2014 Audi A4 Avant S-Line owner review

A few summers ago, I decided to spend a well-deserved vacation on the coastline.
Owner: Perota

A few summers ago, I decided to spend a well-deserved vacation on the coastline. The idea was great, with one glaring issue: my means of transportation was a 20-year-old VW Bora, while the road that should soon unfold in front of me was probably one of the most perilous roads in Europe. Poor road conditions along almost the entire route, sharp bends, and narrow hairpins are hallmarks along almost 600km, and a rusty bucket like the Bora couldn’t match that challenge.

At the top, I planned to take my small family along with me. Salvation came in the form of an Audi A4 Avant from the image above, bought just a few months ago by my father-in-law. I simply provided him with the above facts and pointed out his daughter and grandson’s safety. Minutes later, I had the keys in the firm grasp of my palm.

Our trip started on a highway, and while my family was daydreaming of the moment when their bare soles would touch scorching sand, I was dealing with the utmost strange and new technologies instead. Unlike the Bora, which had a blue glowing dashboard as the top of its tech offer, the A4 came with a full plethora of assistance devices for the time. Believe it or not, the first hurdle I had to take care of was the cruise control! It was hard to find a control lever at first, but it was even harder to turn the cruise control off after I accidentally started it.

To make things worse, I also turned lane assist on, and those two combined on a high-speed motorway packed with slow-moving lorries were playing a game with another man’s life. Fortunately, I managed to turn off all pesky assistance before my wife realised what was going on. And right in those tense moments of uncertainty, I felt the true nature of a mid-size estate…

It doesn’t produce the thunder from chrome tailpipes, nor can it reduce new tyres to shreds once launched, but who needs that anyway? A potent 2.0-litre diesel engine paired with a multitronic gearbox is able to easily deliver 177hp to all fours. The figures may not sound sensational, but in real life they do the job.

Seated behind the engine, the driver feels cocooned and slightly isolated from the outside world, so when you decide to overtake somebody and pin down the throttle to the floor, a sudden surprise ensues. Nothing is going to happen for almost a second, and only after that, the car starts to shake in a sporty fashion and builds up power at the front. Fractions of seconds follow as cones in the gearbox are preparing themselves for delivery, and then comes a punch that takes you before the sluggish opponent.

The point is, it’s a very safe car able to provide you with enough power for 99 per cent of daily tasks. Some would probably like to experience DSG snaps, but for an overall experience, I humbly believe multitronic is way better. It distributes power evenly and can keep surplus stocked if you need it.

And on this trip, soon after overtaking inevitable hairpins come where you must brake, and that’s the point where the major drawback of this car comes through. The chassis seems detached from the underpinnings, so when you brake, jarring vibrations come from the floor with a strange feeling of how the car’s lower part will slide forward, while the chassis remains in place and slings you down the hill. It’s especially noticeable on downhills and can strike fear into the heart.

The hush inside the cabin can tranquilise passengers, and only the noise from 18-inch tyres can occasionally emanate through side windows and interrupt otherwise ubiquitous silence. It’s a strange trait for a mid-size wagon, but it comes at a price – a cramped indoor space that feels like a turret due to the limited light coming in through the tinted glass and the thick cladding panels sticking into the passenger room. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t disrupt leg or headroom, but it makes you feel cramped inside.

Once I harnessed the Audi’s potential, it started to perform at its best. Other than the ‘detached’ issue, everything else runs smoothly, and it is surprisingly nimble for a family estate. The car responds instantly to the driver’s inputs, provided that the driver respects the vehicle’s weight, and is smart enough to know when to brake and when to accelerate.

You can’t expect the two-tone car to quickly take the best position in bands for the upcoming launch, so it’s better to be smart and give it a decent amount of space to do that on its own. It will award you, I can assure you…

The model I am reviewing today comes with a 3.0-litre engine too, but with higher specs, and the lack of displacement is noticeable, especially when the driver tries to overtake a long line of cars. The car starts the undertaking vigorously and keeps the pace up to 3000rpm, after which it slowly runs out of breath and loses some of its luster, but that honestly comes once in a blue moon.

Fuel consumption depends on the driving style. Push it to the limit, and you will soon notice a figure of 10 on the car’s computer, even above that. Drive it moderately, understand its nature, and it will reward you with 6L/100km. It’s a family shepherd rather than the wide RS/M stallion and the like, so bear that in mind.

I forgot to mention the body style and car stance that I simply adore. It’s not right in your face with sufficient spoilers and other trinkets inappropriate for a family diesel, although they are popular in modern fashion these days. It shines like a plated wedge in the sun, and every bit of design comes with a measure. Yes, you have accepted your destiny as a householder, but that doesn’t mean you should stop enjoying low-profile tyres, side skirts, and the sloping roof line (when viewed from the side).

Overall, you will hardly ever need anything above this package. Occasions when you’ll need more than it can offer are rare, such as burning 10 litres per 100km. It’s a frugal, safe and, above all, fun family car. It can look menacing if viewed from the right spot or rather unremarkable if viewed from the back. It’s something for everyone, and maybe that’s why it’s the most sought-after item in all browser searches at the Europ used cars market.

Owner: Perota

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