima, Honda Accord, the 1986 CRX I owned in college or my grandma's Oldsmobile would all blow the doors off this vehicle, but, allow me to digress. Aside from the total abscence of straight line performance, the Audi is a nice car to drive. It provides a quiet and smooth driving experience at freeway speeds and doesn't shake or rattle over bumps around town. Even at 110 mph the car felt quite settled and lent the type of confidence (to me, not the salesperson) that only German cars do at felonious speeds. The Tiptronic transmission does execute smooth gear changes, however, the downshifts take too long, a complaint that is frequent related to these transmissions in other Audi/VW products. The vehicle's brakes do a commendable job hauling this portly vehicle down from impressive speeds repeatedly without experiencing much fade. The car takes corners well enough but in truly aggressive driving, it understeers and wallows a bit, even with the sport package. The car is just too heavy to really handle well with the size tires and suspension setups that are available. I imagine that the Quattro system does wonders for the vehicle's cornering ability, but given that I drove a Quattro equipped A4, I can only imagine how much this thing would push around corners without it.

I really enjoyed sitting in the car and looking at it on the lot, but I was highly underwhelmed by it's performance. If you have 40 large to spend and are looking for a truly luxurious small (and I emphasize small) car that is loaded with amenities and aren't concerned about flying around sharp corners at 50 mph or getting up a freeway on ramp in less than 15 minutes, this is the car for you. However, if like me, you expect a vehicle, a sports sedan no less, that will cost you $700 a month to deliver exciting performance, you will want to look elsewhere. Buy yourself a BMW 330i (or a VW Passat and bank the extra 10 grand) or convince yourself to shell out another $150 or so bucks a month for the 340 horse 2004 S4 (it's worth it).
Amount Paid (US$): didn't buy