• The Common Rail Diesel Injection System Explained
• Cadillac escalade 30 inch rims
• Opel Meriva 2011 Family SUV Car
• Honda CRV 2012
• Ford escape 2012
• Kia optima sx black 2011

Avant-age A4

If you are considering an Audi A4, I would put forth that probably the best option could well be the 2010 Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TFSI. The reason is that the Avant offers all the advantages of the sedan, but with the extra space we all need from time to time.

Here in Canada, we see the emergence of more five-door vehicles every year, and they are very popular in the compact segment of the market place.

When you move up the scale of luxury to the likes of an Audi, you expect more and with the Avant, you get more.

The latest Avant model benefits from a slightly longer wheelbase (2,808mm), something previous models really could have used. The interior space is now much better in the back seat for a decent sized adult, and with the 60/40-split folding seat, there is ample space behind even with the seats in use. With the seats down, there is enough space to hold even the most serious of camping expedition gear.

But it’s not just the back of the Avant that is nice. Up front the heated Alcantara/leather sport seats are very nice, with ample support for enthusiastic drives. I still think the Audi MMI (Multi-media interface) is one of the easiest to use, primarily because if you select the wrong thing, it is easy to get back to square one and start again.

Our S-line packaged Avant also has the Audi Side Assist system, which is now fairly common place in vehicles of this quality; but for my money, the Audi system works the best because you always notice what it is trying to tell you. The lights let you know that there is someone in the blind spot, but they flash when you put on your signal to move into that lane.

The latest 2.0 turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine puts out 211 horsepower, which is not really a huge number. However, if you factor in the available 258 lb.-ft. of torque at just 1,500 rpm, the combination of the two makes the Avant feel faster than it actually is. Audi also used a very low first gear to combat turbo-lag, and it is very effective – the Avant just gets up and goes.

As the speed builds the Avant is very smooth on power delivery, and it nicely goes up the gearbox seamlessly. With the available Quattro grip, cornering is what you’d expect from this level of engineering talent. The Avant sets firm on turn in, inspiring confidence, and increasing or decreasing radius turns don’t upset it. Part of that is because there is only 40% of the torque going to the front wheels, which allows the Avant to take advantage of being pushed out of a corner rather than being pulled.

This handling can be further enhanced with the Drive Select system, or what I call the ‘girlfriend’ button. You can select C for Comfort (girlfriend mode) and the steering is light and the throttle and transmission act in ‘reserved’ fashion, ideal for when you have passengers. D for Dynamic mode (sans girlfriend) and that is for when you want to have a bit of fun and experience the true capability of the Avant, without somebody telling you to stop it. It stiffens the steering feel, improves throttle response and snaps the gearshifts – brilliant.

There is also an “A” Auto mode which relies on how the Avant is being driven and reacts accordingly. I will admit to being a bit of a fiddler, and the Individual mode is it, you can set any of the features to your liking and fine tune the Avant to your individual driving style.

When you add all this to the Audi safety standards, build quality and sheer good looks, you’d be hard pressed to prove to me the Avant is not the best A4 available.

Summary: