Audi A4 1.8T Short Test Drive Review

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After a nice experience with the Audi A4 2.0 TFSI, I had a short encounter with the new Audi A4 1.8T which was launched just recently by Euromobil Sdn Bhd, slotted between the Audi A4 2.0 and the Audi A4 2.0 TFSI. Check out my report after the jump.

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On the exterior, the car looks virtually the same except for the different alloy wheels used, it even retains the twin round exhaust pipe tips that the 2.0 TFSI has. Once I got into the car, it was pretty obvious that this was a lower spec model, the silver trim that they used was not the high grade aluminium that was in the Audi A4 2.0 TFSI. There was also less of the dark silver to go around, for example the area surrounding the gear shift in the 2.0TFSI was aluminium, but in the 1.8T it’s just grey. The seats were comfortable, but the electric adjustments were missing.

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The steering wheel was a 4-spoke unit as opposed to the 3-spoke sportier one in the 2.0 TFSI, but the 4-spoke retains the useful steering wheel controls to scroll through the menu and control the audio system volume. Speaking of the audio system, the 1.8T does not have a Bose sound system so it doesn’t sound as awesome, but the sound was not too bad and it is also a 6-CD front loading changer, like the Bose system.

The Multitronic CVT gearbox mated to the 1.8 litre turbocharged engine was much more responsive than the one in the 2.0 TFSI, though I’m not sure why. If you recall my report, I talked about how I missed a few chances to cross a junction because of the lag. It could be that there was something wrong with the 2.0 TFSI’s unit. The engine note was nicer (deeper, bassier) than the TFSI’s, and in terms of power it had quite a shove to it, though far from the 2.0 TFSI’s. The Audi A4 1.8T makes 163hp at 5,700rpm with a redline of 6,500rpm, and makes 225Nm of torque steady betwen 1,950rpm to 4,700rpm.

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At RM235,000, the Audi A4 1.8T Multitronic is not a bad buy really if you can’t afford the Audi A4 2.0TFSI Multitronic which now goes for a heart-breaking RM275,000. You are going to miss the Bose sound system though, and the noticably more high class ambience of it’s higher spec brother.

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • i'm run (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 11:15 am

    Nice car.. nice interior.. but hate the streering…

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  • armandd (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 11:57 am

    this model uses the 1.8T engine from the previous model right?

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  • armandd (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 12:06 pm

    i mean previous generation..

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  • auctioncenter2u (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 3:51 pm

    Audi A4 price tag is nearly the same as Honda Odessay but in terms of quality it has big different. Which one will you choose between Honda and Audi?

    I will pick the Audi A4.

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  • Cire (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 3:58 pm

    Yup. But with Audi, there is almost minimum restriction to HP add-on resources that could let you add the extra horses that you may crave later on.

    With CVT, the power band is broad and continues almost to the peak.

    As opposed to conventionals which will experience a slight decrease in power in between gear changes.

    Its an awesome 1.8T !

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  • msmar_453 (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 4:45 pm

    hate it..

    I don't have money for it.

    Only marhain…

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  • honda_driver (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 5:08 pm

    honda oydessey is a 7 seater MPV, and the A4 is a saloon car.. how to compare lah. just because they're in the same price range doesn't mean a thing. its like comparing a 500,000 tuareq SUV with a 2 seater porshe boxter.. which will you get?

    the A4 as usual, is pitted against its nemesis, the 3 series bmw, a battle it has never won so far. although audi has come a long way today, with a lot of newly gained respect, i think the E90 3 series will remain on top of it, for now anyways. But interestingly, the price of the A4 1.8t competes directly with the 120i, rather than the same class 320i, which is closer in price to the A4 2.0t.

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  • oamaru (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 5:22 pm

    Reminds me of Ronin & A4 bigger brother, A8. It was the preferred getaway car. Awesome car but can't say the same about the resale value though.

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  • soporific (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 6:11 pm

    the BMW 320i priced at RM232,800, lower than the a4 1.8t. it's ckd and there are no cbu models available anymore.

    but who's the guy driving the car lah? looks like a dickhead.

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  • Hikaru (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 7:15 pm

    Is it true that the 1.8T uses the same engine as the previous generation's? I noticed there is a lack of FSI in this 1.8T that is new on the current models.

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  • Kaboda (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 7:56 pm

    Still cant see why you would pick one of these over the Merc or a Beemer with this type of price tag. I didnt think the old 1.8T was a great engine so I think this is just another overpriced Euro poser car.

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  • Chubb (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 8:34 pm

    Beautiful and awesome car to drive! Better than the local CKD Merc or bimmers anytime of the day if you are a person who loves driving. Drive and built quality is out of this world!!!!

    Just tested the 3s and C s last week too. If you want to impress others i'll say get the Bimmer or merc for the status and traditional image.If you want your soul to be satisfield and fulfilled … get an Audi A4 2.0T QUATTROooOOOooOOOooOOOooo VroOMMmmMMmm….

    All depends on how deep is your wallet.

    If you want to buy a german car… where do u want it to be made from?? GErmany or Malaysia….. your call

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  • e-nabilll (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 9:42 pm

    ya i agree…hard to justify y wd u go for this instead of the usual suspects of 3 series and c-class…thy offer alot beter value..u get buy it for the sake of being diff…bt if u see the latest 2006 JD relaibility survey…audi generally doesnt perform wel…

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  • Jeffrey1977 (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 9:51 pm

    Why the lights behind is not LED? I think in europe is LED.

