Audi A4 Avant Black Edition 45 TFSI 245PS quattro S tronic

“Head or heart? No coin-tossing
for buyers considering one of Audi’s
latest A4 estates — a svelte- looking
and highly satisfying piece of kit
offering all the ‘cool’ you could
wish for...”

THERE'S A HINT of James Bond about the latest A4 Avant: it's suave, beautifully toned and not a hair out of place; doubly so in the sharp-looking Black Edition trim which, with the eye-catching, knife-sharp creasing crowning the Avant's front and rear wings, exudes an enormously understated sense of purpose.

Powerplants available for the A4 Avant include mild petrol hybrids that deliver an emissions-reducing electric boost alongside power ratings ranging from an undeniably frisky 148bhp up to a strapping and very lively 241bhp (245PS).

If that doesn't light your fire there's always Audi's potent RS4 Avant whose 444bhp will catapult you off the line to spear past 62mph in an abs-clenching 4.1 seconds. For the record, and in spite of consumer choice switching heavily to unleaded, turbodiesels can still be had — in 134, 160, and 201bhp guise and delivering impressively low emissions (as little as 101g/km) with 50+mpg economy.

“The 241bhp hybridised
four-pot under the bonnet
is equally at home in
town, in the country and
blitzkrieging motorways
— pootling around the
houses or hoofing it
along country roads it’s
never short of punchy
clean-revving urge,
unerringly delivered with
smooth assurance by
a twin-clutch S tronic
autobox that shifts
imperceptibly up and
down its seven ratios.
Slot it into Sport mode
and it’s bodacious...”

Under its pristinely profiled bonnet 'our' Black Edition Avant sported a 241bhp four-cylinder 1,984cc engine. It's good for a gutsy 272lb ft of torque spread out generously through the rev range with maximum torque on call between 1,600 and 4,500rpm. This muscular Audi four-pot is equally at home in town, in the country and blitzkrieging motorways — pootling around the houses or hoofing it along country roads it's never short of punchy, clean-revving urge, unerringly delivered with smooth assurance by a twin-clutch S tronic autobox that shifts imperceptibly up and down its seven ratios. Slot it into Sport mode and it's bodacious.

For the record, don't expect to feel or hear anything from the hybrid tech. That said, you will be aware of its benefits — the throttle response is ever-keen. The only other give-away is, in fact, the stop-start system that, thanks to the 'mybrid' configuration, enables the A4's engine to shut down earlier than usual — as your speed drops to a walking pace rather than waiting for the full stop.

What keeps you singing the 241bhp/272lb ft combo's praises is that real grunt is always there for the taking; whether it's low-down or hitting the upper reaches of the torque- band, there always feels to be some more power to keep you engaged and entertained, especially if you choose to personally manage the gearshifts using the steering wheel paddles.

Judged by the 0-62mph yardstick, the A4 Avant '45' is satisfyingly quick and, let's be realistic, its 5.9-second dash is as fast as you'll ever need in today's traffic conditions; as too is its 155mph top speed. More relevant is the manner in which it gets from A to B — which is effortlessly, unflappably rapid and with a potent hum under serious acceleration, and all with more panache than 007 on his best behaviour.

It's no exaggeration to say that Audi cabins are flawless. And this one, with its latest-gen infotainment system and touchscreen, is a real gem. The classy cabin architecture is underscored by admirable build quality and awesome attention to detail. The ergonomics, too, are spot-on, and the tech excellent — the highlight being the superb 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit and its über-friendly user-interface. Equally commendable is the large landscape-format touchscreen commandingly mounted dead centre of the elegantly slim dash.

There are numerous nice features, from the continuous full-width strip of air vents neatly integrated into the fascia and the well-considered blend of Piano black high gloss and satin chrome finishing on the centre console, steering wheel, and touchscreen to the eminently usable buttons and classically-knurled knobs for the three-zone heating and ventilation — so no distracting finger-stabbing a touchscreen while trying to fight your way through busy traffic!

“The A4 cabin comes
with plenty of room.
The sporty, leather-
trimmed front seats
have effective — but not
overdone — bolstering,
making climbing in and
out a breeze.
Both, too, are seriously
supportive so however
long your trip you’ll
always get out feeling
refreshed and ready
to rock and roll...”

