Convince my wife to buy an S4 Avant

[Zakalwe]

Hi all.

New to the forum, hope I’m posting in the right place.

I’m currently a Bimmer man and run an M240i. The wife only has eyes for the four rings and runs an A3 Saloon. We have a baby and another soon on the way. My car is utterly useless for family duties. The wife’s is surprisingly serviceable in that department, but we need a new motor. I’m keeping mine which means she gets a new one.

Truth be told, the wife doesn’t actually need much convincing, despite the title of the thread. Our requirements are for a petrol fuelled Audi (she won’t consider any other marque) with 4WD. In the B9 family that basically leaves us the choice of a four-pot TFSI or the S4. Pricing up the slower car to the spec we want only comes up about £3-4K cheaper than the equivalent S4 on DTD (who will incidentally knock 17% off the price). At this point my man maths kicks in and since I will be driving the car a substantial fraction of the time, I figure it’s a no brainer. Running costs schmunning costs, not an issue.

To cut a long story long, is the S4 Avant practical enough for 2+2 family duties? I’ve read all the reviews but I’d appreciate the perspective of actual owners. The alternative is most likely wait for the new A6, though the missus is nervous enough upgrading to a car the size of the A4, leave alone the A6 so the preference would be the smaller car. Note, one of our wedding vows that we both agreed on was that neither of us, on pain of divorce, would ever even mention the phrase “SUV” so no Q7’s or SQ5’s will ever adorn our drive.

Sorry for the long windedness.

 

[Spaceman_RS3]

Get s4 avant loads room and great family car.

I have 2 year old and 5 year old in the back they fit with lots leg room and I’m 6ft3.

the boot is plenty big my next door neighbour even managed to fit one them big silver Ross prams in, tho we did have to take the parcelself off.

easily fit normal prams and shopping in tho.

The B9 is a good bit more roomy than the b8
Fits in the single garage too. Next door ended up buying last old shape a7 massive barely fits in garage and not that much more room

 

[Daggerit]

I’d agree with the above. Good size for a family wagon and plenty fast too.

I did the same thing as you and optioned up a 2.0T 252PS and on a PCP deal the S4 worked out cheaper so seemed silly not going for it!


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[Psychoscot]

Hi all.

New to the forum, hope I’m posting in the right place.

I’m currently a Bimmer man and run an M240i. The wife only has eyes for the four rings and runs an A3 Saloon. We have a baby and another soon on the way. My car is utterly useless for family duties. The wife’s is surprisingly serviceable in that department, but we need a new motor. I’m keeping mine which means she gets a new one.

Truth be told, the wife doesn’t actually need much convincing, despite the title of the thread. Our requirements are for a petrol fuelled Audi (she won’t consider any other marque) with 4WD. In the B9 family that basically leaves us the choice of a four-pot TFSI or the S4. Pricing up the slower car to the spec we want only comes up about £3-4K cheaper than the equivalent S4 on DTD (who will incidentally knock 17% off the price). At this point my man maths kicks in and since I will be driving the car a substantial fraction of the time, I figure it’s a no brainer. Running costs schmunning costs, not an issue.

To cut a long story long, is the S4 Avant practical enough for 2+2 family duties? I’ve read all the reviews but I’d appreciate the perspective of actual owners. The alternative is most likely wait for the new A6, though the missus is nervous enough upgrading to a car the size of the A4, leave alone the A6 so the preference would be the smaller car. Note, one of our wedding vows that we both agreed on was that neither of us, on pain of divorce, would ever even mention the phrase “SUV” so no Q7’s or SQ5’s will ever adorn our drive.

Sorry for the long windedness.

So, I've just upgraded from an A3 Sportback to an A4 Avant - have a 2 year old and a 4 year old (children, not cars). Passenger space - more than adequate. 2 yo is in a rear facing seat behind driver's seat which she will be in until 3.5 ish. This compromised my driving position a little in the A3 (I'm 6') - same car seat, no issue in A4.

