Used Audi A4 long-term test: report 4

The car 2020 Audi A4 35 TDI Black Edition Run by Mark Pearson, used cars editor

Why it’s here We want to find out whether a nearly new version of this premium executive saloon makes good sense

Needs to Prove that it can match rivals for dynamic ability, everyday usability, comfort and opulence, and also cope with the daily grind of family life and work

Mileage 5443 List price new (2020) £39,770 Price new with options £44,140 Value now £33,000 Test economy 47.3mpg Official economy 53.3mpg

17 August 2021 – Touch and go

Once upon a time, some Audis came with a small rotary dial that sat between the front seats, and by twisting and pressing it you could control the infotainment system. When you’d picked up how to use it, which took seconds, and you’d learnt your way around the screen and its various submenus, you could control all the functions without the need to take your eyes off the road for too long.

Somewhere along the line, someone decided that a touchscreen arrangement was a better bet. This means that in my Audi A4 I have the more onerous task of stretching over to hit the right icon with my finger.

The manoeuvre doesn’t always work the first time and is more difficult to achieve successfully if your car is in motion, and that means that, even if you’re the most bright-eyed and bushy-tailed of youngsters, more time is spent looking at the screen and less time on the road ahead.

Is that a good idea? Somehow I doubt it.

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