2018 Audi A4 Road Test and Review

Some luxury cars win buyers with exuberant stylistic flair, screaming “look at me!” to anyone who sees them. Others are more subtle, with superb competence that doesn’t necessarily call attention to itself. The 2018 Audi A4, a compact luxury sport sedan, offers a helping of both qualities. It provides a restrained, classy exterior design; a marvelously finished cabin with dazzling graphics; and masterfully composed ride and handling.

Priced from $36,000, the A4 provides a convincingly high-end luxury experience for buyers who don’t need maximum interior volume. If that sounds like what you’re looking for, keep reading to learn more about this appealing Audi, and how it stacks up against such competitors as the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Acura TLX.

When Audi redesigned the A4 for 2017, critics complained that it was difficult to spot the differences between the old and new generations. While it’s true that the A4’s general shape has changed little since 2009, Audi has adjusted the details nicely to keep the car attractive and contemporary. Most notably, the old A4's gentle curves on the slim headlights and the large grille have been simplified into crisply angled edges. Greater use of LED lighting also advances the design at the front and rear.

Compared to the competition, the A4 retains a relatively upright profile with a high roof and large windows. The roof doesn’t swoop downward, and the window line doesn’t zip upward. Nor is the body festooned with curves, creases, and swooshes. Many buyers do appreciate the visual gymnastics that result from such trendy design themes. Others will feel more at home with the classically elegant Audi.

While the A4’s exterior is conservative, the car’s cabin in unquestionably modern. An infotainment screen perches atop a low dashboard, which runs as a slim horizontal strip from door to door. The resulting minimalism is simultaneously classic yet contemporary, and it’s also highly functional. We’re confident that this design will age better than some of today’s luxury cars.

The A4 also features top-notch build quality and materials, and buttons and knobs move and click with delightful precision. We think the aluminum trim in our test car is the ideal complement to the cabin design, but Audi also offers a choice of wood styles. There’s also a generous selection of 15 upholstery colors and styles — ranging from subtle blacks and grays to rich browns to racy reds — which helps you dress up the interior to match your tastes. And even the least expensive A4 comes with suitably luxurious leather. One functional downside to the cabin: Filling the cupholders can block the lowest dashboard controls, though you can still handle most functions through the infotainment system.

As if the interior’s styling wasn’t impressive enough, the A4 truly dazzles with its gorgeous high-resolution displays. Even the base $36,000 A4 Premium trim includes a 7-inch infotainment screen, but it gets better once you’ve upgraded to the navigation system and Audi’s “virtual cockpit” display. They’re a $3,000 option on the mid-grade Premium Plus trim ($39,200) and standard on the Prestige ($45,500).

The navigation system provides Google Maps satellite views, which are visually stunning and help you orient yourself to your surroundings. It upgrades the dashboard screen to 8.3 inches and also adds a digital gauge cluster. You can set up your speedometer and tachometer to resemble ordinary analog dials, or you can devote most of the space to your satellite map or a few other options. It’s both beautiful and functional. The Google Maps system can also intelligently select addresses and points of interest more quickly and efficiently than a typical in-car navigation — with no need to slog through different screens to fill in your state, city, street, and house number. The system even recognizes handwriting.

The 2018 Audi A4 splits the difference between a hard-edged sport sedan and a soft, cushy luxury ride. While you won't find the frenetic hyper-responsive energy of an Alfa Romeo Giulia, the A4 is still capable and fun to drive on a winding back road. The steering is light at low speeds, but never loose and sloppy; it also firms up nicely as you increase speed. You can also adjust the throttle sensitivity and steering effort by switching among the A4’s selectable driving modes.

The ride is firm without being stiff, not isolating you from the road but not beating you up over broken surfaces. And in spirited driving, the A4 behaves nicely, inspiring confidence that you won’t lose control. A Giulia or a BMW 3 Series has even higher limits, but we appreciated the A4’s superb driving composure in all of the conditions we encountered during a weeklong test. It’s a clear step up from an Acura TLX or Lexus ES. For more aggressive performance, the related Audi S4 brings a bigger engine and higher handling limits.

