2009 Audi A4 Avant: Interior Design

Completely agree. Its very hard to explain this quality to someone who hasn't experienced it for themselves. I couldnt give two craps about the new q7, then i sat in one and drove it, instantly purchased. The interior quality is better than my father 750li and everything is real intuitive to use, they did a really good job.

And they finally fixed that annoying glitch where the emergency brake would ratchet up the center console, so you'd have to reset it every time.

When you say that the interior quality is not as good as it once was, is this a comparative statement? In other words, have the competitors improved, leaving Audi with less margin? Or have the materials in the car actually gotten slightly more plasticky?

^^ I would say both.

The competitors certainly improved, for example the 3-series, G3X and ISX50. C-class is the only competitor that doesn't have an improved interior (material quality wise) over the old generation.

Also, after spend time in both the old and new A4 IMO the new one utilizes more hard plastic and the material doesn't feel as rich as the leaders in the segment like 3-series and IS (IMO of course).

I do like the cockpit styling of this new generation. I wish more cars would adopt it. (Saab has it, and I've always wanted to be interested in Saab, but just haven't.) Looking back, I can think of only one little complaint about Audi interiors, and it goes back to the 90's - the brushes (rather than shift boot) in the automatic shifters. It shows me how they've been uniformly great for a long time!

I'm glad it's not "as good" as previous Audi's, because those great materials turn to crap in less than 50,000 miles.

Is anyone else getting tired of the matte silver plastic kinda looks like aluminum styling phase we're going through? It's bad in the sun, some scratches easily, and it's not fooling anyone that it's real metal. I'll take padded plastic every time.

If Audi is known for Three Things, they are:

1) AWD
2) Safety
3) Interiors

On a Negative Note:

1) Reliability

But, I haven't had any problems on my 2004 A4, so I really can't say that's a fact....

Audi's have great interiors and styling. But they are also quite pricey and not very reliable. I was checking out used cars on Craigslist and there are some 2001 and newer Audi A4 Avants for dirt cheap. Reliability affects resale!

The A4 has one of the best executed interior designs in its segement. Its muted, understlyed, conservative yet rich, inviting, warm and modern. Its details are balanced, meaning it has just enough sparkle (aluminim trim) and warmth (wood inserts) to make the design as a whole work together.

The BMW 3 series interior is well crafted but stark, uninviting and cold by contrast. There isnt much to look at nor is the design interesting.

The C300 can match or maybe even surpass Audis superb build and construction quality but the Cs overall design isnt as cohesive and looks a bit dated. Its too angular. I do like the Cs outer clothes however as its definately a handsome car in sport trim.

"I'm glad it's not "as good" as previous Audi's, because those great materials turn to crap in less than 50,000 miles."

I have to agree CX7 as my brother and I looked at a 2006 A4 3.2 Quattro S-Line for his fiance Saturday and its center armrest was starting to peel on the drivers side. Not acceptable.

Disagree. No style (and many cheap looking bits, including the parts-bin looking CD changer and some of the worst plasti-metal around), which would be more forgivable if it had flawless ergonomics, but it clearly doesn't. The huge silver-painted piece around the gauges is actually canted away from the driver (seriously, who thought that was a good idea for glare?), the overly minimal steering wheel controls require taking your eyes off the road to use them (kind of defeats the point), MMI is so bad that the only thing good that can be said is that it's better than the last-gen iDrive. And emotionally, the optional wood (not sure if it's real or not, don't really care) is the interior's only saving grace, without it it's a tomb.

I agree that the A4 has by far the most attractive interior in the segment, but my love affair stops there. While the previous generation A4 had soft touch materials and substantial feeling plastics; the new one has flimsy hollow plastics that are hard to the touch. The new A4 just disappoints me in comparison to the previous generation, I even prefer the way the old car looked to the rather generic new design. The BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class both feel more solidly constructed to me despite being less appealing to the eye.

I have the same steering wheel, they don't require any eyes off the road, it's two wheels, not heart surgery. MMI is easy to learn.

