So…you’ve got an estate…you old man! It does 100km/h in…a minute or something? At least, I hope it’s big enough to carry all your kids…

Probably this is everyone’s reaction when they hear about estates. Well, Audi shows the dark side of its D-segment estate once again, launching the new generation of the mighty S4 Avant. To build a car that sprints to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and still transport your family with its luggage it’s quite an achievement, especially when the measured average fuel consumption is only 7.5 l/100km in the NEDC cycle. The equivalent CO2 emission is 175 g/km. They developed a new V6 3.0l TFSI engine, capable of 354 hp, thanks to the direct gasoline injection and the turbocharging. More, the maximum torque of 500 Nm is available from 1,370 up to 4500 rpm and is sent to all the wheels via the Quattro system. It allows the power to be delivered at each axle in continuously variable ratios, while the active differential distribute the torque between the rear wheels. Fast corners? No worries, as the Audi torque vectoring system stabilizes the car with low level of brake intervention.

As you would expect, the sedan is even more impressive, with its 4.7 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and an average of 7.4 l/100 km (170 g/km CO2 emissions). Both cars stop accelerating at 250 km/h. Audi had an interesting approach regarding the eight-speed automatic transmission: the lower gears are short, to enhance the acceleration, while the upper gears have longer ratios, for an increased fuel economy. The transmission gets into a freewheeling mode, for even more fuel economy if the driver releases the accelerator between 55 and 160 km/h. Another important factor that influences the performance is the weight: 1.630 kg for the sedan and 1.675 kg for the Avant version. The body was lowered by 23 mm, thanks to the S sport chassis. There are several selectable programs that allow the driver to control the engine response and the chassis’ setup.
The S4 Sedan’s prices start from 59.300 euros, while the S4 Avant costs 61.150 euros.