Having driven my 2014 A4 6MT for more than a year, the summary of my gripes is as follows:
--- gas tank is too small, allowing for about 500 kms of driving in winter and 550 kms in summer
--- transmissions ratios are too tall and too widely spaced. Sixth gear is almost unusable below 120 km/h because of weak throttle response. It's only good for inter-city cruising
--- automatic headlight washers are a nuisance. They start each time the windshied washer is used while the headlights are on. Each squirt consumes 250 ml of fluid. A short trip at night in winter can be enough to empty the tank. My workaround: disable auto-headlights, and try to avoid using the windshield washer. When I get to a stoplight, turn off the headlights, wash the windshield, then turn the headlights back on before restarting. After lenghty discussion with my dealer, there is no way to simply disable the headlight washers... They are even on the same fuse as the windshield washer.
--- hill-holder grabs too strongly and must be fought with more throttle than otherwise necessary when starting after a stop on a hill
--- rain-sensing wipers are erratic and can't be turned into a simpler time-delay mode.
--- air conditionning is weak.
--- the 280 km/h speedometer is too tight as usable speeds cover only 75% of the dial. 240 km/ would have been enough.
--- no provision for installing an engine block heater
Apart from these design issues, my A4 has been completely reliable and is a pleasure to drive.
Given that your A4 is very similar to the Q5...in terms of how it works.
1. Hah! the Q5 has a huge gas tank...800+ kms in the highway...but then it has more underbody room to put it
2. The Q is automatic of course but 8th is unusable under 80-90 km/h
3. The headlight washer cycle can be changed with VCDS and therefore presumably with the VAG official tool as well. How often it fires and for how many seconds can be changed
4. N/A to me
5. I find they do exactly what is says in the manual. Moving the switch changes the sensitivity of the sensor. It may look erratic I agree. Now if they would only change the switch so that washing the front screen doesn't turn off the rear wiper.
6. I agree that it is not like 'proper' a/c units that D3 cars used to have that would freeze you nuts off within 30 seconds on a really hot day but it does the jobs quickly.
7. Agreed
8.IIRC my 2000 A4 1.8T didn't either and I don't think the Q5 (2.0T) does either. But of course as I live near the COTU I'd never notice.
Interesting observations...
Granted, I don't do much city driving, but routinely go 600 - 700km on a tank in the S4 which I expect is the same capacity as the A4. How low is your fuel gauge after 500km? IS this all city driving?
I wish I had the A4 ratios in the S4! 6th = ~ 3000 rpm at 130kph and I get a "change up to 6th" indication above 65kph. With the torque available, I'd much 6th was a true overdrive, usable > 100kph say and 2000 rpm at 120kph.
(Interesting - or not - aside, 6th on the S4 is very close to 4th (top) on the TR6 (mine doesn't have the optional electronic overdrive gearbox). .... but the S4 has > 3x the bhp.
Hardly ever use the hill holder, unless on a really steep hill or someone pulled up very close behind me, but seemed to work fine when I did use it.
Headlight washers only fire every 5 or 10 uses of the windshield wipers when the lights are on. But I still find just the windshield washers drain the tank pretty quickly as it sprays so much liquid on the screen. That said, visibility remains excellent in all weather conditions and I'm still on the original wipers after 3.5 yrs / > 70k kms.
Agree with TPL, love the rain sensing wipers, seem to work perfectly to keep screen clear with a minimum number of wipes. I do adjust sensitivity in very fine spray sometimes.
A/C seems great and cools quickly.
S4 has a graduated speedo - goes to 320 kph but the space between markings changes as you get faster. 0 - 80 kph has every 10kph shown, then every 20kph to ~ 200, then every 30 to 320kph. Means 0 - 50kph takes ~ 25% of range, 50 - 120 the next 25%, 120 - 320 the last 50%. Can't think why all cars aren't like this, makes it so much easier to tell exactly what speed you are at where it matters most. Plus there's a configurable digitial readout to give speed in the DIS.
Block heater - never used or needed one so far, did consider an oil pan heater, but it starts well and sounds fine all year round.
Never changed a bulb or had an alignment done in 3.5 yrs. Replaced OEM summer tires this spring and they had worn perfectly evenly.
Reliability has been top notch so far .... last 10k km and 6 months of warranty have begun though
