AUDI A4 ALLROAD HELPS SPUR COMEBACK OF THE STATION WAGON FOR TODAY’S FAMILIES


This goes back far too many years that I care to acknowledge, but once upon a time my friends from high school and I got together with our families for an informal reunion about 20 years or so after our graduation.

Our meeting place was a park in our hometown, and it became somewhat of a running joke as the afternoon wore on that each of us showed up in a station wagon.

At the time this was the ultimate in automotive domestication, part of the “full catastrophe” cited by Zorba the Greek in the movie of the same name. I’ll pause now while you look it up on Youtube.

Back? OK. Let us continue.

My point here now is that if that gathering were held today and we were still of that age and with the same brood of young children, chances are that we would be showing up in SUVs/crossovers.

For though we didn’t know it then, our station wagons were about to experience a popularity decline that seemingly had them headed for the edge of extinction.

Minivans struck the first blow in the mid-1980s with the aforementioned SUVs and crossovers continuing to inflict blows. (Ironically, minivans now carry much the same stigma that ran station wagons off the road, that is being the nerd’s vehicle of choice.)

Domestic manufacturers pretty much bailed on the segment. Ford even billed its boxy, Flex, which has the profile and look of a station wagon if there ever was one, as a “crossover” when it introduced it a decade ago.

But thanks mostly to European automakers, the wagon never completely disappeared, and now it apparently is on a bit of a resurgence.

Citing data from Edmunds.com, Bloomberg Business reported that station wagons enjoyed an increase in sales of 29 percent in 2018, trailing SUVs and midsize pickups in growth rate but far ahead of tradition segments like compact cars, midsize cars, luxury cars, etc., which were all in negative numbers for the year.

Admittedly, the station wagon’s market share is still small. The volume of 229,000 vehicles sold is less than 2 percent of the U.S. market, but it apparently is getting off its death bed. Buick (TourX) and Lincoln (MKT) are even back with domestic offerings in the segment.

The modern wagon is far from the lumbering Wagon Queen Family Truckster that Clark Griswold packed his family into for their cross-country trek to Wally World in National Lampoon’s Vacation.

I’d say the 2018 Audi A4 Allroad is among the most striking vehicles I have had the pleasure of driving in recent months. Not surprisingly, combined with its performance and luxurious interior, the A4 Allroad is ranked 1 or 2 among available wagons by such sources as Edmunds.com and U.S. News & World Report.

Fully redesigned for the 2017 model year, the 2018 A4 Allroad is pretty much the same vehicle but with heated front seats as standard and some other changes to features in the higher trims. No major changes were made for the 2019 model either, so it may be to do some looking in the used car market if you’re interested in one.

The Allroad is offered in Premium (base), Premium Plus, and Prestige trims with a starting MSRP of $44,500. The Premium Plus package adds another $2,700 to that and is well worth it with features such as an upgraded Ban & Olufsen 3D sound system, 8-way power front seats with driver memory, front and rear parking sensors, LED headlights, Audi’s side assist system with pre-sense rear systems that react in the event of collisions from the side or rear, and SiriusXM satellite radio with 3-month trial subscription.

A Navigation and Telematics package adds another $3,000 and includes Audi’s MMI touch telematics system and Audi’s virtual cockpit. Those two packages and a couple of other extras ran the total of my vehicle for the week to $52,750 including destination and delivery, so no, this likely isn’t your grandfather’s station wagon.

All A4 Allroads get a 2.0-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that is mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and puts out a healthy 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. Set in dynamic mode, it delivers credible throttle response with fuel mileage figures of 22 miles-per-gallon city, 30 highway, and 25 combined.

Audi clockers caught the Allroad getting from zero-to-60 mph at 5.9 seconds, which is not your grandfather’s station wagon either.

Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system is standard and though you won’t be traversing the kind of terrain that vehicles like Jeeps and Land Rovers typically take on, you will find the Allroad up to navigating dirt and muddy and snow-covered surfaces and other unpaved roads quite well.

Lest we forget that certain functions are expected of a wagon, the Allroad also delivers there as well. It seats five comfortably, and rear stowage capacity is 24.2 cubic feet with the second-row seats in place and 58.5 with them folded.

What I liked about the 2018 Audi A4 Allroad: The Allroad handles so well you can forget that you are in a wagon. I love the virtual cockpit and the ability to change settings by flicking your thumb on the “view” button on the steering wheel spoke.