As for the load space, it's undeniably bigger, but not as much bigger as I expected. Part of this is because it's a different shape and I was used to lowering the load floor in the A3 (which you can't do in the A4) so got quite good at stacking things when going away with the kids - it's basically a different kind of Tetris in the A4 , less vertical space but much more depth and width.

Having said that we recently went away, a mid-sized suitcase, a 4 year olds balance bike, 2 scooters, couple of bag for life's with books and toys, a pushchair and a travel cot all fit in.

It's fine just now - as the kids get older I may get a roof box or a bike carrier, but may not need it as we stop taking the pushchair, so I'll wait and see.

Hope that helps!

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[Zakalwe]

Get s4 avant loads room and great family car.

I have 2 year old and 5 year old in the back they fit with lots leg room and I’m 6ft3.

the boot is plenty big my next door neighbour even managed to fit one them big silver Ross prams in, tho we did have to take the parcelself off.

easily fit normal prams and shopping in tho.

The B9 is a good bit more roomy than the b8
Fits in the single garage too. Next door ended up buying last old shape a7 massive barely fits in garage and not that much more room

Ha! Funny you should say that, we’ve got one of those Silver Cross things. Utterly ridiculous piece of kit. That’s what you get for letting the mother-in-law choose the pram because she likes the ****** brand. Weirdly though it actually fits in the boot of the 3-box A3. Problem being once in, nothing else does.

Not so bothered whether it fits in the garage since that’s strictly for my car. In fairness if the missus tried to park in it her car would acquire detachable mirrors to its options list.

So, I've just upgraded from an A3 Sportback to an A4 Avant - have a 2 year old and a 4 year old (children, not cars). Passenger space - more than adequate. 2 yo is in a rear facing seat behind driver's seat which she will be in until 3.5 ish. This compromised my driving position a little in the A3 (I'm 6') - same car seat, no issue in A4.

As for the load space, it's undeniably bigger, but not as much bigger as I expected. Part of this is because it's a different shape and I was used to lowering the load floor in the A3 (which you can't do in the A4) so got quite good at stacking things when going away with the kids - it's basically a different kind of Tetris in the A4 , less vertical space but much more depth and width.

Having said that we recently went away, a mid-sized suitcase, a 4 year olds balance bike, 2 scooters, couple of bag for life's with books and toys, a pushchair and a travel cot all fit in.

It's fine just now - as the kids get older I may get a roof box or a bike carrier, but may not need it as we stop taking the pushchair, so I'll wait and see.

Hope that helps!

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Thanks buddy. Very helpful. D’you reckon you’d be able to fit 2 (compact) prams in it?

 

[Psychoscot]

Ha! Funny you should say that, we’ve got one of those Silver Cross things. Utterly ridiculous piece of kit. That’s what you get for letting the mother-in-law choose the pram because she likes the ****** brand. Weirdly though it actually fits in the boot of the 3-box A3. Problem being once in, nothing else does.

Not so bothered whether it fits in the garage since that’s strictly for my car. In fairness if the missus tried to park in it her car would acquire detachable mirrors to its options list.



Thanks buddy. Very helpful. D’you reckon you’d be able to fit 2 (compact) prams in it?

On a day to day basis we have two folded pushchairs in the boot just to keep them out the house - a Baby Jogger City Mini Zip (H26 x W31.8 x L75cm folded) and a Baby Jogger Vue (H35.6 x W38.1 x L107.3cm folded) and you can get a couple of big bags of shopping in, and loads of space on top of them. The Vue is over a metre long folded, so a fair size. Our main pushchair is an Uppababy Vista (44 L x 65.2 W x 83.8 Hcm folded) and we have to take the back wheels off to let the load cover close, but there is still loads of space.

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[WarwickBoy]

Hi Zakalwe,

Looks like you have done your research well and managed to find a good price for the S4 Avant. A discount of 17% is one of the best I've seen on the 2017/2018 S4 Avant.

