HAVING started the ball rolling with its new A4 saloon, Audi is going for a home run with a stylish estate.
On sale in June, the latest A4 Avant is in every way as good a performer as the saloon yet deceptively huge.
Capable of carrying anything from 490 to 1,430 litres of cargo the new Avant will set the benchmark in the medium-sized premium estate market.
Up against the BMW 3 Series Touring and the new Mercedes C-Class estate the A4 Avant will be priced from £23,400 to £33,600.
That is cheaper than its German rivals and realistically only the Ford Mondeo estate - which is actually bigger all round - offers real competition.
Like the A4 saloon, the Avant will feature a mix of petrol and diesel engines and the latter will form the bulk of sales.
Some 80 per cent of the 5,000 Avants Audi expects to sell each year in Britain will be diesel - and there are a couple of new engines waiting in the wings.
Before the year is out a two-litre diesel pumping out a gutsy 170bhp will be available as will a lean burning 1.8-litre petrol engine delivering 120bhp said to be capable of averaging 33mpg.
The initial petrol powered Avant line up will comprise a more powerful 1.8-litre turbo with 160bhp and a 3.2-litre, 265bhp quattro both available either in SE of S line trims.
The diesels, priced from £24,750, feature a choice of Audi's tried and tested two-litre, 2.7 and three-litre engines.
All offer splendid performance which in the case of the 3.0 quattro translates into sporty statistics of 0 to 60mph in 6.3 seconds, a top speed regulated to 155mph and average fuel economy of almost 40mpg.
Emissions of 188g/km make it tax friendly for business users especially while the two-litre, 143bhp diesel slips in below 150g/km CO2 with claimed average economy of 49.6mpg in manual form.
The higher powered two-litre diesel is not quite as economical (42mpg) but its performance is exceptional for an estate with 0 to 60 coming up in around 8.5 seconds.
As with the saloon, which went on sale on in February and is already selling well, the Avant is bigger than any of its predecessors and is styled to impress. With Audi's LED front running lights stripped across the base of the headlamps it cuts an unmistakable presence.
It also looks much more of an estate than previous A4 Avants which had the appearance of being more like stretched hatchbacks.
Inside the Avant boasts Audi's redesigned facia which is much more involving from a driver's point of view.
All versions make use of an electronic parking brake and feature climate control, automatic lights and wipers and electronic stability controls.
The higher grade S line models - priced from £25,900 - have colour display screens, part leather upholstery and ultra-bright xenon lamps included as standard kit.
As with the saloon the ride is top class and, if anything, is helped by the additional rigidity of the estate body frame. The new A4 has an extended wheelbase with the front wheels pushed forward which has helped manoeuvrability.
The load area is wide, flat and practical with a low loading lip and a reversible load liner.
Optional equipment includes a cargo restraint kit and an electrically operated tailgate. There's even the facility to fit a three-point 220-volt power outlet to run laptops and the like.
This is an estate with a touch of class to compliment its heavy duty credentials backed up with splendid performance.
The A4, along with the Mondeo and the Mercedes C-Class, are the three cars of the past 12 months which have become the pacesetters for a new breed. The Avant simply builds on those credentials to become an estate par excellence.