Audi Joins The Wagon Train

The Age

Wednesday September 17, 2008

Andrew Heasley

A wagon version of the A4 is the latest from Germany's other prestige car company, writes Andrew Heasley.

MOST car reviews start with what's up the front and under the bonnet. Not so here, as all attention initially focuses on this car's rump. And what a shapely rump it is. For the first time we're up close with the Audi A4 Avant, the wagon version of Audi's compact prestige entrant that's just gone on sale locally with a $2900 premium over the sedan.

The Europeans certainly know how to do wagons. Among the German, Italian and French car companies, almost without exception (to these eyes, at least) the wagons are the sexiest looking of the bunch, outdoing their sedan counterparts with an air of sophistication not found in Kingswood wagon styling of yesteryear. Up to 40% of Audi A4 sales in Europe are wagons.

The elongated roof line and sharply tailored rear give the Avant a smooth, integrated look. It certainly doesn't look like a tack-on caboose to the sedan.

Lift the tailgate, however, and you might be initially disappointed at the cargo space on offer. Seats up, it's 490 litres, just 10 litres more than the boot on the sedan.

While a highish load height for the floor actually assists in managing heavy loads into the boot, you might find the overall height between floor and roof a little shorter than expected at 773millimetres at its lowest point.

Fold the rear seats down and thewagon shows its strengths, expanding the cargo area to 1430litres, 468 more than the sedan with its seats folded down. Under the floor cover you'll find a skinny spare, speed-limited to 80km/h.

The tailgate has optional electrical assistance, so it'll swing open and close at the touch of a button, and you can set the opening height to stop at a comfortable position.

An integrated cargo cover can be partially flipped up to aid cargo access without having to retract it fully.

What's novel about the A4 Avant against its natural German rivals is that it is front-

wheel-drive rather than rear-wheel-drive, although a sporty quattro

all-wheel-drive is coming mid next year to round out the range.

We drive the two engine variants initially on offer on a test drive through northern country Victoria.

The initial model range consists of two engine choices - a 1.8-litre petrol turbo or a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.

Both engines are allied to a CVT (constantly variable transmission) that offers an infinitely variable number of "ratios" to keep the engines in their powerbands when accelerating.

But an extra function, a "sports shift", allows the driver to sequentially pick through eight preset "ratios", like a sports auto.

Sadly, there were no steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters to operate, which is a shame (they're a $600 option). Paddles would be ideally suited to this sort of car.

Better news is the way either engine responds with the transmission.

Leave it in "D" for drive and the car just gets on with the mundane aspects of driving. When faced with hills and tight corners on windy roads, it's best to select gears yourself, as it gives the car a better sense of control and balance.

The cars tested had optional continuous damping control (CDC) suspension and Audi Drive Select, a ($3200) suite of electronics that governs steering, gear changes, throttle and suspension from comfort, auto and dynamic settings at the push of a button.

The only thing ruining an otherwise hushed and comfortable cabin environment was some road roar when on coarse chip bitumen.

The petrol (95 RON) and diesel engines display distinct characteristics. The petrol engine likes to rev, putting out 118kW at 4500-6200 rpm and 250Nm of torque at a useful 1500rpm.

Explore the fruity power available and you won't be rewarded with a low fuel figure. Drive modestly and you will. We recorded 9.7L and 10.0L/100km on our drive through mountain roads in mainly 2nd-4th gears (officially 7.4L/100km). The diesel is arguably a better bet, even though diesel fuel is more costly.

The diesel provides punch with 105kW at a high 4200rpm and 320Nm from 1750-2000rpm. You'llsee pleasing fuel figures in the mid-8L/100km likely (6.0L/100km, officially).

Drivers will also be reasonably smug in the knowledge that these latest generation engines are among the cleanest going. Officially the petrol emits 175g/CO2 per kilometre, the diesel (which also sports a particulate filter to capture soot) 159g/CO2.

The petrol Avant starts at $56,400 but our test car price blew out to $69,800 with expensive options such as electric seats ($2600), full MMI system including sat-nav ($4900) and blind-spot and lane departure warning systems (at $2400) among the big-ticket items.

Similarly, the diesel A4 Avant starts at $57,800, but ours cost $68,950 with optional Drive Select adaptive dampers ($3200, with dynamic steering the package costs $5500), 17-inch alloys ($1900) and blind-spot/lane departure warning systems ($2400 together) that pushed the price up significantly.

AT A GLANCE

AUDI A4 AVANT

1.8T FSI2.0 TDI

118kW/250Nm105kW/320Nm

CVT transmissionCVT transmission

Front-wheel-driveFront-wheel-drive

RRP $56,400RRP $57,800

© 2008 The Age

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