2007 Audi A4

  Well I've driven a couple Germans so far, and all of them have been very nice and impressive machines. Sadly the European cars are pretty few and far between here in the U.S. That's partly due to the fear that people have that if anything ever happens to them, they'll have to sell a kidney to get it repaired. That being said they do tend to be quite a bit more expensive for parts, and because there are limited shops that will work on them, the labor's pretty steep too. Of course the flip side of that coin is that they are some of the highest quality vehicles available today which means that potentially you'll be visiting the shop less. Anyway, with the limited number of European cars available, I really have to test them while I have the chance. Today I found a 2007 A4 on the lot and decided to try it out.

  I've always admired the styling that the Europeans put into their cars, and this one is no exception. The exterior wasn't too showy, but you could still see that Audi put a lot of thought into the design. The lines were somewhat rounded but still retained some aggressive notes as well. Up front we notice HID headlights in a slightly down turned angle, the only chrome on the grille is the four interlocking circles that make up the Audi emblem. One design feature that I found interesting is that the body panels are all flush mounted to each other giving the whole exterior a very smooth and uniform look. If that last statement made no sense at all, let me explain. Most cars, for example have a protruding bumper, but the Audi does not. All the components of the body blend in seamlessly with each other.
   Stepping into the interior, we find leather and wood greeting us. This is not unexpected, given that we're looking at an entry level luxury/performance car. One thing that I found that I liked over the Japanese and American competitors is that the wood accents used is actual wood, and not plastic wood grain. Other than that, it's pretty straight forward. The sound system is, of course, premium Bose, most everything is power adjustable, and all the standard features you'd expect are there. Like with other German cars, the dash lighting is all a deep orange/red. I took some time to situate myself in the cabin before setting off. I've found that the interior layout of the European cars is a bit different from others.
  Once I was ready to go, I fired up the two liter turbo and set off. As with other Germans that I've driven I immediately found the steering to be pretty heavy, a trait that probably has something to do with sections of autobahn with no speed limits. I found the ride to be particularly comfortable, the seats were nice and plush, and I really liked how the sound system automatically turned the volume up as you sped up. Being a FWD layout I wasn't expecting too much in the way of handling, but it did well, and I soon found myself cruising on the highway. As far as power train performance goes, the engine did have a bit of turbo lag, but the transmission shifted very nicely in Sport mode. I found myself taking a longer route than I usually do with these reviews just because I was enjoying myself so much.
   Usually at this point I try to think of something negative to say about the car, but honestly there wasn't a whole lot to nitpick about. Sure it wasn't the fully loaded model, and as such didn't have navigation, heated seats or AWD, but that's about the only think I can think of that I'd really change. It's a beautiful car, a joy to drive, comfortable and surprisingly practical. This is one that I could see buying for myself. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the experience as much as I did, and I'll see you again tonight here in The Fast Lane.