2017 Audi A4 Road Test and Review

A consistent favorite in the extremely competitive entry-level luxury sedan segment, the popular and sporty 2017 Audi A4 is also one of Audi’s best-selling models. This year the Audi A4, now in its seventh-generation, has been completely redesigned. New from top to tires, it’s absolutely the best A4 Audi has ever created.  

With measurable improvements in style, luxury, performance, technology, and fuel efficiency, Audi has taken the A4 to another level of desirability. It is now one of the best looking and most desirable vehicles in its class, and it’s a blast to drive, as you would expect from a German-bred-and-built sports sedan.

And it’s available with Audi’s legendary Quattro all-wheel drive system, which pioneered the all-weather technology in the luxury space decades ago. It makes the A4 just as capable under the rule of Old Man Winter as it is in the warmer months.

Let's take a closer look at the 2017 Audi A4.

The 2017 Audi A4 is available in three trim levels, Premium, Premium Plus and Prestige. Each is available with front or all-wheel drive, which adds $2,100 to the price.

The base level front-wheel drive A4 Premium starts at $34,900 and is powered by a smooth and powerful 190 hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and a 7-speed automatic transmission. Although a 6-speed manual transmission is offered on all-wheel drive models at no extra cost. Standard features include a three-zone automatic climate control system, Bluetooth, and leather seating surfaces.

Premium Plus models use that same standard powertrain and start at $38,700. Standard features increase and include larger 18-inch wheels, LED headlamps, sexy S Line exterior appearance enhancements, a rear view camera and bumper sensors to aid parking and a Bang and Olufsen 19-speaker sound system.  

For an additional $2,400 an optional 252 hp version of the 2.0-liter engine is available on Premium and Premium Plus models. It’s standard on the Prestige which starts at $45,900.

Audi’s design team has earned a well-deserved reputation for trend-setting style, detailed sophistication, and timeless lines. The 2017 A4 is handsome from every angle with a desirable combination of athletic curves, modern, hard-edged geometric shapes and sports-car proportions. The result is a sedan that gets noticed, looks sporty as well as elegant, and never looks like it’s trying too hard.

Look closely, and it’s the details that set the A4 apart. The intricate design of its large grille and its unique modernistic headlamps make it look like a car costing much more, and the artistic character line running down its flanks is forever cool.  The rear view has just enough attitude with large dual exhaust pipes and a beautifully integrated rear spoiler.

The Prestige model we tested was particularly striking thanks to its more aggressive S Line bodywork, which includes a deeper front spoiler, and its larger 18-inch wheels and tires.

Few car companies craft better interiors than Audi, and the inside of the A4 is one of the best in its class. Open the door and you’re met with beautiful materials, dynamic design and near-perfect build quality. This is a luxurious car, but there’s nothing stale or stuffy about it.

Audi’s designers sweat the details, and the interior of the A4 is loaded with small artistic touches that keep it from feeling generic or built without care. Every knob and switch wear a small piece of trim and functions with precision. The shifter moves with a silken grace and even the A-pillars have been meticulously shaped to maximize visibility.

Comfort is high. The driver’s seat holds you in place but doesn’t squeeze and it’s adjustable for height to accommodate shorter drivers. In combination with the tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, there’s a perfect driving position for everyone.

Even in base trim, the A4 is equipped with enough tech to satisfy a Google engineer. The interior’s focal point is a 7-inch infotainment screen positioned just to the driver’s right, and it looks wonderfully like an iPad. Its functions are controlled by voice commands or a well-placed and well-sized knob on the console just ahead of the shifter. Bluetooth is standard, as is HD Radio and Apple CarPlay. It’s all very intuitive to use, but never feels shallow or dumbed down.

Also standard is Audi Drive Select, which allows you to tune the sedan’s driving characteristics to your liking, between Comfort, Auto or Sport settings.

The Prestige model we tested packed even more gadgets and gizmos including a larger 8.3-inch screen, Audi’s virtual cockpit digital instrumentation, which offers two display options, and a full-color head up display that projects navigation and other information on the windshield ahead of the driver.

Further advanced technology is found in the A4’s many active safety systems. Audi pre sense basic and pre sense city are standard on every A4.

Pre sense basic can intervene and prepare the car for impact should it determine an impending collision. The system will close the windows and sunroof to better protect the car’s occupants, as well as cinch the front seat belts and prepare the brake system for quicker response. Pre sense city detects obstacles ahead, including pedestrians, at speeds up to 52 mph. And it can initiate full braking when it detects a potential collision.

Audi pre sense rear, which is available on Premium Plus models and standard with the Prestige trim, monitors the traffic following the vehicle and takes similar actions as pre sense basic if a rear end collision is impending. It also includes rear cross traffic alert, which informs the driver of a car approaching from the side when backing out of a parking space.  

A luxury car at this price point should have multiple personalities. It should be effortless to drive when you want it to be. It should be exhilarating when you ask it to be. And it should always be coddling and copious. The A4 delivers. This car feels special. It strikes just the right balance between luxury and sport. It’s fast, even with its standard 190 hp engine, and engaging to drive, but it doesn’t beat you up like some performance sedans.

It’s also supple and pampering with a compliant ride and quiet interior, but it never makes you feel like you borrowed your father’s car. The steering is light and communicative and the brakes provide great feel and awesome stopping ability. Fuel economy is also very good for this class. With front wheel drive, the 190 hp engine is rated 27 mpg city and 37 mpg highway and the 252 hp engine is rated 25 mpg city and 33 mpg highway.

The 2017 Audi A4 offers 13 cubic feet of trunk space, which is about average for its class. If more is needed, every A4 comes standard with a 40/20/40 split fold-down rear seats, which are easily manipulated for your needs. Unfortunately, the A4’s in car storage for smaller items is compromised. The center console bin is small, as are the door pockets, and the two front seat cupholders are almost laughable. Order a short at Starbucks and you won’t have much of an issue, but if you go Venti, this is not the car for you. The cupholders are just too close to many of the controls on the Audi’s center stack, and tall drinks interfere with the switchgear. Getting the beverage in and out of the holder means tilting it unnervingly, and probably spilling it all over the console.

Although previous A4s were smaller and lacked rear seat legroom, the new 2017 A4 offers more rear seat room than many of its competitors, and it will seat five as long as you’re not hauling NBA stars and the journey is short. For four, this is a very spacious small sedan, and three preteens in the back is not a problem. Plus, the A4’s onboard WiFi will keep them happily distracted.

Parents with younger kids will appreciate the A4s easy to reach LATCH connectors in the outboard seats and the easily accessed tether anchor for the middle seat.

And the A4 scored a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and it earned the highest rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Packed with desirability, both inside and out, the seventh-generation Audi A4 is a front-runner in the very competitive small luxury sedan category. Just as Audi’s more expensive sedans check all the boxes, the A4 delivers extremely high levels of style, features, and technology, and it’s brimming with a fun to drive personality that makes it really something special.  

Although the base Premium model, with front-wheel drive and 190 hp, is all that and enough for most buyers, if you can we recommend stepping up to the Premium Plus with Quattro all-wheel drive and the 252-hp engine. You’ll appreciate the additional performance and other desirable equipment.