A4 On loan

Smick

Member
I have the A2 in at the dealer for 2 day's work under warranty.

They have been kind enough to lend me a one month old A4 TDi S Line 170bhp.

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I must say though, I am unimpressed when compared to my A2.

For a start, while looking at the speedo tells a tale of acceleration, it doesn't give that same feel of speeding up as the A2. Also, as the wheelbase is that bit longer; cornering isn't nearly as much fun.

In the interior, I feel it is a lot less roomy than the A2 and without the cruise control it got quite uncomfortable on my accelerator foot. The ventilation controls are split for the two sides of the car and it becomes tedious having to change both when you get too warm / to cold.

On a positive note, the gearchange is lovely.

But give me an A2 any day!
 
Speaking as the owner of both, I marginally prefer our A2 TDI SE. Our A4 TDI 130 SE Avant is quick, quiet and economical for its size (55+mpg, A2 65mpg), but the suspension's a lot softer (although it's done twice as many miles — 68,000, so that will have a bearing), so doesn't corner as well as the A2. I would have thought the S-Line's sports suspension would have made handling sharper. I think the seats in the A2 are better, as is the driving position — the A-pillar blind spots don't bother me, nor does the lack of a rear wiper. The ventilation controls can easily be changed so both sides change at the same time, but I can't quite remember how to do it!
 
hold down the drivers side 'Auto' button for a few secs to synchronise the dual-zones - the A4 manual has a misprint, and actually tells you to press a different button.

My A4 is far more comfortable than the A2 - and for a journey, there is no comparison - cruise control is better implemented as well

A2 is loads more involving to drive though - sports seats are nicer than the standard A4 ones - but to be fair, they are an optional extra, after all.

I think the two cars complement each other well tbh - different strengths, and between them, cover all eventualities nicely :)
 
a2 and new a4

Ive got both cars a 90bhp a2 tdi se and 140tdi se a4.
Overall i think the a4 is better: gear changing is how it should be, ride is just about perfect for me and the family 2 girls 4, and 7, and the economy is fantastic at a steady cruise. I regularly go upto glasgow from wakefield and get 53 and thats making what euphemistically could be called "good progress" at certain points.
With regard to the a4 s ilne series the ride in that is ridiculous though it does look nicer than the se with larger alloys and sports seats etc.
I find the a2 slightly disappointing overall although it is a beautiful car. The interioir is very spacious but i think the ride is a little crashy. How people cope with 17 or 18 inch wheels on an a2 i'll never know.
Also like many others the fuel econ is disappointing its not really that significantly different from the A4 ie seemingly mid fifties. I seem to always falling off the torque wave down into the doldrums and having to boost it back up. Should have cruise fittedno doubt. The major problem with both is finding somewhere safe to park in ASDA car parks as there are so many duffers who dont give a monkeys how many doors they crease!
 
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