Consider an Audi A4 before they went with the TL. That's where I am at right now. Before you jump all over me I know that they are different cars.

I started with 5 cars on my list and these are the last two that are left. The G35 Sedan, BMW 325, Lexus IS300 are all gone.

I love each of the cars for different reasons here are a few.

Audi A4 1.8T Ultra Sport Package- This package adds body kit, 18's with top notch performance tires and several other great options. Excellent Fit and Finsh, World class interior and Quattro, a little under powered but that can be easily fixed with a Stage 1 APR chip. Full Maint package for 80 000km. Car is $6000.00 more than a dynamic TL but I can lease it for slightly less based on better discount and unreal current lease program. Drawback is that the car is do for a slight redesign in 2005 and more than likely an all new version in 2006 (I think)

Acura Dynamic TL- Excellent all round car, front wheel drive a draw back, first year problems, nothing major but there are some to be fixed. Excellent power, blows the A4 away. Great interior and good build quality, not at Audi levels again this is just my opinion. I would be adding the Acura 18's to add the car. New car with a long time with no real major changes on the map.

I am at a total impass, these cars couldn't be more different and I have to make a decision in a week or less....

Anyone want to jump in here and toss me their $0.02

I welcome any comments

Thanks...

 

I have an S4. But hey, an A4 is also nice, i love my S4 so much. If you cant afford the S4 i would still suggest the A4 over the TL. Its a sweeeet lookin car. my 2c

 

It isn't about not having the money the S4 is a great great car but I can't drive it for work ( corp policy), and they pay for 90% of my car.

And all my gas..... :clown:

 

i would pick the TL just because it is a overall better car, there arent that many first year bugs, and most of them are minor, if you look at consumer report, TL won entry level/mid-size sedan catagory, acura/honda is known for its reliabilities, and maybe your company will be nice enough to throw in a navi with the TL
good luck with your choice
Cliff

 

Thanks for the comments. I know its a great car and has done very well in all tests, both independant and those "advertising whores" that call themselves objective.

Up here in Canada things are a little different, no navi package with the dynamic and you can only get anthricite in the dynamic!

 

I was considering the A4 1.8T w/ultra sports package, too. I liked the car and the AWD but it lacked oomph. Even a chip doesn't do enough. I drove an A4 with an APR chip, exhaust and intake, and it still felt slow compared to the TL. Audi really needs to add some power to the A4s if they want to compete with the TL, G35s, Maxima, and even the IS300.

 

antricite is a nice color, but black is still the best lol, its all up to personal preference i guess, i picked the TL over all the cars on your list plus a few, mainly it was because of all the standard feature and the big navi screen(plus touch screen)

 

I also looked at the A4 before I took the TL plunge. In my case, I thought it was necessary to consider the 3.0 over the 1.8T to be a comparable vehicle in terms of performance. The 1.8T seemed more underpowered. Being in the snowy northland, I would have had to go with the Quattro. Also, I wanted a Nav system (love the one from our Odyssey) and I had used a friend's nav in the A6 and really think nav needs the moving map to be really useful.

And for me (no flames - I understand this is a personal preference - YMMV) I think the A4 body style is getting really stale. I have seen tons of this style around for several years, and I think it needs an update.

Pricewise, a 3.0Quattro with Nav and sports package passed up the price for a TL. With the other tech toys in the TL, I went that route (my real final choice was between the G35 and the TL - the A4 fell off my list early).

BTW: Went out to a play this weekend and picked up my friend with the A6 and his wife. He made his millions in a .com startup a few years ago. He was blown away with tech envy.

 

A4 fell off my list real quick too.

Cons: (compared to TL)

1. Too small
2. Sounds system inferior
3. Nav system inferior
4. Too litte power
5. Ergonomics inferior to TL
6. No HFL (I use my cell a lot)
7. Way too expensive to get near feature level of TL
8. UNRELIABLE engine (too many problems)

Couldn't past the cons so it dropped off quick.

 

i looked at the A4 as well before i purchased the TL. when you compared the car's the TL won in all areas. the only advantage that the A4 has over the TL is the quattro. as far as design is concerned its a personal opinion and i think they both look great. the Nav on the A4 stinks there is no lcd screen that shows you the map of the area. the nav is in the dash and just gives directions. electronic goodies the TL wins. The TL is a larger car, don't know if that matters to you.

 

i wanted an A4 for a couple years. then when i decided to buy a car i test drove it first... then test drove the TL. then my search ended.

the A4 interior feels more quality. but the TL interior is laid out better and you get more options (in general) than the A4 for a cheaper price.

you also get the reliability of a honda

the A4 cant compete IMO. unless you have the bankroll to not care.

 

I looked seriously at an A4 3.0 with premium package, with and without Quattro. A non-Quattro A4 is well suited for an apples to apples, FWD sport sedan comparison with a TL. Audi interiors are truely sweet.

I think a previous post sums the Audi-TL comparison for me:

 

I have been looking at cars in the TL's price range with 4 doors and a manual tranny. My 2003 CL type-s 6MT w/navi was totaled by no fault of my own . Due to injury I am still in settlement process with the other person's insurance. This sux but has given me the opportunity to test drive/investigate various vehicles.

First of all I have to say that I was sold on the TL. IMO the list of features and performance combination is really unbeatable for the money. If you want a navi -- this is the best around (IMO). I absolutely loved the navi in my CL! I hate having to live without it. Many of the issues I have read through in this forum for the 2004 TL's were present in my 2003 CL. Seat memory problem... rattles... more rattles... sunroof rattles... odd tranny issues. Makes me wonder if Acura will ever fix the little things on such a beautiful product.

