Avant

[mb]

Hello thinking of finally making the move to an A4 Avant from an R32. Choice seems to be between an A4 3.0 diesel (S-Line) & the S4. I don't drive very fast but like my cars to be able to move when they have to so there probably won't be much in it for me performance wise so the real question is which one do you all think makes the better ownership prospect for the next 5 years or so.

Running costs wise how much difference is there between the 2 - I could afford to run either but as it is my own money looking for cost effectiveness here. Having had them on the R32 I really want Xenons again but haven't really seen these on the diesels do you think its a matter of patience or do they not get specced much on A4s when not standard ? & leather which doesn't seem so hard to find.

Any advice appreciated...

[kennymc]

mj.

whats your motivation for changing to the avant???

if it's because you now have a family and need the space look elsewhere. i changed form an A4 saloon to the avant and the truth is the useable space in the avant isn't great.

so in summary if you are looking for sapce look to the a6 or look elsewhere.

thats my tuppence worth.

k

[gizze]

Probably because they look nicer.

Get the diesel, the S4's loose bucket loads, the one I bought had lost nearly 50% in 2 years, and that was a year ago, things are only going to get worse.

Is the 3.0tdi under the 225g/km threshold?

Unless you are buying used, then maybe an S4 that has lost its main chunk already is a good bet.

I averaged 18mpg in my avant, sat at 90mph on the motorway it was doing about 24mpg. The diesel will average around 28mpg and see 36mpg on a run I would guess.

[Longdog]

Hi,

I wouldn't agree that the S4's lose loads, i bought a B7 avant in Nov 2006, it was 7 months old and i got it from Audi for £32000. i looked at trading in last month (not that seriously i must add) and was offered £30000 against another audi. i've seen 06 S4 avants on sale for around what I paid for mine so it's not all doom and gloom.

Unless you really want 30 odd mpg then I'd go for the S4.

[PetrolDave]

[ QUOTE ]

which one do you all think makes the better ownership prospect for the next 5 years or so.

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends what your priorities are.

If you love the sound of a V8 then it's the S4 so long as you can live with the Group 20 insurance and 20-25mpg.

If you don't mind driving a tractor or need 30+ mpg then it's got to be the TDi.

[evad]

Hello, first post here, I have just moved from an 07 R32 to a 05 S4 Avant Tip, with a young family I am delighted with the extra space and pace, funnily enough I haven't found the fuel economy to be much worse than the R though.

[Mook]

Any advice appreciated...

Having gone from an R32 to an S4 and given what you're after, I would go for the 3.0TDI Quattro. You'll get over 30mpg (sensibly your long term average out of an S4 will not be more than 22mpg) and the V6 diesel has got a shed load of torque - plenty of grunt for overtaking.

A lot of people would argue that the S4 is quicker in a straight line, but there's not that much in it, unless you modify an S4, in which case, dependent on how far you modify it, you'll be the best part of keeping up with RS4s and M3 CSLs

I've got a track-day & Nurburgring habit, hence the S4 and kids & dogs, hence the Avant. If I didn't have the track habit and an addiction to a V8, I'd go for a 3.0 TDI Q

[Mook]

Hello, first post here, I have just moved from an 07 R32 to a 05 S4 Avant Tip, with a young family I am delighted with the extra space and pace, funnily enough I haven't found the fuel economy to be much worse than the R though.

Welcome to Tyresmoke evad

Glad you like the S4 - quite a few people on here have gone from the R32 to the S4, although some haven't kept them for too long, preferring to go for a soot-chucker as a daily driver, plus a weekend toy.

Oh, and if you're getting the same economy out of the S4 that you were out of the R32, you're not trying hard enough...