Audi A4 Avant estate

Drive

The A4 Avant is easy to drive thanks to its well weighted controls and direct steering. There's also a good range of engines from the 2.0-litre diesel to a turbocharged V8 petrol unit. Unfortunately excitement isn't the Audi's strong point and while it corners very well, the steering doesn't offer any information to the driver. Two-wheel drive models are cheaper to run, but quattro models offer the best performance in slippery conditions. 

Comfort

The cabin of the Audi A4 is well known to be one of the best in this price bracket, and a mid-life update in 2011 made it even better. Some of the materials have been improved and controls simplified, making the A4 Avant's cabin a great place to spend time. There's plenty of sound-deadening in place to keep engine, wind and road noise out of the cabin too. The suspension is well set up, but avoid the sportier S line trim level as it's much more uncomfortable on bumpy roads. Self-levelling suspension is not available on the A4 Avant - if you plan on carrying heavy loads, the Mercedes C-Class is the only car in the class to offer it as an option.

Reliability

Audi A4 owners have always had complete confidence in the build quality and reliability of their cars, with older models scoring an impressive 91.04 per cent in the build quality section of the 2010 Auto Express Driver Power car reliability survey. The good news is that the A4 Avant also feels incredibly well screwed together, with solid feeling switchgear and not a flimsy piece of trim in sight.

Practicality

Boot space with the rear seats up stands at 490 litres, and that will be enough room for a family. If you need to transport larger loads, then the rear seats fold completely flat to boost space to 1430 litres. other helpful touches include roof rails and a boot lip that's level with the boot floor, making it easy to load and unload heavy items. Elsewhere in the cabin, the front and rear seats offer plenty of leg, shoulder and headroom. 

Value for money

With the updates in late 2011 came a longer standard equipment list and a rise in price, too. Climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels, fatigue detection and cruise control are now all included as standard on SE models. You'll have to shell out another £1,000 and upgrade to S line if you want luxury items like leather seats, sat-nav and parking sensors, though. 

Running costs

For the late 2011 facelift, Audi tweaked the most efficient 2.0 TDIe diesel engine so it now has emissions of 112g/km and economy of 65.7mpg, making it cleaner and more fuel efficient than the BMW 320d Touring. Audi has also fitted stop-start and energy recuperation across the whole A4 engine range, resulting in fuel economy improvements of as much as 21 per cent. That means the more powerful 160bhp 2.0 TDIe manages 64.2mpg and even the 201bhp 3.0-litre V6 TDI diesel claims 57.6mpg in front-wheel-drive variants. Quattro four-wheel drive puts a dent in these figures, so make sure you really need it before choosing a 4x4 Avant.