Please can you share details of the options you specified and the final price you obtained from DTD. If this is a PCP please share the deposit, term and monthly payments you got.

I'm sure you will make the right decision. Having test driven the S4 Avant myself working out the best options and deal for the car.

Cheers,

WarwickBoy

 

[Zakalwe]

Hi Zakalwe,

Looks like you have done your research well and managed to find a good price for the S4 Avant. A discount of 17% is one of the best I've seen on the 2017/2018 S4 Avant.

Please can you share details of the options you specified and the final price you obtained from DTD. If this is a PCP please share the deposit, term and monthly payments you got.

I'm sure you will make the right decision. Having test driven the S4 Avant myself working out the best options and deal for the car.

Cheers,

WarwickBoy

Hi WarwickBoy,

Spec isn’t huge. Having optioned virtually everything on my M240i and realising I don’t really use any of it and the one thing I didn’t option is the only one I would’ve used all the time (folding mirrors!) we’re being conservative. So...

- metallic paint
- memory folding mirrors
- memory seats
- privacy glass
- virtual cockpit

Options total £1870 giving a total OTR of £49350.

DTD have quoted £41170 OTR, saving £8180. My maths was slightly inaccurate, that represents a 16.6% saving. I’ve tried most of the other usual suspects as far as brokers go and DTD beat the next best (Carwow) by nearly a grand.

I’m afraid I don’t have PCP details for you, I haven’t yet got down to the nitty gritty of the terms. Though I plan on taking out finance for the £1500 deposit contribution, I’ll pay it off immediately. Probably.

 

[Zakalwe]

So a small snagette has arisen.

The wife is really not keen on the grey door mirrors! Nor does she want the black styling pack.

Now I realise there are various options for remedying this and it really shouldn’t be a deal-breaker (wrap, respray etc). However it’ll make the sell easier if I could get the car looking to her liking on delivery.

So, is it possible to buy OEM mirror housings in gloss black and have the dealer fit them prior to handover? For a small price no doubt.

 

[RS4B5]

YOUR WIFE LETS YOU GET A S4 she's cool
USED THE S4 going to London then west brom then Glasgow from west Yorks two under fives and one women joy to drive in comfort it eats up miles ample space for everyone mad sound system and tech a must on long journeys two push chairs piled on top of each other folded in the back 1 suit case two bags it's very good with the family criteria

 

[Daggerit]

So a small snagette has arisen.

The wife is really not keen on the grey door mirrors! Nor does she want the black styling pack.

Now I realise there are various options for remedying this and it really shouldn’t be a deal-breaker (wrap, respray etc). However it’ll make the sell easier if I could get the car looking to her liking on delivery.

So, is it possible to buy OEM mirror housings in gloss black and have the dealer fit them prior to handover? For a small price no doubt.

I know that people have gone the other way and ordered the black pack and had the silver mirrors fitted, don’t know if the price.

Or you could just spec the OEM carbon ones and have it delivered to the dealer with them on.


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[Nickfrog]

Some pretty rigid views OP!

For family duties I find SUVs far far better than estates, for a variety of reasons.

I appreciate that image can be a turn off but I'd rather look like a pillock in a faux 4x4 than compromise functionally.

Tbf, if I really cared about image I would avoid Audi all together, even in a non-SUV.

 

[Zakalwe]

Some pretty rigid views OP!

For family duties I find SUVs far far better than estates, for a variety of reasons.

I appreciate that image can be a turn off but I'd rather look like a pillock in a faux 4x4 than compromise functionally.

Tbf, if I really cared about image I would avoid Audi all together, even in a non-SUV.

I appreciate the your frankness.

The short response is that logic doesn’t necessarily come into it. I would argue that for any given “premium” car model, you could find a cheaper car that matches or outperforms the more expensive car in the real world.

Case in point, my personal suggestions to the wife were a Volvo or Skoda. She wants an Audi. The heart wants what it wants.

