Audi A4 Avant Review (2023)

Introduction

Theoretically speaking, estate cars should make their saloon siblings obsolete.

After all, there’s no mechanical difference between the saloon and estate versions apart from the larger body on the back, which adds more practicality and does away with the somewhat fiddly and shallow boot opening in the saloon.

So, when you consider that, why would you take the saloon over the estate, especially when it's a premium brand car like the Audi A4?

The A4 Avant competes with the likes of the BMW 3 Series Touring and Volvo V60 on the lease market. 

The Avant has been around since the mid-90s, but the latest generation was launched in 2015 and then updated in 2019 with a sharper design, new engines and more features.

Audi aims to combine practicality, performance and premium quality into one sleek and elegant package – and it’s certainly done that with the A4 Avant.

But has it done it better than its rivals?

We are aiming to find out.

At a Glance

In the looks department, it’s so far, so good.

While non-premium brand adversaries now have more in-your-face aesthetics, and some people consider the general Audi shape to be vanilla by modern standards, the A4 Avant nevertheless looks stylish.

Nowadays, you could even call it a little understated.

Despite this, it still has a distinctive and reasonably aerodynamic appearance, with its trademark large hexagonal grille, LED headlights, sporty bumpers, and roof rails.

From the side, the vehicle has a long and low profile, with crisp lines and sculpted surfaces, including two clearly defined creases running towards the doors' top and bottom.

The rear features LED taillights with dynamic indicators, a roof spoiler, twin exhaust pipes, and a roof spoiler that overhangs the back windows.

The A4 Avant is available in various colours, including metallic and solid options. And, if you’re willing to cough up some extra money, you’ll unlock a choice of up to 80 “Audi exclusive paint finishes”.

So, if you’ve always wanted a bright green, fluorescent orange or sun bright yellow A4 Avant, you’re well catered for.

There are, however, plenty of more tasteful shades, even if the asking price of this particular option isn’t.

Key Features

Until recently, the A4 Avant came in five trim levels, but a recent re-organisation has aimed to simplify the range into three models.

As a result, they have been consolidated into three trims: Sport Edition, S Line and Black Edition.

Sport Edition gets 17-inch alloy wheels, a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with DAB radio, SatNav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit digital instrument display and heated front twin-leather seats.

You also get LED headlights, power-folding door mirrors, four-way lumbar support, cruise control, a rear-view camera, keyless go and four-zone climate control.

The S Line trim jumps up to 19-inch alloy wheels, gaining sports suspension, improved LED exterior lights, dynamic indicators, and high beam assist. The grades also boasts S Line body styling, brushed aluminium inserts and pedals, microfibre upholstery with S logo and privacy glass.

The Audi A4 Avant Black Edition further enhances the look with black 19-inch diamond cut alloys and a Competition Edition Pack. This bundle adds various black styling elements both outside and inside, replacing the brushed aluminium décor with piano black. It also adds a flat-bottomed steering wheel, red brake callipers and Matrix LED headlights.

If you’re familiar with the former range-topper, the Vorsprung edition, many of its features can now be added to the new trim line-up by purchasing optional extras.

The A4 Avant offers a choice of four engines: two petrols and two diesels – all of them 2.0-litre four-cylinder units. And, following the discontinuation of the manual gearbox, all units now come with a seven-speed S tronic automatic transmission.

The petrol powerplants are badged as 35 TFSI (150PS), and 40 TFSI (190PS).

As for the diesel units, the 35 TDI yields 163PS, while the 40 TDI produces 204PS.

There are still no plug-in hybrid models available. Still, all engines feature mild-hybrid technology that helps reduce fuel consumption and emissions by recovering energy during braking and allows the engine to turn off briefly when coasting.

All units are front-wheel drive, except for the Quattro models, which have all-wheel drive for better traction and stability.

Of course, the exception to this is the performance model, the Audi RS4, although we’re excluding that as it’s an entirely different kettle of fish.

Performance & Drive

We are testing the entry-level Audi A4 Avant Sport Edition with the most potent petrol lump, the 40 TFSI.

Our first impressions are that the A4 Avant is smooth and refined, with the engine feeling responsive, helped by the slick S tronic transmission and well-balanced handling.

We recommend the 40 TFSI over the entry-level 35 TFSI petrol, which needs to be thrashed a bit to get any real performance out of it, not to mention the surprising fuel economy, which we’ll come on to later.

