1) It has no power liftgate (but my wife's Passat wagon does).
2) It has no full-size spare (but my wife's Passat wagon does).
3) Its shift paddles work even when the transmission is not in manual mode.
4) Its seat heaters have six levels (the Passat's only have five).
5) The power steering assist has an odd synthetic quality I don't care for.
6) Traction control is off with one quick push, but holding the button for three seconds turns off the ESP system.
7) It has two rear seat a/c vents, two rear cupholders (in the fold down armrest) and one power port back there (there's also one in the cargo area).
8) The LED daytime running lights can be turned off so you don't look like a sci fi character if you don't want to.
9) It sounds like a diesel at idle.
10) That vibration in the steering we've mentioned before is back, and it's bad enough that we're headed for the dealer.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 15,900 miles
rick8365 says:
05:41 AM, 05/27/09
I like the idea of using LEDs for DRLs, and I like the string of them on the R8....but I think the string looks dumb on other cars. Why don't they use LEDs but in a small cluster. If I owned this car I would be tempted to shut them off because of the sci fi look, and that's ridiculous considering their purpose.
cowbell says:
05:44 AM, 05/27/09
6-levels of seat heating seems a little bit like overkill to me.
audisport says:
06:18 AM, 05/27/09
The LED's are a great safety feature. It's hard not to notice a newer Audi with LED's coming at you. And yes, 6 levels of seat heating are overkill. Anything past 3 in my car burns your ass.
dougtheeng says:
06:57 AM, 05/27/09
I love the LEDs. I agree that 6 levels of seat heating is overkill. 3-5 is fine.
audisport says:
06:59 AM, 05/27/09
And Scott, I don't know if it has been mentioned here before, but at least on my A4 you can simply pull the fuse for the Servotronic and the steering feels much different. I have yet to drive a B8 A4 for more than just a few minutes so I haven't noticed much of a difference in steering feel compared to my car. I like how heavy it feels at speed.
dips200 says:
08:06 AM, 05/27/09
"It sounds like a diesel at idle."
Glad to see that Audi has stepped up in the world. I used to have a 1.8T. Those engines sounded like they belonged in a lawn mower at idle and low RPM. I'd love to know if there is still an audible turbo whine. After an hour of sustained driving I would be singing along with that thing.
nomercy346 says:
09:43 AM, 05/27/09
I like #8 but do you have to turn them off every time you start the car like it is on some GM cars? Those LED strings start to come up as cheap aftermarket add-ons making them even more annoying.
audisport says:
11:03 AM, 05/27/09
@dips200: No more turbo whine. I actually miss it from my old 1.8T.
bmwbig6 says:
12:16 PM, 05/27/09
Re: "1) It has no power liftgate (but my wife's Passat wagon does)."
There is in fact an (optional) power liftgate (I know because I have one on my 2009 A4 Avant). It's part of the Prestige trim package.
cx7lover says:
12:18 PM, 05/27/09
I love all the noises their turbo 4's make.
mercedesfan says:
12:25 PM, 05/27/09
#8 doesn't surprise me. I have always thought VW/Audi 4-cylinders were terribly agricultural. Both Audi and MB have yet to perfect the 4-cylinder engine. In both cases the engines tend to be loud and unrefined as well as peaky. They get the job done reliably and offer decent performance, but its as if the engineers just left it there. BMW, on the other hand, makes some really fantastic 4-bangers in Europe.
subytrojan says:
01:55 PM, 05/27/09
You all should hear the DI twin-turbo 4.4L Bimmer V8. YUCK! It sounds more agricultural than a Subaru EJ motor.
receptionfades says:
02:39 PM, 05/27/09
The noise from the 2.0T is the high pressure injectors. The FSI high pressure injection system makes the engine what is it. It's not a matter of lacking refinement.
mikeolan says:
03:42 PM, 05/27/09
I think the LED's look like a "BMW has this whole angel eye thing going on, we need to copy them without copying them... uh.... uh.... LED's"
cwmoo740 says:
12:04 AM, 05/28/09
The weirdest part is when the LEDs turn off when the turn signal comes on. It's already been reprogrammed by PPI motorsport, but it's still annoying.
sgude says:
05:09 AM, 05/28/09
"...only five levels" of seat heat? Even five is more than anybody really needs. Whatever happened to low, medium, high?
bimmerjay says:
01:25 PM, 05/28/09
"The weirdest part is when the LEDs turn off when the turn signal comes on. It's already been reprogrammed by PPI motorsport, but it's still annoying."
It is kind of weird-looking. An A4 was behind me this morning with its right signal on and the right LED strip was off. However, if the LEDs didn't go off with the signals, you probably wouldn't be able to see them very well. At least on the A4... the front turn signals use incandescent bulbs.
b_boy_007 says:
03:07 PM, 05/28/09
Chyslers' DRL's turn off when you signal as well. I think they think you can see the indicator light better with the DRL off. Given that the LED DRL's are quite bight it makes even more sense for Audi's to do that. And yes, Chryslers do have DRL's here in Canada along with every other vehicle on the road.