I own an '07 Audi S4 and not a fan of the new A4. Exterior styling could be from Toyota or Honda and the car is too big and squarishly wide. Also, sat in one while at the dealership while my car was being serviced. The interior now looks and feels like Audi response and service: Cheap cheap cheap. The cost cutting with this new generation is evident. Cheap flimsy feeling plastics and the feel of solidity is gone. A big step back. I wish I could preserve my S4 for a lifetime (provided I could keep a lifetime warranty and never have to deal with a useless Audi Customer "Advocate" ever again).

cx7lover, really? you've memorized all the operations of "audio volume, radio stations, CD tracks, navigation voice prompts, telephone dialing and the Audi voice control system," controlled by just two infinite dials and two buttons, without looking down at the display? Sorry, no.

Same with MMI -- regardless of whether you think it's easy to learn or not (and vs. certain touchscreen-based systems like in the CTS, or even vs better knob systems like the new iDrive or COMAND, it's just not), it's extremely inefficient and requires way too much time with eyes off the road.

Audi's interfaces would be much more elegant if one didn't have to be concerned with such silly things as driving while using them.

i just can't quite warm up to the B8+ interior. the metallic-looking trim that surrounds the sat nav and the instrument panel seems out of place.

Love the design, not a fan of the execution.

As mentioned above primary audio and HVAC buttons have a very cheap and hollow feel to them. Non sport seats are very flat with an odd design and the center console feels pretty cheap. Characteristics that I've come to expect from other automakers, not Audi.

Volume? Roll up or down.., radio stations? Roll up or down.. CD tracks roll up or down.. memorizing voice controls with a car your own is nothing. I spent some time with the standard radio in the showroom which has it mounted on the dash and it's stupid easy to learn, it's a knob surrounded by for buttons.

Audi buttons ave always felt cheap because have a tinny clickity clack sound to them. For years now. Nice coatings but the way they operate feels cheap.

Materials are OK, but Audi's design theme is getting stale. Its time for some new tricks because the blocky design needs updating. I also dont like how the climate controls are buried so low in the dash behind the shifter. Also, the head unit appears to be a plopped into a slot old school style instead of integrated into the dash. That said, its still better than the C class interior which is just dull and full of blank expanses of black plastic. CTS interior is more attractive than both.

I'm a big fan of the Audi interiors and their no fuss functionality. Both materials quality and design wise, I think Audi is a step up on BMW and Merc.

I can't comment on the long-term Audi interior wear, but I can say that my family has 2x2004 VW GOLF TDIs, and each has almost 100,000kms. Neither shows interior wear, peeling, etc. The interior design (material, layout and build quality) in those 2004 vehicles is a significant step above many 2009 model cars at a more expensive price point.

MMI was fine to use. Interior was pretty nice but the base A4 lacks rear HVAC...that's weird.

As an Audi owner, I know a few things:

1. Audi interiors do not hold up.
2. Audi will not fix any interior problems under warranty if the car is over 12 months old.

Quite simply, Audi will not stand by their products. Wife loves her Audi but the horrible dealers and the lack of warranty coverage on obvious defects makes me leary of going down that path.

My problems with the A4 lie in the sloppy handling, overboosted electro steering, lack of power and that god awful automatic tranny on the fatty 09 quattro I drove.

"My problems with the A4 lie in the sloppy handling, overboosted electro steering, lack of power and that god awful automatic tranny on the fatty 09 quattro I drove."

bgdc, I must say that I agree with every you said about the new A4 after driven the 3.2 Quattro on the track.

Take the Servotronic fuse out and the steering is heavy and totally unamplified. I didn't like the steering either until I did that. It's like BMW's Active steering only simplified/dumber. Taking the fuse out removes Servotronic.

cx7lover, Servotronic is nothing like Active Steering. Servotronic varies the assist level, which has been done in countless cars dating back to at least the original Chrysler LH cars in 1992. Active Steering actually varies the steering ratio.

I'll leave alone that you're confirming the Audi is so bad that it can actually be improved by pulling a fuse.