On the 21 June 2008 the Audi range sees the UK introduction of the latest A4 Avant models after the all new A4 saloons arrived in February.

Total A4 UK annual sales, including Cabriolet and RS derivatives, are in the region of 31,000 units. This year Audi UK expects 5,000 A4 Avants to be delivered to customers and 15,000 in a full year. New A4 Avant prices range from £23,400 to £33,640.
The A4 is Audi’s best selling model range in the UK, narrowly ahead of the A3 range which is also being refreshed this year.
Over 303,000 A4s of all types have been sold in the UK since the model range was launched in 1995.
The UK is Audi’s third largest market in the world behind Germany and China and Audi expects to become the top premium brand in the UK within the next few years. In the year 2000 Audi’s UK sales were just over 43,000 units and in 2007 the brand broke the 100,000 new car sales milestone for the first time. This year they expect to see another six per cent growth in sales.
Much of Audi’s growth has been achieved by entering new market sectors with additional model ranges. Ten years ago Audi had 12 model ranges, today it has 25 and by 2012 they will have 40. This year’s new model activities include the introduction of the new A3 Cabriolets, the revised A3 Hatchbacks, the A4 Avant estates, the RS6 Avant, TTS and TTD Coupes and the huge Q7, 6.0-litre, 500hp, V12 TDI SUV.
Speaking at the UK media launch of the new A4 Avant model Jeremy Hicks Director of Audi UK said, “Even though the domestic market is experiencing a difficult period due to high fuel prices, higher taxation with Vehicle Excise Duty, higher personal taxation for company car users and ever increasing fuel prices, to some extent the brand has been immune from these issues. Our sales for the first four months of this year have increased by 5.4 per cent in a new car market which has shown no growth.”
He added, “We are not recession proof but we are in at sector of the market seemingly less affected by tax and fuel price issues.”   He said the premium car market has by nine per cent growth so far this year in the UK with the sectors where their A3, A4 and A6 models sell showing the largest increases in sales.
He said that it was inevitable that some Audi customers, because of financial pressures, would look at downsizing between models in the brand, A6 to A4 and A4 to A3.
It is possible that due to the much higher cost of diesel fuel over petrol some customers would change to petrol powered models rather than diesel if they were not high mileage users.
Currently 70 per cent of Audi new car sales are diesel models. Overall he expects Audi UK to see a six per cent sales growth this year. 
Hicks also said that Audi would have to grow their sales in the current difficult market conditions by attracting conquest customers to their existing and additional new model ranges. However it was also very important to retain existing buyers and the company and their dealer network had worked hard on improving customer service. He said that two years ago their customer retention rate was 39 per cent, now it is 50 per cent.
“Quality customer service is key to our growth” added Jeremy Hicks.

Like the all-new Audi A4 saloons launched earlier this year the A4 Avant estates are longer, lighter, stronger and with more torsional rigidity than the models they replace.

There is a longer wheelbase, the front axle has been moved forward by 154mm with the steering rack repositioned below it to improve handling. The entirely new bodyshell is 10 per cent lighter with five per cent greater torsional stability and 30 per cent of the bodyshell is made of ultra high strength steel. The 2,808mm wheelbase allows for much improved rear passenger legroom and load area space. With the rear seats in position luggage space is now 490-litres and almost 1,500 litres with the rear seats folded, the largest in its class say Audi.

