It's me. I'm the one you're mad at. I'm the reason for the lack of recent posts on our long-term 2009 Audi A4 Avant. You see I went on vacation, and I took the A4 with me. And I did this for two reasons:
1) It's a really nice car and it fits my kids and my dog and my wife and I like driving it, so what would you have done? Taken the Focus? Didn't think so.
2) I've owned (well leased) that blue VW Passat wagon for the last 2.5 years. It's my wife's daily driver, and I thought it would be cool to see how the new Audi stacks up against my old VW during 10 days of life at the Oldhams.
It's a good comparison, my wife's front-wheel drive wagon packs the old version of the 2.0T engine (200 hp) and 6-speed automatic transmission, while the Audi packs the new 2.0T (211 hp), the same 6-speed automatic and quattro all-wheel drive.
Turns out the cars aren't that different. Sure the Audi is so beautiful it makes the Passat look like the box it came in, but hop out of the much newer and more expensive A4 and the Passat holds up. Even with 25,000 miles on its odometer, the Passat still feels solid, and its combination of refinement and athleticism feels just right.
Don't get me wrong, with its firmer suspension, more aggressive Bridgestones and all-wheel drive the Audi will run circles around my Passat, and my wife says the A4 feels quicker off the line. But my conclusion is that the A4, although larger than before, is still too small for real family duty, and the Passat holds up nicely when it's put forehead to forehead against its swankier sibling.
Oh and get this; our Audi stickered for $44,150. My Passat cost just $30,030 and the only feature it seems to lack compared to the A4 are navigation, paddle shifters and Xenon headlights. Plus my car has a power lift and close tailgate, which the Audi does not.
I will admit that I wish my Passat looked better (I still prefer the look of the previous generation), but the Audi's additional $14,000 cost is looking pretty hard to justify.
Tune in tomorrow for a mileage report.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 3,849 miles
altimadude00 says:
05:50 PM, 12/15/08
A 2.5 year old car is considered old? I would only consider a car old if the model had changed. For example, I wouldn't call any Honda Element old because Honda has not significantly changed the vehicle for its lifetime.
Your Passat wagon is still current as far as I'm concerned because you can still pick one up at the dealership just like it.
m_thrizzle says:
06:12 PM, 12/15/08
Isn't the A4 based on the Jetta chassis and the A6 on the Passat chassis? So I would expect the A4 to be smaller, despite it's large price.
I do like Audi's styling but they seem quite expensive when compared to BMW and MB, and their quality is suspect. It is a little weird that Audi doesn't offer free maintenance but VW does now.
mustang5507 says:
06:20 PM, 12/15/08
are those two hatch windows exactly identical...or is it just me?
louiswei says:
07:01 PM, 12/15/08
Hmm... So you are saying if it is your money, you'll choose the Passat over the A4? Oh well, so much for the "best A4 ever". Come to think about it, many people always say that they'll pick the Accord over TL, the similarity between the two (Passat/A4, Accord/TL) is striking...
pezzy669 says:
07:03 PM, 12/15/08
m_thrizzle:
The current Passat rides on a stretched Jetta/Golf/GTI/TT/A3 platform with a transverse engine. The Audi A4 rides on a completely separate platform.
The last gen Passat on the other hand rode on a stretched A4 platform.
carfreak8394 says:
07:24 PM, 12/15/08
mustang5507,
they look identical to me. Same wiper and all; Which makes sense..
gharry says:
07:26 PM, 12/15/08
Wow, I usually love Audi styling, but for the life of me at first glance I thought the A4 Avante was an old Ford Taurus!
I loved the styling of my '98 Passat but had to lose the car because of atrocious reliability.
wasaabi92 says:
07:28 PM, 12/15/08
One styling detail that I love about the Passat are the rear lights. I really dig the two circles per side of the car, but I love the LED functions of the brake lights and turn signals which are a ring of LEDs outside of the brake lights. They look SOOOO cool when they're performing they're function. Well done VW!
Also, I'd take the Passat (at least an '06 2.0T) because you can get a manual, something the Audi doesn't even entertain the option of.
vta3 says:
10:42 PM, 12/15/08
Quattro and the fact that the A4's interior is miles better than the passat justifies the price difference between the two. So far none of the car in the VW family uses the MLB platform, so as of now the A4's chassis is not shared with any of the VW counterpart.
sellaturcica says:
02:35 AM, 12/16/08
What are they putting in the water out in California? You work for a car mag, you know something about cars, and you let your wife buy a Passat? Do you like gambling or something? Or just shaky German electrical systems?
dougtheeng says:
06:09 AM, 12/16/08
"What are they putting in the water out in California? You work for a car mag, you know something about cars, and you let your wife buy a Passat? Do you like gambling or something? Or just shaky German electrical systems?"
Its great that we have such prominent GM defenders on the site, but I often with there were stronger voices in favor of VW. The above comments may have been relevant 2 or more generations of vehicles ago, but the VWs of today are landing nicely in the middle of CR reliability reports and as such, the snarky comments may not be justified.
On a side note, I actually like the current Passat styling both interior and exterior. Of course the A4 looks better, but I don't know if it looks $14,000 better.
blueguydotcom says:
08:02 AM, 12/16/08
Doug,
Yeah they're better than they used to be. We own an Audi product right now. Service is atrocious. Nothing is covered by Audi's bumper-to-bumper warranty.
My wife loves her Audi - and I want her to be happy - but I'd prefer if she were in a car that could get service without it costing hundreds of dollars for tiny things that should be covered under warranty. Audi has some bad, bad customer service and worse policies...
hanron says:
08:16 AM, 12/16/08
From what I have read about actual measurements, not just from manufacturers websites. The A4 has a larger passenger cabin than the Passat. This is especially true for the rear passengers when it comes to shoulder room. So I think the A4 would work as family hauler.
I do wish Audi had a 4 year scheduled maintenance program like they used to. I think this would move me closer to buying one.
norsairius says:
08:56 AM, 12/16/08
I was just thinking, perhaps the A4 feels quicker off the line not because of its extra 11hp, but doesn't it make 258 lbs-ft of torque as opposed to the 200 that the Passat's 2.0T makes?
I wish they'd do that for the GTI :/
norsairius says:
08:57 AM, 12/16/08
p.s.
I actually like the design of the Passat a lot, but the Audi looks better up front, if you ask me.
paulbr says:
11:20 AM, 12/16/08
Most practical post I've seen on this blog. Thanks.
How about picking up a long term Jetta TDI wagon? I know how y'all love those diesel Jettas . . .
And as for reliability, my neighbor drives a 1990 Jetta. Sounds like crap, but it goes.
gasser says:
07:51 PM, 12/16/08
Scott-
I too have a passat wagon 2.0T (2007) in that awesome blue color. I would have to agree that this VW is very underrated. It has as much cargo space as a midsize SUV/Crossover and easily gets over 30mpg on the highway. Also, it is fun to drive. It's hard to think of any real competition in the same class and price range.
dman says:
12:55 AM, 12/17/08
The biggest difference is in the interior materials and quality IMO. Also the little gizmos that you don't see (e.g. brakes drying when wet, dead quiet windshield wipers, etc.). How is the road noise in the VW?
But even after all that it probably would not add up to $14,000 but that is how any company profits from those extra features/upgrades.
gasser says:
09:19 AM, 12/19/08
dman-
You are probably right about interior materials. For about $26500 my passat wagon has leatherette interior and a really bad stereo. It probably compares favorably to Honda/Toyota/U.S. interiors, but I'm sure the Audi is a cut above.