Short Take Road Test
Despite the popularity of station wagons in Europe, as well as their greater versatility compared with that of conventional four-door sedans, two-box cars like this Audi A4 2.0T Avant still don’t resonate with most U.S. consumers. Americans for the most part remain tied to visions of Clark Griswold trundling across the country in a puke-green, wood-paneled Ford LTD Country Squire and would rather drive something else. But this country has in fact been in love for the past 20 years with what are essentially wagons. Witness the rise of the SUV and the recent explosion of crossovers—all of which are basically five-door wagons with higher seating positions, greater (but often unused) towing and payload capacities, and cruddier fuel economy.
Move ’Em Out
This Audi, however, makes a great case for the traditional wagon. Although it’s no fire-breathing RS 6 Avant, our A4 Avant was far more maneuverable and exciting to pilot than those SUV and crossover mall cruisers. Based on the A4 sedan, our Avant was fitted with Audi’s excellent 211-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder—the only engine in the A4 lineup for 2010—plus a six-speed automatic and Quattro all-wheel drive. It also had the optional S-line package, which includes a sport suspension, 19-inch wheels with summer rubber, front sport seats, various interior trim upgrades, and S-line bumpers and rocker panels. Thus equipped, the A4 Avant recorded a 6.3-second run to 60 mph and a quarter-mile time of 14.8 at 91 mph, times that beat all the players in our last comparison test of six-cylinder luxury crossovers. Perhaps more important, the Audi’s 0.92 g of skidpad grip blows away that group’s average of 0.80 g, as does its fun-to-drive quotient on back roads. And it’s the same with 70-to-0 braking ability: 159 feet for the A4 wagon versus an average of 174 for the crossovers.
Credit the A4’s lower center of gravity and lighter weight for much of its dynamic ability. At 3840 pounds, it’s less bulky than most luxury all-wheel-drive crossovers with similar interior volumes, a characteristic that also lends the A4 Avant respectable fuel-economy ratings of 21 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway. Although our 18-mpg average is closer to an SUV’s, that was the result of extended bouts of spirited, high-speed driving; we’re averaging a more representative 26 mpg with our long-term A4 2.0T sedan, which is only 177 pounds lighter.
Load ’Em Up
Aside from its reduced heavy-hauling ability, the A4 Avant scores high against SUVs and crossovers in practicality, too. Although it probably will never tackle anything more than a dirt road—it’s not as if most crossovers were any different—the five-door A4 is all-season capable and rather spacious. The Audi’s lower ride height makes loading and unloading cargo a snap, and there’s a generous 28 cubic feet of space behind the back seat and 51 cubes with it folded flat. That capaciousness puts it about on par with an Audi Q5 or Mercedes-Benz GLK-class, but it’s slightly less than that of, say, a Lexus RX. Other, larger crossovers can sport a third row of somewhat inhabitable seats, but the A4 Avant’s two rows should suffice unless what you really need is a minivan or a Chevy Suburban.
Break the Bank
In terms of pricing, the A4 Avant is about $3000 more than a comparable A4 sedan. Well equipped to start at $36,175, our example had that S-line package ($2450) and the $9200 Prestige package—navigation, a Bang & Olufsen sound system, a power liftgate, xenon headlights, LED running lights, heated front seats, Bluetooth, iPod connectivity, and keyless access and ignition, among other bits—bringing the as-tested total to $48,300. That’s not cheap, but the content and the dollars are comparable with those of premium crossovers of similar size. And there’s that whole driving enjoyment thing, which we can’t really put a price on.
For an apples-to-apples comparison, the similarly sized Cadillac CTS sport wagon with all-wheel drive and the 3.0-liter V-6 starts at $40,990. However, the rear-wheel-drive model we previously tested with the 304-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 started at $44,055, was optioned to nearly $55,000, and significantly trailed the Audi in every performance category except 70-to-0 braking, in which it tied the A4’s figure at 159 feet. BMW’s fine 328i sport wagon is comparably priced and the Volvo V70 with a 3.2-liter inline-six starts at $34,400, but the latter is front-drive only and is about as exciting as potting soil.
Win-Win
Unfortunately, premium wagons’ relatively high sticker prices and resulting low volumes aren’t much help in convincing Americans of the body style’s inherent goodness. (Affordable mainstream models would help, but the Toyotas and Fords of the world stopped building them some time ago.) That’s too bad, because this Audi certainly does present a compelling argument in the form of its attractive five-door package—especially with the 19-inch S-line wheels—and great usability and refinement. Tack on the greater efficiency, performance, maneuverability, and driving fun against most traditional crossovers or SUVs, and we’re surprised more people aren’t swayed. Besides, unlike Clark’s old Country Squire, the A4 Avant actually could keep up with a hot blonde in an old Ferrari.