Principally the Audi A4 in both saloon and Avant estate forms sells against the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class equivalent models. Audi A4 Avant prices range from £23,400 to £33,640.
Five engine options will be available from the new model’s launch on 21 June, two direct injection petrol and three turbodiesel. These are the 1.8T FSI 160PS turbocharged unit and the 3.2 V6 FSI quattro 265PS petrol models, the 2.0 TDI 143PS, 2.7 TDI 190PS and the 3.0 TDI quattro 240PS turbodiesel engines. 
A 2.0T turbocharged FSI 211PS all-new petrol engine will also soon be added and available with front wheel or quattro all wheel drive forms. The 2.0 TDI engine will also become available with other power outputs including a 120PS units. All diesel engines meet the forthcoming Euro V emission requirements.
Audi UK expect 77 per cent of Avant customers to order the 2.0 TDI power unit with 14 per cent ordering the 1.8T FSI petrol unit.
All of the engines can be ordered with SE trim and equipment levels and these will account for 65 per cent of sales. A higher S-Line specification costing £2,500 can be specified for all models and this is expected to be taken up by 25 per cent of customers. A ‘standard’ specification will be available with the forthcoming Avant 2.0 TDI 120PS engine.
SE equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels, Audi 10 speaker sound system with stereo radio/CD player with MP3 compatibility, colour information display screen, multi-function steering wheel, three-zone climate control with front and rear controls, driver’s information system, aluminium interior trim package, electronic handbrake and automatic wipers and headlights.
Having seen the sombre cloth upholstery against the leather trim option, my suggestion is pay the extra £1,300 and go for leather, it greatly improves the interior’s appearance and quality.
Audis’ generally have a stylish finish to their interiors. Strangely the A4 Avant looks more functional than plush, certainly it will be durable. The interior design follows the usual Audi wrap around facia with all the controls neatly to hand but they are laid out in a fussy manner.
Extra space throughout the Avant is the most noticeable improvement. Rear seat passengers will enjoy the extra legroom and A6 Avant customers might just choose to downsize. The boot is huge, 500-1,430-litres, with lots of novel ideas for storage and load security. A minus point is the split rear seating arrangement which doesn’t allow them to be folded down completely flat if the extra load bed length and space are required.
As for driving, refinement is as you would expect from Audi A4s of the past, good but perhaps not the best in its class. The A4 Avant estate feels less agile than the saloon version but then neither is as accomplished in the road holding department at the rear wheel drive BMW 3-Series.
The Avant quattro models certainly offer huge amounts of grip and security on wet and muddy roads. The ride comfort without the Sports option is good but with some body roll evident but for most customers the handling and ride comfort will be fine.   Start specifying the Sport package with its stiffer suspension and larger wheels and be sure the ride comfort will be compromised and the driving quality will be reduced, plus the price goes up considerably.
As for the choice of engines? The new 2.0-litre TDI direct injection turbo unit is a real peach as we know from the recent A4 Saloon models. 
The old 2.0 TDI ‘Pumpe Duse’ unit was noisy, delivered its power in a surge and was pretty flat at low engine speeds. The new direct injection 143PS, 320Nm unit with more power, torque, better fuel economy and lower emissions is more progressive with its power supply and vastly more refined.
CO2 emissions are now 149g/km putting it in road tax band C costing £120. However go for the Multitronic auto transmission option and the vehicle moves up to VED Band D which costs £145 a year.
Whilst the 2.0-litre TDI is the best choice for most people we have now got to the point in the UK new car market, because of disproportionate higher diesel fuel prices, where petrol power might now be the better option.
The all-new turbocharged direct injection petrol 1.8T FSI Avant with SE specification costs £23,400, the 2.0 TDI 143PS diesel SE £24,750, so there is a cost saving in buying the petrol estate. It also costs roughly 10 pence per litre less to buy petrol over diesel but with emissions at 172g/km the road tax goes up to £170 a year and the fuel economy is less.
How much less? Well in official figures the 2.0 TDI diesel returns on average 49.6mpg, the 1.8T FSI 39.2mpg. In like-for-like and back-to-back driving this week using the same route at the same speeds, the diesel returned 34.4mpg and the petrol 30.7mpg, not so much of a difference so only high mileage users get the real benefit of opting for diesel power.

"I liked the 1.8T FSI engine; it is a bit coarse, it loves to be revved, it’s eager and it costs less to buy.
Overall the A4 Avant really doesn’t disappoint and there is a wide choice of engine and specification options to suit current and new A4 customer’s financial situations."