Audi A4

The Audi A4 is a 4-door Sedan / 5-door Avant / 2-door Cabrio (2002–2009) from Audi, built from 1994 to 2025, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. Imre Hasanić (1991) / Jürgen Albamonte (1992) drew it.

How it came about

The Audi A4 is a line of luxury compact executive cars produced from 1994 to 2025 by the German car manufacturer Audi, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. The A4 has been built in five generations and is based on the Volkswagen Group B platform. The first generation A4 succeeded the Audi 80. The automaker's internal numbering treats the A4 as a continuation of the Audi 80 lineage, with the initial A4 designated as the B5-series, followed by the B6, B7, B8, and the B9. The B8 and B9 versions of the A4 are built on the Volkswagen Group MLB platform shared with several models and brands across the Volkswagen Group. The Audi A4 automobile layout consists of a front-engine design, with transaxle-type transmissions mounted at the rear of the engine.

The cars are front-wheel drive, or on some models, "quattro" all-wheel drive. The A4 is available as a sedan and station wagon. Historically, the second (B6) and third generations (B7) of the A4 also included a convertible version. For the B8 and B9 versions, the convertible, along with a new coupé and 5-door liftback variant, was spun-off by Audi into a new nameplate called the Audi A5. It has been manufactured in Ingolstadt since its beginning, in Changchun China by FAW-VW since 2003 and in Aurangabad India by Audi India since 2007. The B9 generation A4 and A5 will be replaced by B10 version of A5, as part of Audi's new naming convention.

Under the skin

The record carries the shape — a 4-door Sedan / 5-door Avant / 2-door Cabrio (2002–2009). The engine, output and weight have not yet reached the open record, and MotorJury does not guess at them.

Family and rivals

Its family tree is legible: it took over from the Audi 80; its successor was the Audi A5 (B10); assembly was at Ingolstadt. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Subaru Outback, the Toyota RAV4, the Honda CR-V — show what else the money bought that year. Its Audi stablemates include the Audi 200 and the Audi 225.

What it costs now

The money question first: $13,300–$65,000 is the typical asking range today, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $3,000–$6,500 a year. Insurance sits around $1,490–$3,420 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.