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Owner
Love the driving the car BUT ...
by Ken from Upstate New York on 11/27/2009.
Trim: 2003 Audi A4 Avant 1.8 T with Tiptronic, Owned 6 years.
1
Pros:
The car still looks nice and is stylish even though it is 6 years old. The car handles well and the ride is very comforatble. I have found the car to be exceptional in the snow. Generally the car seems well put together with quality interior components.
Cons:
The performance is not great with severve turbo lag. The gas mileage has never been as advertised, at best on the open highway I have gotten 24 mpg and city has been 17 mpg. Requires premium gas, so to fill it up hurts the wallet. Forget about leg room in the rear seats. The finish on the window buttons seems to be painted on and is now peeling. There are gremlins in the electrical system with the moon roof and tail gate opening and closing on its own. I have replaced the turning bulbs five times, put in a new water pump, fixed a leak in the cooling system after 12,000 miles, the timing belt and replaced the motor for the rear windsheild wiper. For a wagon the space is small.
Overall review:
While I love driving the car I probably would not recommend it. I agree with many owners who say that you need your own personal mechanic for this car. I only have 63,000 miles on the car and have done a lot of work on the car. Unfortunately much of the work was done after the warranty expired. Also for a near luxury car the electrical gremlins are unacceptable. I am not a mechanic but I swear Audi designed the A4, and probably their other models, to maximize the labor costs charged when bringing it in for work. Nothing seems easily reachable without taking everything apart which greatly adds to the labor cost. I can't even find after market windshield wipers for the car and I am forced to get them from the dealer at an incredible mark up. When it came time to replacing the battery I again was forced to buy an Audi battery as all of the research I did showed that batteries other than Audi batteries did not perform well with the car.
Review ID: #544042
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Owner
good grociery getter
by An MSN Autos Consumer on 02/05/2006.
Trim: 2003 Audi A4 Avant 1.8 T with Tiptronic, Owned 3 years.
1
Pros:
Good AWD, great interior styling, they seem to have thought of everything. Does especially well on cross-country trips (we've made at least 10-12 in this model alone) with a kid and dog. Gas mileage and handling are excellent and the trip computer tells you everything you need to know right down to how many miles before running out of gas.
Cons:
Acceleration could be better. They haven't ironed out all of the little annoying electrical problems on this car (ie. moon roof, door locks, fuses, light bulbs, etc). I have not had any major mechanical problems with the car but sometimes the little things make you want to pull your hair out.
Overall review:
Generally a good car for a small family with kids or pets. The AWD with the Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) feature got me through a nasty blizzard that big 4x4 trucks were getting stuck in with no problems. Price is high considering it only has a 4 cylinder engine but it definately makes up for it in comfort and ammenities.
Review ID: #486387
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Owner
Go speed racer
by Binny from the Twin Cites on 06/17/2005.
Trim: 2003 Audi A4 Avant 1.8 T, Owned 3 years.
1
Pros:
I love my car! It is the best of the four A4s I have owned.
Cons:
Nothing!
Overall review:
This is such a sporty car!
Review ID: #472388
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Owner
Avantissimo
by An MSN Autos Consumer on 02/28/2005.
Trim: 2003 Audi A4 Avant 1.8 T, Owned 3 years.
1
Pros:
Modern and functional
Cons:
Could be faster
Overall review:
Modern day station wagon
Review ID: #463723
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Owner
Graceful Speed Wagon
by Avantdriver on 02/24/2005.
Trim: 2003 Audi A4 Avant 1.8 T, Owned 2 years.
1
Pros:
Bose sound system. Quattro all wheel drive. Tight handling, overall excellent driving characteristics. The car is beautiful inside and out; Audi pays especially good detail to interior design. Seat heaters are very nice. Very generous scheduled maintanence program; You won't pay anything mechanical for the first 50,000 miles besides tires and gas. Large standard list of safety features.
Cons:
Switching over from a Toyota was a little bit annoying in terms of reliability. More things break like light bulbs and squeaky brakes, but nothing major. Also, there should be a 6th gear for the manual transmission. This was fixed however, for the following model year, 2004.
Overall review:
Overall, an excellent choice for those who need AWD, yet refuse to drive an SUV. This wagon(avant, sorry) has incredibly superb driving characteristics(especially with the sport package). I love the tight handling and the acceleration from the 1.8T and the manual transmission. When it came down to our decision, we chose the A4 over the Outback because of the better safety features and maintanence program. Also, we constantly see 32 mpg on the highway, not to mention it's an ultra low emission vehicle. Overall, the A4 is an excellent choice for the driver in a snowy climate that has an appreciation for the finer things in driving.
Review ID: #462973
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