2008 Audi A4 Styling

STYLING | 8 out of 10

The 2008 Audi A4 has been a longtime favorite of editors from TheCarConnection.com. In Avant wagon and sedan body styles (the Cabriolet is covered separately, as is the Audi S4), the Audi A4 is a great performer wrapped in a practical package.

Kelley Blue Book notes the new Audi corporate grille takes some time to get used to: "At first, we thought the Audi family's trapezoidal big-mouth grille looked less graceful on the A4 than when we first saw it on the larger A6 and A8. But, like its big brothers, the A4 seems to embrace its identity a little more warmly every time we see it." Automobile takes note of its “controversial, massive grille. It's hard to miss that chrome snout barreling toward you” and the “jigsaw-puzzle-piece taillamps.” Automedia observed in 2005, when the current A4 emerged, “A new contour line on the A4's sides sharpens the profile, while new taillamps are wider, extending over the trunklid. All in all, Audi did a masterful job.” Car and Driver simply calls it “elegant.”

To keep up interest in the current A4, for Audi, 2008 is the year that the company makes the more aggressive S-package styling standard on the A4. The look is bolder, with different front and rear fascias. The folks at Autoblog liked it better than last year, noting "a sportier front bumper and grille design, lower side door flares, and integrated rear trunk lid spoiler."

Most everything else is carried over, and that's not a bad thing, since the 2008 Audi A4 is a tastefully designed sedan or wagon with one of the auto industry's best interiors. Edmunds adds that "the cherry on top of any Audi vehicle is usually its cabin, and the 2008 Audi A4 maintains this standard." In this case, Automobile reports, the cabin is “so form-fitting it looks as if it were blown in.” Cars.com reports S-line accents include “brushed-aluminum pieces, special stitching and a three-spoke sport steering wheel." Kelley Blue Book comments that "the textured aluminum is one of the finest examples of interior metal trim we've ever seen, and every surface and seam is pleasing to both the eye and the touch."

Conclusion