Test Drive:2007 Audi A4 Avant

Vancouver, British Columbia - I’ve always had a soft spot for stylish compact wagons, dating back to the 70’s and the first car I bought here, an AMC Hornet Sportabout. Although it’s light-years ahead in terms of technology advancements, the 2007 Audi A4 Avant made a similar personal connection.

It seats five, looks good, goes well and has that practical, utility side to make it even more appealing on a family function level. Compact outer dimensions also make the A4 Avant an easy vehicle to park, its Quattro all-wheel-drive system glues it to the road in all weather conditions, and the interior is first class luxury.

A base A4 2.0T Avant ($42,340) comes with a turbo-charged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with a direct fuel injection system, which Audi calls FSI, fuel straight injection. Fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber, instead of the intake manifold. And it allows this relatively small engine to produce up to 200-horsepower.

My test car, an A4 3.2 Avant ($50,925) came with the bigger 3.2-litre V6 engine, which also has FSI technology. Although the maximum horsepower numbers (255) are not substantially higher than the 2.0-litre, it is a quieter, smoother revving engine that produces more torque (or pulling power) at lower engine speeds, which makes it a very easy car to drive.

Quattro drive is standard, as is a six-speed manual transmission – as well, there’s an optional six-speed automatic with Tiptronic (a manual mode shift). Both the 3.2 and 2.0T engines are longitudinally mounted in the engine bay and they also meet ULEV emissions standards.

Redesigned last year, the A4’s new tall grille is a feature that’s somewhat spoiled by B.C.’s legal requirement to have a front licence plate. Clear headlight assemblies are another new styling enhancement. Its fastback rear styling includes a clever high-mounted spoiler across the top of the liftgate window. A bumper height opening and a same-height flat cargo floor make it easy to load and unload stuff.
Inside, my A4 Avant test car came with an all-black interior - not my personal colour choice. Particularly attractive was the high-gloss black trim on the console, which matched a narrow dash panel that swept around into the door panels.

Instead of normal control buttons, the A4 has a multimedia interface (MMI). A centre knob is surrounded by buttons that select one of four functions. I’m not a big fan of this type of control system however, as I feel it is needlessly complex.
A generously sized glove-box is a good feature and there’s additional storage under the front seats; and like most wagons the A4 Avant also has 60/40 split-folding rear seats, which opens up a huge storage area.

I was able fit comfortably in the back seat, after a legroom compromise was reached with the front passenger. Stuff you don’t find in other cars included built-in rear side window sun screens, a pull-up cargo shield and a complete first aid kit.

In terms of safety, the A4 is ranked a top pick (best in class) by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, based on the results of its crash test evaluation. Side curtain air bags that also protect rear passengers are standard.
No serious problems were encountered during a child seat installation check. The centre rear seat got a slightly lower rating because it was not equipped with lower child seat anchorages. Space is also limited in the rear, so care should be taken to choose the right size of child seat.

Fuel economy in the city is definitely not as good with the V6 (compared to the 2.0-litre) but I can understand why buyers would still choose this engine. It’s a delightfully smooth and compliant powerplant. Although generally quiet, there’s a nice sporty tone from the exhaust when you accelerate.
My A4 Avant also came with the six-gear manual transmission. It’s a short movement, quick shifting gearbox and reverse position is on the left. I like this gear placement, as there’s no chance of accidentally selecting (Reverse) instead of a forward gear.

A well balanced car with a light and agile personality, the A4 Avant also has a tight turning circle. The weighting on the steering is just about right and it has a stable, well-centred feel on the road that builds driver confidence.

The driver’s seat offered good support and had a full range of power adjustments including a power lumbar support can be moved up or down. The front passenger seat also had the same features.

My only ergonomic complaint was with an awkwardly positioned centre armrest. Thankfully it can be folded-back out of the way.

My test car also came with some nifty goodies like a navigational system, active HID headlights that move while cornering, and a cold weather package that includes heated windshield washers - they pushed the price above $60,000.

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