I’m pleased with the A4 Avant but there are a couple of things which bother me. One I can live with and can’t fix and one I can’t live with and can fix.I picked up my 2023 A4 Avant 40 TFSI Black Edition with C&S pack and Nappa in Daytona Grey last month. I’ve used the car a lot since then and I’m pleased I bought it. Here’s a quick review.
At 204ps, the engine is potent enough for me and it feels faster than it is. I haven’t really noticed the much-maligned lag of the S Tronic dual clutch gearbox at low speeds. A quick nudge of the neatly designed changer knocks it into Sport, which I’ve used a lot when taking off from a crawl or when pressing on. The steering is super light - too light for my taste - at low speeds but weights up nicely once you're doing a decent speed. Handling is pretty good but the quality of the ride is a mixed bag. This is probably my only gripe, although I did go into this purchase with my eyes wide open. At low speeds and on broken surfaces, it can be unsettled and choppy. On good A roads and on motorways, where I do most of my driving, it’s fine. I did test drive a car with 18” wheels on standard suspension and it was, not surprisingly, more forgiving. However, there weren't any used cars around at the time with that setup and with my preferred engine, so I let form get the better of function and went for 19” rims with lowered, sport suspension. It's certainly no worse than the BMW 'F' 3 series M Sport on 19”s which I owned.
The seats and interior are top notch, and the B&O sound system is impressive, once you get the set up right. Whilst the touchscreen infotainment system is easy to use, it’s still a PITA compared to a rotary wheel. Fortunately, all the HVAC controls are knobs/buttons, as is the volume and next track/next station function, and there are enough buttons and rollers on the steering wheel. The sound insulation is one of the car's strongest points. The engine is barely audible on the move, which at my stage in life is a plus, there's little or no wind niose and whilst there's some tyre roar at high speed from the 245 section tyres, it's well suppressed. Signicantly quieter inside than my last BMW.
In summary, it’s a well-built, well-equipped, good looking, reasonably spacious estate, ideal for long-distance cruising. Possibly a long-term keeper. Well, three to four years anyway
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Firstly, the pedals are overly offset to the right. Poor engineering design.
Secondly, the ride quality on 19”s with sport suspension is unresolved and unsettled. I thought it was a road surface/low-speed issue only but it also bothers me on the motorway when the car floats and doesn’t feel sufficiently planted. I’ve spoken to several suspension specialists and have settled on changing the stock dampers for Koni Special Active shocks, which I’m pretty confident will help. I don’t want to mess with the ride height so am leaving the stock springs untouched. The Konis are the latest incarnation of their frequency selective damping technology, which is now OEM on a number of manufacturers’ models – Fiat Abarth, for example. Originally developed for Lamborghini, they're mechanical rather than electronic and use valve technology to adjust the ride. Getting them installed in a couple of weeks so will report back.