Space-wise the A4 interior comes with plenty of room. The fine Nappa leather covered seats look sporty with effective — but not overdone — bolstering, making climbing in and out a breeze. There's a full fist of headroom and loads of shoulder and elbow room both inboard and outboard. Better still there's masses of range adjustment including extending front seat cushion sections for customised under-knee support; both front chairs get powered 4-way lumber adjustment, three-stage heating and height-adjustable belts. Both, too, are seriously supportive so however long your trip you'll always get out feeling refreshed and ready to rock and roll.

Thankfully the A4 bucks the recent trend for minimal in-cabin storage and you'll find plenty of places to stash your personal stuff, including a generous compartment containing two USB ports beneath the centre armrest (itself adjustable for both height and length) plus a decent-sized glovebox and the expected dual-usage cupholders which also benefit from illuminated rims. Should you spec WiFi charging the necessary 'bed' for your smartphone goes under the armrest. And where many brands give you keyless entry but restrict it to the front doors, the A4 has keyless entry and locking on all its four side doors.

Comms is an important area and here too the A4 Avant comes up trumps. At 10.1-inches the glossy infotainment and navigation touchscreen is great to look at and its pin-sharp resolution and foolproof graphics a very big plus. All the must-haves are present and correct from Audi's Connect Infotainment Services linking you to the Internet and giving you access to entertainment, information and search functions operated via the MMI control panel, the multifunctional steering wheel or the voice control system. This lets you call up information such as flight times, fuel prices, weather, and other online services as well as points of interest and high-resolution aerial and satellite pictures from Google Earth. Naturally Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a DAB radio, and Bluetooth are also onboard, as too is a totally trustworthy MMI Navigation Plus SatNav with MMI Touch.

Talking of which, you can display the active mapping on the driver's digital 12.3-inch instrument panel; better still you can shrink the dials (select your preferred layout using the View button on the steering-wheel) so even more detail is clear — not only is this more practical and less distracting when driving and navigating, but frees up the main touchscreen for dedicated multimedia and infotainment use.

And it goes without saying that, whatever ever else you decide to show, critical driver information (such as roadspeed and graphic navigational prompts) is always displayed where it can't be missed on the instrument screen so absolutely no excuses for breaking the speed limits or missing your turn-off. Adding to the appeal is a fab flat-bottomed compact sports steering-wheel with a delightfully grippy perforated leather-wrapped rim.

“With limpet-like grip
from the quattro four-
wheel drive system,
the A4 is as safe a set of
wheels as you can get.
Reassuringly obedient in
all conditions, that’s not
to say it won’t do your
bidding whenever you
have a ‘need for speed’.
This is a car that delivers
satisfying pace pretty
much everywhere you
demand it and the way
it allows you to flit
from A to B like a bat out
of hell is decidedly
addictive...”

The A4 Avant comes in five trim levels starting with the entry-level Technik and topping out with the sassy penultimate version tested here, the Black Edition, and the range-topper Vorsprung.

In addition to the leather, hi-tech infotainment system and widescreen digital driver's panel, other highlights include Keyless Go, three-zone climate control, a reversing camera supported by parking sensors (nose and tail), LED interior lighting, privacy glass with acoustic double glazing, electric parking brake with a handy and smooth-acting autohold function, polished ally pedal set, powerfolding heated and auto-dimming door mirrors (on demand and automatically on locking and leaving), four one-shot up/down power windows, a frameless auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a set of eye-catching 5-arm rotor design 19-inch alloy wheels finished in matt titanium.

Also standard are cool-looking LED lights and rear lamps with scrolling indicators, high beam assist for automatic main/dip beam switching, drive-off auto door locking, Hill Hold Assist, and Cruise control with speed limiter, plus vehicle- and pedestrian-aware Pre-sense City (up to 53mph it warns of potential collisions as well as instigating full braking necessary to avoid one).

The optional Driver Assistance Pack (£1,250) adds more advanced safety assists including Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop&Go and Traffic-jam assist; Pre-sense Front (extends the collision warning and automatic braking function of Pre-sense City to cover the entire speed range up to 155mph); Traffic sign recognition (detects fixed and temporary speed limits, overtaking restrictions and no-entry warnings); Collision avoidance assistant; Turn assist (when turning at junctions, this detects approaching vehicles and applies braking to help avoid a collision; and Active Lane Assist.

