I have never been a big fan of the Audi A4. I regularly drive one and find the interior cramped and looks plain.
Until... I had the opportunity to test drive an A4 1.8 convertible. the model I drove was Carribean Blue, with cloth seats. the first striking think you see about it is the large ... Read review
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A review by Jon2003 on Audi Cabriolet 1.8 April 10th, 2003
Author's Car rating:
Safety
Excellent
Comfort
Good
Road Handling
Good
Looks
Excellent
Features
Excellent
Advantages:
Stylish, Elegant, and oozes quality
Disadvantages:
Avoid yellow
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full car review
I have never been a big fan of the Audi A4. I regularly drive one and find the interior cramped and looks plain.
Until... I had the opportunity to test drive an A4 1.8 convertible. the model I drove was Carribean Blue, with cloth seats. the first striking think you see about it is the large chromed edge around the front windscreen. with the top up this looks a little strange, but when the top comes down it changes the appearance dramatically. Lowering the soft top is a doddle. A button in the middle console allows the roof to purr open (Whilst parked). It all folds neatly away with no fuss. the wind break flips up and locks in place. Closing is just as simple and there are no manual locks to lock the top in place, it's all automatic, very neat. the soft top has multiple layers, so when driving it with the roof on, the interior is a quiet as an ordinary car.
If you are planning on taking 4 adults out then watch out for the leg room. I am a tall 6'4 and could drive the car comfortably, with the seat fully back, but there was no room at all for the rear passengers. as with all convertibles the boot is much smaller, due to the casing for the roof, but once again, it was more capacious than some.
You would think that a 1.8 A4 would be underpowered, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that with over 160bhp under the bonnet it was smooth and comfortable to drive. It was a dream to handle and the power steering made it light and relaxing to control.
The cloth seats are extremely comfortable with electronic height, tilt and movement. they are sports styled and hold you firmly but comfortably. Extras, as with all Audi's are expensive, but the model comes with all the necessary equipment which is of the usual high Audi quality
...The vast majority of A4s are sold with quattro. Quattro A4s with 4 cyl and automatic transmission feel slightly underpowered. Manual-transmission quattro 1.8Ts are lively enough, while manual-transmission V6 quattros are satisfyingly quick. Lighter front-drive models feel spry with any transmission, though CVT versions are lazy from a stop. Test 1.8T CVT sedan did 8.6 sec 0-60 mph; test V6 CVT Cabriolet did 7.8. Seamless CVT acts much like conventional automatic, but requires use of manual mode for best performance. Manual transmissions controlled by precise shifters. S4's V8 strong at all speeds; test sedan did 5.6 sec 0-60.
Averages for manual-transmission test models: 1.8T sedan, 24.8 mpg; 1.8T Avant, 21.5; V6 quattro sedans,18.3-21; S4 sedan, 15.6; S4 Avant, 15.9; S4 Cabriolet, 14.1. Audi says CVT is 10 percent more fuel efficient...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
26.01.2005