Second the Audi A4's are sharp on the outside and definitly feel well made. The ride with the sport package is wonderfull on the 1.8... but after driving the 3.0 quattro and the 1.8T quattro, I decided that these were definitly not the cars for me. Resoning:
1. Uncomfortable - This is a huge factor for me due to my longer commutes. I could not get comfortable in either the 3 or the 1.8T!
2. The fearures just cannot compare to a TL w/Navi - this gets worse when moving from the 3 to the 1.8T! Apparently there are "luxury" features present or available on the 3 that are not on the 1.8T. Apparently this is to "differentiate the two models"
3. It took the oddest contortions to reach window controls/climate controls/radio/parking brake... did i mention this car was uncomfortable?

The Infinity G35 was removed from the list based on interior feel. I just don't like it... and the Maxima was removed because i don't like the exterior - but it has lots of nice features.

I stumbled on a thread where a user had purchased a volvo S60R because his TL w/Navi was taking so long to come in... well I really like this car. I have to recommend that if you are considering something other than the TL that you look at the S60R. In the next month I will have a very tough time deciding on either the TL or the S60R! The S60R can be had starting at roughly 37k but can push up to 45k with all the bells and whistles (including a navi unit)

Where the TL Shines (IMO):
1. Navi, navi, navi... very advanced, powerfull and capable
2. blue tooth phone integration
3. super sweet NA engine - Honda can do amazing things with a 6
4. LED taillights - side markers are nice as LED but the reaction time difference for LED tailights over std bulbs makes me feel a bit safer in this survival of the fitest DC traffic.
5. arm rest location and steering wheel controls - everything here just fits me perfectly. center consol is well thought out and implemented. Seems a tried and true evolution of the last several years of CL/TL center consols.
6. full featured dual zoned climate control unit - the ability to select different air flow patterns per side is a very welcome feature
7. Tilt down rear view mirrors. A major rim saver!
8. Very slick 6MT. Smooth. just smooth.

Where the S60 Shines (IMO):
1. Interior comfort.. OMG if sitting in this drivers seat is pure heaven! This is in fact the most comfortable car I have ever been in.
2. Build quality. This car feels as well built as the Audi (There are exceptions-see negatives below). The only word I have for this car is "solid"... i just feels bulletproof.
3. AWD. I cannot do a direct comparison with the Audi Quattro system but the Volvo AWD is a very advanced system
4. Torque - this car is noticably more powerfull than the TL and easily outclasses the A4 in any setup (the S4 is a beast however!)
5. 0 Torque Steer. This car feels planted to the road.
6. 3yr/36k servicing included. Audi has the market cornered in this group but this isn't too bad.
7. Very easily can be a 345HP car with proper chip upgrade/flash.
8. This chasis is rigid.
9. The upgraded sound system. The TL can make beautiful music with a DVD but the S60R can make a CD sound amazing.
10. Rear vents. There are actually chest level vents for the rear seat passengers.
11. Your wife (if you have one) may think this is an avarage volvo family car.

TL negatives (IMO):
1. Build fit and finish. Compared to all the other cars I have driven/reviewed this car feels as if they scimped the most. When I close the door on a much more inexpensive Honda Accord I can't help but wonder where this build quality went with Acura. This seems to be an ongoing issue with them and I have to wonder if and when they will resolve this general problem.
2. The dash - can go either way. It is definitly cool, but I feel this car deserving of a more elegant dial display found on the A4 and the S60R.
3. Without Navi - seems to loose it's appeal
4. This engine is a marvel... 11:1 compression ration on a NA engine! But where can you go from there? If your interested in tuning this engine sometime in the future it appears there is arguments as to how much more torque/hp can be tweaked... and if so can the tranny handle this additional power without being beefed up?

S60R Negatives (IMO):
1. Poor navi. It couldn't find my my house, my parents house or my work address??!
2. Cheap cup holder/center consol bin. Why does my right arm naturally lay right accross the cheap cup holder lid and not the leather covered arm rest? Why in what could be a $45k car do i feel like i could pop off the leather covered bin top?
3. Softball sized gear shifter... um... i have smaller hands and this definitly needs to go.
4. Your friends may respond, "You bought a what?! Why? Hand over the crack pipe!"
5. No tilt down rear view mirrors. However I have seen replacement side mirrors that include curviture on the ouside and bottom of the mirror negating the need for this feature... but extra $$ for this? hmmmm...
6. Tighter feeling rear seats. Not sure if the rear space is actually smaller than the TL or if it just feels smaller due to the height and plushness of the rear seats.

Bottom line... the TL is amazing and it really takes something to give up that navi... I feel if your gonna pass up the TL - don't do it for the Audi A4... but check out the S60R.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

 

It's an expensive Jetta, go with the TL.

 

Yeah in the same way the TL is an expensive accord

Since money is not a deal that issue is out (TL obviously a better value). my big issue is the lack of power. Without a chip the A4 is very underpowered. I don't consider the 3.0 to have enough power either. Handles great but that power issue would swing me to the TL. Plus the gadgets in the TL are just great. Both good cars but I vote TL

 

An A4 has no commonality with a Jetta. It shares platform and drivetrain with the Passat.

 

Being a former Audi A4 1.8T owner, I would suggest against it. It gave me a really hard time, although to be honest it did help my social life...I had the chance to get know all the dealers in the area and be friends with theis enginnering team...also I had a great time riding on towing vehicles :-)

 

Anthracite is the only color choice for any TL. All other colors are also-rans.

 

i asked a couple of a4 owners their impressions of the a4, and they all said they had problems with their engines. that's all i needed to know.