A good choice...

I checked out all the various competitors from Lexus, BMW, Infiniti, Mercedes, etc. The Audi won out for a variety of reasons. It was the best combination of price, space, comfort, luxury, performance, design, character, and outstanding experience at the dealer.

This is the first car I've ever owned where I'm totally comfortable in terms of driver position, legroom, and ergonomics. With relatively long legs and short arms, it's hard for me to find a car with enough legroom while keeping the steering wheel close enough. That was my main problem with some of the competition. I also wanted a car that was a little more unique than the BMW 3-series, which is pretty much 1 in every 10 cars where I live.

I have the Quattro Premium version with Sports package, in quartz gray and black interior.
It is beautiful inside and out, better deal than the BMW and Mercedes, and faster than the Lexus (IS250). It has a good balance of performance and fuel economy, offering better acceleration than you would expect for a 4-cylinder and good low end torque. It sits low and handles well with the Quattro and sports package and has been perfectly reliable so far - 5000 miles. The dealership has given awesome service so far. Fit and finish are excellant and the car seems oretty well thought-out (with a few exceptions below). Manual mode with the option of paddle shifters or shifting on the console are fun when traffic isn't bad.

My car (Premium) lacks some key features that should be on a car that costs this much, such as memory seats. Most of the competition offers intelligent key, which only comes with a much more expensive version of the A4. One of the cup-holders is too small and windshield wipers don't go fast enough on high speed. I gave up a full size spare when I switched to this car (which has space-saver). Floor mats are cheap - I upgraded to rubber ones from Weathertech. Rear leg room could be better (when I push back the front seat as far as I need). Transmission isn't quite as smooth as it could be, but not something I notice much.