Let's suppose you're looking for the ongoing cost savings of a frugal diesel engine. In that case, the entry-level 35 TDI is far more appealing than its petrol counterpart thanks to its extra shove at low revs, making stop-start congestion-filled journeys more bearable.

The higher-powered oil-burner, the 40 TDI, will bring the 0-62mph time down to 7.1 seconds, making it the fastest choice in the line-up.

Our test car, with its 40 TFSI petrol, is only fractionally slower at 7.3 seconds, and it feels smooth, reasonably quiet, yet punchy, delivering robust performance across the rev range.

The diesels don’t sound as nice, which is hardly a surprise. But they’re very torquey, offering good fuel efficiency and low emissions.

In our test car, the mild-hybrid system worked seamlessly to provide extra boost when needed and save fuel when not required.

The S tronic automatic gearbox also impressed, being quick and velvety when changing up through the gears. Sure, it can be a little hesitant when you floor the throttle, but this is hardly uncommon with automatic ‘boxes.

In terms of handling, the Audi A4 Avant is reasonably impressive for an estate car, with good grip levels and minimal body roll in corners.

The ride quality is generally comfortable and feels composed on most surfaces. However, it can get firmer on rough roads or with the larger wheels of higher trim levels.

The sport suspension on the S Line trim lowers the ride height by a couple of centimetres, slightly dropping the centre of gravity in the name of better handling. However, this also reduces the comfort levels and seems unnecessary on an estate car.

You can improve the traction and stability of the Audi A4 Avant by opting for the quattro all-wheel-drive system.

Nevertheless, the all-wheel drive is likely overkill for most, and although it’s available on all trim levels, you can only have it with the 40 TDI diesel engine.

That rules out those who are staunchly after a petrol-engined car unless you've got the budget for the mega-powered Audi RS4.

The steering is light and accurate but could be more communicative regarding feedback. It does weight-up slightly in the bends, but not to the degree that you feel you're driving a performance car.

As a result, we found the Audi A4 Avant very pleasant and sophisticated to drive but not incredibly engaging or exciting – it feels more suited to cruising than cornering.

It certainly lacks some of the fun that foes like the BMW 3 Series Touring or even the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate offer.

The Audi A4 Avant is more refined and relaxed, getting you to the office or golf club in style rather than in an athletic or entertaining way.

Running Costs & Emissions

The Audi A4 Avant is a relatively economical and eco-friendly machine, with low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for most engines.

For the petrols, the entry-level 35 TFSI manages 38.2 to 44.8mpg, emitting 144 to 167g/km of CO2, depending on trim, while in the 40 TFSI that we’ve been testing, it’s 43.5mpg, emitting 147g/km of CO2.

For the diesels, the 35 TDI claims 49.6 to 57.6mpg, with carbon emissions of 128 to 149g/km, while the 40 TDI manages 44.8 to 47.9mpg, emitting 154 to 164g/km of CO2.

Interestingly, Audi claims that the mild-hybrid system helps reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 0.85mpg and 7g/km respectively.

Don’t expect to see many Audi A4 Avant company cars, as BMW offers plug-in hybrid versions of their estate cars, which attract significant savings in Benefit In Kind (BIK) tax.

A plug-in hybrid version is planned and is likely to launch next year, but Audi is rather late to the party.

Interior & Technology

Inside, the Audi A4 Avant is as stylish as it is spacious, featuring a cabin full of high-quality materials and an elegant design packed with technology.

The dashboard is dominated by a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system that is easy to use and features Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, a DAB radio, SatNav and online services.

The screen has a high resolution, so the picture is crisply sharp, and it responds quickly to prods and pushes. It is easy to get your head around the menu layout, too.

The system also features voice control, meaning it’ll respond to your power of speech much like Amazon Alexa or Apple’s Siri. And it’ll even recognise your handwriting if you scrawl on the touchscreen using your finger.

You also get a 12.3-inch digital instrument display called Audi Virtual Cockpit that can be customised to show different information, such as speed, revs, maps, media and phone.

The display is top quality and can be controlled by switches on the steering wheel.

USB ports can be found in the front, too.

Space & Practicality

The Audi A4 Avant is very comfortable, with heated leather seats offered as standard throughout the range, although S Line and Black Edition get sportier seats.

Nevertheless, all variants are soft and supportive, enhanced by the inclusion of four-way electric lumbar support on all models.

The entry-level Sport Edition gets twin leather, while S Line and Black Edition trims feature leather-dinamica microfibre upholstery.