Now, I’m prepared to have my ignorance corrected, especially as there will be many far more knowledgable about cars on here than me. I’ve always been prejudiced against SUV’s on the basis that they fill a niche that was created by marketing people to appeal to consumers’ hearts rather than their heads. And no, the irony of that statement is not lost on me given what I wrote in the preceding paragraph.

For example, We just popped into Bexley Audi on the way home from a weekend away. They have a Q5 in the showroom as well as an A4 Avant. We had a good look in both. To my eyes, the Q5 was no more roomy in the back than the A4. The boots looked very similar in size, the Q being taller you could probably stack a bit more stuff on top. Sure enough, checking the stats, the Q has a boot only a fraction larger (550L vs 505L). The equivalent of the S4 Avant would be the SQ5, which is thousands more expensive for a fraction more practicality. Sure, the Q7 is a better bet, but it’s also massive (and the missus would never go for it on that basis alone).

Then again if practicality were the only consideration, we’d probably be getting a C-Max...

 

[bryans69]

Some pretty rigid views OP!

For family duties I find SUVs far far better than estates, for a variety of reasons.

I appreciate that image can be a turn off but I'd rather look like a pillock in a faux 4x4 than compromise functionally.

Tbf, if I really cared about image I would avoid Audi all together, even in a non-SUV.

I've never got this 'SUV are better for family duty' stuff. If you want one then great, but the equivalent estate is generally more practical than SUV. Yes , you get a bit more ride height, although I'm not sure how much difference 8 inches makes when your stuck behind a white van, but things like the boot are less useful as it makes the space in height, so you have to stack things rather than have a bigger floor area. I've seen various forums with people admitting their Q5 /X3 etc isn't as useful as the A4 / 3 series.

And the wife doesn't get the point of SUV's either, so she doesn't take any pursading

S4 Avant for me please.

 

[Psychoscot]

I've never got this 'SUV are better for family duty' stuff. If you want one then great, but the equivalent estate is generally more practical than SUV. Yes , you get a bit more ride height, although I'm not sure how much difference 8 inches makes when your stuck behind a white van, but things like the boot are less useful as it makes the space in height, so you have to stack things rather than have a bigger floor area. I've seen various forums with people admitting their Q5 /X3 etc isn't as useful as the A4 / 3 series.

And the wife doesn't get the point of SUV's either, so she doesn't take any pursading

S4 Avant for me please.

This is proof that it's horses for courses... I posted upthread about finding the A3 easier to load than the A4 BECAUSE of stacking !

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[Nickfrog]

Sorry I didn't want to start a SUV vs Estate thing. And Zakalwe, I am married too and know exactly what your mean!

I find SUVs ridiculous but I am not going to deprive myself from running one just because they are clearly over marketed. It doesn't actually make them less practical. It's funny how people who have an anti-SUV prejudice (I had one too btw) invoke the marketing when many SUV fans (including me) often buy them despite the marketing/image/lifestyle thing and simply on functionnal grounds.

We have a B9 Estate and Skoda Karoq. The SUVs advantages are:

- shorter so easier in town, parking etc
- similar volume inside albeit in a different shape indeed (see photo, I couldn't do that in the A4, way too shallow, I can fit 2 bikes inside standing in the Skoda)
- high profile tyres which are great for attacking potholes
- slightly better residuals /lease rates
- high driving position (not to convey our social superiority , it's a Skoda, just for visibility/comfort)

 

[bryans69]

Ah, The Karoq. Skoda always seem to manage far more interior space relative to physical size somehow. Just look at the Octavia or Superb. Not convinced you'd be able to do that in a Q5 or X3.

Nothing against SUVs, and have been looking at the X3 M40i, but at the end of the day personally prefer the looks and handling of an estate

 

[Nickfrog]

Ah, The Karoq. Skoda always seem to manage far more interior space relative to physical size somehow. Just look at the Octavia or Superb. Not convinced you'd be able to do that in a Q5 or X3.

