Audi A4 Avant review
by David Finlay (2 June 2008)
Half a year or so after the arrival of the new-generation Audi A4, along comes the Avant estate version. Audi has used the familiar "evolution, not revolution" line to describe the Avant's styling, but although there is a clear family resemblance to previous models I still think that this car - like the saloon - is the most handsome A4 yet devised.
Audi has achieved this without resorting to styling trickery which might spoil the car. One thing I liked immediately about the new Avant was the fact that the rear side windows, unlike those in many other recently-introduced estates, are a sensible shape. Admittedly the C pillars are a bit thick, so the view out the back isn't as clear as it might be, but at least there's none of this swooping window line stuff which means you find yourself staring at vast expanses of interior trim when you turn round to see whether you can reverse.
120mm longer (though also 10% lighter) than its predecessor, the new Avant has 490 litres' worth of luggage room when the rear seats are in place, and that's a handsome figure. Fold down the seats and the available space increases to 1430 litres, which is pretty good but not the best in the class - the Mercedes-Benz C-Class estate, for example, manages 1500 litres.
The Avant's case is not helped by the fact that the seats don't fold completely flat, but it does have useful features like a luggage net and tie-down straps (both standard) and a bar-and-belt securing system and powered tailgate (both optional). It also helps that the tailgate is as low and wide as the interior, with no bumps or corners to negotiate, so loading is very easy.
One of the cars I drove on the launch event had the powered tailgate, and it didn't seem to work when I tried to use it while no one else was watching. Of course it worked perfectly half an hour later under the intent gaze of various Audi personnel. Perhaps the system just doesn't like me. That sort of thing happens quite a lot.
It may be that that particular car resented the comments I'd muttered to myself about rear passenger room and was taking revenge on me. But I'm not going to be bullied by inanimate objects: I still say that there is surprisingly little space in the back of the Avant (and indeed the saloon) despite Audi's claims to the contrary. There are several much smaller cars which would do a better job of transporting four six-foot occupants.
As with the saloon, there's quite a range of engines to choose from, namely 1.8 and 2.0 turbo petrol, 3.2 V6 petrol and 2.0, 2.7 and 3.0 TDI turbo diesels. The 2.0 TDI is available in two forms - the less powerful 118bhp version is fitted to the cheapest cars (starting at £23,300) and is an economy/tax special, with official figures of 53.3mpg combined fuel consumption and 140g/km of CO2.
I would comment further, except that this isn't one of the three engines that Audi has so far been able to make available for press evaluation. The ones I've tried are the 141bhp version of the 2.0 TDI, the 158bhp 1.8 TFSI petrol and the 237bhp 3.0 V6 TDI.
The last of these is clearly the engine that God intended for the car. It's louder than the other two, but the sound is fantastic, and there is so much power from such low revs that it's wonderfully easy to drive. It also promises to be the ideal choice for anyone who needs to do a lot of towing.
The 3.0 TDI is the heaviest in the range, but that's not much of a problem now that Audi has stopped mounting its engines ahead of the A4's front axle line. This has been a recipe for disaster in previous generations, but there are no complaints about the handling now, except that the compromises involved in preparing the suspension for possible heavy loads means that the Avant is inevitably not as delightful to drive as the saloon.
As well as being probably the best-engined A4 Avant, the 3.0 TDI is the most expensive - £31,140 for the SE, £33,640 for the S line, with opportunities of spending vastly more on optional extras.
The 1.8 petrol and the 2.0 TDI are each more than £7000 cheaper, assuming the same trim level, and the 2.0 TDI is certainly a lot cheaper to run (the 1.8 TFSI is less economical than the three-litre diesel and has higher CO2 emissions).
Normally I'd go for the 2.0 TDI every time, partly because it feels about as quick as the 1.8 TFSI in normal motoring despite having a lower maximum power figure. Combined fuel economy is nearly 10mpg better, but with the huge price discrepancy between petrol and diesel these days it might still take you a long time to overcome the £1350 difference in list price.
Most of the engines are mated to six-speed manual gearboxes as standard, though the Multitronic CVT is an option on three modles (the more powerful 2.0 TDI and the 1.8 and 3.2 petrol cars) and it's also the only transmission available on the 2.7 TDI.
There's also a choice of front-wheel and quattro four-wheel drive systems, though the situation here is more clear cut - you get front-wheel drive on everything up to 2.7 litres and quattro on the 3.0 TDI and 3.2 V6 petrol. The only model which gives you a choice between the two is the 2.0 TFSI petrol.
As far as equipment goes, there's a standard trim level, but it comes only with the 118bhp 2.0 TDI engine. That car, and indeed all the others, are also being sold in SE and S line forms. The S line specification costs £1500 more than SE does, and what you get for that money consists largely of interior and exterior styling extras, plus larger wheels with lower-profile tyres (not a great idea) and sports suspension which lowers the car either by 20mm or optionally - and at no extra cost - by 30mm.
Add new comment