Audi A4 Avant (2008 – 2015) Review

Audi A4 Avant (2008 – 2015) At A Glance

4/5
Honest John Overall Rating
The Audi A4 Avant is about as solid a compact premium estate as you could hope to find. Well made, restrained looks and practical, but just don’t expect a thrilling drive.

+Solid build quality throughout. Huge range of engines and specifications. Available with Quattro four-wheel drive. Frugal diesels. Well designed and user-friendly boot.

-Poor ride quality with earlier S line models. Doesn’t handle as well as rear-wheel drive competition. Dashboard design a little fussy.

Insurance Groups are between 19–36
On average it achieves 79% of the official MPG figure

By 2008, the recipe had been perfected for the Audi A4 Avant - simple, stylish lines coupled to decent boot space. It proved a winning formula as the Audi A4 Avant offered more room than a BMW 3 Series Touring. The Audi A4 Avant also delivered much of the comfort of a Mercedes C-Class Estate, although not the Merc's outright carrying capacity. Audi A4 Avant buyers also enjoyed quality that shaded the Volvo V60 and stablemate the Volkswagen Passat. Read on for our full Audi A4 Avant review.

The Audi A4 Avant generation that arrived in 2008 is a ‘lifestyle’ estate. It’s less about outright practicality and more about being a cargo-hauler that looks a bit rakish and drives with panache. It does indeed look the part too, not quite the generic oblong block that some estate cars end up being.

However, because Audi persists with perching its engines ahead of the front wheels, the Audi A4 Avant is less engaging than its rear-wheel drive alternatives – namely the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate and BMW 3 Series Touring.

That’s not to say it doesn’t handle well. It does, with a predictable turn-in and – if you specify Quattro – a blend of grip and composure, especially in wet weather. The problem is that prior to 2010, when Audi launched the Audi A6 and showed everyone that it was able to make a car ride comfortably, the company generally conflated sporty handling with firm suspension.

As a result, an early Audi A4 Avant S line on big wheels is a pretty juddering estate car whenever you encounter potholes, although after the model’s 2012 facelift things became altogether smoother for an Audi A4 Avant driver.

One thing that has never been lacking with this Audi A4 Avant, though, is choice. Every base is covered, from the frugal 120PS four-cylinder 2.0-litre TDI diesel version, through the fine 3.0-litre V6 diesels, a couple of smooth TFSI turbo petrols, and a rapid supercharged six-cylinder S4 model. There’s also the brain scramblingly quick Audi RS4 with its 450PS 4.2-litre V8.

Over its seven-year lifespan, Audi tried to keep the car fresh with trim, engine and specification updates, though there have been some mainstays throughout. Base model SE cars feature continuously, as do sporty S line versions, while post-2012 Black Edition models are catnip to a certain demographic, coming with huge-looking 19-inch alloy wheels and gloss black trim inside and out.

The innate feeling of quality is something that all Audi A4 Avant models come with. Aside from some of the trim surrounding the instrument binnacle, which is a little flimsy, the Audi A4 Avant feels as solid as can be. Rarely will you encounter one with any squeaks or rattles, which is a huge part of the Audi A4 Avant’s enduring popularity.

Ask Honest John

Are engine cleaning products any good for high mileage diesels?

"I have a B8 Audi A4 Avant diesel which has done 80,000 miles. My garage is recommending an engine treatment called Terraclean and I'm aware that there can be big bills on a high mileage diesel. Are these engine cleaning products any good?"
Terraclean is to clean the valves and combustion chambers on a direct injected engine, which you have, without taking it apart. But there may be more pressing issues such as a partially clogged EGR and/or a DPF filling up with ash, and Terraclean won't fix them.
Answered by Honest John

Dealer hasn't sent me V5C after six weeks - is this normal?

"I bought an Audi A4 Avant TDI six weeks ago from an independent Audi dealer. I am happy with the car but I have not received my logbook from the DVLA. The garage told me that they had not yet sent the log book back yet as they sent them in batches to the DVLA. What are your thoughts on this?"
Cobblers - and extremely highly suspect. Tell the garage that if it does not get you your V5C immediately you will use form V62 to get one and charge the garage for it.
Answered by Honest John

Buying a second hand estate for £10k - any recommendations?

"My wife and I are in the market for a second hand estate; we want a car that's three to five years old and costs up to £10k. We are happy to have a fairly high mileage car (up to circa 100k). We've just test driven the Mercedes-Benz C200 BlueEfficiency Exec SE (2012 plate, 93k, £9450), Audi A4 Avant SE 2.0 (2012 plate, 104k, £9750), and Skoda Octavia SE 2.0 (2013 plate, 77k, £8995). All three seemed reasonable to drive and each has pros and cons - which would you recommend? Are there significant differences in running costs and likely resale value?"
Any high mileage diesel that has not already had a recent diesel particulate filter replacement is heading for one and that alone could cost £3000. Of the cars you list, the Mercedes at least has a well proven, chain cam 2.1 litre diesel engine that is fitted to millions of Mercedes cars and vans, so of the three that's probably your best bet.
Answered by Honest John

Are all Audi automatic gearboxes unreliable?

"I have read that there have been a number of faults with Audi automatic gearboxes. Can you please let me know if these faults are still to be found in cars built from 2014 on wards? "
In the A4 B8 up to 2015, these were Multitronics. They were replace with seven-speed wet clutch 's-tronics' in the A4 B9 from September 2015. See the entries in http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar.
Answered by Honest John
More Questions

What does a Audi A4 Avant (2008 – 2015) cost?