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Old 03-23-2015, 10:04 PM   #1
robg
Carmudgeon
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,224
Rented an Audi A4 from Silvercar

Read about Silvercar on either Jalopnik or Truth About Cars (can't remember which). They're a rental car startup that only rent silver Audi A4s. Anyway, I was out in LA for a wedding and had booked a car with Enterprise. Arrived to get a very crappy VW Passat (how does VW get away with selling these things?!). Remembered reading about Silvercar, downloaded the app and gave it a shot. In typical startup fashion, you have to do everything through an app. A little annoying, but tolerable.

Surprisingly (or not), it was a little cheaper than Enterprise (or the other majors) wanted for their usual selection of craptacular midsize sedans at the airport. Signed up, made a reservation and picked up the car. I really hated the Passat (really awful car - please don't buy one. A Toyota Corolla would've been a dream car in comparison), so I returend it after 1 day and picked up a car from the Audi from Silvercar. Was kind of strange to arrive and see a fleet of identical silver Audi A4s. I meant to ask them how they picked the a4. I'd imagine that Mercedes or BMW would give better fleet discounts given their desire to be #1 in sales. But I've always been a bit enamored by this generation A4, so I was intrigued. I'd probably be driving one now instead of my 528 if the leases hadn't been so expensive.

Looking at the car from the outside, I'd never guess it was a rental car. In addition to just being an Audi, it had the s-line package?, 18" wheels and what appeared to be a hgih gloss black grille. Not a barebones base model A4 from what I could tell. Inside, it had the nav system and the 3G data connection to make Google maps, traffic, etc work. Sitting in the car definitely gave me that "nice car" vibe that Germans do so well (and the current 3 series lacks a bit). Figured it would be a FWD model (being LA), but it was actually quattro.

First impressions sitting in the car:
-Seats felt stiffer, and less comfortable than the seats in the 5. Probably similar to the base seats in the 3 though. Of course the Audi comes with leather instead of leatherette and lumbar support.
-Doors felt more solid and closed with a better thunk than either the 3 or 5
-Loved the adjustable center armrest.
-The gauge cluster was much more attracive and easier to read
-The steering wheel controls were a bit odd in a few ways but I appreciated the scroll wheel for volume
-Knobs and buttons felt great. Better than the 3 or 5 series. Love that knurled metal finish
-The MMI wasn't as easy/fast/intuive as idrive IMO. Yeah, I got used to it, but in many ways it just felt differnt to be different instead of better.
-MMI screen was noticebly smaller; missed having the split screen funtionality
-The aluminum trim looked similar to the aluminum hex on my 5; but better done with a nicer texture.
-Exteior and interior door handles felt much more solid
-Base 4 spoke steering wheel looked a little ugly but felt higher quality than my Msport wheel
-The key fob feels heavier and much higher quality

After 4 days with the car:
-Never got tired of looking at the car. The 5 is a nice looking sedan as well, but I think I prefer the A4's size and "well tailored" looks. Silver shows off the lines nicely as well. Just looked very high quality. Better paint and panel gaps as well.
-The one "chink in the armor" was the silver plastic trim around the guages and nav screen. Just looked and felt cheap. I think the S4 gets real aluminum instead IIRC.
-Weird that there's not a dedicated button the wheel to hang up the phone as in most cars.
-Loved seeing the spare tire in the trunk after owning 2 BMWs with runflats!
-Biggest surprise was the power delivery. Despite having the same ZF 8 speed, lighter weight, and similar power, it felt like I had to really floor it to pass on the highway. I'm guessing this is mostly down to transmission calibration. On a positive note, the transmssion didn't have the annoying habit of downshifting to 1st coming to a stop -- just coasted smoothly in 2nd as it should. I vaguely recall that this generation of 2.0T may be using a single scroll turbo vs the twin scoll in the BMW motor so that might account for some of it too. With a manual, I"m sure this is all a moot point.
-I preferred Audi's traditional automatc shifter to BMW's beer tap
-But not sure why they get the manual shifting completely backwards. You tip it away from you (instead of toward you) to shift to manual mode and then push it forward to upshift and back to downshift.
-The engine felt rougher at idle and while revving. They both are 4 cyls with balance shafts so not sure why.
-Liked how the Nav always shows you the next 3 turns. There is no setting with BMW's nav to do that unless you switch to the "route list" screen. Voice recognition was very similar and worked about the same. The google maps overlays look cool, but otherwise didn't do much for me.
-Bummed that a USB connector still isn't standard. Silvercar provided a cigarette lighter usb charger, but for music the only choice was BT audio. Very strange that VW/Audi persists with their proprietary connector.
-Was surprised that a trip computer function is not standard with the nav. Looked this up and apaprently you have to spec the "premium plus" to get it. Seems a bit odd in 2015.
-Handling was fine. I'm sure the optional sport package is much better. Better on-center feel on the highway than my car. Maybe a little less steering "feel" (less load up in corners, etc)
-Never really warmed up to the MMI interface. I think BMW really has gottne this piece right after so many years.
-Car got noticed and complimented by my friends (and valets) out there. Helped sell a bunch more silvercar customers i think.
-My wife preferred the interior overall to the 5. To me there are roughly equal pros/cons to each. When compared to a 3, I think it blows it out of the water interior wise.
-Noticeably more wind noise on the highway, but I've been spoiled by the 5 in this area. I'm guessing the A4 is just as quiet (and possibly quieter) than either the e90 or the F30. My old e92 was pretty loud.
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Overall very impressive especially when you consider this car was beaten on by other rental car customers and this is the final year of the current A4. The next gen will quite interesting to see.

I preferred the A4 to my car in "around town" situations due to the smaller size, better ride over potholes (non runflats), better on-center steering, and less aggressive transmission calibration. On the highway, I missed the F10 a bit. In corners, it's a bit of an unfair comparison since my car has a sport suspension and this car did not. For my current situation, the F10 works a bit better. If a manual was on the table, and I were choosing between this and the 3 series, it would be tough. I'd probably get the Audi.
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