The B7 A4, produced from 2005 until 2008, is still modern enough to remain relevant on the road but is certainly beginning to show it’s age. As prices drop and these executive sedans become available, picking one up and turning it into something contemporary, striking, and stylish is within reach for any budget. If you are looking for an excellent daily driver that can easily be upgraded to look and feel like a brand new Audi. These are our top suggestions for making your B7 A4 better, brighter, and beautiful.
Since the B7 A4 is now 12 years old or more, depending on your model year, it could use some subtle and not-so-subtle changes to bring it up to the styling that has become popular in the years since it was replaced by the B8 and B9. Dropping the ride height and fitting more aggressive wheels with a timeless design is certainly a good start, but it will take more than just wheels and coilovers (or bags) to make the B7 look like it isn’t hanging on to early 2000’s trends like an old pair of skinny jeans and checkered VANS shoes.
Suspension:
The first step to bringing your B7 A4 into the modern age is with a solid drop in ride height. While lowering springs effectively do the same thing, they won’t give you quite as aggressive of a drop, the adjustability you’ll want to achieve perfect fitment, and likely will require you to replace those old and worn-out shocks/struts, which means they won’t save you any money. If you want to make the biggest improvement for the most sensible investment, we suggest coilovers. You can read our coilover guide to pick your favorite brand that fits in your budget, but in this case, we have a few recommendations.
BC Racing: Adjustable height, independent spring preload adjustment, adjustable damping, and adjustable camber with pillow-ball top mounts means these are your all-in-one replacements for those aging suspension components that offer significant improvements over their factory counterparts. For around $1,000, you effectively have the best bang-for-your-buck in suspension upgrades. BCs are popular for their performance, capability, and aggressive drop in ride height. If you want to roll static with impeccable fitment without sacrificing ride quality, BC BR coilovers are your best bet.
Solo-Werks: If you just want a drop in ride height on a budget with a name brand you can trust for quality, Solo-Werks provides an attractive option. For roughly half the cost of BC BR coilovers, you can have a quality drop in ride height without sacrificing comfort. If you want to retain some OEM ride quality over the BCs, using Solo-Werks coilovers with OEM top mounts will keep you well under budget and sitting the way you want.
Wheels:
It’s often said that wheels make the car, and we tend to agree. A set of wheels can set the tone for your build and provide the necessary eye-candy that distinguishes your car from the standard commuters for which it would otherwise be mistaken. There are honestly thousands of wheel choices, styles, sizes, and prices you can deliberate between, but we think the best options should be chosen based on a set of criteria. They need to be affordable (if you are using them on your daily driver,) need to offer aggressive fitment but not require bodywork like pulling your fenders, and they need to be a timeless design that won’t go out of style and you can enjoy for several years. On the B7 A4, classic multi-spoke wheels have the perfect effect. Alzor Style 881 and Style 020 wheels are excellent budget options that have the multi-spoke look with some dish and are designed for perfect fitment on the B7 A4. If you want to increase your budget along with your street cred, Rotiform LSR multi-spoke wheels are another excellent option that are still relatively affordable but don’t carry the stigma of ‘replica’ wheels.
Lighting:
Another big change from a small improvement is to the B7’s lighting, both inside and out. The B7 had the first ‘eyebrow’ style LED headlights that became a key design element to Audi’s modern style, but those found on the B7 in America are beginning to look a bit dated. Simply upgrading to the European-spec headlights or Spec-D ‘R8-style’ headlights makes a big visual difference as well as improves your light output for better night-time visibility.
For the interior, the ZIZA Master LED Interior Kit we offer is a cost-effective way to update the interior feel with ease. Replacing all the interior amber lights with white LEDs brings the interior into a contemporary style that you notice immediately. Modern cars are equipped with LED interior lights, but the seats, dash, and steering wheels have remained in a fairly stagnant style. Upgrading to interior LEDs is effectively the least expensive and most noticeable upgrade you can make to modernize your B7 A4’s interior.
Exterior:
The body lines and exterior appearance of the B7 A4 is consistent with contemporary cars of the same design. It’s understated while still impressive. By adding a front lip spoiler like Maxton Design’s option and a carbon fiber ECS rear trunk spoiler, you’ll give your B7 A4 a more striking and motorsport-inspired look to tie the other modifications together for a well-executed theme.
Exhaust:
Finally, with upgraded exhaust, you can round off the contemporary revival of your B7 A4 with a more enjoyable exhaust note that also adds a minor bump in performance. The de-restricted turbo-back ECS exhaust offers dual-exit mufflers in the style of the modern B9 chassis and will entirely replace your factory exhaust that is likely rusty and gross.
Wrapping Up:
With these upgrades, your B7 A4 will have a more contemporary look and style befitting that of an enthusiast. Of course, there are plenty of different directions you could take a B7 A4 build, but this is a complete list of improvements that will give you the look and style that has become prominent and popular among Euro enthusiasts. Now go out and make your B7 A4 incredible!
