Chicago, IL
The Audi A4 sedan is historically the most familiar car in the automaker’s lineup and somehow the most overlooked. Say what? Next to manic coupe crossovers and all-electric wagons, it takes more than just a good value to stand out, apparently.
We give the A4 a 6.8 TCC Rating thanks to its stellar safety scorecard and good performance. Style isn’t the A4’s forte, but it’s the A5 Sportback’s—they’re kissing cousins. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
Not much has changed for the A4 this year. Audi massaged its 2.0-liter turbo-4 in the A4 and A4 Allroad to make just 13 horsepower more compared to last year, which isn’t much on paper although we haven’t yet driven those cars. All-wheel drive is standard on all A4s, which is new this year.
Starting from about $40,000, Audi offers the A4, S4, and A4 Allroad in Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige trim levels. Aside from the power bump, Audi added wireless Apple CarPlay compatibility to the A4 lineup, and active safety features to Premium Plus models. S4 sport sedans start north of $50,000, and the little A4 Allroad wagon that could starts at more than $45,000.
The A4’s familiar shape hasn’t changed in a while, even though some of the details were redone last year. It’s conservative among rivals but finished in high-quality materials, if that’s what you’re into.
