First car was a 2000 A4 1.8T, and then I got a 2005 one. It is such a treat to see one driving along years later, I think this is a 1998.5 based on the analog clock, 2000 was digital. You could get so much tune out of the 1.8T, I had mine chipped. Wife has a Q3 today, it’s a grocery getter for sure, but in plenty of ways, it reminds me of my old A4s 💚.
I've had my AEB 1.8t B5 for 6 years. Never once has it left me stranded. Through blizzards and snowy ice scapes. Handles great with H&R suspension mods. -K04 turbo/25psi Giac tune -ecs fuel rail -600cc Bosch Red Devils -front mount intercooler -full magnaflow exhaust -034 motorsport intake -034 motorsport test pipe. 300,000 miles of launches and rally style abuse and shes good for every second of it. No idea on the power level but its moves at a serious pace.
Glad to hear you're thoroughly enjoying your B5! Thats a solid list of mods too, I always wanted to upgrade mine to a K04 turbo but was never able to do it, definitely sounds like a fun setup!
Great review! you hit on all the technical points and discuss all the driving dynamics, the kind of info I really want instead of just fluff for teenagers, nice job!
I’ve owned my B5 A4 1.8T Quattro for about 4 months now and I love it! Your review was awesome and I appreciate your honesty about the performance and style. Can’t wait to begin my first modifications
I really like my 1996 (12-valve V6, automatic, quattro). I bought it 13 years ago for my younger son, who found it on AutoTrader -- 9 years old, single owner, full set of service records, 66K miles on the odometer. I could afford a new car, but do not feel at all motivated to replace the B5 A4. (My wife drives a B5 2001 Passat wagon, and we have never seen anything that can match its perfect size and configuration, so we are hanging onto that one, as well.)
It's a shame you got rid of your B5 A4 so quickly😢. I think what makes the B5 A4 so great is its tunability. It's the fox body Mustang of Audi. There are 6 engines you can put in this car without major modification. 1.8t, 2.7t, 2.8NA, 4.2 v8, vr6, 1.9 or 2.0 tdi. You can swap to a s2 6spd man. It's got return style fuel system which is great. It's got a tunable ECM. You can convert to S4 uprights and put huge Factory brakes on this car from Porsche or Audi. Lots of suspension options. The shifter issue is fixed with a jhm short throw shifter. The downside is it's not cheap to modify, and you don't want to buy cheap parts for this car, they will fail, lol. I wouldn't waste your money on a ko4 upgrade you will be left wanting more very fast. Just build a big turbo setup right off the bat. You might not win every evo or STI race. But this is one hell of a tunable sleeper. The 1.8t can put down between 400 to 500plus whp on pump 93. More with meth, more on race or e85. The potential is there you just need deeper Pockets then you would with an evo. It's definitely the tunability that makes this car so great, your pockets are the limit.
I actually had the car for 2 years before I sold it, it was a blast to drive, but mine had a lot of deferred maintenance from the PO and was costing a lot put into the condition I wanted it so I decided to buy something newer with a well documented service history as I needed a daily (I have another car as a project). There is a lot of stuff you can do to these, the sky is the limit as you said. Honestly given how cheap even S4s are these days (and how expensive evos are by comparison), it'd be cheaper than getting an Evo haha. They are pretty fun cars though no doubt, I'd still recommend one!
Thanks! My main camera is a Canon EOS T3, which I used for the majority of the shots on either a tripod, freehand, or with a basic stabilizer rig I made. The Rolling shots used the Canon on a tripod in the back of an SUV. All the in car footage was just shot on my iPhone 5S with a cheap suction mount from 5Below. I didn't use any external mics. I have another review coming out in the next week or two so subscribe if you want to see it!
The automatics are great cars too, though less suited to being modified. I find they have a slightly less sporting persona, but still very enjoyable cars to drive!
Nice review. It should've been noted (IMO) that the 2001 B5 A4 came stock with 190hp (with the AWM). saying that the B5 (as a whole) has 150bhp is kind of a misrepresentation. It went from 150hp, to 170hp, to 190hp. 40hp is kind of a big deal when reviewing a car. I'd bet that if you had a 2001.5 AWM w/the Sport Package, you'd call it a "Driver's car". Otherwise, I enjoyed the show.....and I totally agree about the shifter (plus it should've been a 6 speed IMO).
Thanks for the feedback! While I did specify that my particular example had 150hp, with a car that had as many variants of a single engine as the B5, I do agree that I should've mentioned the power increases through the years. The power (or lack thereof) wasn't really what made me not consider a driver's car, but the slight numbness of the steering and the shifter. Close but no cigar IMO(compared to other cars of its day), but either way it's certainly a fun car to drive, more so than many new cars available today. If you enjoyed this review, then check out the one I recently posted on the E60 BMW 5series!
I have the 2001.5 AWM with the Sport Package, so I'm sure the two cars are completely different animals, even though they look identical. I can't argue with you on the shifter though. Someone probably got fired for that. lol. a 6-Speed with a short shifter would've been nice.
These cars can certainly still be very reliable, but you must be very diligent with preventative maintenance. The best thing you can do is buy one that has been well looked after so you don't become overwhelmed by deferred maintenance.
Mine is a 1999.5, so it has the older AEB code engine which lacks variable valve timing and drive by wire throttle amongst other things. many 2000+ cars had the newer ATW engine producing 170hp, and I believe the later 2001 cars (01.5) were equipped with the K03s turbo, the "s" version of the K03 has a K04 sized inducer which helps create a little more power which is what you likely have.
Ayrton Mutagaana yeah mines have the K03s in it. You can tell the K03s cars if the T for turbo on the trunk has a little red slash on the right side of it
I have that same silver Quattro, but mine is a 2001.5 AWM w/the K03-S, drive by wire, "Valve Lift" (Audi's name for VVT) and the "Sport Package" and it came stock with 190hp. It's somewhere in the 250+ range now, but the stock 190hp came from the AWM, which (unfortunately) they only made for the last half of 2001 and it was the engine they used in the first (2002) B6 A4, so it was only produced for about 18 months, which is a shame, because I'm putting 22psi to all stock internals with 315K miles on the engine, stock turbo and all stock transmission gears and it still acts like it just came out of the box. The B5 is great because it's a modern day classic (it will never be "ugly" or "out of style").....and it's not a "Driver's car" as much as it is a "Tuner's car". That's where the "Driver's car" part comes into play. Trust me. ;)
Not necessarily. It does feel a little more modern than the B5, and has more interior space, but it's not as nimble in the corners. The B5 vs. B6 debate mostly comes down to preference in my opinion, both are great cars.
I drive a B5; my elder son has a B6, both quattro. We have temporarily traded because he is recovering from knee surgery to repair a torn left patellar tendon, so a clutch pedal is problematic. I do not see that big a difference between them.
Common man. It's a relic. Looks ancient compared to newer models. On top of that, it it the car with the lowest resale and least demand. Bet you paid 500 bucks for it.
