The New A4 Avant
Just released in South Africa is Audi’s eighth-generation A4 Avant wagon which has the longest wheelbase in its segment giving it interior space and superb road manners. This is probably why Audi held the launch in the mountains of Mpumalanga with fun to drive twisty roads. The A4 Avant is an outstanding combination of performance and practicality.
The A4 Avant wagon has an interesting mixture of looks, practicality, sportiness, utility and luxury.
It has the same drivetrain that places the differential in front of the clutch as the A4 sedan. The engine, being the heaviest component, is inside a box drawn around the wheels; this pushes the front axle 154mm further forward. This layout increases the handling of the car immensely.
Add to this the latest generation of Audi’s adaptive suspension and Bosch electronic stability system and you can just imagine how awesome its handling is. Much better that its predecessor.
At 4.7m the 2008 A4 Avant is 12cm longer that the previous model and 5cm wider at 1.83m.
The front styling is the same as the sedan - the single-frame grille and distinctive headlights. The difference is in the roof where the sedan’s roofline plunges abruptly into a short, understated rear deck the long, slow taper of the Avant roof merges almost imperceptibly into short D pillars to create a look of a stretched coupe.
A sill line sweeps up towards the rear and projects the outline of an airplane wing on to the side of the car.
The “tornado line” (as Audi calls it) is a continuous, slightly curved crease running each side from head to tail light creating a contrasts with the almost perfectly straight lower window line to add some tension to the Avant’s profile.
The tail door opens to 1.89m and is available with auto opening and closing. Inside there is a cargo bay of 1m wide by 1m long and it can hold 490 liters.
To make folding of the 66:33 split rear seat easy there is a clip on each side and the rear head restraints does not need to be retracted. When folded the back space increase to 1.77m long and can hold 1430 liters.
There are also four tie-down rings on the floor and a chromed hook high up on each D pillar to secure the shopping. A cargo net is standard, but the optional cargo securing system has two T-tracks in the floor with a telescopic bar on pillars to hold your parcels in place. There is also a lockable strap for awkward items.
A flat, carpeted floor can be lifted out and flipped to serve as a plastic tray, ideal for muddy hiking boots, wet beach towels or plants. You can easily lift out the tray and carry everything to where you want it.
The interior offers soft, comfortable leather seats that are deeply dished to provide spacious lateral support.
The instrument panel is superb and a huge plus point is that the rev-counter needle points straight up when you are in the middle of the power curve, half-way between peak torque and maximum power. This enables you to monitor the power delivery without taking your eyes of the road.
The only down side is that the centre stack and console are crowded with lots of small buttons that makes adjusting the air-conditioning or sound a bit tricky.
When choosing your A4 Avant you can pick form:
Two engines – 1.8 turbo petrol or two-liter turbo diesel
The 1.8 turbo displays little turbo lag at low revs but is more responsive when the air-pump has spooled up. The 1470kg Avant can go form 0-100 in 8.9sec.
Two transmissions – six-speed manual or “seven-speed” multitronic belt-drive
The multitronic is smooth and perfect for driving around town, but lacks in power for overtaking at highway speeds. When you push the lever to the left engaging the paddle shifters you can use it as a semi-auto.
The six speed manual gearbox can go from 0-100 in 9.7sec.
Two trim levels – mid level Ambition and upscale Ambiente
The variable-ratio electric power steering is very accurate. If you hit a bump in mid turn the yellow ESP icon flickers on your instrument panel and Bosch takes care of it while you and the Avant continuous in bliss.
The (optional) drive select allows you to move from Auto to Dynamic. The engine note becomes harder-edged, the throttle response and steering quicker and the suspension much firmer. This makes it a little bit harder to drive but a lot more rewarding.
The prices for the different types of the A4 Avant are:
1.8T FSI Ambition – R303 400
1.8T FSI Ambition a/t – R318 400
2.0 TDI Ambition – R327 900
2.0 TDI Ambition a/t – R342 900
This article hasn't been commented yet.
Write a comment