On a boring Saturday, I found something to brighten my day: a manual Audi A4! Come on a drive with me as I see if a manual A4 should be on your car shopping list. Thanks to John at Audi South Austin for the opportunity to drive this car.
@@diegochavez49ers - overall, manual sales in cars in the U.S. is down to about 6%, which is sad. This means a manual Audi is hard to find, especially a sedan!
American here who has only owned manual trans cars. I'm on 9th one including manual VWs, Audi, Toyota, Subaru, Mazda and Infiniti. At this point, I seek out manual models only when I buy a new car and that has become way more limiting and difficult as time passes.
I know same here. I've only purchased manual cars but its only common in sports cars here in America. Subaru and Mazda offer manuals in their non sport vehicles.
John Labus yeah i almost got an accord sport in 2016 but they didn't have any new manuals and sold out of their used. I have a 2018 wrx 6 speed and an 06 focus hatch 5 speed. Not sure what my next cars gonna be but it'll be a manual
I own the 2018 Audi A4 with a manual transmission. I really like it so far. I drove the DCT and it was good but the manual was more engaging and more fun to drive for me. I'd definitely recommend this car and the manual transmission.
I heard having a manual gearbox helps reduce distracted driving (mobile phones). Anyway, manual is the way to go 👍🏻 Wacko drivers, unfortunately, are everywhere!
The only function it has compared to the colored information system is that you can shrink the gauges. btw. a high equipped a4 with this engine is a treasure.
- Manual - 2.0 TFSI - 3 zone clima automatic - analoge gauges - grey wood panels if it was an avant and black seats, it would almost be the perfect a4.
sadly no manual a4 b9 in germany with the facelift. And it got a touchscreen which sucks. I enjoy my dad's a4 b9 manual diesel a lot, even though it is almost standart equipment. I prefer the analoge gauges too.
1st off THANK YOU for this camera angle. Ppl always put the camera on the dash showing their face. So again thank you for this great camera angle where i can see the shifter and steering wheel 2nd i didn't know audi still made manuals. I thought they were done with that tranny
Awesome video. I am currently in the process of buying an A4 and only want it in a manual. I never understood why they weren’t so readily available given Audi’s amazing manual transmission but you mentioning that it’s not readily available in other parts of North America helps me to understand why my dealership isn’t able to get one for me for the next 6 weeks. Great review and hands down I prefer the manual to automatic for this vehicle.
In the A4, I would get the automatic, its 7 speed dual clutch transmission is really good, but if you want a manual for the extra control then I completely respect that reason. Awesome review/overview as always. Looking forward to seeing more awesome videos!
I wish there were better views of the exterior, but I love the interior layout; steering wheel, dash, etc. Looks clean and simple for a late-model car. Of course I dig the manual, too!
@japanwatchconnection Yeah but it's cramped inside and steering is quite nervous on highway. It's nor a sport car nor a limo. A6 is a more of a cruiser. Sadly, the only real limo in Audi models is A8 and the only true, really great handling (not like an upgraded vw polo/jetta) one is R8. Rest are better silenced Volkswagens with better interior, but you pay too much for them. In Europe, you can pay almost the equivalent of 200,000$ for nice equipped A7 which is supposed to be a '4 door sportback coupe'. But you get relatively weak DIESEL, numb steering feel and average handling compared to BMW and fwd bias version of quattro. It looks sporty only from exterior. Audis are really for pretending to be upper-middle class. They put only diesels right now under most S versions in Europe. You get that?
I had a '99 A4 2.8L 5 speed since new. In 2016 I was looking for a manual 2017. Audi announced a new generation of A4 for '17 but originally without manual. I was about to get a 328i as BMW is so manual friendly, when Audi announced they did a 180 and added manual in the A4 (not sure when they decided to add to the A5). Rewarding Audi for that decision, picked up my Premium April last year. No regrets! Love the car and the manual technology has so improved, they say because of extensive use of magnesium. The premium is a good trim for me, I personally don't prefer all the extra electronics, use my phone for GPS and always prefer a simpler cockpit. Did add convenience package though for remote entry. Aesthetically, oak trim a nice addition, had walnut in '99. My thoughts. Finally, I probably would have gone with the A3 but for no manual option, it was closer in size to my '99 A4. Great video, thanks!