Nothing against SUVs, and have been looking at the X3 M40i, but at the end of the day personally prefer the looks and handling of an estate

Indeed, agreed. I suppose the higher COG will eventually penalise the SUV.

You're bang on the money with the (outgoing) Q5. My cycling friend has one and can't do that. I could also do it in the the old shape Tiguan, as well as loading the bike with both wheels on, but not standing obviously.

 

[mxnrg]

...

Note, one of our wedding vows that we both agreed on was that neither of us, on pain of divorce, would ever even mention the phrase “SUV” so no Q7’s or SQ5’s will ever adorn our drive.

...

This made me laugh a lot as my wife and I swore the exact opposite that we’d not get an ‘old person’ estate car while we both considered ourselves young

Have to say that though the Q5 is pricier than an A4 Avant, the 10% bigger boot and much more roomy rear cabin make it a nicer place for passengers (Yes I have ordered a SQ5 over and S4 Avant!).

Each to their own, I’m sure the S4 Avant is better to drive.




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[WarwickBoy]

Each to their own, I’m sure the S4 Avant is better to drive.

Not disagreeing that SUVs can be more practical than estates as outlined earlier in the thread. But in terms of the driving experience, estate cars are better to drive/better handling than equivalent SUVs. It's all down to physics - centre of gravity in fact. Nicely explained here:
https://oppositelock.kinja.com/lower-is-better-so-we-do-we-buy-so-many-suvs-657095500

 

[Nickfrog]

Not disagreeing that SUVs can be more practical than estates as outlined earlier in the thread. But in terms of the driving experience, estate cars are better to drive/better handling than equivalent SUVs. It's all down to physics - centre of gravity in fact. Nicely explained here:
https://oppositelock.kinja.com/lower-is-better-so-we-do-we-buy-so-many-suvs-657095500

Very true and a decent article until that bit :
"Yet the market loves SUVs. They are selling by the truckload in some kind of perverse 'I am considerably taller than you' competition that is at odds with the laws of physics. When it comes to buying a car the lower the better. Taller is dafter"

You can see the chip on the shoulder a mile off !

I find that a low CoG is really useful on track. On your average commute stuck in traffic, to transport the family, going shopping etc etc.. - very little relevance IME ; modern SUVs actually have incredibly high lateral grip despite their higher CoG, way more than needed on the open road.

If a low CoG was that crucial for road use then we would all be driving in Lotuses or Caterhams, not those massively high CoG A4s. ;-)

 

[Keef]

@Zakalwe i have a set of OEM gloss black mirrors sat on my shelf as I changed mine to silver. If it helps convince the wife and get you an S4 i’ll Do you a great deal on them.

 

[Psychoscot]

Ha! Funny you should say that, we’ve got one of those Silver Cross things. Utterly ridiculous piece of kit. That’s what you get for letting the mother-in-law choose the pram because she likes the ****** brand. Weirdly though it actually fits in the boot of the 3-box A3. Problem being once in, nothing else does.

Not so bothered whether it fits in the garage since that’s strictly for my car. In fairness if the missus tried to park in it her car would acquire detachable mirrors to its options list.



Thanks buddy. Very helpful. D’you reckon you’d be able to fit 2 (compact) prams in it?

That's the two pushchairs, kids balance bike and shopping in the back.

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[cuke2u]

Blimey, even if I owned a Avant my loadspace would still be empty and pristine as my boot is. But then I don't have young kids anymore or indulge in cycling to clutter it up...

 

[Zakalwe]

That's the two pushchairs, kids balance bike and shopping in the back.

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Boom!

Thank you mate, just what I needed.

I may be back to start an "incoming" thread once the missus has made up her mind (so, might be ****** ages yet then).

 

[pjeffe9172]

Would recommend the A4 Avant Boot liner. It has cut outs for the cargo net to attach and stop things sliding round but like Cuke2U I like to have (and keep) a pristine boot.