Audi A4 review

Fabulous cabin, this. Well-made, logically laid out, and brimming with some excellent tech. Take the 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit digi-dials – much imitated in the industry, but not yet beaten. Audi just gets user-interfaces. And now, this one is standard-fit. So is the big central widescreen.

We’re less taken with the switch to touchscreen infotainment, because it’s harder to use on the move than the clickwheel, which has been deleted. Pity – it was a cool, tactile, satisfying object to fondle, and a lot less fiddly when scrolling though Spotify playlists or selecting a navigation destination. Plus, as beautiful and glossy as the new screen is, having to prod it repeatedly every journey means fingerprints will coat the display by the end of the driveway. Tsk.

The A4 feels roomier inside than the class norm – it did make a big leap in length for this generation which Jaguar is powerless to match and the 3 Series has only just followed suit on. Rear legroom is generous, and it’s notably more hushed inside than rivals, which all adds to the mini-A8 limo-esque ambience. Avoid the light grey and beige upholsteries, which are oddly austere – weirdly the A4 is homelier in darker hues.