Thanks for the great response! I did have to go new as 2017 was a great new A4. I looked at used manual 2015s before the new model came up and found the few dealers in the SF Bay Area that had them wouldn't deal. Ironic, the manual used to be cheaper but now it's a premium, all about supply and demand :)
Sir, thank you for this review, I have a question. How would you compare driving the a4 automatic in manual mode (flippers) compared to driving this model with a manual gearbox? Given you're hurried along mountain roads.
I wonder what the gearing difference is b/w the manual and the dsg. I'm sure the dsg probably is geared taller so it revs at lower rpms on the freeway.
Yeah especially when new automatics are 8spd when manuals are max 6. If the 8th has really low ratio for highway high speed (as it mostly implemented), it gives real rpm difference and makes smaller engine powerful enough.
I got a 2005.5 Audi Quattro 2.0, love it, esp in Wisconsin winter. It's got lowered suspension so it feels like driving a go cart. I can't imagine not driving a manual. Anything else newer impedes my old school style, not interested. Even if I could afford a new model I'd want to keep the old one and restore it back up. The body style seems timeless, kinda like a 50 year old woman who still gets compliments : ) Cons - oil leak issues, expensive repairs esp with a low suspension. 7:57 marker, name that tune!
I have been driving manual transmissions for 25 years. Occasionally I will drive my wife's automatic SUV, and I almost feel out of control sometimes. Especially in hazardous weather slippery conditions. I do not like not having the ability to engine brake and downshift.
Thank you for showing some driving footage of this car, and particularly the shifting action. It confirmed an issue with a used 2017 A4 Quattro manual that I test drove recently where 2nd gear was difficult to find on the 1-2 shift and I wasn't sure if it was a quirk of the transmission or an issue with the particular car I drove but by your video, it appears to be an issue with the particular car I drove. Tells me this car is probably a trap. What makes it worse is that the pricing for that car isn't even particularly competitive but manual quattro A4s are difficult to find so it's disappointing.
You're welcome. As an automotive journalist it's not my job to sell cars. But I do enjoy driving new cars and showing what they are like on day 1 so that 10+ years from now, everyone knows what they were like when new or should be like if working properly. You get it. Thank you!
The manual A4 is nice to drive, we just bought one and I noticed how different it is from our S3 S-tronic (8P), the suspension is a little tight on the S3 and the A4 is longer, heavier and more comfortable due to lack of sports suspension and thin tyres.
I read a lot of comment like "omg, its a manual car from 2018"...and what? In europe, most new cars are manual and its a pleasure to drive them. Srry for my bad eng.😁
In Europe Audi is among best for manual... US automatic tradition gives you mostly automatic... Drive select mode is mostly used for engine response... I own an a3 2.0 tdi quattro manual 190 hp...resoft from 190...it's great
Agreed. I own a 2011 A4 (B8) 2.0T Quattro 6-speed manual, and as a reference, I owned a 2009 Carrera 4S manual. Your comments regarding driving dynamics are spot on: steering balance is good but heft can feel light relative to transmission input; and engine power can feel muted and anemic if if higher gears are selected and instantaneous thrust is called upon. That said, while cruising from 50 to 70 mph in 4th gear, I get good torque and highway passability. It will never light it up at an intersection, but if you row through and hold gears on acceleration, there's a confident and satisfying surge of torque in all gears (you couldn't have sampled this during break in) that was nonexistent in my parents' 2012 A4 automatic. Altogether, as a commuter car, I love my A4 6MT.
The 7 spd DSG is my preference especially for accelerating. I tested it on the A4 months ago and I still have that good experience stapled in memory. (I also drive a 2017 A3 prestige. So rare trim in the US)
Kevin Clark How would that be a joke? You do know that tranmssions have torque ratings, right? What other longitudinal awd car do they make that has a manual transmission and also 370lbft of torque? I can't think of one.
I love driving cars on manual transmission like you said you have to know how to drive manual transmissions I teach my self driving manual when i was 16 old now im 35 in my country all cars are manual transmission
I owned this A4 2017 manual and I’ve got the same feeling about no engine noise so no engagement. I was really disappointed. And thanks for this review.
catalon warior why I’ve got wrong? Audi is able to perform an engine noise like any other sports car. Specially I had the S line package on my A4. For your information Audi offer this engine noise on the A5 so why not the A4 ? So I confirm my disappointment to Audi
S line Audi A4 is nothing compared to Audi S4 or Audi RS4. You should know that the S line only adds exterior touches. If you wanted sound you would need to go for S4 or RS4.
catalon warior no you’re wrong. Just with the A5 you’ve got an engine sound even with the A3. And after trying the S4 there’s a big turbo lag. Audi doesn’t make a good performance product like bmw or Mercedes. Also the s line package is just for the show off. In the interior you’ve got also a flat bottom steering wheel.