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  • tishaban (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 10:49 pm

    At least in the US and Europe the Audi's selling point has always been their 4WD Quattro and their very nice interior design. I agree that buying a low end Audi here with no 4WD and a not so pretty interior is not good value for money compared to the German and maybe even the Swedish cars. Maybe Euromobil should rethink their pricing strategy…

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  • tishaban (Member) on Sep 28, 2006 at 10:55 pm

    Forgot to add, I don't agree with Kaboda that the Audi 1.8T is not a great engine, it won Ward's engine of the year several times and I would rate it at least on the same level as the MB supercharged 1.8 and better than the BMW I4 2.0.

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  • ingolstadt (Member) on Sep 29, 2006 at 12:47 am

    Just to let you guys know, this 1.8T can be easily modded to 200 over horses. less than RM5k would reach that. BMW Mercedes?

    Over here at Malaysia, i'd rather get an Audi, Alfa or Saab rather than BMW or Merc…. cos too many posers owning those cars. Aunties, Lampa Burgers.. (Lamp Berger haha) ….

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  • szw (Member) on Sep 29, 2006 at 1:25 am

    nice…

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  • KaZ (Member) on Sep 29, 2006 at 2:15 am

    I test drove the A4 2.0T a couple of months back and i fell in love with it. Not wanting to be biased, I needed a second opinion. So a couple of days ago i tested the BMW 325i, which in terms of power and value is about the same.

    Being a beemer fan, i hoped the 325 would blow me away but to my dismay the 325 dissapoint me. No doubt the handling is great but there's too much lag and the ratio on the first two gears are really bad. I hope it was a flaw in the test car but another collegue of mine who tested the 525 (which uses the same engine) agreed with me. I guess thats why the likes of Hamann and AC Schnitzer are having a fun ride tuning the untapped beemer engines.

    The only flaw i the A4 is the front wheel drive and the understeering that comes with it but i guess the quattro would rectify the issue. Then again that would add to the weight of the car.

    One final comparison that i looking forward is to pit the A4 against the VW Passat 2.0T.

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  • raybrig85 (Member) on Sep 29, 2006 at 4:18 am

    no beemer or merc…audi for me…if gt alfa 159…surely go for d 159…i want 159….gosh…bler alfa nak bwk masok ni…

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  • maibatsu_thunder (Member) on Sep 29, 2006 at 9:18 am

    The Ronin getaway car was an S8 right?

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  • Siva (Member) on Sep 29, 2006 at 9:23 am

    In the first picture of the interior, there appears to be a man showing off his belly button in the left wing mirror.

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  • soporific (Member) on Sep 29, 2006 at 7:55 pm

    omg! that's disgusting! paul, u using test cars to pick up strange gay men?

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  • soporific (Member) on Sep 29, 2006 at 7:55 pm

    and yes, it was an s8. luh-ver-ley!

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  • Jeffrey1977 (Member) on Sep 30, 2006 at 2:53 am

    My German colleagea told me assembly line for Audi is more advance. BM got some problem with their elecronic.

    So I will go for Audi as well……

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  • Romaunt (Member) on Sep 30, 2006 at 8:43 am

    Audi with a turbo motor will always be better than NA in power & torque production. No comparison here..

    for me 525 E39..

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  • SoMeOnE (Member) on Oct 02, 2006 at 9:20 am

    gosh…i will surely take this car over a a competin merc anytime!1..gosh..common guys..i know a lot of merc fand here(i think)..but the c class looks aged compared wit to the offerings from audi or bmw…im a bmw fan…but if they ask me to choose an audi a4 or a c class..its surely the former..i dunno if u guys realize this..but low end merc…(tat means amost the whole c class) are BORING….they lack grunt,style or any essence at all these days..yes..there is the world class comfort and all..but common….nowdays the rich average age is gettin less…well…u guys now the rest of tat…the only merc's tat are ever good is the s class ….THE CLS A IS A GREAT CAR….BUT I FEEL ITS OVERHYPED….tested it…it was good…but not in da way our local jounaslits out it….mayb its the best car tested in malaysia i think..i still go for the M6 over it any day!

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  • syamdive (Member) on Oct 05, 2006 at 12:03 am

    hi paul,

    if you check the audio system manual, on the first page you'll see that the Harmony audio system the car uses is made by Bose. The 2.0TFSI & others have little Bose logo on the speakers to justify why the car costs more than the 1.8T.

    The previous generation A4 i.e. the B6 interior is better with wood paneling on the trim & around the gear shift.

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  • Paul Tan on Oct 05, 2006 at 2:03 am

    syamdive: it must be that this is a lower end bose.

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  • jazz1011 (Member) on Mar 07, 2007 at 8:07 pm

    Audi has indeed come a long way in producing one of the best cars in the world.

    It is almost – if not already up to par – or perhaps even better than its rivals; Mercedes and BMW.

    It's got that precise German engineering workmanship to make it look and feel solid. And solid it is.

    Perhaps what is clouding peoples' minds is the resale value and the parts & maintenance issue. But if I have RM200K+ on my hands, the choices are aplenty.

    Cheers!

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