What I didn’t like about the 2018 Audi A4 Allroad: The display screen to show settings for Audi’s MMI infotainment system looks like an iPad stuck at the top of the center stack. It’s not a deal killer, of course, but there has to be a better way of incorporating it into the flow of the dash. In fact, I have actually seen better ways in other makes!

Would I buy the 2018 Audi A4 Allroad? Sure would. It is one of the more expensive wagons on the market today, but it is well worth a look, even if you are looking at a luxury SUV.

AUDI A4 AN OUTSTANDING CHOICE IN A FIELD THAT HAS A LOT OF GOOD ONES

The A4 has been a stalwart seller for Audi for well over two decades now, moving into its ninth generation with the redesign for 2017.

In fact, the A4 and two crossover SUVs, the Q5 and the Q7, are largely responsible for keeping the company from a decrease in year-to-date sale through September comparing 2018 figures to those for 2017.

Audi reported that 28,783 A4s were sold over the first nine months of 2018, an increase of 4 percent over the same period in 2017. It announced an 11 percent jump for September alone with 3,185 sold this year compared to 2,879 in September 2017.

Obviously, those aren’t huge numbers when compared to top sellers in the passenger car segment overall, but they stack up well with their Teutonic brethren. Mercedes-Benz reported a fall of nearly 25 percent for C-Class sales month-over-month for September (4,682 for 2018, 6,194 for 2017) and the BMW 3-Series, long considered the bell cow in the segment, was down over 40 percent for September (3,615 for 2018, 6,045 for 2017).

Sales for the year-to-date were off 40.2 percent for the 3-Series and down 28.32 percent for the C-Class at the end of September.

The A4 neatly slots in between the Q5 and the Q7 as Audi’s leading sellers.

Which is not surprising. This is one great sedan that gets high marks for its performance, its looks inside and out, its comfortable ride, and its user-friendly technological features — especially when compared to its competitors.

Cars.com awarded it the title of Luxury Car of the Year at the 2018 North American International Auto Show at Detroit, citing its “balance of sport, luxury, function, amenities, quality and comfort.”

That’s pretty much a winning combination right there.

The Audi A4 is offered in Premium, Premium-Plus, and Prestige trim levels (we’re dealing with only the sedan here, not the Allroad wagon) all powered by a 2.0-liter, turbo 4-cylinder engine pumping out 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque and mated to a 7-speed, S-tronic double-clutch or 6-speed manual transmission (depending on the trim).

That’s enough oomph for a spirited performance, but if you want more the all-new for 2018 S4 with its 3.0-liter turbo-V6 (354 hp, 369 lb.-ft.) zips you from zero-to-60 mph in 4.4 seconds.

You can get the A4 with front-wheel drive or Audi’s all-wheel quattro system.

Fuel mileage figures run from 27 miles-per-gallon city, 37 highway for FWD to 24/34 for quattro models. 

My ride for the week was the 2.0T quattro S-tronic version that came with a base MSRP of $40,500. (Base models start at just a tad under $37,000.) Adding extras like the Premium-Plus package and Audi’s MMI telematics system with navigation ran the total to $48,290.

For 2018, Audi made a few more features standard over the previous model. Notable standard features include LED interior lighting, power sunroof, three-zone climate control, 8-way power adjustable heated front seats with 4-way adjustable lumbar support for the driver, LED daytime running lights and taillights, and Audi’s low-speed collision assist system.

Naturally, the cabin is rich with high-quality materials with leather and soft touches throughout, and you can add options like ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and a heated steering wheel as well.

Visibility is good all-around, and legroom is generous with 41.3 inches up front and 35.7 in the back row despite the A4’s classification as a “small” luxury sedan. It has more the feel of a mid-size.

The center screen is easy on the eyes, though designers really should find a way to incorporate it more smoothly into the flow of the dash. Sticking up like it does makes it look like an afterthought. Audi’s MMI infotainment system is easy to get the hang of even for techno newbies.

What I liked about the 2018 Audi A4: This is one of the best-looking sedans in a segment that has a bunch of them. The ride is sporty, and you can switch to the mode you prefer (comfort, auto, dynamic or individual). You can turn off the stop-start system. The “virtual cockpit” system allows the driver to personalize the instrument panel, reducing the size of the speedometer and tach to accommodate a full-size navigation map right in front of your eyes.

What I didn't like about the 2018 Audi A4: The list of standard features is generous (leather seats are included), but to get the really cool stuff you'll have to spend about $6,000 over the base MSRP for such items as a Bang & Olufsen premium sound system, LED headlights, Parking System Plus, Audi side assist, and the Navigation and Telematics package. Truck size (13.0 cubic feet) is only adequate.

