Compare the2024 Audi A4 AllroadVS 2024 Lincoln Corsair

The A4 Allroad’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Corsair doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the A4 Allroad and Corsair have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A4 Allroad has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Corsair’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The A4 Allroad has a standard Audi Backguard System, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Audi Backguard System moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Corsair doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A4 Allroad. But it costs extra on the Corsair.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the A4 Allroad’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Corsair doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the A4 Allroad and the Corsair have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi A4 Allroad is safer than the Lincoln Corsair:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The A4 Allroad’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Corsair’s (12 vs. 5 years).

The Audi A4 Allroad’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Corsair’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 4 places higher in reliability than Lincoln.

The A4 Allroad’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 11 more horsepower (261 vs. 250) than the Corsair’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the A4 Allroad gets better mileage than the Corsair running its gasoline engine:

The A4 Allroad has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corsair Grand Touring’s standard fuel tank (15.3 vs. 11.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The A4 Allroad has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Corsair. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

The A4 Allroad offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Corsair doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A4 Allroad’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Corsair doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the A4 Allroad’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Corsair:

The A4 Allroad’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Corsair are solid, not vented.

The A4 Allroad stops much shorter than the Corsair:

For better traction, the A4 Allroad has larger tires than the Corsair (245/45R18 vs. 225/60R18).

The A4 Allroad’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Corsair Premiere’s standard 60 series tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A4 Allroad’s wheelbase is 4.2 inches longer than on the Corsair (110.9 inches vs. 106.7 inches).

The A4 Allroad Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the Corsair Reserve AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The A4 Allroad Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the Corsair Premiere AWD (26.3 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

The A4 Allroad has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Corsair with its rear seat folded (58.5 vs. 57.6 cubic feet).

The A4 Allroad’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Corsair’s (3968 vs. 2000 pounds).

The engine in the A4 Allroad is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Corsair. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Lincoln. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 11% lower rating, Lincoln is ranked 12th.

The A4 Allroad’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Corsair’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A4 Allroad to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Corsair doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The A4 Allroad’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Corsair’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A4 Allroad Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Corsair doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the A4 Allroad to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Corsair doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the A4 Allroad with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Corsair’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The A4 Allroad has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Corsair.