I totally get you re the car! I had a VW Passat for years which I loved, 2007 model. When it died I told DH I wanted the same (he buys written off cars from the salvage auctions and fixes them). We looked for ages but no luck, then he found an Audi A4, 2015 model. We couldn't try it out because they stopped viewings with Covid and haven't started again - but DH said - 'they're made by the same firm, it'll be the same car'.
Famous last words!! How wrong was he? I mean - it's a great car in lots of ways and drives well, so I suppose it does the job, but it was clearly designed by a man! I spent the first 6 months moaning about just about everything.....:
1/ This is actually important - I am short and to reach the pedals I have to move the seat so far forward that I can't get in and out easily, I hit my knees on the steering wheel, and the visibility is bad as my eyes are so close to the wide uprights to the right of the windscreen and the driver door.
2/ The heating, fan, radio etc knobs are really complicated and you have to take your eyes away from the road to spend hours adjusting stuff in the middle of the dash. In the Passat I had one dial for heat, one for fan and and an easy radio set up.
3/ Side pockets in the door - these are too small to hold a drink bottle without it falling out if you open the door. And shallow and rubbish anyway. There is a drink holder behind the gearstick but if you put a bottle there you'd knock it every time you changed gear.
4/ The boot. The Passat had two storage compartments either side with hard plastic slot in sides, great for plants, bottles etc. The Audi has one with a pathetic string vest type side which can't keep anything safe.
5/ Glasses holder. The Passat had one above the rearview mirror where I kept my driving glasses. It was fine. The Audi has one there but it takes about 5 mins to get your glasses in at the right angle to shut it. I never use it. My valuable glasses have to live dangerously chucked in the drink holder space behind the gearstick.
6/ General storage. The Passat had a number of little drawers/pop open storage areas on the dashboard between the steering wheel and the passenger side - for keeping garage door openers, change, phone cables etc. The Audi has filled that space with a far too complicated MMS that I never use, and the only storage is a small ashtray, and a really weird series of slots by the gear stick where apparently you can store coins in a vertical position (but not pound coins as they are too wide).
7/ It's an estate. The boot has a pull out thing you can use to cover your shopping. It has three positions - up in the air (so you can't see behind you), dangling slightly, or pulled across to the door. It's generally in the dangling position, which is just too low to put a shopping bag there unless you use a spare hand to lift it up while you place the bag. Why is it not on a couple of strings attached to the tailgate like cars always used to - and posh ones still do?
8/ The sun visors. I know I'm too short for these to be of any use really - but they only have an indent on the inner side of each one to pull them down - so if you are in the drivers seat you need to use your left hand. Now I know they are German cars - but so was the Passat and that had an indent either side so both driver and passenger could use either hand. I get it wrong every time, it's so annoying!
And breathe.....
. I know these are all minor issues (and I do like the heated seats) but @user1497, I really understand where you're coming from. If you spend a lot of money on something, you want what you want!