Would I buy the 2018 Audi A4? Yes. There are lots of good choices in the segment, though some can overwhelm you with all their geez-whiz techno gadgets. Not the A4. It strikes a nice balance between gee-whiz technology and user-friendly operation. 

AUDI A4 SEDAN FEATURES GREAT LOOK, USER-FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGY FOR 2017

A couple of years ago — well, it might have been three, but I don’t think it was four — I attended the launch of the new Audi A3 sedan, and as I listened to the product managers, designers, and other speakers tell us of the its new features and updates, I got to wondering if the company wasn’t competing against itself here.

After all, the A3, which formerly had been produced as a hatchback, seemed to have more good stuff and came at a cheaper price by several thousand dollars than its A4 sedan.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who thought that because about a year ago sales numbers for the A3 were second only to the Q5 crossover SUV. Sales of the A4, meanwhile, where down about 16 percent for the year.

Automakers, however, rarely sit still. (Those that do aren’t around for long.) Audi has addressed the situation with a major redesign for the 2017 Audi A4 sedan and guess what. Sales numbers for the A4 were more than double those for the A3 last month with 3,864 A4s sold to 1,708 A3s. For the year through October, the difference was slightly less with 27,535 in sales for the A4 to 26,578 for the A3, but the figure for the A4 is a 17.6 percent increase over a year ago and the number for the A3 shows a a 10.5 percent decrease.

Yes, part of that can be attributed to a natural progression in declining numbers as one generation of a model begins to age, but in this case I think it is also because that Audi did a lot right with the new A4. In fact, in its analysis of auto reviews for the small luxury cars U.S. News & World Report rated the A4 No. 1 of a field of 18 entries. (The A3 was No. 4.)

I would be hard-pressed to argue with them.

The A4 is truly a joy to drive, it looks great both inside and out, and it features a bunch of gee-whiz technology that even the less techno-savvy among us find easy to operate.

Audi gave the 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine a power boost for 2017 with horsepower up to 252 from 220 and torque to 273 pound-feet kicking in at 1600 rpm from 258 for 2016.

Mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that functions like an automatic (you can select gears via steering wheel-mounted shifters), it scoots from zero-to-60 mph in 6.1 seconds in front-wheel-drive configuration or 5.7 for models with Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system. Fuel mileage is a respectable 25 miles-per-gallon city, 33 highway, 28 combined for FWD models and 24/31/27 for AWD.

Set in dynamic mode, the A4 delivers an ever sportier driving experience while still delivering a ride that is smooth, quiet, and comfortable. Again, that is from driving on South Florida roads and streets, which are notoriously straight-line affairs with the only elevation change the usual on-ramps (save for one particular overpass in the north of Miami-Dade County), so it’s not like I was able to see its reaction on twisty mountain roads. I suspect it would handle them just as well if not better than the A3 did at that press event in California I mentioned earlier.

The A4’s cabin is impeccable with lots of leather and soft surfaces throughout the spacious cabin. Those leather seats, by the way, are among standard features. Others include a rear-view camera, 8-way power adjustable front seats with 4-way lumbar support (driver memory seats are included in an optional package), a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and LED ambient lighting.

There’s also lots of room for both passengers up front (up to 41.3 inches of legroom) and in the rear (35.7 inches), and the trunk offers 13 cubic feet of luggage space.

My test vehicle came with Audi’s MMI (Multi Media Interface) system for operating infotainment features such as the navigation system via a knob on the console. You simply flick a toggle switch to whatever system you want — audio, navigation, etc. — and adjust the knob to the desired setting as indicated on a screen that sticks up from the dash. The MMI system also includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Pricing for the A4 starts at under $35,000. The 2017 A4 Sedan 2.0T quattro S tronic that served as my test vehicle had a base MSRP of $39,400. With a couple of optional packages added on along with stand-alone options like 18-inch wheels over the standard 17-inchers, plus the $950 destination and delivery charge, the total came to $45,450, but a credit for the Parking System Plus knocked the final figure down to $44,950.

What I liked about the 2017 Audi A4: One of the choices for the driver’s information display between the speedometer and tachometer in the instrumental panel is a duplicate map for navigation. You can adjust the scale via a dial on the steering wheel. This allows you to check out the map with a simple glance down instead of having to look to your right to the monitor on the dash.

What I didn’t like about the 2017 Audi A4: Nothing really to enter here. Guess the trunk could be a bit bigger. It’s slightly smaller than some competitors, slightly bigger than others.

Would I buy the 2017 Audi A4: Yep.