I am looking for a CPO car about 3-4 yrs old. I test drove a 2005.5 A4 2.0T automatic FWD and really didn't like it. It felt more like a diesel - loud and slow. The only other CPO they had in the lot was a 2008 A4 which they said would have better performance because it has a different turbocharger and is quattro. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to test drive it, but before I drive all over the place looking for a 2006 quattro A4, does the quattro have better performance than the FWD? (I can't afford the 2008, so ignoring the turbo difference) I would assume the quattro has better performance, but the sales guy said it wouldn't. Thanks!

 

Audi's own data shows the quattro to be a touch faster than the FWD.

You can find more info in the B7 section on the A4 Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_A4

 

What is your price range

 

The FWD car will have a CVT tranny that sucks monkey nuts. It is a power robbing pig that does not shift like a normal tranny and I hate mine. WIfe drives it and I cannot wait until I trade for my B8 next year.

The AWD car will have a tiptronic which will be more of your average run of the mill auto tranny.

The FWD car would be at a disadvantage zero to 60 due to possible wheel spin (I hardly can ever spin the wheels in this pig). Once you are moving though the FWD will be faster due to less drivetrain loss and less weight of the car vs AWD.

These cars are heavy and are not going to be fast without a few mods. There is no different turbo on the 2008 model.

If you want an B7 Audi with decent looks and a 2.0t that has the best Auto tranny ever and will perform like a raped ape, I would suggest an A3. You get the superior DSG tranny and about 300 pounds or so lighter. I have a GTI (basically the same exact car) with this combo and it will run circles around my A4 as well as haul more with the hatch.

Good luck.

 

I would go with the quattro. Almost all front drive cars are prone to torque steer. Some companies have managed to engineer out most of the torque steer. Stomp on the gas in most fwd cars, and you will get that tugging on the steering wheel that if strong enough, can try to drag you into oncomming traffic. The more power the car has the more likely you will notice it. I don't know how bad a Fwd A4's torque steer is since I have never driven one. Also if you plan to mod the car for more power, you might make the tendency for torque steer more pronounced, not to mention have more wheel spin issues at launch. The other issue, is that Audi's are fairly nose heavy cars, even in quattro form. If you want fwd, you will end up with a car thats front weight bais is even worse, and get even more of the annoying front drive handling characteristics. The best feature of an Audi is the quattro system.

 

Many thanks for all your replies. I am looking to spend about 19-22k, if that makes any difference. I am definitely going to go give the quattro a shot. I thought the tranny was shot in the car I tried, but it seems like it is the CVT problem, not this car specifically.

When hitting the gas pretty hard, I got a surprising amount of wheel spin which made the traction control step in (worse than my '99 Saab 95), so hopefully the quattro will improve that too.

Thanks for the A3 suggestion, since I probably won't be doing many mods to the car.

Lastly and most importantly, loved the "raped ape" reference. Reminded me of Ari from Entourage and his "gaggle of silver backed apes" comment.

 

I would go for a Quattro for peace of mind in snow and ice etc. For overall performance though, the Germans rate the FWD 2.0T with a standard 6speed as best based on its fuel economy and emissions. I have not had any problems with torque steer, but I have also driven much more powerful FWD cars here in Germany (with no speed governors) than my current A4 so you kind of learn how to handle FWD cars and the torque steer they may have.

Here are the German figures from a Tech PDF I have on A4 B7's in German. I also have a Tech PDF for the 2007 A4's in English as well for the American market.

Front Trac
2.0T 6sp FWD 0-100k (0-62mph) 7.3s top speed 243kmh (149mph) Fuel avg 7.7L per 100 kilometers

2.0T 6sp multitronic (CVT?) 0-100k (0-62mph) 7.3s top speed 235kmh (144mph) Fuel avg 8.1L per 100 kilometers


Quattro
2.0T 6sp manual 0-100k (0-62mph) 7.2s top speed 238kmh (145mph) Fuel avg 8.8L per 100 kilometers

2.0T 6sp tiptronic 0-100k (0-62mph) 7.7s top speed 235kmh (144mph) Fuel avg 9.4L per 100 kilometers

As you can see the 6 speed manual Quattro is a very good performer especially if you plan on doing any motor modifications in the future. I do not know about getting an automatic though, unless it was a DSG tranny which is not available for A4's

Also remember the US versions are limited to 130mph or 210kmh.

Good luck!

 

You will most likely not have any torque steer issues if you had a FWD auto. They just are not that fast unless you are nailing an A3 with DSG. My chipped GTI with stage 2 feels like a monster. My chipped A4 felt like it finally had the power it should have had from the factory and could now get out of it's own way with a stage 1 tune.

A4's are just plain heavy and adding Quatro makes it heavier. If you are in a Sunny nice weather state like me in Florida, FWD is perfectly fine in these tanks. If you live in a rain saturated or snow bowl state, get the Quattro. That is when you would need it.

I am moving in June to Ohio so I am switching my wife's A4 to a newer B8 Quattro for snow reasons. I will stick it out with my FWD until I can Get my S5 in a couple years. Seriously though, Go drive an A3 or GTI and you will understand the DSG. It is basically a manual tranny with auto controls and will outshift anything or anybody. Super snappy and super light cars.

 

The A4 is a bit heavy. I did not realize how much until my dad starting looking at Chevy Equinox's, and I realized that the V6 AWD version of the Equinox weighed virtually the same as my 2.0t quattro manual. My 2000 Jetta GLX was also heavier than other cars in its class. It weighed the same as a Pontiac Grand Am I use to have. The Grand Am was some what larger in dimensions. Both my A4 and Jetta are not the most fuel efficient in their class, but I would rather have a heavier more solid car that was not quite as fuel efficient, rather than a super efficent flimsy tin lizzy.

 

I have an 08 A4 w/CVT trans 2.0 T it runs a 1/4 mile in 15.6 seconds & has run 0-60 in 6.2 seconds w/just an APR STG 1 tune.. Both tests w/two people in car.

I think it runs pretty good considering it is just a 2.0 & a heavy car.

I do get a little torque steering action going on now w/the APR tune ;-)