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A4 B7  2.0 (A) S-Line, Quattro  2007/2008

After over a decade of car ownership I’ve come to realize there are the good cars and then there are the great cars. Having owned over a dozen of cars over the past 16 years and this particular marque for the past 6 years, I can say that this car falls into the “GREAT” category.

My love for German marques did not come naturally. It took my good friend (whom I am nominating to write an article on his Audi, S5 or car of choice) several years of coaxing before I finally hopped on the bandwagon.  The love affair actually started from my purchase of yet another good car, the E46. A year into the ownership of the E46, I spotted this A4 which I couldn’t resist. Since then, I’ve loved every moment of owning the car.

 I must admit the love relationship and bond with the car grew over the years. It certainly wasn’t love at first sight and till today, there are still days when I think the back of the car could be better. I’ve always thought the back looked rather odd and the side profile just ok.  The front is undoubtedly my favourite angle of the car. Don’t get me wrong, this car is far from bad looking; take a poll and you may find the majority of the poll participants would probably love it more than hate it.

 Looks aside, the A4 is more than meets the eye. A car is only truly great if the essence matches its exterior and really this is where I will start my in depth review of the car and this is where I feel the car really shines.

First and foremost, it would be the reliability.  I am glad to report that over a span of nearly 6 years and after nearly 1000,000 kilometers of usage the car has never failed to start and neither has it broken down a single time; this despite already having done over 200,000 kilometers on the odometer. This alone is enough to dispel the truth that ‘Contis’ are less reliable than Japanese marques. I know for a fact that there are many A4s of similar age and much higher mileage still running on the road.  

The A4 is powered by a bulletproof engine, used not only in this generation of A4s, but also A6s and the MK 5 Golf GTIs. It is also a tuners favourite due to the robust build quality of the engine, the tunability and freely available parts, original and aftermarket.  The other systems in the car are also pretty solid from the air conditioner system, the steering system, the 4wd system, conventional suspension system, conventional 6-speed torque converter gearbox to the onboard electronics systems. They are all durable, reasonable to maintain and long lasting. 

Audis are famed for built quality both exterior and interior.  The finest materials are generously applied all over the cabin.  Firstly, the design is one of the best in its class and the buttons are all laid out in a very systematic and functional way. They are of course of the highest quality. None of the buttons nor functions have failed in the past 14-15 years of the age of this car, from the window regulator switches, side mirror switches, light switches and to the sunroof switches and mechanism. The leather used is also of the finest quality, and one would have to see the condition of the leather to truly believe that even after 15 years of use, the leather is still in immaculate condition.  The liberal use of soft touch materials, chrome, and high quality textured and printed plastics and use of lighting lifts the ambience of the car further and makes it a place you want to be in for long times. The BOSE sound system is excellent even by today’s standards, and because of the superior sound proofing of the car the BOSE speaker capabilities can be heard in its full glory. Don’t believe it when people say speakers don’t make a difference, they definitely do. 

Next I move on to the functionality. The reason why I love Audi over BMW and Mercedes (these are good cars too) is due to the functionality of the cars.  Despite it being a small and a luxury class sedan, the boot space is ample.  Not only that, the boot configuration is also one of the best, which allows for easy loading and adjustment of the items placed in the car.  Fold the rear seats down and you have an expansive rear space to carry lots and lots of stuff.  Due to the turbocharged nature of the car, it performs admirably in all road conditions. It is light when used in town yet gives more than adequate power on highways and B-roads for overtakes and fun drives. The supple suspension system will also ensure that the ride is always confortable for the majority of your passengers. With powered seats on both the driver and passenger seats and also memory functions for the driver seat you will be spoilt for the best seating positions. Coupled with the supple feel of the leather underneath you, truly, no car can come close to its comfort in its price range (second hand).  Then there is the smell and the air of all the high quality materials in the cabin and the experience of a truly amazing German marque is complete.

The car also boasts the highest-level safety features and of course top on my list would be the Quattro system. Malaysia suffers from rather torrential rain at times which comes without warning while you are on the highways. Here is where I find this system comes to play perfectly. It being a mechanical all time 4 wheel drive, you are assured that all 4 wheels are planted and running on the ground securely at all times. Never for once have a felt insecure with the handling of the car in heavy rain and while most cars would have to slow down nearly to a grinding stop, I could handle the car at very decent speeds confidently. Coupled with a good set of tires, I do believe the car can handle very high speeds even in the rain, but of course that’s subject to how much brave one is and not recommended for the safety of all roads users. Moreover, breaking the law is never a cool thing no matter what people say. To add to it, one feels safely cocooned in this car as the metal used to wrap the car is obviously of a very high quality; one can tell from the closing and opening of the doors, boot and bonnet.  The heft of these doors attest to it.  Coupled with the perfect fit and finish and insulation, one can be very effectively shut off from most of the road, engine and tire noise giving a notion that you are in a completely different world.

I could go on and on, but last of all I would like to add that owning a  ‘Conti’ in Malaysia also comes with the chance to join a huge community of wonderful like minded people who love their cars and some who have become very close and trusted friends. I have through the ownership of these cars made great friends who are of the truest kind. In closing, I will let the pictures do the final talking and I rest my case.

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