Audi A4 1.8T Avant (1999)

We liked Audi's A4 a great deal. In fact, we've decided to give it our official "wrench up" and put it on our recommended list. The A4 is comfortable, sure footed and a nice car to drive, and it gives one the impression that it was carefully engineered and constructed. In short, it exudes a veritable aura of high quality. It has the solid feel of a big car, even though it's a small car. The A4 is based on the same platform as the Passat, but, among other things, it's all-wheel-drive, has a different suspension and has lots more stuff on it.

Comfort is the A4's strong point. Ray had the opportunity to drive the A4 from Boston to Cape Cod, a drive of about two hours--and one that, in most cars, would certainly have left him with a sore butt and an aching back. Ray found the A4 to be extremely comfortable, however, and reported no aches or pains. The front seats are fully adjustable, so, no matter what your size and shape--it seemed, you can get the seat into a comfortable position.

Raymond's trip down to the Cape was on a very cold day, during which the A4's heated seats proved their value. Most cars with heated seats have an "on" or an "off" position, so your tuchus is either freezing cold or on fire. Not so with the A4, however, which has--get this--a six-step adjustment. And those heating elements in the A4 are not to be taken lightly. They're so powerful, in fact, that Ray insists his pants started to smolder, caught fire and had to be torn from his body by the young hitchhiker in the passenger seat. (Note to Ray's wife--Not to worry, the hitchhiker's name was Fred.) A final, medical warning: If you use Metamucil or like to eat bran muffins, you may find yourself sprinting into the woods when you turn on the heaters in these seats.

Ray's return trip was in torrential rain, and proved to him that that A4 is exceptionally surefooted in rain and high wind. Even at 55 or 60 miles an hour, with rain coming down in sheets, Ray claims he felt very safe driving the A4. The feeling of safety in the A4 derives from a combination of factors, including very good handling, fulltime all wheel drive. (Optional, and recommended), excellent visibility, good tires, and a great set of windshield wipers.

The A4 comes with one of two possible engines. There's a 2.8-liter V6, and out test car has the 1.8-liter four-cylinder with a turbo. The 1.8 with the turbo provided plenty of power, in our opinion, and is quite a bit cheaper than the six-cylinder A4.

We noticed that the clutch on the A4 seems to engage pretty high--not unlike Volkswagens and other German cars. If you're not used to this, it might take some time to get accommodated to the clutch. (The clutch is self-adjusting, so there's no chance to change the level at which it engages.) The clutch did engage smoothly, however, and it was very easy to shift. There's no learning curve with the manual transmission on the A4--we didn't stall the car once.

The shifting was okay, though we thought the gearshift had a little too much "throw" in it. We'd like it more if the gear positions were a little closer together. Also, the angle of the shifter relative to the driver is difficult to get used to, with the armrest in the way from time to time.

While the A4 is wonderful on the highway and on curvy roads, we noticed that it doesn't take bumps all that well and feels like a small car in that respect. Of course, one has to remember, it *is* a small car. This is the flip side of having a tight, good-cornering suspension: you feel more of the road than sometimes you'd like.

The engine inside the A4 is mounted longitudinally. (This means the "front" of the engine is in the front of the car, unlike most front-wheel-drive vehicles, which have "transverse"-mounted engines (i.e., the front of the engine faces the side of the car.) It appears to be fairly easy to service for most ordinary repairs. Interestingly, because it's not transversely mounted, it actually has a fan that's driven by a fan belt. (When was the last time you saw a fan belt? You'd have to take a look at any old Chevy to find one!) The A4 also has an auxiliary fan that comes on when you turn on the air conditioning.

If you're a do-it-yourselfer, you probably are not going to like working on the A4. Even routine maintenance, such as changing belts, is best done on a lift. Most of the basic servicing and components are more accessible from underneath than from the top of the engine compartment.

If you're planning on buying an A4 and keeping it for more than a few years, we'd recommend you live near a major city...and keep a few pesos at the ready. Audi parts have the unfortunate dual distinction of being expensive and difficult to acquire, even if you're fortunate enough to have an Audi dealer nearby. (To be fair to Audi, part of that problem may just be the local dealer here in Boston, with whom Ray has had some less-than-ideal experiences.)

Because it's a wagon, the A4 has plenty of storage room in the back. There's enough room in the A4 for you, your spouse and two kids. When you add that third kid, though, you'll start to find the A4 cramped...at which point it's probably time to bite the bullet and get an A6--or forget about minor concerns like comfort, styling and performance...and get a minivan.

Audis have a reputation for being great in the snow, and that's certainly been our experience with the A4. The all-wheel-drive Quattro should be a great advantage. It's not an off-road vehicle, however, because it's low to the ground, but the Quattro system should be great in the rain and snow.

The ergonomics are challenging in the A4, to say the least. It's all form and no function in this car. The radio has a pretty little display, with 100 little buttons...and printing that's so small that you can't read it--and certainly not while you're driving. The window controls are hard to get at, because the seat is in the way. The heater and fan controls are confusing and require looking for tiny, lit arrows and buttons. By way of contrast, Volvo uses a big dial, which can be easily found and adjusted without taking one's eyes off the road. The Germans who designed this A4 were simply trying to make the controls look cool. What the hell are they thinking? Shape up, consarn it!

Want another ergonomic nightmare? Audi has completely switched around the door controls, so that the handle is forward of the controls for the window...which is exactly the opposite of the way it should be. The way it's positioned, it's difficult to reach the controls, and, further, you want more leverage when you're closing the door. Some German designer named Dietrich obviously thought this was the fashionable way to do things, but we think it's stupid.

Having complained about the ergonomics, we should admit that we probably would have gotten used to some of these odd designs if we had driven the car for a longer period of time. Overall, however, we think the Germans do tend to unnecessarily complicate their ergonomic design. What's wrong with large, easy-to-reach knobs with obvious settings that can be adjusted easily while one is driving? Let's hope that, the next time around, Audi decides to put function over form.

With a list price of $26,440, the A4 is a nice wagon and a reasonably good deal. No one will ever call the A4 a "spectacular" car, but it's an excellent compromise for someone who needs a wagon and all-wheel drive but wants to drive a sporty car. It's certainly fun to drive and easy to live with.

View a cars.com model report on this vehicle.