Clean, Sleek fastback Looks the Audi A4 Avant

Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDi
Engine: 1,968cc
Power: 8.6secs
Top Speed: 138mph
Combined mpg: 48.7mpg
OTR Price: £30,380

The term “lifestyle estate” always seems a bit tame. Not reallu a load-lugger but a “compact executive” with more practical carrying capacity than the saloon on which it is often based.

It will have style; and not normally be called an estate, but “Sportwagon”, “Tourer”, or in Audi’s case “Avant”.

Its also usually got a fairly peppy engine. In a long line of A4 Avants, Audi’s latest, fourth generation version offers extra cabin space and carrying capacity thanks to the longest wheelbase in the lifestyle estate class.

One of the problems with the previous A4 Avant was that while it looked good it was lacking in practicality. But in its latest incarnation it boasts a larger 490 litre load bay with the rear seats in place, which can be increased to an impressive 1,430 with them folded.

It’s got clean, sleek fastback looks and, as well as having a stretched wheelbase, it is also wider and longer in the body, though the boot space is still smaller than the Mercedes-Benz C-Class’s 1,500 litres, and the seats unfortunately don’t fold down to a completely flat floor. In the cabin, the seats are firm and comfortable, and there’s more room without a traditional handbrake; instead theres the space saving electromechanical parking brake operated by a fingertip flick.

Audi’s MIMI (Multi Media interface) operating system uses a seven-inch colour monitor to control climate, all audio, and where specified, hands free phone and the optional DVD satnav to provide the latest techno luxury.

With 1.8, 2.0, 2.7, 3.0 and 3.2 litre units in varying power outputs, there’s a choice of nine petrol and TDI engines and five specificaion levels.

The two-litre TDI quattro with S-Line equipment has sports suspension 30mm lower than standard. It also has distinctive low-profile 18-inch allous, three embossed sports seats in a cloth / leather combination and S-Line sill plates.

The exterior S-Line treatment includes special side skirts, bumpers, badges and a roof spoiler, plus Xenon headlights with LED daytime-running lights.

There are three more powerful diesel engines than the one I drove, but with 170bhp, the two-litre TDI provides a good combination of performance and economy. The sports suspension gives it an edge when cornering quickly and its new shassis and long wheelbase quattro system gives it poise and keeps it planted on the road.

The 170 bhp version gives a 0-62mph sprint time of 8.6 seconds with a top speed of 138mph. Combined fuel economy is 48.7mpg, with 144g/km CO2 emissions.