Frustratingly, Audi no longer offers standard electric adjustment on the front seats. Previously, this was included on all but the entry-level model, but since the trim levels shake-up we mentioned earlier, it’s now part of a costly optional pack on all models.

Nevertheless, legroom and headroom are generous in the front and rear, although, while there’s enough space for three adults in the back, you’ll likely be rubbing shoulders and want to limit journeys to short trips.

Boot space measures 495 litres, expanding to 1,495 litres with the rear seats folded in a convenient 40:20:40 split.

This offers more flexibility than the standard 60:40 split found on most cars, while Isofix child seat mounts are included on all models, as is an electric tailgate.

The cargo capacity is fractionally more than the Mercedes C-Class Estate and slightly less than the BMW 3 Series Touring. Inside, you’ll find hooks, nets, tie-down points to secure items, and an underfloor storage compartment.

The cabin also features plenty of storage spaces, such as a glovebox, door bins, cupholders, centre console cubby and rear armrest.

Safety

The Audi A4 Avant was awarded a five-star rating from crash-testing specialists Euro NCAP in 2015, scoring 89% for adult occupants, 87% for children and 75% for safety assists.

The rating is old, though – so dated that it’s now expired – and the testing criteria have become more stringent since then, too.

Nevertheless, plenty of Audis have been tested over the last eight years and scored five stars, which should provide reassurances.

The A4 Avant comes with various safety features as standard, such as six airbags, front and rear parking sensors and a pre-sense city system that can detect pedestrians and vehicles and apply the brakes automatically.

All models also feature lane departure warning, a rear-view camera, traffic sign recognition and driver attention assist.

However, adaptive cruise control, predictive efficiency assistant, Audi pre-sense front, collision avoidance assistant, turn assist and active lane assist are all optional extras bundled together in the form of the Tour Pack.

A Driver Assistance Pack, marginally cheaper than the Tour Pack, also adds Audi pre-sense basic and rear, lane change assist, exit warning, and cross-traffic assist.

Park assist is available with the separate Technology Pack, while you can add a 360-degree camera alongside it if you upgrade to the Technology Pack Pro.

Options

The Audi A4 Avant has a range of extras to enhance the car’s appearance, comfort, performance and technology.

The packs we mentioned in the previous Safety section include a Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system, multi-coloured ambient lighting, wireless charger, Matrix LED headlights, rear USB ports, and park assist with parking aid plus.

The Technology Pack Pro gets all the above plus a 360-degree camera, a head-up display, a panoramic glass sunroof, electric front seats with driver memory function and door mirrors with memory function.

You can add all those extra safety features we mentioned earlier with the Tour and Driver Assistance Packs, too, while Nappa leather seats and a tow bar are among the additional options you can pick from.

If you choose the entry-level Sport Edition trim we're driving, you can upgrade to 18-inch alloys, though we wouldn’t advise this as you’re simply paying to make the car less comfortable – and you can’t downgrade higher trims from their 19-inch rims.

Rival Cars

The Audi A4 Avant faces intense competition from other premium estate cars, such as the BMW 3 Series Touring and the Volvo V60.

The BMW 3 Series Touring (below) is a more engaging and fun car to drive than the A4 Avant, with sharper handling and more feedback from the steering.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate (not currently available to lease after Mercedes-Benz exited leasing broker channels) is arguably even more luxurious than the A4 Avant, featuring an exquisite interior nowadays.

And, unlike the A4 Avant, its challengers offer plug-in hybrid versions.

If you’re not bothered by the premium badge, then the Volkswagen Passat and the Skoda Superb (above) are well worth looking at, especially as both have bigger boots.

Verdict & Next Steps

The Audi A4 Avant is an excellent choice for anyone looking to lease a premium estate car that offers a blend of practicality, performance, and quality.

It has a spacious and stylish interior, a smooth and refined drive, a range of efficient engines and a high level of safety technology.

However, it lacks some of the excitement and character of some opponents, while most competitors have bigger boots.

If that’s a problem, then it’s worth noting that the larger A6 Avant is worth considering.

Overall, the A4 Avant is still worthy of its place among the best.

There is no real reason to lease a rival over it unless you want the best, most engaging driving experience possible.

But then, that's not usually high on the priority list of those leasing an estate car.

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Where to next?

View latest Audi A4 Avant leasing deals - from just £410 per month inc VAT**.

Call us on 0118 3048 688 or hit the green 'Enquire' button for more details.

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Audi A4 Avant 2023. 

**Correct as of 06/10/2023. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments or £3,697.38 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.