When Audi launched the A4 Avant in South Africa a little while back they mentioned that it was the most popular A4 in terms of sales figures in Europe and that they expected the "petrol price means SUV buyers will downsize" theory to boost sales here.
When a colleague got back from the launch and explained the rationale to me I thought that maybe it was time Audi breathalysed their marketing staff. I just couldn't picture an SUV driver downsizing to a sedan with a bigger boot (Avant, to those of you not familiar with it, is Audi-speak for station wagon, like BMW has Touring and Mercedes has Estate).
But then an interesting thing happened. We got the two-litre turbodiesel Avant on test and yours truly did his usual urban cruise, dropping, fetching, and commuting. And, in the process, met the type of buyer Audi was talking about. The couple in question have no kids, but are devoted to their hound and simply hate leaving him in peace while they traverse the country in their sedan.
"http://www.youtube.com/v/aa5Coo8uHRo&hl=en&fs=1"
They decided that, mainly for practicality an SUV was the next step and had sampled a few entry-level ones. When they saw the Avant, and how comfy poochie got in the luggage area (sorry Audi, I understand that a good vacuum sorts out dog hair), it kinda presented them with another option - especially as the off-roading capability of the SUV is not really a concern but fuel consumption is.
So there may be a little method in Ingolstadt's marketing madness; time will tell.
The Avant range is sold here in three derivatives with a choice of manual or multitronic transmissions. On offer are the 118kW/250Nm petrol 1.8T FSI, a 105kW/320Nm turbodiesel 2.0 TDI, and a 155kW/350Nm 2.0T FSI. And no, the more exciting 3.2-litre V6 or three-litre TDI mills are not on the cards.
But practicality is what it's all about and the Avant doesn't disappoint. The bigger bum means 1430 litres of maximum space (490 litres with the back seats up) to load just about everything you need for that holiday. And in case you're wondering, that loading space is slightly bigger than BMW's 3 Series Touring and a tad smaller than Merc's C-Class Estate.
The floor of the Avant's boot can be flipped over, a boon for carting dogs or taking some garbage to the dump. And for those more serious about schlepping cargo, there's an optional load area package complete with sliding rail and an adjustable arm for securing oddly shaped items.
Standard are four tie-downs and a retractable cover to ensure that those less honest are not tempted to smash-'n-grab your groceries. The 12V power socket in the boot means you can go camping with a reliable power source and, if you really want to turn the Joneses green with envy, order the power tail door - our unit had one, and what a pleasure to press a button and watch that big tail close on its own.
DNA-wise, the Avant is based on the technology of the A4 sedan, with the new front axle shifted farther forward for better load balance and overall handling. Its front front overhang is shorter than the previous model but bonnet and wheelbase are longer. The car you see here is 12cm longer but 10 percent lighter.
HECTIC TURBO LAG
Under the bonnet of our test unit was a common-rail, direct-injection turbodiesel mated to a six forward box. It's not a bad engine as far as the power goes and the 320Nm makes it more than perky in-gear, and make climbing long hills easy.
Getting going from standstill is a different story, thanks to a hole the size of that one in Kimberley, or in other words, hectic turbo lag. It probably feels much better at sea level but at power-draining Gauteng altitude it really is severe and if it catches you unawares can render you helpless in the middle of an intersection or while trying to overtake. In fact, all three of us who drove it managed to stall it at least once.
But it's a manual, meaning you can at least ride the clutch a bit to force boost and get going. Takes a bit of getting used to, and is probably not ideal for the consumption figures, but once in the habit the driving experience becomes far more pleasurable.
R155 700 WORTH OF OPTIONAL EXTRAS
Strangely, the same engine is offered in the sedan with two outputs, 125kW/350Nm and the 105kW/320Nm on test here. I'm thinking that the higher output should have been considered for the Avant too, especially as it may end up carrying a lot more cargo and could suffer less from lag.
General comfort and spec levels were good, though it must be said that we had R155 700 worth of optional extras to play with. The ones I'd consider would be satnav (R19 900), xenon headlights (R7200), parking radar (visibility with a load can be compromised, though at R12 800 I may think twice), and metallic paint (R1900).
The S-line body kit (R22 000) adds visual presence but caused the Avant to scrape parkade ramps. Oh, and the driver footwell had little space for the left foot.
The handling was very clean and the optional Audi drive select with adaptive damping controls (which allows you to choose from three suspension settings) made the Avant a little more fun.
VERDICT
Audi's not-unnatractive load hauler will handle the family, luggage, and even the pooch if it has to, with ease. It has decent fuel economy at 8.6 litres/100km but this might not be enough to offset the turbodiesel's lag problem. If you live at altitude the petrol version might be more worthwhile.