*** I have updated my review based on current ownership experience. ***

I bought a 2002 black Audi A4 1.8T with CVT, black leatherette, premium package, rear side airbags, OnStar system, 16" cast alloy wheels and xenon lights for $28,081.

Safety: I wanted to get the safest possible entry-level luxury sedan for around $30,000. I looked at Audi A4, BMW 325, Mercedes C240, Lexus ES300, Infiniti G35, Acura TL Type-S, Volvo S60 and Passat GLX. I chose Audi A4 over its competitors because: (1) some of the competitors (BMW 325 and Acura TL) did not offer side curtain head protection system for rear passengers (which is very important to me because I want to protect rear passengers from potential side collisions with SUVs and I drive in an area with too many SUVs); (2) some (Lexus ES300, Infiniti G35, Acura TL and VW Passat) do not offer the chest-level side air bags for rear passengers; (3) VW Passat does not offer vehicle skid control; and (4) none other than Audi and Mercedes offered telematics assistance packages (which is a great emergency feature). I also looked at crash-test rating results and so far Audi A4 has shown to be a top crash-test performer. IIHS has just given its highest ("best pick") rating on its tough 40mph frontal offset crash test, highest rating on its head restraint rating and highest rating on 5mph bumper crash test rating: a clean sweep that very few vehicles of any style and price level have achieved. A4 also received top marks in the European front and side crash tests, even better than Passat and BMW 3 Series. Audi A4 has also performed very well in NHTSA's side crash tests. I think that this new Audi will prove itself to be as safe as BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class sedans in terms of crash test results. I think that BMW 325 offers better sports-sedan performance but since I made my decision primarily on safety, my choices really came down to Audi A4 and Mercedes C240 and I decided that the Mercedes simply was not worth the extra $5,000.

Engine and power: Audi should have tuned the 1.8T engine to generate an additional 20-30 h.p., at least as an option (there are many third party tuners that do this, at the potential cost of voiding the Audi warranty), especially given the fact that this same engine is tuned in some VW models to generate 180 h.p. This engine lacks the torque and power of the BMW 325 2.5 liter inline six but it is quicker than (but not as quiet) as the weaker Mercedes C240 six-cylinder engine. I must also admit that 170 hp is more than enough for me and, I suspect, most people. In fact, during everyday driving, you will find that this engine produces more than enough power, even for drivers who wish to inject spirited, fun and sporty driving in their commutes. You won't win too many stoplight drag races with M5s, Mustangs or Corvettes (unless, perhaps, you chip the car to get more power) but this car has plenty of midrange power and you won't have any problems whatsoever during passing maneuvers and highway cruising. Nonetheless, I decided to get an ECU upgrade and visited the fine folks at AWE Tuning. They installed a GIAC chip, ITG Panel Air Filter and Bailey Motorsport Alloy Diverter Valve. The total cost for me was just under $889 but I think it was worth it. It boosts my car's hp rating to about 217 (35 hp from the ECU upgrade and between 2 to 3 from the air filter upgrade) and its torque by about 50 ft.lbs. Is the difference noticeable? Most definitely yes. The standard A4 1.8T has decent performance and will outrun most midsize and compact sedans but this upgrade makes top performance feel more effortless. Moreover, this car is now competitive with BMW 330 and C320 sedans in power and speed, not just with BMW 325 and C230 sedans. The downside is that your mileage will drop by about 3-5 miles per gallon.

Transmission: My car has Audi's CVT "gearless" transmission. Audi claims that that it offers the same performance and fuel economy of a manual with the convenience of an automatic. Based on my experience, I agree. This transmission functions like an automatic in that you just put the thing on "drive" and don't need to do anything else. Unlike a conventional slushbox, CVT does not waste time or fuel searching for the right gear because, essentially, it is always in the "right gear". At first, it felt bizarre to see the way the tach behaves as I pressed the gas pedal but I soon got used to it. Audi also built the option of manumatic gear selection by designing pre-set positions for the CVT's steel belt, which means that CVT can also be used like one of those tiptronic automatics so that you can "select gears" manually. The manumatic controls are in the shifter and in buttons on the steering wheel. The CVT manumatic shifting felt very sporty and you can really feel the engine revving up as you see the tach go up against the redline. The problem is that, while the manumatic option makes driving the A4 FEEL more sporty, this feeling is illusory because you will get the best performance in the normal CVT drive mode. This is unlike the tiptronic automatic and other manumatics that, if used properly, can provide significantly better performance than simply leaving the transmission in "drive". Nonetheless, the CVT transmission works very well and it is one of the smoothest and most capable non-manual transmissions I have ever used.

