I know that some cars have the belt flipped 1/2 turn as to mount properly to the floor and pillar but I have yet to see a car's belts (flipped or not) to seem 'twisted.' It is actually uncomfortable as the twist does not gradually begin above the shoulder. It twists near my chest due to the position of the pillar mount and that my shoulder is closer to the pillar mount than in most cars. I wonder if it can be 'unflipped' without any adverse efects.

My 91 Mazda B2200 had a 1/2 twist too, and I worked pretty hard to remove it. Now that I've succeeded, I find that the flat edge of the belt cuts into my neck, and I'm constantly readjusting the belt's position.

In the new A4, the half twist prevents this from happening, as the edge of the belt nearest my neck lifts away and therefore there is no "edge" near my neck. As you can tell, I'm leaving mine the way it is.

I hope my experience helps.

Mac
99.5 1.8TQTip

My used A4 came with the twist - I thought the previous owner had done it, so I "straightened" it, but then the retract was very slow. I would imagine it might somehow become less crashworthy.

Oddly enough, when I took it to the dealer for the "slow retract," they replaced the mechanism and gave it back to me with the twist.