Sambuca

Hello all.

I have a 98 Audi A4 (B5 platform), and considering the TSX as a replacement.

How much larger (in the rear) is the TSX? Is is much roomier that the A4?

...I'd like something with a little more room than the A4 without having to slide the driver's seat right up to the steerng wheel when people sit in the back..

Fibonacci

If rear seat space is your priority - I'll doubt you'll find the TSX a significant improvement over the A4.

I don'thave a spec sheet in front of me, but I believe the rear leg room of TSX is marginally better. I don't have any kids and probably have rear passenger's less than 5% of the time I'm driving, but I haven't had any complaints from rear passengers.

Jim Holloman

Sambuca,

I am not trying to be cute, or short, with you. But, the best advice is go to the nearest dealer, adjust the driver's seat to a good position, and then get in the rear behind the driver's seat. Or, take a 6 foot friend with you.

On of the things that impressed me when I looked at an A4 was the lack of space in the rear. I very seldom carry anyone in the rear, but I often carry a lot of stuff on trips. And, with the TSX, you need as much as possible in the floor -- or else packed tightly on the rear seat. For the first time in many years, I am having to make sure that everything in the car is secure. The A4 is too much of a true sports car when it comes to the space in the rear.

On the requirements of any car was that I would be able to put my standard ice chest on the floor behind the driver's seat. It would just fit on the Grand Am, but would not quite fit on the TSX. But, my wife said she could move her seat forward a notch and put it behind her seat. It probably would be a bad idea for me to have a powered passenger seat for that reason (one must remember not to try to move the seat backwards). In addition, I was able to transfer a trunk full of stuff from the Grand Am to the TSX (I got a lot of strange looks from the salesman at the dealership when I did that test; but not a one of them seemed to be interested in my finding).

newbie75

My recommendation will be go to Edmuds.com, do a compression of the cars, they list all specs.

Chao.

jcg878

I think the current A4 is about the best looking car on the road, but we didn't consider one since we have a B5.5 Passat and didn't want two similar vehicles. So... I didn't sit in an A4 until the auto show this year. I was really surprised by how small and clausterphobic it was compared to my TSX. Maybe it's just me, but the size of the TSX may be what you are looking for.

pantji

well you have the last gen A4, which is even smaller than the current one. the TSX is a little larger in the back than the current A4, and i guess it sould have at least an inch and a half more legroom than 98 A4. i agree with the earlier response; just go and try it out. the problem with spec sheet comparison is about subjectivity of seat design/contours, floor, etc. you can get the right idea/feel the final useable space only on a personal visit.

MrChad

We test drove alot of the TSX's competition. In the luxury marekt the Volvo, Bimmers, etc. the TSX always had the better rear leg room.

But you look at the Mazda6, Accords, Passats they have better leg room. (family sedans generally do.) Maybe you should look at loaded Passat, too.

We had a 99 Eclypse Spyder before the TSX so the TSX's rear leg room is huge to us.

majin ssj eric

I often carry people in the back of my TSX and I never have to adjust my seat.......

Mega

I haven't owned either car, but when I was doing my shopping I narrowed it down to the A4 or the TSX. The TSX won because you get more for your money.

I did like the feel of driving the A4 slightly more, but TSX won because I fell in love with the navigation system, interior design, and overall I like the TSX better (more practical, and less expensive, with a roomier interior).

My Silver / Ebony / Auto / Navi should be delivered towards the end of February... the wait is tough.

zero

i had a 96 audi before my tsx, and to be honest there wasnt too much of a difference in the backseat between the two...the was more room up front however i felt, but i liked the way the TSX felt similar to a cockpit keeping me snug


the audi was a fantastic smooth ride, but when it was out of warranty and things kept falling apart...ie all windows, and the AC, which in south florida is hell....a buddy of mine who repairs german cars told me that my audi was almost as expensive as most porsches to fix....

Dr. T

I agree that the A4 is one good lookin' car. I would have bought one if it were anywhere near as reliable as a TSX, but it ain't.

matelot

but when you compress cars they get smaller

c640180

My A4's warranty had just expired, and I was worried about the costs and annoyance of repairs from that point onward. I had to deal with 2 or 3 annoying repair issues on the A4 -- mass air sensor, secondary air pump, etc., -- and I knew that I was going to get cranky if I ended up paying for those sorts of things every few months.