Being an estate there are no headroom comprises for those travelling in the roomy back cabin. Measured against the class norm the A4 feels roomier than its peers and there's no stinting on legroom; there's also decent knee- and foot-room along with ample space between heads and the panoramic sunroof (a desirable option well worth the extra £1,600 it costs — the longer front section slides open and it's all one-shot-op including the powered sunblind, so occupants can soak up all the rays and vitamin D they fancy).

The shapely rear chairs and hushed ambiance make it a great place to spend time; making it even better is the dedicated climate control that lets backseat passengers set their preferred temperature independent of the front two zones, a wide centre armrest with individual pop-up-and-out cupholders and integrated lidded storage tray, net storage pouches, bottle-holding door bins, comfortable headrests and big-hearted views out.

“Active lifestyle needs
are well addressed by
the Avant’s 1,510-litre
loadbay; even a brace
of Briards will feel
perfectly at home —
dog-owners in particular
will appreciate the hard-
wearing and waterproof
side of the reversible
boot mat.
For everything everyday,
and with the rear seats
in use, the 505-litre
boot — with a powered
tailgate opened and
closed by pressing the
button on the key,
driver’s door or the
tailgate handle — will
prove to be
more than adequate...”

Select its Comfort setting and you'll find the Avant rides very acceptably while still feeling nicely 'taut' — fluent yes, but still retaining enough feel and damping ability for those times when you're seriously pressing on and need to know what's beneath the low-pro 245/35 rubber.

Adding to its surprisingly well rounded-off ride is the hushed ambiance and absence of road and wind noise — despite the unashamedly sporty bias of its Sport suspension (lowered by 23mm) and rolling on large 19-inch alloy wheels. All of which makes it a polished and mile-gobbling motorway cruiser.

With limpet-like grip from the quattro four-wheel drive system, the A4 is as safe a set of wheels as you can get. Combined with a harmoniously-fettled chassis you'll find it handles crisply. Reassuringly obedient in all conditions, that's not to say it won't do your bidding whenever you have a 'need for speed'. This is a car that delivers satisfying pace pretty much everywhere you demand it and the way it allows you to flit from A to B like a bat out of hell — particularly if you're sticking to the secondary and back roads — is decidedly addictive.

Depending on your mood or driving conditions, Audi's Drive Select system is always there to provide the most suitable mode for every driving style: choose from Efficiency, Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, and Individual (to customise your personal preferences). If you really want to enjoy its ground-covering ability then just nudge back the selector lever — toggles instantaneously between Drive to Sport — and enjoy the ride, either letting the autobox do all the work or using the paddle-shifters to take complete control. Either way the drive is zingingly impressive.

Active lifestyle needs are well addressed by the 4.8-metre long Avant's 1,510-litre loadbay; even a brace of Briards (large French working dogs perfect for those who want an intelligent and loyal four-legged, wolf-fighting companion for hiking and other outdoor activities) will feel perfectly at home. Dog-owners in particular will appreciate the hard-wearing and waterproof side of the reversible boot mat. For everything everyday, and with the rear seats occupied, the 505-litre boot — with a powered tailgate opened and closed by pressing the button on the key, driver's door, or the tailgate handle — will prove to be more than adequate.

It's versatile too — more so than many of its compatriots — courtesy of its 40:20:40-split rear backrests (with convenient seatback release levers in the boot) that allow you to mix and match passengers and cargo in a variety of ways. When dropped down, the centre section opens up a max-sized ski-hatch (or impromptu table). However you choose to configure the rear cabin/cargo bay, you can still pull an impressive load behind you — a braked 1,900kg. The powered tow-hook is an especially practical touch.

A comfortable and cultured premium estate whose siren song is sweeter and more alluring than that of similar prestige-badged rivals, the A4 Avant can deservedly take its place among the best in class. Whether you regularly chalk up big mileages or are a short-commute road warrior, the Avant quattro is a rewarding to own and rewarding to drive package that has all the bases — from lifestyle to load-lugging — comprehensively covered. All in all, a very premium way to travel. ~ MotorBar

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