Ride and Handling: The ride is very smooth, especially for a four cylinder car, but on rough roads it can be a bit bouncy at times. Compared to most sedans in its class, the car's handling is excellent even without the sports package and I don't think that the extra cost and the harsh ride that comes with the package are justified by the marginal handling improvement. Audi A4 is not the sportiest-handling sedan out there and it does exhibit more body roll than the 3-series or C-class sedans and its turn radius is greater than those in the 3-series or C-class sedans but the handling is sharp and precise enough that most drivers will be able to tackle challenging curves with confidence.

Noise: The engine is louder than the inline-six engines of BMW or the C-Class V-6 engines and it is significantly louder than the V-6 in an I30 or Lexus ES300. However, the noise level is not unexpected since it is a four-cylinder engine. In fact, if you stand outside of the car when the engine is running, the engine may seem fairly noisy. However, sitting inside the car, the engine noise is muffled by the excellent interior sound proofing materials. It is really impressive how quiet this 4-cylinder engine seems when you are inside the car. And when you push the engine, the engine emits a nice sporty growl. In highway cruising, the interior is extremely quiet overall because wind and road noises are controlled so well. In fact, although the Infiniti I30 (which is the car that I replaced and which has had a strong reputation for its low interior noise level) has a quieter engine, the overall interior noise level of A4 is even better than that of the I30. One big reason why the interior of my car feels so quiet overall is because I don't have a sunroof (see below) that contributes to wind noises.

Vibration: Although the 1.8T engine's vibration level at idle is stronger than that of a good Japanese V6 such as the one in Lexus ES300, Infiniti I30 or Toyota Camry, it is not sufficiently strong to be bothersome and intrusive. Once the car gets going, the vibration start to disappear and become virtually imperceptible at cruising speed.

Exterior: My A4 is black with black leatherette, tinted glasses and xenon lights and I find this combination to be stunningly beautiful, especially at dawn or dusk with the xenon lights on. The shape of A4 is modern and elegant with no unnecessary lines and exudes class. In comparison, I found Lexus ES300's styling (especially, the headlamps) to be forced, exaggerated and plain-ugly and Acura TL's styling to be too bland and similar to that of Honda Accord.

Interior: The leatherette is gorgeous and people simply cannot believe that it is not leather (the leatherette looks and feels just as or more luxurious than the leather offered in BMW 3-Series, Mercedes C240, Acura TL or Infiniti G35) and it is easier to care for than leather. However, it doesn't, unfortunately, smell like leather. The interior lighting and other details are simply gorgeous. Even basic materials like plastic and vinyl are of very high quality. In my opinion, the aluminum trim in 1.8T (which is not available with A4 3.0) works better with A4's "modern and elegant looks" than wood trim does. Then there are features that, while they are not essential, make me love Audis more and more and make me wonder why many of the other car manufacturers have not caught on. For instance, there is a small storage space under the steering wheel column for the owner's manual package, which frees up the ample glove compartment. There are storage drawers under the two front seats. A 6-CD in-dash CD changer is standard (I do wish that it offered memory playback function). Simply speaking, nobody does interiors like Audi. By way of comparison, BMW, Mercedes and Volvo S60 had unimpressive interiors in the base packages and quickly escalated into a $33,000 vehicle once I added options that made the cars feel like luxury cars. One complaint that I do have about the interior is that Audi should add the power front seat, leather and navigation systems as options in the 1.8T trim (I admit that none of these options are necessities and the manual seat controls are smooth and very easy to operate) because these should be at least option features in this segment.

Roominess: There is a fair amount of room for front seat occupants but shoulder room could be improved by an extra inch or so. Rear leg room and shoulder room in the Audi A4 are comparable to those in the BMW 3-Series sedans and the Mercedes C-Class sedans, superior to those in the Lexus IS300 and inferior to those in Acura TL, Infiniti G35 and Infiniti I30. With two car seats installed, the middle seat in the rear becomes useless for an adult passenger. The trunk space is average. Its length and depth are good but the width could use at least two more inches. A standard sized shopping cart won't fit because of the narrowness of the trunk.

Reliability: So far, I have not had any problems with the car but it is probably too early to make any calls regarding overall reliability

Sunroof: I had to factory-order my car because I did not want a sunroof and virtually all A4s sold in the U.S. come with sunroofs. I dislike sunroofs for four reasons. First, most sunroofs (except perhaps some of the new panorama sunroofs that Mercedes and Porsche are selling) are not large enough to provide a meaningful open-air experience (if you are looking for such experience, you should just get a convertible): it isn't that much different from driving a car without a sunroof and with the windows open. Second, I have been told that the roof structure of a car without a sunroof is slightly stronger than the same car with a sunroof, and this could be important in the case of a rollover. Third, a sunroof introduces another potential source of electrical problems and I heard that some A4 owners had electrical problems related to their sunroofs. Fourth, a sunroof can add significant amount of wind noise, particularly at speeds above 50 mph: I noticed the problem with my I30 and I heard that some A4 owners had such problems.