The TSX was an easy choice for me. It's a little big roomier on the inside (which I love -- I'm 6'7" tall), a little quicker/faster (my A4 was Tiptronic -- too sluggish), and the Navigation system is awesome. I love the look, fit, and finish of Audi interiors, but the TSX is an all-around better car. I joked with my friends that what I really wanted was an A4 with a Honda engine... This comes pretty close... Now if it only had AWD....

masmole

Before the TSX I had both a B5 A4 1.8T ('99) and a B5 S4 ('01) and the TSX was noticeably roomier than the B5 Audi's according to many passengers I've had in both cars. They even pointed that out to me. I'm 5'9 but like to recline my seat in the pimpin' position so in the past, passengers directly behind me in my A4 and S4 had various complaints about lack of leg room. In the TSX, I was able to maintain a similar driving position without any lip from the passenger behind me. I now have a B6 S4 and even that has rear seat legroom issues. The TSX is a relatively accomodating car for its size... and if all you want is a little more room, you'll have it in the TSX. Just don't expect too much though and if your need for room is more considerable, you may need to look elsewhere.

ExHack

The A4 series was one of the earlier cars I tested before settling on the TSX. (if I'd have gotten an A4, I either would've gotten the S4 or a standard A4 w/one of the hotter engines). My ex-boss had an A6, which I saw a lot of the inside of, and it was a big, fast comfortable car w/a lot of low-end torque that made my old G2 Legend breathe hard to keep up with.

The S4 will be faster off the line than the TSX - the only major complaint I have about the TSX is the weak low-end torque, it's actually a little less quick than the Legend was. I bought the TSX because overall, it just ... felt ... right (I'm also biased, since I'd had two Acuras before it that made me very happy). When my first TSX got totalled 3 months after I drove it off the showroom floor, I second-guessed myself a little ... then bought a carbon copy of the first one.

The TSX handles like an F-16 interceptor, has extremely user-friendly controls, a beautifully-designed interior, and more value packed into it than just about any sedan in its class (oh, I almost forgot. I also tested a Benz C320. What an overpriced POS. For $10,000 more you get a less reliable, overcomplicated, boring car in a less appealing package. But you do get a few plastic three-pointed stars glued onto it. Nice.) You also get the Made-in-Japan extreme quality and attention to detail that is no longer delivered by Euro-socialist VW/Audi/Benz workers, and never delivered by overpaid UAW slobs. If you can live with a little less acceleration, and plan to keep it for a few years, buy the TSX.

ExHack

One last: every time I go back to San Diego I get to haul family members around in the backseat. I've never had to adjust the driver's seat for backseat passengers. Also, no loss of acceleration w/a full load of passengers. Not quite as much backseat room as the Legend, but a hell of a lot more than the Vigor (the proto-TL for the short of memory out there.) While the rear-center position can fit a 8-10 y/o child in a pinch, it's definitely a four-seater, though.

jcg878

I think you are dreaming. There is definitely a slowdown with a loaded car.

euroStyle

I had a 2001.5 Audi a4 1.8t fwd. with apr chip and h&r with neuspeed bilstein, with other goodies.
but after driving the tsx for about 5 months, i can tell the difference.
i miss the A4, the power and nice smooth handeling of course with the mods
stock tsx vs. stock a4, tsx is a better choice.
you'll lose some of the luxury, but the tsx is a fun car too drive as well. you lose the "german" feel of the car, the very tight chassis. the road noise over 70 is horriable.
but handeling of the tsx is very nice and well balanced. the tranny is very smooth, nice engine but could have used more power. braking is a lot better then the a4, it feel better. maybe is cause the a4 had too much torque (with the chip).
There is alot more room in the car, especially in the rear. the car is also longer, and the turning radius isnt as good as the audi.
I would have kept my audi, but its been giving me problems; steering rack, control arms, the cam seal gets bad after 30k miles. and had the 60k (the timing belt, water pump, tensioner belt and other stuff) to get done.
so i got and tsx instead.
i think it was a good choice for me.
I would have went for a 25th Anniversary edition GTI but heard those have major problems to deal with.

ExHack

Maybe ... I wasn't exactly pushing the car very hard, my 9-y/o niece and her mother were in the backseat and I had to behave myself ;-) For the driving we were doing, it didn't seem to be dragging ass.