| First Drive | Ibiza, Spain | Audi A4 Avant |

What would you drive? It's a question, along with the inevitable what's the fastest, most expensive etc, etc. that's an occupational hazard in this job. The answer's not usually that exciting either, as it's almost always an estate, and a diesel one at that. Why? Nice as it'd be to have one of the super or sports cars we're lucky enough to sample, living with one on a day-to-day basis just isn't realistic. And my answer is always assuming one car only, rather than the dream situation of a garage full to pick and choose from. And Audi's new A4 Avant looks like it might fit the bill perfectly.

In the Metal

An Audi? Over its more driver-focussed BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class rivals? It'd certainly be a close run thing. Chiefly because the A4 Avant looks so good, and despite its (soon to be) prevalence it's just not quite as obvious as its seemingly omnipresent 3 Series rival. The Merc runs the Audi very close, especially in AMG-aping Sport guise, but add the S-Line trim to the A4 and you've an RS-alike. And we like. But Audi's sucker-punch to its rivals is delivered inside, the A4's cabin being a demonstration of quality, ease of use, comfort and style.

Audi's designers speak of a coupé-like profile for the A4 Avant, but for all the talk of clever lines and design trickery, there's little the designers can do to hide the sheer scale of the A4. Park it alongside an A6 Avant and there really isn't much in it. In return, the boot is capacious, 1,430 litres of space available with the seats down. Mercedes' C-Class might offer a bit more volume with the seats down, but there's not a huge amount in it, and if those rear seats are all in position and used it's the Audi that'd be the more comfortable proposition for rear seat passengers.

What you get for your Money

The 2.0-litre TDI engine is offered in three outputs: 118bhp, 141bhp and 167bhp. Whichever one you choose you'll get an engine that'll comfortably return over 40mpg and decent CO₂ emissions. With the 141bhp version, 62mph arrives in 9.7 seconds, but the benchmark sprint time belies the easy, flexible and punchy in-gear performance on offer from the torque rich 2.0-litre line-up. They're such good all-round performers as to make the petrol engines pretty much redundant. Two other turbodiesels are offered, though the 2.7- and 3.0-litre V6s are only really necessary if you absolutely cannot live without the cachet of a multi-cylinder engine under your bonnet.

Two trim levels are offered, SE and S-Line, there being a price differential of around £2,500 between them. The SE comes with everything you could reasonably want, but the S-Line's smart body kit, brushed and bright metal trim, three-zone climate control, sports suspension - lower by 20mm - part leather seats and Xenon headlights with Audi's LED daytime running lights are very tempting indeed.

Driving it

The latest A4 is a huge step up in driver appeal over its predecessor (RS4 aside) and the addition of an estate rear end has done nothing to detract from that. Audi's chassis engineers have, at last, managed to find a good balance between agility and ride comfort; even the S-Line version, with its lower suspension and larger alloy wheels, rides decently enough over nasty road surfaces. The real appeal of driving the A4 Avant though is its ease. The steering is well weighted, the gearshift quick and easy and the driving position excellent. The turbodiesel's ample torque at low revs only facilitates the effortless feel the A4 delivers.

That's not to say the A4 Avant can't provide thrills when the roads get more interesting. While not loaded with feel, the steering is quick to react and precise, while the body remains relatively flat when pushing it through bends. Get too enthusiastic and it will understeer, but you really need to be trying hard, the A4 pleasingly neutral when driven smoothly. Quattro models increase traction - useful with the larger capacity engines' gutsier power outputs - while those really wanting to personalise the way their A4 drives can opt for Audi's Drive Select, a system that offers a variety of different settings for the power steering, throttle response and suspension. It works too, though in truth you can't go far wrong with the standard set up.

Worth Noting

Audi's typical attention to detail is apparent in the A4 Avant's luggage area. There's a powered hatch, a one-touch retractable load cover, a reversible boot floor with a recessed wipe-clean side, shopping bag hooks and the availability of the load retention system that's offered in the A6.

Although most buyers will opt for the turbodiesel models the petrol engines shouldn't be completely overlooked. The turbocharged 1.8 and 2.0-litre TFSI units deliver strong performance and respectable economy, while the 261bhp 3.2-litre V6 quattro is a very tempting proposition. Not all the engines - including some of those diesels - are available yet, some arriving in October. There's no firm news as to when the range-topping S4 and RS4 might arrive, either.

Summary

In saloon guise, the new Audi A4 is an appealing car, but the addition of the extra space in the boot adds massively to its overall appeal. A very competent all-rounder, it's hardly surprising Audi sells so many of them. The new Avant has all the qualities of its predecessor (the smart interior, neat, inoffensive styling and excellent practicality), yet adds some dynamic appeal to the mix, making it a very desirable everyday proposition. Even for us spoiled motoring journalists.