Yeah, I am glad we swung by the audi showroom to check out what the hype of the A4 was all about. For the price, I'd take it anyday over an E90 320i M Sport as its really better spec'ed on paper and CBU (+ sunroof for the sportline spec). Bigger car too, with gobs of low end torque and lovely paddle shifters which was very fun upshifting and downshifting. Makes u feel like some F1 hero.
However, the car does come with its flaws namely:
1) More pronounced understeer on high speed corners. During the directional shift at the start of the bend u can feel the car washing out wide already. But could be due to more worn tyres (from my observation fo the test unit). E90 feels a lot more planted and is happiest in such types of bends where it squats, tucks in and eagerly awaits you to punch it through the corner.
2) Steering is lighter, and more vague compared to the E90. It feels a bit like the EPS on the honda Civic/Jazz (sorry Audi fans).. a bit artificial and not as connected to the road as the E90. Also its weight/resistance balance looses out to the E90. This is one of the finer strengths of the E90 IMHO.
3) Low end torque was fantastic, equivalent to the E90 325i if you ask me. Mated with a very efficient CVT (no torque converter), it transfer power nicely to the tarmac. However, it runs out of breath abruptly through the low redline (~6k rpm) and doesn't continually pull stronger and stronger all the way to the top. Also it sounds stressful and boomy and racy/noisy which, is stressfull to the driver over prolonged drive. Normal cruising its ok, but with a heavier than normal foot, it can get annoying. No where as smooth, classy and effortless/exciting as the N52 but then again its not apples to apples to the BMW 6 pot.
4) Back seat passengers wont enjoy the ride in KL roads. Even on comfort settings its harsher thant he E90 M sport on 18's RFTs. Not good at all.
5) I didnt like the interior design. Its too... Japanese with too many buttons, dials from the gearbox area, to center console, to dash, to steering wheel. Buttons everywhere! Reminds me on an 80's Nissan. Also the interior is designed to be "sporty" but gets old and tiring I think as a daily driver. Gear knob is also quite old skool looking like a T design. Seated behind, you can notice the sporty flare the designers injected into the car, but its ... "stressful" compared to the much more pleasant E90 interior esp at for the back seat passenger.
I found the brakes to be good and the size of the car good. Looks less like a Honda Civic/Corolla size which out does the E90 here. For Audi's renowned quality interiors and built, there was a slight rattle at the rear parcel shelf and it doesn't feel supple and solid as expected.
Value for money over the E90 320i yes, due to the stuff which comes with the car std and CBU quality. But it was so much nicer to step back into the E90/E92 325/323i. Doesn't match the overall balance of luxury and sport as well as the 6 pot BMW. It was trying to be overly sporty and missing out more on the relax/classy feel of the BMW from the design of the interior all the way to how the ride handled and the sound of the engine.