The A4 comes with a choice of turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines. The base 190-horsepower engine comes only with front-wheel drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. We tested the upgraded 252-hp version, which is a $4,500 option on all three A4 trims and includes with Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system. The A4 Quattro offers a six-speed manual transmission as a no-cost option; we loved the precise throws from our manual test car — and appreciate that Audi makes it available. We found acceleration to be highly satisfactory but not explosive. For straight-line thrills, you might prefer a V6-powered Infiniti Q50 or Lexus IS 350, or the 354-hp S4.

The 190-hp front-wheel drive A4 is rated for an outstanding 27 mpg in the city, 37 mpg on the highway, and 31 mpg combined. That matches some economy cars, though Audi does recommend premium fuel. Our all-wheel drive 252-hp model drops to 24 city/33 highway/27 combined, though the automatic transmission improves to 34 mpg on the highway. We averaged an outstanding 33 mpg during a week of mixed driving.

The A4 has comfortable, supportive front seats. Our test car came with Alcantara fabric on the center of the seats, which feels upscale and does a better job than the standard leather at holding occupants in place during aggressive cornering. The driver enjoys excellent visibility thanks to big windows and slim roof pillars.

The rear seat isn’t spacious, but two adults can fit. The cushion itself is comfortable, making up for what looks like an alarming-looking lack of legroom at first glance. The center-rear passenger needs to negotiate a large hump on the floor, though. The A4 doesn’t have the tightest rear seat in its class, but if you’re on regular carpool duty, it might not be your first choice. The 13-cubic-foot trunk is useful, but Audi offers some more cargo-friendly relatives of the A4 sedan: the Allroad wagon and A5 Sportback liftback.

After some disappointing crash-test scores from the last-generation A4, today’s model receives excellent safety ratings. It’s an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick and earned five out of five stars overall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A few competitors do slightly better, but these are unquestionably strong marks. Audi generously provides an emergency automatic braking system as standard equipment on all trims, though features such as blind-spot monitoring and a lane-departure warning cost extra.

The IIHS also rated the A4 as particularly favorable to child-seat installation. Audi put the A4’s LATCH anchors behind removable plastic covers rather than burying them between the seat cushions — making them especially easy to locate and access.

As much as we like the A4, we’ve also been impressed by many of its competitors. The BMW 3 Series comes the closest to the Audi’s experience, albeit with slightly higher handling limits and less dazzling electronics. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class blends driving composure with a more serene, decadent vibe. The Acura TLX trades some handling precision and interior opulence for impressive value for the money. The Lexus IS and Infiniti Q50 offer powerful engines and decently roomy interiors, but they don’t feel as fancy. The Alfa Romeo Giulia and Cadillac ATS have brilliant handling but tight interiors and less-than-amazing interior decor.

Audi also offers its own alternatives to the A4. The smaller, less expensive A3 sedan is equally fun to drive, just a little less roomy and not quite as beautifully finished. The A5 Sportback combines most of the A4’s qualities with a more versatile hatchback body. The A4 Allroad wagon brings even more cargo space, but its higher ground clearance sacrifices maximum handling poise. And the S4 adds a delightful boost of horsepower to the A4’s stellar experience, albeit for an extra $6,000 or so.

The 2018 Audi A4 offers a deliciously delicate type of luxury — no brute strength or extroverted looks, but careful details and sublime precision. In almost every way, it feels like Audi successfully realized its vision of a compact premium sport sedan. Audi’s vision might not be your own, but it’s difficult to fault the execution.

The A4 is fun, comfortable, classy, and bursting with beautiful and functional technology. It’s a well-rounded package that should appeal to anyone shopping in this class — yet it retains a distinctive personality rather than devolving into a muddled compromise. Don’t miss this gorgeously finished, supremely composed sedan.