Dan Latta I feel the same way. But if you have your clutch pedal pressed at a stop the engine won't stop. I believe that's what I understood from the video.
Many cars you have to turn off continually every time you get in the car. Leaving your foot depressed on clutch at a stop light to defeat auto stop/start creates excess heat (wear) on clutch. The auto stop/start feature is incredibly hard on engine and related parts affecting overall life of car. If there’s a way to permanently turn it off I’m in.
Dan Latta I had one of these as a loaner a few months ago and the stop start feature was off the whole time. Never came back on like some cars do. Plus I'm sure you could fully disable it with vagcom as well
The Audi A4 6M would be a great car for me............... Previous - Corvette, 914, RX-7, GTO, Quantum, et al - cars were fun to drive - mostly due to good synchros and decent clutches. The Audi - while a fine auto - costs a lot - initially and the scheduled maintenance. That's my take.
Audi are made for the autobahn where your crusing at a higher speed so 5th and 6th would feel more power at a higher rpm otherwise just lugging the engine for fuel economy
It's already permanent. There's a haldex clutch that transfers power between front and rear up to 30/70 and 70/30. There is a more sophisticated electronic version on the Q5 that decouples on the highway to save fuel byt I don't recall if the A4 has it.
@@RoadandTract A4’s (as A6,A7,A8,Q7,Q8, etc) quattro system is based on a permanent mechanical Torsen diff. - which btw made history in Audi’s rally career - in the 80’s. It was a big marketing selling point for them. That’s why their engines are longitudinally mounted (Torsen diff.) Haldex clutches are only on Audi A3’s and TT’s which are cars based on Vw Golf (as all other Vw group cars with transversally mounted engines). It is considered that a Torsen permanent quattro system is better in performance (but also more expensive) than a Haldex quattro system. They use on A3’s the same marketing name ‘quattro’ although they are using a different technology
@@vladlupu8187 The AWD system on late model A4, A5, A6, and A7 cars is a reactive, FWD-based system (see "Ultra Technology") using a center clutch to decouple the rear wheels when AWD is not needed (which is most of the time). The engine is longitudnal, unlike the transverse MQB cars with Haldex (A3, TT), but it's still not the full-time AWD Torsen system that are referring to. You need to get into an S- or RS-level variant to get that.
It is such a lovely car but so boring to drive unfortunately. The lack of engine noise(even with windows down) unless you rev it high (and even then it isn’t loud) And the steering feedback is just awful. There is 0 feel to it at all. can’t tell if you’re driving on a road, or on sheet ice xD
What was this in response to? I don't understand what happened around 7 minutes that was significant or negative. At that point, I was thinking "don't fiddle with the camera while you're coming up behind a stopped car!"
Watching this in 2023 😔 not a single stick shift in the audi line up. Bmw still has one or two, but all their cars are 130k and look like they were drawn by a cartoon artist. Rip German car enthusiasts. Well, there's still the gti. I guess that's something😒
Why all american can not pronounce the car names - VW: Folkswagen (simple V in german, you would say an F) - Audi: I mean A-U-DI, and Not Odi - Porsche: say Porshe, and Not Pooshe - Mercedes-Benz: say Mer-Ce-des, and not Mer-Se-des and the WORST: - BMW: say Be-eM-We, and NOT NOT NOT Bi-eM-doubleU I hate americans 'cause thay make new names for cars, BMW is Not Bi-eM-doubleU... OK?!?!!
Weil wir ne andere Sprache sprechen. While yes, Porsche should not be pronounced as “Porsh” but you getting triggered over this is like getting pissy Americans don’t call Germany “Deutschland”
Relax Daniel, whenever you have those big boy feelings against the U.S try this: close your eyes, visualize the statue of liberty, and how it overlooks our great continent. How the free roam the streets! And how in that faithful July day in 1776 we stopped giving a crap about what Europeans think. Enjoy!