OnStar: I added the OnStar system because of my focus on safety. I just got the basic "Safe and Sound" plan. You get 12 months free and each additional month will cost you just under $17 per month. With the basic plan, you get the following services: Air Bag Deployment Notification, Personal Calling (see below), Virtual Advisor (see below), Emergency Services, Stolen Vehicle Tracking, Remote Door Unlock, Remote Diagnostics, Roadside Assistance, Accident Assistance and Online Concierge Service. I liked OnStar so much that I extended my subscription for four more years for just under $700. You get one extra year with the four year extension. Therefore, I got a total of six years of service for $700. The OnStar system works without any cellular phone (there is some confusion about this because some Audi dealers incorrectly told me that I needed to install the Audi cellphone system to use OnStar) but you can use the OnStar system to make and receive hands-free phone calls from your car. This cool feature is called "Personal Calling" which is included with the basic package and you get 30 minutes free. You can easily buy additional minutes. I bought 100 additional minutes for around $40, which is comparable to the cost of most prepaid cellular phone services but it is better than such services because the minutes last until the earlier of 12 months or until you use them up (most prepaid cell phone plans have minutes that expire in 30 to 90 days). Personal Calling also includes the Virtual Advisor service, which includes useful features like weather and traffic reports, news reports and EMAIL service (yes, you can receive and reply to emails from your car). My complaints with OnStar so far is that (i) its voice recognition software used to create a phone list relies too much on the initial sounds of spoken words rather than the entire words (for instance, it too easily confuses Jim with June and vice versa) and (ii) personal calling does not allow you to make keypad entries (for instance, unless the voicemail system at your work place has voice recognition options, you won't be able to check your voicemail since you won't be able to enter your password using personal calling).

Fuel Consumption: For a four cylinder engine, A4 consumes more fuel than expected, probably because of the turbo. I observed 27 miles per gallon on average during leisurely highway driving, 20 miles per gallon on average during aggressive highway driving and 18 miles per gallon on average during city driving.

Xenon Lights: Folks, xenon lights really work. I noticed a significant improvement in the quality of lighting and overall visibility and, just as important, other cars and pedestrians will be able to detect your car a bit better at night.

Overall ownership experience: I have owned or leased several cars in the past that I treated merely as transportation: Oldsmobile Cutlass wagon, a Chevy Cavalier sedan, a Chevy Cavalier wagon, a Ford Contour and two Infiniti I30s. Although I generally had a good experience with all of these cars, none of them invoked any emotion, passion or driving excitement: they were simply means to get from point A to point B. Then I got a BMW Z3 and I learned to love driving. However, a Z3 is an impractical car for daily use, it is not safe to drive it on snow. I find that I love A4's looks and performance almost as much as I like those of my Z3. I simply love going for drives in this car and love the great second-to-none safety features that this car offers and the fantastic four year warranty that includes all scheduled maintenance costs.

One other thing about Audis and German cars in general is that you get the premium brand that you pay for. I know that Audis share components and platforms with VWs and I am ok with this decision since it helps to lower the costs of Audis. However, what Audi does not do is simply put an Audi badge on a VW and charge a premium, unlike Toyota, Honda and Nissan. I worked in Asia for several months recently and I was shocked to see Infiniti I30s with Nissan badges, Lexus ES300s and SC430s with Toyota badges and Acura Integras and Acura TL with Honda badges. And I don't mean Maximas, Camry and Accords. I mean cars that were identical in exterior and interior looks and features and specs except for the name and the badge. Essentially, US consumers are paying premium prices for the privilege of having a "premium brand" badge for these cars. This is like attaching a premium designer brand to GAP clothes and charging extra in the US while selling the same clothes at lower prices elsewhere in the world. Audis, even with the part sharing, are easily distinguishable from their VW counterparts.

Overall, I am very happy with my purchase because A4 has (1) all of the latest safety features that I wanted, great German sports sedan handling, luxurious interior, (2) standard features that only come as standard options in most competitors (dual climate control and in-dash six CD changer) and (3) a price that is hard to beat given the content (my car did not cost much more than a Passat 1.8T with similar options and was more than four thousand dollars less than a comparably equipped Mercedes C240 or BMW 325).

Finally, I bought my car from New Country Audi (in Greenwich, Connecticut) through the internet. They not only offered me a nice price but provided me with top-notch service. I thought that I was pampered by the Infiniti salesman from whom I bought two I30s (and Infiniti rivals Lexus in customer service) but my experience with the folks at New Country Audi was even better. For instance, upon delivery, my salesperson took almost one hour of his time to carefully go over all of the features of my new car, answer my questions and activate the OnStar service for me instead of simply letting me fend on my own. I highly recommend them to anyone interested in buying an Audi.

Amount Paid (US$): 28088
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: 2002 Audi A4 1.8T with CVT