Breakdown

Styling

Grown up and subtle is the A4's thing, and it pulls it off. That said, compared to a C-Class and the all-new 3 Series it looks a little too reserved. Mid-life refresh or not, it still looks remarkably similar to the old car, so buying used may be more appealing.

Handling

Quattro-less A4s are keen to turn in and a touch nose heavy, which won't please the purists but will be fine for 99% of buyers. If all-weather grip is your thing get a Quattro car. Turn in is a little numb, but it offers all the grip you could need. The S4, however, is very good fun indeed.

Comfort

The A4 is a comfy car, the seats aren't going to make you want to stay in the car after a six-hour trip, but you won't get 'numb bum' while you're there. S-Line sprung cars may lure you in with nice bits of trim, but they ride quite hard. If you've got a dicky back do take an extended test drive.

Quality + Reliability

Everything inside the A4 feels as though it's made to last, much like its predecessors. All the switches, toggles and levers are well damped and feel as though they've come from some kind of starship - a bonus for heavy handed Trekkies if nothing else. There haven't been any problems with the pre-facelift A4 of note, so this one should be fine.

Performance

There's an engine for every budget in the new A4 range. The 2.0TDIe engines are brilliantly frugal, though the lower powered 138bhp version is rather sluggish to get up to speed (but offers stellar MPG and CO2). If you want thrills we'd suggest a gander at the 333bhp S4 or the 245bhp 3.0TDI with 245bhp which offers low CO2, great economy and indecent speed.

Roominess

It's a mid-size executive saloon, but thanks to the EU and its many regulations the doors are thicker than the BBC's complaints book on a certain Mr Clarkson, so it can feel cramped if you're of a.. fuller figure. The boot offers a suitably huge 480-490/982-1430-litres of boot space (saloon/Avant respectively), enough for most people's needs.

Running Costs

You'll be paying through the nose for a coveted four-ringed badge on your bonnet, so the initial outlay won't be cheap (prices start at £23,625 and reach £41,115), servicing won't be Kia-cheap, either. However, the eco-diesels will be very cheap to fuel and tax. That said, the whole range is fairly fuel efficient.

Value for money

The options will be expensive but at least the fill ups won't be. You're paying for an Audi badge here, not a 'normal' car. If you want an Audi the price really won't matter, will it?

Stereo / Sat nav

The standard Audi stereo is pretty good, but audiophiles would be fools not to spec the, frankly incredible, Band and Olufsen noise makers. They're really rather special. Audi's sat nav is rather good as well, but not speccing the geek-special web-enabled unit with Google Map integration is a bit of a bad move - it's incredibly awesome.